Song reviews

Mixing up loops, twee keyboard sounds and a wistful female voice may not seem like the path to sonic happiness but Freedom Baby pull it off with their song “Video Daydream” being nothing less than quirky indie pop goodness.

“Where I Belong” shows that Grainne Duffy can do the Americana tinged acoustic thing with the best of them and the song will undoubtedly make her even more festival friendly than she already is.

The Duke Spirit carry on regardless – and it is also vaguely unsettling to think of them as having been around long enough to be regarded as being part of the “old guard” – with “Houses” nonetheless showing all the hallmarks of musical evolution whilst still being unmistakeably of The Duke Spirit.

The moodiness is in there in spades as CHVNGES track the current media style chart all the way into mediocrity with their song “Mischief Managed” lacking any mischief whatsoever but sounding managed to point of – once again – mediocrity.

From the seemingly unlimited glaciers of super cool Scandinavian electro pop comes another icily efficient song. “We Are The Dreamers” sets out to be something of an anthem and Frida Sundemo duly leads this exercise in style out into the sunshine.

Pleasingly upbeat, Puppet Rebellion’s song “Slave” may be little more than old school indie rock but you can’t doubt the conviction that this Manchester band bring to the party. Turn the volume up and you might just like this one.

Wouldn’t you just know that The Ghibertins were from Italy? The PR blurb calls them a folk rock trio but that is like calling an Alfa Romeo just another car. There is more style in “The Less I Know The Better” than any and every folk rock band ever had and, with a jazzy literacy underpinning the song, my ears will await their album with anticipation

More Canadian class from Glass Hour with “Burn” having the kind the kind of ear friendliness that made for hits and money back in the days when there were hits and money to be made in new music.

Nice, if repetitive, slice of power pop from Anna Tosh with “Weightless” just managing to cross the border into the land of the hypnotic whilst still making it look effortless.

There is something endearing about Turtle Farm’s song “Tremors” even if, like all lo-fi electronica, it sounds as if it should be on the soundtrack to some Italian horror movie from the eighties.

Not sure if this is meant to be satire of the style and times of the late seventies updated for the 21st century but New York’s The Dayz nonetheless ramble successfully through their song “Brutocracy”. It was the time and it is the time and it will be the time.

Classy if downbeat, Seasonal Beast make the most of the wistful voice of Yuli Beeri by placing it carefully and ceremoniously on top of their sensitively arranged piano led song “Dry Bones”. Definitely better than the rest.