Song reviews

Pleasingly dramatic in her presentation, Birgit Bidder takes her ballad “You Don’t Wanna Know” into theatrical territory with the hint of quirkiness in her voice lifting the song skywards and making this a song with commercial potential.

Showing a Springsteen song the respect it deserves, Sweden’s Moa Holmsten adds her plaintive voice to a respectful and reverential cover of “You’re Missing”. You can’t argue with her choice of song as it suits her so well.

Showing their spirited side, Glasgow’s Cherri Fosphate romp through their song “Neighbour” with the kind of robust sense of purpose that easily distinguishes them from the pack of mundane indie rockers that are now destined to follow them.

Intellectual and yet hinting at fairy tales for stylistic motivation, Berne’s lightly chilled delivery of “In The Woods” actually gives the song a hymn like quality. That said, the wolf is still out there.

Self-consciously clever, Calico right click their musical mouse on jazz funk and despatch their song “Fold A Winning Hand” with the kind of clinical efficiency that suggests that there is much value in formal musical training.

Rather old fashioned and clearly enamoured by the laconicism inherent in irony, Eckhardt and The House hits the low key road with his song “Mexican Wedding” and Bella Hay for company (just like some modern day Nancy and Lee might do).

Although clearly steeped in the ways of power pop, Glasgow’s Piranhas and Sharks nonetheless season their song “Red Road” with a sprinkling of Scottish guitar pop edginess that nicely complements their sentimental lyrics. It’s singalong in a cardigan time.

“These Are Not The Drugs (You Are Looking For)” is the kind of song that might make you regard Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 as hippies of our times. Or, alternatively, you might regard this band as purveyors of the kind of party songs that are themselves narcotic in nature. Be smart for they, and their songs, are.

“Miles From Home” might well be minimalist electro pop but, in the land of sequenced repetition, it is all in the detail and Boston’s Miss Geo follow their chosen path with a convincing mix of innocence and enthusiasm. If the coffee shop isn’t really your thing then this is the kind of song that will make your iPad shuffle.

Surprisingly robust for a Glasgow band, Proud Honey stomp the streets of this no mean city like a proper rock band should with their song “Weekend Millionaires” nudging them, in no uncertain manner, on to the last bus to the stadium anthem. The guitar, once more, is where it is at.

Sounding like he was defrosted from a fridge bought in the eighties, HÔN nonetheless demonstrates that the synth pop thing can still be cool with his song “Honeydream” simmering with the kind of repressed emotion that makes the midnight hour so special.

“Rewind” is a pleasingly melodic mainstream country song from Kalsey Kulyk. The song has enough Ashley Monroe style seasoning to take it to the airwaves and enough Stepford Wives in the lyrics to make you wonder if she is really as conventional as she purports to be.