Song reviews

A Psalm, it says here. Whether it is or not, I would not know but what I do know that the purity of Ruth Campbell’s voice would make any song, secular or otherwise, sound just fine. “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place” duly runs straight and true.

An odd one, this. Heather Pierson’s voice has both purity and honesty and the words to her song “We Will Take Care of Each Other” are both simple and direct so this song seems not of today but of some better time and place.

Louise Connell gets some poetry and a clean needle and duly injects it into the casually paced “All The Smartest People” with her maturity and metaphorical intent being consequently released into our world of music.

I can’t say that I am a fan of Americana but, that said, even I would have to admit that “Little Bird” enchants my ears and Kirsten Adamson’s endearing delivery of some decent lyrics works just as it should. Delightful.

Emotional Intensity is easily found in “Med Sorg og Salte Tårer” by Annlaug Børsheim with the combination of her voice, words that exude sadness and those broken down garage style guitars making this walk in the shadows seem spiritual.

Layering on the self-reflection like only a proper singer songwriter can, Jodie Nicholson takes “Sleep On It” and turns it into a wistful anthem for the sensitive souls amongst us to enjoy with our soya cappuccino.

Every time is night time and Pixel Grip unearth all that is to be found in the avenues and alleyways of the big city with moody vocals and brooding synthesisers keeping the robot behind “Split” on a near industrial course.

Abandoning subtlety and with cultural oppression being the name of the game in the lyrical content, the full on mix duly pounds all that is “Tribal” into your skull. Only You are a music machine on a mission.

Italian band Saint Mary Candy aren’t short on style and with their mix of retro sounds and post punk angularity taking their song “Black Darling” all the way to the bridge of sighs with the fuzzed out guitars leading the way.

You don’t get much in the way of that old school funk groove these days but The Steele Syndicate blow their horns all the way through their song “Take It Eazy” just to let you know that it’s time to get back up on the good foot.

Jakob The Liar is walking on the twee side of the street with “A Song Like You” and that element of awkwardness in the lyrics is right in sync with the time honoured sentimentality and even the almost but not quite guitar solo

Playful in that way that many recreations of the punk sound are, Liliths Army bounce amiably through “Eat My TV” with much in the way of wry humour evident. At least I now know what anarchy in Northamptonshire sounds like.