Song reviews

“Chance” does sound a bit dated and the song has the feel of being dragged along by the eighties dead on the click robotic sequencing. On the plus side, the male vocals have a confident, easy going edge to them even if they do sound like they were recorded in the cupboard under the stairs. If a bit of cash were to be spent then perhaps, perhaps perhaps.

Despite being nearly overcome by an over the top desire to be simultaneously theatrical and offbeat, The Pale Faces successfully take their torment out of the basement and, renaming it “Torture”, take it for a walk along the beach (in the rain, of course).. Bleak and yet curiously rewarding, it is the kind of song that annoys you for far longer than you might think.

Simple and straightforward, “Three Kingdoms” trips off the mighty sequencer in search of the outer limits of eighties synth pop and, in their endearing low budget way , Love and Radiation find it with the laconic female vocals hitting the emotional mark square on. Downbeat but not downhearted, if you like, and be assured that there is no such thing as too much mascara.

Laced with gentle acoustic undulation, “Má Gbàgbé” walks slowly in the sunshine giving Lanré plenty of time to charm your ears with her unaffected vocal talents.  Admittedly, the song doesn’t really go anywhere and would benefit from being substantially shortened but it’s a nice enough way to pass the time.

Taking lo-fi into no-fi is Glasgow band Betamin. Underneath the murk and general untidiness “Laura” turns on the lovelight for those days when rock first met synth (at least I think it is a synth?) while the gruff vocals emoting words probably not meant to be understood give the song some purpose and direction. I think I’ll add them to the list for further investigation.

Positively uplifting bit of rock meets pop from Folks who use “My Mother” as a tightly focussed homage to the chart dominating talents of seventies luminaries Chinn and Chapman. We are talking commercial, we are talking clever, we are talking hummable and we are talking, by implication, about a proper song. Run it up the flag pole and salute it because you don’t hear too many like this these days.

The Merrylees, like so many Scottish bands trying to avoid the mediocrity of indie rock, draw from a gamut of American musical influences. Unfortunately, like so many bands before them, the spark of inspiration has deserted them and “For You”, whilst easy on the ear, will not trouble your memory for long.

Oddly appealing minimalism from Circle and they unleash (under cover of darkness probably) their eighties style sub electro ditty “Shake It Off”.  I must be getting mellow but this unassuming song worked for me even in the cold light of day.

A confident slice of indie rock pie from London’s The Beautiful Game, “From Angels To Enemies” has more substance than style which makes for a change. Jason Crowley has the attitude to match his voice and the guitars are actually interesting (again for a change). As a band, they are maturing nicely.

Decent vocals are the icing on the cake for “Motorway” but the fact remains that The Tax sound way too similar to the hundred and one other up and coming indie bands across this sceptred isle. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if they had better songs than this waiting in the wings.

Another day, another rough demo by an aspiring Scottish singer songwriter…the insipid “Taxi To Glasgow” ticks all the boxes to achieve mediocrity for Johnny Graham. I am tempted to say something like” must try harder” but would imply that Johnny Graham had actually tried in the first place.

Relentlessly commercial even if possessed of a sledgehammer like subtlety, “Forever On Your Team” could make Frida Selander’s mark on the mainstream pop music scene with her voice sounding just bruised enough to give the necessary credibility to the lyrics. I might get to like this one.