Song reviews

Whilst decidedly lightweight in its presentation, “Plankton” is definitely a serious song and, with Louise Connell using wistful repetition to lead her words down the path to enlightenment, metaphorical melancholy has rarely been more appealing.

Australian indie popsters Sons of Rico strike out for success with “What Am I Doing Here?” It’s an energetic song that exudes hope and yet still finds room for the singalong chorus that is the secret of mass appeal.

A blues song with both purpose and soul, “A Million Men 2 Many” reeks of honesty with Amin El and Michael O’Neill showing that a social conscience can still co-exist with twelve bars. The overtly political lyrics are to be commended and are more than enough to make you wonder why, and how, hip-hop replaced the blues as the language of the streets.

Fred Abbott, formerly of Noah and The Whale, shows his true spirit and accordingly romps through his song “Adrenaline” like a man high on the glory days of American rock music. The guitars aren’t big enough for the job but our Mr. Abbott nonetheless throws his hat into the ring with this one.

A sweet slice from the Scottish indie pop cake, “Sister” shows that TeenCanteen can sugar coat even a message of solidarity and that’s a sure way to capture both ears and heart in little more than three minutes. A job well done, as they say.

Despite the reggae rhythms, Rebel and The Hearts actually hail from the Isle of Wight and their song “Little Emily” chugs incessantly forward powered by just an acoustic guitar and a bit of percussion. In days gone by this song would have been considered a demo but, in these plastic enhanced days, the minimalism is refreshing.

“My Only Vice” is another example of an androgynous electro pop song of the kind designed with the dance floor in mind that regularly escapes the boundaries of Sweden. Ms. Henrik, as always, throws his heart into the strobe lit words.

“Counterfeit” may well be a mainstream song about the overlapping reality and illusion of a man but Jenn Bostic has the voice to make such routine things radio friendly and easy on the ear. The same old story perhaps but well told.

Understated but curiously compelling nonetheless, Nova Heart, who hail from Beijing, show a mastery of melancholic electro minimalism with “Lackluster No.” exhibiting hypnotic characteristics. The beat may be plastic but her voice exudes urban conviction.

The robust voice of Michael Tomlinson adds some dignity to “Burn Together” and Many Things, despite some electro rock seasoning, are most likely to remind people of Deacon Blue at about the time they sold out and became megastars.

Possessed of an unaffected voice, Sweden’s Jenny Hansen sets out to convince us of the benefits of her naturalistic approach to performance with “Wanderer” being as much of the lost heart of folk as it is of the barren wilderness of urban electro landscape. Spiritual, for once, is the word.

“Sweet Death Polka” rambles like some parody of the madrigal form before striking out energetically for the prize of best extended impersonation of the excesses of seventies folk rock and, if you can handle all six minutes of that, you will surely believe that scarecrows have souls. God bless Glasgow’s Trembling Bells for their injudicious consumption of “organic” mushrooms.