Song reviews

Possessed of that curiously Glaswegian take on the indie pop style, Wojtek the Bear duly stamp some eloquence and elegance on their rather downbeat song “Second Place On Purpose” thus taking it out of the coffee shop and into the street. Nicely nice.

Kind of an old school rock ballad, “Caught in a Landslide” allows The Jix roll to like it is 1974 once again with the song taking it all the way to the bridge in a suitably melodramatic style. Naturally, there is also a guitar solo.

Playful to the point of encroaching into showtune territory, Ruth Theodore goes downtown of Broadway before making a sharp left into an alleyway full of witty and quirky lyrics. I’d spend my own money on a ticket to have her play with my ears.

Harmonies are the way of Girls Next Door with “Living In The Rain” with the supremely well-seasoned gospel sentiments of the song resonating far beyond its three minute runtime. Believe your ears even if you don’t believe.

A suitably muscular rock song, “What U Wanna” plays on a riff with all of the steroid fuelled consequences. Some might even say this song is best played loud and they would be right. Hell, it’s Friday night and you know it’s the right thing to do.

Super smooth sounds from Norway with Atari layering laidback female vocals, retro synth sounds and neo jazz rhythms into a sweet song called “Fujifilm”. It’s like the past has suddenly become the present again, but in a good way.

“Angeline” has the stamp of commerciality all over it with Liverpool’s Keyside holding a steady course all the way through the song. Some neat guitar work compliments the confident vocals and the result fits neatly into any mainstream playlist.

Alex Amor puts her finger on the pulse of today and turns it, once again, into song. “Cherry Blossom Boy” is slickly produced with the emphasis on perfect numbers yet you can’t really argue with her commercial instincts. Radio friendly.

You just know when a song is more than the sum of its part and “You’re My Muse” by Xan Tyler is one such song with all those retro stylisations, grungy guitars and Ms. Tyler’s laconic vocals combining into a midnight walk on a rain soaked city street.

Sometimes the bear gets you and sometimes indie rock goes a bit showtune as is the case with “Calabasas” by Goldfinch. I’m not sure where this band is going but at least, for a change, they aren’t just playing by the rules.

Making some proper noise are Odd Robot” with their song “Anti-Revolution” mixing much in the way of guitars in with the duetting male and female vocals to make for a three minute excuse to drive way above the speed limit. Again.

Laidback but still lyrically sharp, Maya Delilah stamps some style on to her song “Necklace”. Really too good for the coffee shop crowd but likely to be forever destined to be consumed with a latté, this is one for discerning ears.