Song reviews

Swooping synthesisers set the tone for “Everything To Die For” with Miu Zyu overdosing on a cocktail of wistful intent and concentrated introversion on her journey into the twin towns of nihilism and melancholia. Curiously hypnotic nonetheless.

Decidedly retro and almost sunset beach in its meandering mellowness, “Your Arrow” sounds like the kind of song that would have made your grandfather inhale deeply back in the day. The Tropicanas do this sort of thing rather well.

Somebody had to do it and Concrete Club have duly done it with their song “Riverswimmin’” paddling down the indie river whilst carrying a bag full of ska inspired rhythms on their back. They won’t drown, that’s for sure.

And then along came We Three Kings to remind us of what it was like back in the heyday of rock music. Their raucous song “Gold Digger” duly reeks of guitars, cigarettes and tour bus decadence and is all the better for it. Play loud and often.

If you are looking for something soaked in melancholy then you won’t need to look any further than singer songwriter Michael Lane with his downbeat song “Blind” maintaining a steady, and elegantly presented, course towards eternal self-reflection.

The press release says that “Be Good” is destined to be some sort of Eurovision entry for Estonia’s Sofia Rubina and, if upbeat nineties style soul is back in fashion, then victory will surely be hers. Really rather good.

This one definitely counts as quirky with “Old Beliefs” merging oblique lyrics into a stripped back retro retake of old school electro street beats. Shiny Brainy Crayons clearly aren’t going with the flow with this song and I like that.

I don’t know if there is a such a thing as a Pacific highway song but, if there is, “Good Times” by Australian band Joan & The Giants would be a fine example of music that has to be listened to with the top down and sun in your eyes.

You can’t go far wrong overdosing on brooding synthesiser riffs and bleak, reverb laden, vocals and Poison Point duly sets his sequencer on stun and shoots up the shadows like a man who only wears black would do. Hypnotic, nonetheless.

Angst powers “Practical Magic” and drives the song onwards on the journey to your inner ear and possibly your inner self. Literate lyrics always help to make the time pass easily and Her Skin has those too and is therefore judged worthy.

“Don’t Get Sad” by The Kowloons is undoubtedly a robust song in the best indie rock tradition with much in the way of strident guitars and thudding drums to take it to the proverbial bridge. I liked it even more after the third beer.

Some might call the song quirky but, when you get charm and complexity combined as is the case with “Bloody White Horses” by Grandios Sensibel, your ears will surely take you on to a better place. I feel a sigh coming on.