Song reviews

The pounding electro beat of “Sun Goes Down” indicates reggae influences while the insertion of a socially conscious rap seals the band’s motivational deal and thus marks Sweden’s Bellaroush out as purveyors of music of deeper content than most.

The Beautiful Game are a reliable indie rock band from London and their song “Kill The Fiction” is an example of what they do well with the addition, this time around, of just enough nineties style guitar pop influences to successfully sugar coat their musical cake.

Convincingly melodramatic, the Lena Smith band throw their musical toys into theatrical disarray and the result is their song “Hungry”. Call it cabaret if you like but, if you like your cravat located left of centre then this will undoubtedly tie your knot. My fedora is duly tipped.

Blessed with a voice soaked in spirit, Joanna Cooke drives “Last June” along the back roads with not inconsiderable verve. The song itself is striped in jazz colours but suffers not one bit from that very festival friendly approach. In one word - irrepressible.

Even if you ignore the fact that this song is released in aid of a charity and that it is also a Christmas song, the drama and lack of sentimentality that Mark Northfield infuses into “Christmas Eve, Gracechurch Street” is more than enough to remind us all that the festive season is cold indeed for the less fortunate amongst us. A musician with a conscience? It would appear so. Do the right thing and buy it at Bandcamp.

“I Think Not” may well be the name of the song but I think so is a much more appropriate response to the music of The Twistettes. Raucous and yet rammed with post-feminist sentiments, they pump up the volume until your conscience and your feet achieve synchronicity. I call their name for I am a believer.

“Castle in the Snow” is a surprisingly effective slice of Europop from Kadebostany. Built of the finest Swiss plastic, downbeat lyrics and charmingly accented female vocals, this rather trippy song should find favour and remixes anywhere between Geneva and Cherbourg.

Earnest both lyrically and musically, Sweden’s Jennie Abrahamson makes “The War” as acceptable to as many people as she can. Some might say that such an approach will likely render a song anodyne but, nonetheless, there is little doubt that her heart and mind are in the right place.

Pleasingly mature, melodic and redolent of the days when songs actually mattered, “Conquer The World” shows that all you need is a piano, a voice and talent. Alexis has these three things. Job done, as they say.

Balancing the icy precision of the insistently robotic backing track with her deep and intense vocals, Allyson Ezell makes the street and the art house as one with her song “Landmine”. Music for the educated.

It is easy to categorise Twin Lakes as a wholesome and worthy band – for they are – but “Wolf Hall” suggests that they have dramatic motivations that will allow them to scale up and escape the size limitations inherent to indie pop. They are a band that deserves to go large.

Downright old school in its funkiness, New York’s 12KO have the horns and full on female vocals to make you wish it was 1975 again with “Left, Right Left” being all the proof that you need that soul is where it is at. That’s true now, then and forever.