Song reviews

Guitars turned up to the max? Yes! Sleazy streetwise attitude present and correct? Oh yes! God bless Keys for making “I Only Want You For Your Rock and Roll” into the kind of song that actively encourages delinquent behaviour. Play loud.

Minor key melancholy sets the mood for “The Wolf” and Freja Frances weaves enough metaphorical ambiguity into her words to make her song seem deeper than even the shadows in her heart. Worth a second or even third play.

OK, so Weston Rd dig up all the best moves from rock history to power their song “Take You Down” but it is undeniable that they do so with notable style. Powerhouse lead vocals from Joe Blanks polish the song off nicely.

Winning this weeks’ award for best song title, Go Go Ponies kick it up with some flair and duly turn their song “Sharknado Circle Pit” into a punk meets hard rock hybrid destined to damage the walls anywhere that they might play.

Melodic metal gets some Scandinavian style with Sublime Eyes doing their Norwegian best to turn their song “Med Tiden Gror” into the kind of anthem that destroys stadiums. With the volume turned, you might well believe that this song will do just that.

Despite, or perhaps, because of, the low key retro electro intro, Emily Breeze manages to take her song “Work” on a journey from the computer to the heart and that heart is that of a literate, and ironic, songwriter.

Looping insistently might seem like taking the easy way out but Zeke Finn knows where he is going and he duly takes his song “What You Need” straight down the laptop indie pop with a purpose road to deliver his simple message to you.

As was always the case, polished pop music needs a good song and Katie Toupin gives us just that with “Magnetic Moves” oozing commerciality whilst hiding a deeper message in the sharp edged lyrics. Ears and brains blessed with maturity will appreciate this one.

Kyra Mastro puts more effort than most would do into her song “Mr. Tomorrow” with the result evoking comparison with the more literate female singer songwriters of the seventies. Add in a dash of offbeat charm and this one proves appealing to the ears

Almost self-consciously trendy, Kat Koan draws her inspiration from the robotic rhythms of the dancefloor and thus renders her song “Lustfire” in shades of super cool poetic repetition. I feel a placement in an ad for an electric Jaguar in Kat Koan’s future.

“Wear Me Out” is the kind of song that clearly aims to be quirkier than your average urban song and, whilst mercilessly looping itself as such songs do, Lush Puppy throw in enough oddball charm to make your ears prick up and pay attention.

The trashy guitars make FUR’s three minute indie pop meets fifties retro song into something rather special with “Nothing (Until Something Else Comes Along)” making you wish that nothing else would come along. Put this one on repeat.