Song reviews

There’s nothing wrong with heart on your sleeve lyrics and Angela Chambers duly adds a healthy amount of them to her song “Say It To My Face” to provide some necessary counterpoint to the plastic production.

I remember catching The Hedrons at a bar in Glasgow some years ago and recall them as being a rather boisterous band. “Human”, however, is mellow middle of the road rock that is surely destined to be added to a Radio 2 playlist. Nice.

Delicately presented and infused with wistful words and fey melody, “Lately” is the kind of song that pretty much defines ear candy. Mared walks down the sentimental path with this song but you nonetheless want to follow her.

Not a song to induce a smile, “How Rude” nonetheless rolls along with a notable amount of intensity and purpose. Brume are indeed bleak mixed with dark clouds and power chords yet they have a poise that makes it all worthwhile

Monsieur Minimal makes interesting use of middle eastern rhythms to keep his entirely instrumental song “Anatolia” moving along at a spirited pace on its way to a vaguely psychedelic destination. It’s a trippy thing.

Having done the time travelling thing in search of musical inspiration, Lenexa Drive duly put on their best pop punk shoes and kick their song “Fading Echoes” around the room with considerable gusto. It’s a nineties power chord thing.

Old school rock never goes out of fashion and “Red Light Rumble” by Barrel Smoke duly fires up the proverbial tour bus and takes it out on to the road once more. There are guitars aplenty, as you might expect, and the song improves with beer and volume.

“The Drugs Are Working” runs deeper than its title might suggest with Hook pulling some solid rock moves together, with a guitar solo of course, to remind us all that music of our fathers is not dead yet. Works well with beer too.

Is it wrong to like rabbits? “Wildest Dreams” by Little Lies is about as cute an indie pop song as you might get in Sweden or, indeed, anywhere in the world with those adorable female vocals making me dream of sunshine and frolicking bunnies.

“Oh Hell” turns out to be an energetic example of melodic punk rock from Germany with No Guidance riffing it up like it was a long time past yesterday and the song’s mostly metal construction effectively holds the nihilism together.

“Lucid Love” plays out like a low key tribute to minimalism with Siula laconically robbing the dancefloor of both beats and pared down lyrics as they lock your ears into their loop. One for the cool kids, without a doubt.

A robust one from Glasgow’s Ferri and The Fevers with “I Want One of What He’s Got” riffing those guitars like there was no tomorrow with the unique selling point being the unexpectedly diversity oriented lyrics. Those words made me smile.