Song reviews

I like a bit of art pop in the morning and “Itch” by Kee Avil is undoubtedly that with an echoing piano and obtuse lyrics suggesting that the theatre is where Kee Avil lives her artistic life. I would be happy to see her in the spotlight any day.

Solid jingle jangle pop from Monogroove with “Back To School” having enough sunshine between its chords to make you think you are hearing a song in the soundtrack to a teen movie from the days when such things were in every cinema.

An odd one this, “The Envy of Venus” sounds way too complex for a song of today and perhaps Aka Belle are actually the ghosts of some band lost in the late sixties that have been resurrected for our listening pleasure. Anyway, this one works for me.

Switching between brooding synthesisers and ethereal interludes probably serves some greater artistic purpose for Darkplace yet their song “Maran” still sounds like it should be part of the soundtrack to some distinctly bleak movie.

Taking the piano driven route works well for Amy Duncan and “A Cautionary Undertow” duly exudes a degree of intimacy, and fragility, far removed from the expectations of modern music. It’s a serious song but it still floats.

It is abundantly clear that ghostbells have their synthesisers on maximum loop with the resulting sonic sledgehammer evoking a march through the midnight alleyways of the big city. It might be that “Darkness Saves” but mascara puts it in on the rebound.

Freed from the rigid regimentation of traditional jazz, Danakil Safari take their song “Oslo Black Widow” for a long and meandering walk through the forest of tempo shifts. This is the kind of song that should be paired with an arthouse type movie.

Quinn Bailey throws her heart into the words of “Sweet Boy” and swathes them in enough kitchen sink musical murkiness to make that guitar solo an essential ingredient. No matter, the Quinn Bailey recipe works out rather well.

You have to give Kat Robichaux credit. She can twist her song “M” into the sort of retro pop with attitude confection that would make you suspect that she had somehow cloned both Julie Brown and Amanda Palmer into her theatrical persona.

Another song wearing its grunge credentials on its sleeve? Indeed it is and “Lap It Up (Frog Boy)” by Black Mariah duly evokes memories of the days when every mall had a record shop and personal hygiene was a secondary consideration.

Appealingly untidy and rough around the edges, The Rat Utopia Experiment exorcise their grunge adoration and combine it with some decently acerbic lyrics to make “Leviathan” into a possible anthem for the dispossessed.

Super cool in that delightfully retro pop meets the dancefloor way, “Bal de Fin Année” shows that Jeanne Bonjour knows how to drive the groove train out of the station on a journey to happiness. Definitely worth the price of a ticket.