Song reviews

Indie rock meets the arthouse as Seawitches mix up reverb and drama and bake their song “Fatheads” in a hot oven for 4 and a half minutes. Jo Herring sprinkles the song with the all the angst and anguish that her voice can muster and that is enough to make any Echo and Bunnymen fan go all sentimental.

Splendidly upbeat, Arigato Massaï bounce “We Love” along the synth pop road with both an abundance of charm and deeper lyrical leanings. Fannie Lineros has the voice to keep the song on course and she ensures that there is more than enough heat to counteract the chilled precision of all those synthesisers.

A singer with a conscience, Kristoffer Jonzon, in his new musical venture High Hope, wears his heart on his sleeve and takes his song “Refugees” in a direction that Neil young would approve of. Throw in some support from the ever sonorous Maria Stille and the result is both poignant and ear friendly.

Kind of old fashioned but about as good as example of the urban electro pop genre as you are likely to find these days, Melbourne’s Myami easily adds her song “I Oh I” to the playlist of every iPod in the metropolitan area.

Here’s one for the beer drinkers. The band are actually be from Norway but Shotgun Rodeo have clearly mastered all the moves that you would expect of an American metal band and, powered by machismo and testosterone powered riffs, their song “Withered Earth” consequently runs straight and true.

Not short on energy, Glasgow blues rock duo The Rivers walk their song “Silver Rose” down a well-trodden track but their heart and soul are in the right place so that journey is a worthy one.

Showing her customary mastery of the sentimental song, Sofia Talvik’s annual Christmas song “Cold Cold Feet” again explores the reality rather than the fantasy of the festive season. Her voice, as always, entrances, and she makes the world seem a better place with every verse. That puts her on top of my Christmas tree.

Demonstrating that seventies style rock is the one and only way to go is Doris Brendel. Her voice suggests that she is using bourbon as mouthwash but her song “The Devil Closed the Door of Me” nonetheless reeks of the truth. When it comes down to it, we all seek the truth (and a good guitar solo).

There is a lot of easy on the ear electro pop coming out of Sweden these days and Heart/Dancer provide, with their song “Under”, yet another example of what can be achieved by combining wistful melancholy with a synthesizer.

Keeping it loud are Plastique. “Lips” is the name of their song and even the relentless electro rock groove and gratuitous use of power chords cannot overcome the power and magnetism inherent in Anelise Kunz’s voice. Yes!

Certainly not lacking in moody intensity, The Secret Storm evoke the shadows effectively with “The Dragon”. The violin and guitar support the sultry female vocals admirably but it is the words that take this song into the adult world.

With a pleasingly rough edge to his voice, James Clark (and his Hangover) stamps his honesty all over his song “Maria”. It’s an old rock school approach but he carries it off.