Song reviews

Some songs just sound like they were born to live in the shadows and “The Devil (Lives In My Flat)” is such a song with Polar Klub idolising all the many facets of retro lo-fi reverb in his search for the perfect dystopian atmosphere.

Endearingly energetic, Deva St. John whips up a rock fuelled sonic snack called “Preacher” and sets out to make the world a better place in just over three minutes. It’s valid thing to do and she has no trouble making it happen. Riff me right now.

It’s finger on the pulse time with “Never Leave The Basement” demonstrating that Nadia Vaeh both knows her way to the mall and the less than spiritually invigorating way back home. Pop music can be smart and this is the evidence.

Perhaps something of a stylistic throwback to simpler times, DuncanC goes all homebrew minimal and acoustic with “The Sceptic” while still putting enough substance into his lyrics to make the song worthy of a listen.

Swathed in synthesisers as usual, the ever wistful Secret Treehouse walk down their retro garden path at a leisurely pace and duly give their song “Truly Free” the sonic seasoning of the serious. Into the valley we go.

Anarchy has had its day, or so they say, and maybe Gunke know that with their song “Football” nearly drowning in its own laconicism whilst transcoding the mundane into chants and guitar fundamentalism.

Clearly in love with the jangly guitar sound of the good old days, Karma Surround walks his song “Stars of the Last Magnitude” down the path of golden era pop songs and, whilst always lo-fi and rather untidy, he gets where he is going.

The dance floor is clearly a big part of the Wake Island oeuvre and “Nouvelle Vague” duly inherits the hypnotic qualities that are part and parcel of the more stylish parts of the club scene. This song is cool enough for its intended audience.

Playing it straight down the line are All Hallowed with their song “Haunt” pulling moves from the grunge playbook whilst still retaining enough in the way of hook and melody to guarantee that all important radio interest.

You can’t keep a good man down and, even when encircled with ElectroBluesSociety technology, Boo Boo Davis still rolls like blues were his one and only gospel. It’s all in the feel and Boo Boo Davis gets that just right.

Curiously appealing for a locked to the loop song, Marie-Clo interjects more than sings her way through “Tides of Fools” yet the result is much more than the mediocrity that you might expect. Hopefully, there is an album out there to go with this one.

Sonically, “Just Like Smoke” is a low key run through the avenues and alleyways of the urban genre. Lyrically however, Marigolden stamps both intelligence and elegance all over her song and that makes for a genuine ripple in the lake of life.