Song reviews


  Twenty Nine by Hillman Lighthouse


Twenty Nine cover art


Swedish pretenders

Hey, this is actually a Swedish band although their name pretty much indicates both their style and influences. “Twenty Nine”, despite the best efforts of vocalist Anders Nilsson, is yet another retake of that west coast sound of the seventies American folk rock sound. The present is once more written in the past.


  Lifetime by Will Tang


Lifetime cover art


Turn about

It’s been a while since we last heard from Will Tang and, with “Lifetime”, he has taken a temporary break from being a blues powered music missionary to show all those sensitive singer songwriters out there how to do it properly with this simple, stripped out song. Talent, as they say, always rises to the top.


Review date: 
  www.willtang.co.uk

  Where Eye Wanna Be by Weatherbird


Where Eye Wanna Be cover art


Rock again

Riffing down the middle of the indie rock highway are Weatherbird. “Where Eye Wanna Be” is certainly the kind of song that you would expect of manly boys on the way up but, when it comes down to it, we’ve all heard this kind of thing before. Many, many times before.


Review date: 
  www.weatherbird.co.uk

  Secrets by Dandan


Secrets cover art


Plastic prince

Eminently irritating and yet annoyingly catchy, Swedish songwriter Dandan kicks his laptop into turbo mode to both invigorate the plastic powered “Secrets” and simultaneously make it compatible with the style aspirations of every Fiat 500 owner. This song will undoubtedly be the soundtrack to an advert sometime soon.


Review date: 
  dandanmusic.com

  Slip Away by Revolving Doors


Slip Away cover art


Maturing nicely

Revolving Doors – the artists formerly known as No Fxd Abode – seem to have taken lessons from much bigger bands and developed their heartfelt indie rock sound into the kind of music that is made for festivals (and big ones at that). Chris Woods, with his customary confidence, picks up the words to “Slip Away” and throws them right to the back of the crowd.


  Sad Eyed Prophet by Whitewolfsonicprincess


Sad Eyed Prophet cover art


Rocking backwards

Pleasantly redolent of San Francisco when it was on the cusp of brotherly love and oblivion, Illinois’ Whitewolfsonicprincess roll an organ powered smoke it up joint with “Sad Eyed Prophet”. The female vocals seem almost too serious for the laidback groove but, as they say, the guitar gently weeps anyway.


Review date: 
  whitewolfsonicprincess.com

  Still Light by Axons


Still Light cover art


Urban landscaper

In every big city there are bedrooms with laptops, and In Chicago one of those bedrooms contains Axon. So with nothing but a distant female voice and a fragile Harold Nono style loop to hold “Still Light” together, it nonetheless becomes clear that the path from the bedroom to the Yellow Brick Road would be the one to take.


Review date: 
  axonsband.com

  Dry Your Eyes by Ash Code


Dry Your Eyes cover art


Electro retro

Rather obviously European and locked in awe of that analogue electro sound, the disconnected voice of Ash Code robotically recites the emotionless words that sit on top of the beat that drives “Dry Your Eyes” to its inevitable conclusion. No surprises then but done with some style nonetheless.


  Dreams by Fou De Toi


Dreams cover art


Swedish weathermen

Curiously light and fluffy for being a song by a somewhat melancholic Swedish band, “Dreams” provides a clear indication that Fou De Toi are well on the way to breaking away from the shackles of their previous retro pop influences. Really rather pleasing.


Review date: 
  www.foudetoi.se

  Magic Vineyard by Juleah


Magic Vineyard cover art


Wistful dreams

Trekking through the past on a journey to the holy grail of moody psychedelia. Her voice is more of California back in the days of free love than the Germany of today but that Teutonic precision provides the solid structure that allows her song “Magic Vineyard” to float pleasantly into your headphones and out towards the sunset.


Review date: 
  juleah.com

  Eureka by Family Photo


Eureka cover art


California style

You turn your back for a moment and, lo and behold, you get a trampled by a surfeit of indie pop. Holding their collective head high amongst the crowd however is Family Photo and their song “Eureka” is a fine example of intelligent indie pop with aspirations to the oddball.


Review date: 
  familyphotomusic.com

  Wars by Wolf Like Child


Wars cover art


Brighton rocks

So resolutely alt-rock that they must be one of the trendiest band in their native Brighton, Wolf Like Child nonetheless take their decidedly straightforward song “Wars” and infuse it with both a political edge and an oblique feel that is almost French. On balance, I think this band may be too good to be trendy.


Review date: 
  wolflikechild.co.uk


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