Song reviews

“Memory Man” is a tidy song from a tidy British band called Juke Jaxon. There’s enough indie to make the song rock and enough soul to catch the attention of many an educated ear in search of atmosphere.

The cynical amongst you might well argue that country music satirises itself constantly but that isn’t going to stop Mimi LaRue from locking weapons on those good ole boys down in Nashville whilst taking them on a their own game . “Country Star” sounds just a like a modern day country song would yet her words suggest, with a notable lack of subtlety, that the promise of a recording contract and/or a toaster oven won’t compromise her bleached blonde feminism.

Although at first “Craters in the Atmosphere” seems no more than another chip off the indie rock block, the song is given life and independence by the pleasingly emotive vocals of Connor Robson. Worth a listen.

A song that would definitely be at home in any chill out zone, “Baby” has enough synth powered wistfulness to keep the three o’ clock in the morning audience happy until the sunrise welcomes them into a new day.

I would almost be tempted to say that there are no surprises here but that is perhaps the point of “West Coast”. Step Rockets, from Minnesota in the good old US of A, throw in a touch of keyboard powered irony but the song knows where it is going right from the start.

With the kind of intensity that will surely endear them to trendies in search of deeper meaning, Hawk tick all the urban festival boxes with “The Hunt”. The main selling point is Julie Hawk’s soaring voice that seems more of the forest than the city.

Sounds like Australia may be rather more interesting than I had thought with “Sympathy” baking a cake made of wholesome radio friendliness and topping it off with the spirted voice of the lady Iluka herself. Sugar coated quirkiness all the way through.

Soaking her song “No Last Call” in melancholy works out pretty well for Emily Rodgers with her voice, lost forever in the shadows of life, calling out triumphantly for redemption. Remarkably, this song sounds like the work of singer who actually understands country music and yet she isn’t even Nashville bound.

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.