Song reviews

I used to worry that my past would eventually catch up with me and it would seem that Gary Dillon and Liam Tennant have let time catch up with them (although I suspect that they weren’t even born in the time that caught up with them). Both “Echo By The Night” and “Poison Vines” show the influences of twinky plinky analogue electro pop topped with moody, somewhat nasal quasi-American vocals giving the impression of an earnest pub singer trying to make an escape to the big time. Not awful but equally it’s not obvious where these two gentlemen are trying to get to.

The first two tracks – “Scenester” and “Been In Your Street” – are a bit rough round the edges but show off the band’s brand of intelligently danceable and somewhat frenetic indie rock quite nicely even if the songs themselves are a touch generic. There’s plenty of character in the lead vocals though and I’m sure a better mix would improve things. Oddly enough, a track from an old EP was also supplied. “Plenty” proved to be rather more eclectic and adventurous than the first two songs in a sub Prodigy kind of way.  A case of following too many trends, perhaps?

Pleasingly laconic couple of songs from the Dead Sea Navigators that echo a clean living visit to a late night basement club. Admittedly there’s a fair amount of similarity between “9 Rue Git De Coeur” and “Dr Crellin” and not quite enough gin and cigars to evoke the decadence that the band were probably aiming for but the piano playing hits the mark and is nicely counterpointed by the quirky and dramatic synths.  Not quite Amanda Palmer/Dresden Dolls then, but likeable nonetheless.

Bloody hell! Actual songs with melodies!  And from Wales too! “Dark Danceroom Floor” turned out to be classic jaunty pop in the style of John Sebastian meets Glenn Tilbrook and, furthering the pop  music history lesson,  “I’ll make It Right” is English Britpop meets Chinn and Chapman.  All this trio need is a decent song about a girl (well you’ve got to, haven’t you?) and they would be complete. They have and its called “Eliza”. Dr Who is made in Wales these days so that might explain the time travelling influences but, hey, it works!

A bit mean and moody this one even that sounds like it should be a part of the soundtrack to an Argento film from the seventies.  It’s got that kind of European prog rock feel like Goblin would have had back then and, as if to further prove its retro credentials, it’s even got tape hiss.  Assuming the retro feel is deliberate, this sounds more of a homage than a copy and the male lead vocals do a pretty decent of selling the song. I’ve certainly heard a lot worse than this.

Not so much blues rock as southern rock meets stadium rock. While “Music Revolution” does drag on a bit, I’m still impressed with the confident lead vocals. “This Train” looks backwards in time but is more disciplined and there are welcome hints of Greg Allman in “Meaningless War”. Admittedly, the lead guitarist doesn’t pull out any surprises whatsoever – I reckon that I can guess his influences without breaking sweat – which is a bit of a problem for a rock band, but equally there is no doubting that they have a proper front man in their singer.

There are plenty of shite rock bands in Glasgow but We Are Jawbone certainly aren’t one of them.  No dumb rehashes of the past here as “Somebody Up There Likes Me” reeks of an intelligent fusion of punk and hard rock infused with that back to the eighties retro feel.  More  reflective and indeed theatrical is “I’m Falling”. Their bio mentions comparisons with the SAHB and for once I’m happy that is a fair one. Think I want to see what they can do live now.  Two thumbs up!

More demos from Sunday Morning Service. First on is "Don't Go Please Stay" which is a slice of rather pedestrian mid-paced rock guaranteed to bring joy to the hearts of housewives throughout the world. Vocalist Nick Tate then goes a bit Ronan Keating in "Rock" but you can't argue with the confident delivery of this ballad. Altogether dirtier - and giving the band an opportunity to show their rock chops - is "Why Was I Bothered Anyway". Whilst not treading new ground, the band do what they do well.

Reckon it must be the sound quality that makes this a demo. John DeRoo does a perfectly decent job on these songs going just a bit over the top – which is good - on “Such A Wrong”.  “Troublesome” adds on the emotional troubles to near breaking point but that’s what folk blues is all about. It would be nice to hear these songs recorded properly.

We’re at the classy end of the market with this band. “Weird Weather” is an elegant and understated piano driven ballad with a curiously warming male vocal. Sort of the musical equivalent of stroking a cat. “DNA” intertwines male and female vocals in a song that would make any self respecting folk revivalist proud and the end result is simply beautiful.

"Animals"- Lo-fi part acoustic, part prog rock, part Radiohead that sounds like it got lost on its way home from sixties' San Francisco. "Sleeping Trojans" gets a bit more aggressive but once more does the lo-fi reverb thing only this time like C86 on low end urban drugs while watching some German silent movie. "The Tin Man" - didn't even notice that this was a different song. Need to sum this one up quickly. Got it. Pass the bong.

"Figured Out By Now" wasn't the most promising of starts sounding, as it does, like something the soulless son of Ricky Ross would do. "Monsters" was rather more interesting with mellow, melancholic guitars nicely complementing the words in this mainstream ballad. "Easy Street" turned out to be the strongest track showing a lot more character and individuality with Nick Tate's growling drawl of a voice finding its rightful place on the rock stage. "Blame it on the whisky" go the lyrics. Damn right you can.