Song reviews

There is a vaguely trippy back to the sixties feel to “We Are A Not Robots” and Chris Pellnat keeps his song pretty much on the three minute train track so beloved of those more analogue times. Not bad at all.

There are definite showtune influences to be found in “Silly Little Fool” by Alice Faye and her clearly demonstrated talent for poetically driven literacy makes a notable, and very welcome, impact here. The connoisseur’s choice for this week.

It doesn’t take long to work out that “Haunted” by Amilost is all about generating atmosphere with style and the lyrics become the streetlights on a walk down some shadowy avenue on the way to self-reflection and the purchase of dark sunglasses.

Red Sleeping Beauty inject some endearing retro stylistic moves into their song “This Heart's Now Yours” to give it an almost wistful, even sentimental feel. If you remember those halcyon days then you will find this song easy on the ear.

An unashamedly commercial mix of sentimentality and coffee shop chic, “Buttons” has enough polish to qualify as a segue soundtrack on a Netflix series. Lyn Lapid aims this one at the cappuccino crowd and hits them right in the heart.

“Typical” is perhaps a song of our times and, in the best sensitive singer songwriter style, Zara Smile emotes her inward focussed anguish in words and music and sends it in an outward direction. Sweet but with substance.

I can’t say that I had heard of New Zealand band Underwire before but, on the evidence of their song “Greener”, they seem to have adopted a rather more critical lyrical stance than you might expect of a rock band of these times. Worthy.

There’s not a lot to “Detour” by La Sécurité but it is reasonable to assume that the drums, bass keyboards and distant vocals are part of a greater plan to charm and enchant innocent ears. As plans go, this one might actually work.

Manchester band We Three Kings hit the maximum volume button again with “Blackout” and riff their way their song as if they had been raised on a balanced diet of bourbon and seventies hard rock. Loud and all the better for it.

A somewhat British take on the urban r&b sound, “Camel’s Back” follows a more adventurous path with Tlya X An’s laconic vocals and oblique lyrics weaving a web of processed intrigue between looped beats and late song tempo shifts.

A solid effort from Edinburgh rock band Dark Hearts with rather restrained riffing guitars guiding “Talk To Me Of Poison” along the path to safety. The somewhat theatrical female vocals add a note of distinction.

The retro is strong in Transmission Suite as they continue on their chosen path to revive those halcyon days of analogue synth sounds and brooding, downbeat vocals. If you remember those better times then “Driving Rain” will work for you.