Song reviews

Downbeat, lyrically and stylistically, Mono Sideboards determinedly avoid the yellow brick road and instead take their song “Time Goes Backwards For Frank” along the back roads to the cliffs of indie guitar band despair.

A considered piece of music, “This River So Red” provides more than enough evidence of the benefits of a musical education with Tvärvägen easily escaping any accusations of being a soundtrack cue on his journey to classical salvation.

Although she is from Romania, Navi takes a very American approach to her song “Eyes Wide Shut” and, while the piano may well be much to the fore, it is her heart that truly drives the song forward.

The time of the protest song might well be long gone but there are, fortunately, still some who write with intelligence about the state of the world that we live in. Reflecting on what money doesn’t get you, “Everything I Own” demonstrates Silent Sleep – aka Christopher McIntosh – is such a man.

It’s all there on the canvas as Gabrielle Papillon paints a picture of melancholy and repressed emotion and calls it “Got You Well”. It’s a song good enough to make you wonder why everyone hasn’t heard of her.

Not sure if this song is meant to be ironic but, nonetheless, Ryder uses her endearingly quirky voice to sprinkle some sonic sugar on “Pretty Little Gangster”. Some might well mistake this for the simple sweetening of another urban princess yet the more discerning may hear deeper meaning and European electro pop influences.

Following the white line up the middle of the high street, Pullman Standard clearly know the value of avoiding surprises and “Starting Static” therefore meets the requirements for both mainstream radio play and Saturday night talent show television. Their future is so bright that they will have to wear shades.

Lumpen and lo-fi, You Left End Of Story follow the yellow brick road in search of an unhappy ending while their, or more likely his, song “Who The Fuck Do You Think You Are?” veers between melody and internalised rage.

I’ve always had a failing for girls who decorate their guitars with reverb and Thayer Sarrano was therefore unlikely to disappoint me. Her song “Touch My Face” is moody to the point of bleakness but that surely is the point. I hear her voice even with my eyes closed.

Kind of old school, but in a good way, “I’d Take a Bullet for You” allows Daphne Lee Martin to highlight her ability to do the female singer songwriter thing even if the urban seasoning leads the song out of the suburbia where Carly Simon used to live.

Big of voice and not short of talent, Canada’s Clara Lofaro tells it like it and takes her song “Other Side” for a walk on the confessional side whilst making it another worthwhile addition to your rock solid collection.

Ok, so you will guess that this is an American band within the first four bars of “Big Man Baby” but Plastic Rhino are relentless in their pursuit of the robust rock song and Atara Gottschalk’s energetic vocal performance ensures that her place at the front of the band will never be in doubt.