Song reviews

Neatly capturing the urban anarchy of Glasgow, Seconds grunge their song “Breeding Feeling” right up yet, in a curiously oblique angst infected way, make it seem uplifting with the sunshine being provided by the girlish vocals. Prescriptive rather than proscriptive, if you know what I mean.

Distinguished by the entrancingly manic female vocals, “Holy Sick” demonstrates that Australian band WAAX have both absorbed all the right post punk influences and learned how to use them to drive this jagged little song along the freeway of life at a relentless pace. Turn the volume right up and enjoy!

It will soon be the time for the festival season and London’s Red Sky July duly step into their Americana boots and walk their song “Walking Country Song” on to the well-travelled road to Nashville. It’s a nice song and undeniably radio friendly.

“Ahnen” might well be regarded as playful compared to what is normally expected from this serious, both musically and lyrically, Scottish band but White Heath mix up complexity and quirkiness successfully with the result that this song soon justifies its place on the steps of the arthouse.

Marlene Oak has her own vocal style, without a doubt, and the bleak, bluesy feel of “How Long” provides her with the opportunity to show what she can do and you can almost feel the redemption coming to get you. She’s a class act.

Endearingly robotic in style, “Just Wanna Belong” makes all the right European noises with the distinctly confident voice of Eric Rapp injecting just enough passion to both counteract the potential sterility of the song and simultaneously give crossover appeal.

Ah, if only it were yesterday! Low Cut High Tops might be well be seen as an American indie rock band these days but “Let’s Runaway”, entirely the work of one David Burns apparently, embodies all those good old fashioned values like a melody and a singalong chorus that once made a profitable and healthy record industry. Throw in enough power chords to give the song boy appeal and you have a winner.

Spaced out and yet cool enough to catch the ear of the trendsetters out there, Bouche takes her wistful voice and double bass and uses them to cross the border between jazz and folk with her song “Everything and Nothing All At Once” being her passport. Quite mystical and strangely hypnotic.

Hey, a song that does what it says on the box! “Good Things” is so good natured, innocent and uplifting that Lorraine and the Borderlands could perhaps pass it off as a hymn. I feel cleansed already.

An edgy slice from the power pop cake, The Sally Rose Band garnish their song “Banshee” with enough nervous energy to make it stand out from the crowd. Sally Rose’s voice is infused with Nashville intent but the rest of the band are determined to kick the song a long way down the highway of life.

High on drama and atmosphere, “Swans” gives Laura Carbone the opportunity to strut the night streets in the company of one hypnotic beat and many bleak guitars with the very shadows providing the harmonies. The moonlight won’t save you from this one.

Whilst clearly a product of the mainstream, British singer songwriter FourAlarmFire nonetheless demonstrates that the middle of the road can be a good place to be especially when his song “I’ll Take It All” is home to both melody and a singalong chorus.