Song reviews

“Joanna” starts out in the style of a murder ballad but it isn’t the Devil having this fun this time around and the song soon heads off into the kind of emotional blackness that is a stranger to anything Americana these days. Ten points are duly scored by Blitzen Trapper for keeping it real.

Pleasingly melodic in that festival friendly kind of way, Circumnavigate are nonetheless possessed of enough in the way of shadow and sunshine to make their song “Secret” seem somewhat spiritual in both intent and execution.

Infused with grunge and reeking of beer soaked basements, Canadian band Julie & The Wrong Guys walk the melancholy line with “Farther From You” like some hippies on their way to Seattle in search of eternal inspiration.

With “Upside Down”. Featurette demonstrate a mastery of irony with their song using discordant simplicity, lopped repetition and nursery rhyme lyrics to comment on our dystopian times whilst cleverly remaining within the boundaries of the currently trendy Nordic electrowave style.

A Swedish rock band in the old school style, LÅNGFINGER keep to the rules and duly muscle their way confidently through their song “Say Jupiter” like it was 1975 and with all you would want in power chords and sweat.

Alana Henderson takes a dash of folky mysticism and a pinch of Americana and uses them to season her song “Let This Remain” to perfection. It’s the kind of song that washes over you and leaves you refreshed.

“Turn Me On” initially sounds like a time stretched escapee from the dancefloor but closer examination suggests that Violet Rose has a darker soul that complements the urban ennui that drives the song forward.

Casually paced but with more than a hint of mysticism underpinning the words, “City of My Mind” is more reflective, and perhaps more ambitious, song than most would attempt yet Jewelia has enough charm and artistic presence to pull it off.

A low key electro-minimalist song with a late night vibe, “Elusive Dreams” should attract attention for Young Galaxy with the intelligent lyrics as likely to appeal to the cool kids as they would to the arthouse crowd.

Not short of eighties retro charm, Los Angeles band The Electric West max out the mood for their downbeat song “No Fangs”. This may be the sound of the past but this band make it worth revisiting.

Whilst being a right down the line commercial pop song, “Easy” also shows that Kid Cupid have their finger on the minimalist pulse and that should make this song as suitable for coffee shop fashionistas as it is for the radio.

“Chance” has that late seventies jazz rock feel and the downbeat vocals fit right into that era too. It is undoubtedly a fashionably retro sound but a classy one that should make many new friends for JonoJosh.