Song reviews

Those who seek the offbeat will find much to enjoy within the dramatic confines of “Still Good” as Tyra Jutai stomps her distinctly independent views into the lyrics of her song. It is good to hear someone who still has fire in their belly.

You can’t go wrong mixing wistful melancholy with guitars and a bucketful of reverb so it is no surprise that “Frederick The Younger” hit the mark with their song “Something Real” and duly make you believe that there will be a better tomorrow.

In truth, there’s not much to “Nice To Have a Break” yet Honey Mooncie, in her own low key and laidback way, turns her song into something that simply entrances your ears. It might just be the time of year but I feel quite sentimental about this song.

With sequenced insistence, Catholic Action steadily turn their song “People Don’t Protest Enough” into a subtly ironic soundtrack to our times with enough seventies Chinn Chapman factory influences to give the song pop appeal. Magic!

A fine example of the hybridisation of robotic precision with cross cultural passion, “Divane” proves to be the kind of hypnotic song that both trendsetters and traditionalists would enjoy. KasbaH makes it all happen.

Very much in the traditional singer songwriter vein, Graham Norwood swiftly moves his song “Collapses To Zero” far into mellow territory with enough in the way of country and folk seasoning to make him very acceptable to mature ears.

Balancing a sharp edged guitar with a wistful female voice is not an easy task yet Claire Pitt Wigmore pulls it off with her song “Intoxicated Girl”. The song itself is laidback in pace and seasoned heavily with melancholy yet the end result is uplifting.

“One Last Embrace” rumbles with nefarious intent as Eliza Shaddad grinds the power chords and insistent percussion into something she can sprinkle in the spaces between her words of angst and regret. I hear her!

A song about a Volvo? Indeed it is and, with the manic assistance of his drum machine, Lodet duly hits the road with his song “Volvo” whilst throwing in just enough twisted Beatles influences and angry guitars to make you want to join him.

Despite the underlying computer precision, “Gladstone” is still a song that wanders about in your mind after you hear it with Blair Lee putting enough of her heart into the words to make this one seem more organic than you might expect.

Striking a balance between minimalism and melancholy seems to come easily to Phonettes with his song “Make Up Your Mind” meandering nicely on its way down redemption road. A low key song without a doubt but not without melody.

You can’t go wrong taking a bath in reverb and Caroline Blind does just that with her song “Need To Say” and, as the guitars echo all around her witch song voice, it soon becomes obvious that her take on matters ethereal was designed to entrance you.