Song reviews

You don’t get many songs that sound positive these days but “Happy Thoughts” by Natty Maxwell is one such song with the nineties urban soul influences that are clearly present in her sound making it all so easy on the ear.

Soul meets funk in the retro melting pot that was used to cook “Frank’s Zone” by Koko-Jean & The Tonics and the resulting musical stew will satisfy the appetite of those who like the sounds of simpler, and better, times. Fingersnapping good.

There’s a bit of the old retro folk rock jingle jangle to “Misty Morning” by Red Sky July and the delicate female vocals decorate the lyrics with the expected, and rather endearing, amount of sunshine harmonies. I’m feeling good now.

The sequencers are in overdrive in this one with the looped synths reinforcing the oppressive atmosphere. Raven Numan’s words follow a similar locked to an introspective loop pattern and “Overwhelming” is duly dressed in bleak black.

“Wild Card” plays out like a low key folk song transplanted from the altogether more laidback seventies with Whiskey Jack keeping his words both sentimental and just this side of laconic. There’s even some whistling thrown in.

There’s definitely some soul in those Sugar Bones and “I Feel Feelings” rolls like that seventies urban sound had never fallen out of fashion. Corrin Cruz keeps the song telling it like it is using just enough heart and emotion to convince.

Rather understated and heavily looped, Jules Ahoi dives deep into the reverb with “Icarus” yet still manages to keep his song afloat for over four minutes. Whilst not esoteric, he isn’t quite on the straight and narrow either.

Energetic to the point of being downright raucous, Zookraught crank their guitars up to the max and, with near hysterical enthusiasm, bounce “Not 4 U” off every wall in the room. It’s almost art but much louder.

Stephen Thomas has the voice to make an impact and “Back Home” is a decent song yet the bombastic production detracts from any emotional impact. I don’t doubt that it’s commercial but generic does not get Grammys.

Haunted by something but I know not what, Jewel Scheme continue to harness their dystopian urban angst to a wagon full of obscure lyrics, looped synths and walking the wall bass lines. I’m not entirely sure why but this band interests me.

Layering some quirkiness on top of some looped retro funk grooves works well for Vanarin with “I Don’t Know” being not quite of yesterday but not quite of today either whilst still managing to simultaneously make a decent stab at being hypnotic.

“All Of The People” is undoubtedly an energetic song seasoned with enough in the way of indie rock and Britpop influences to make you think you have heard it before yet Skäl would seem to be a new band. Play it loud anyway.