Song reviews

“Black Swan” takes a bit too long to get going but there is enough dramatic swagger in the lady’s voice to suggest a better arrangement would transform the potential of Astrid’s Tea Party brand of moody and downbeat electro pop.

Whilst the song is basic four on the floor rock, London band Chinese Missy, with “Blood On Your Hands”, nonetheless show that they are capable of both a spirited performance and going large on those guitars. That works for me.

No idea why this song took so long to cross the pond but the verdict is the same now as it would have been then. Palaye Royale rough it up like young guys with a Rolling Stones fixation should and turn “Get Higher” into brown sugar so, and you know what’s coming next, let yourself go.

I’m sure they would really like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony but perhaps not today as Not Right have taken to stage instead with a, lyrically economical, post punk political rant called “Tory Scum”. You can, no doubt, guess their musical direction but at least they have stood up and been counted.

Suitably intense and sincere, Aubrey Whitfield does what singer songwriters do when they get a band behind them and “Every Cloud” is therefore stamped with confidence and calculated mainstream appeal. The song, however, fails to match the effort that has gone into making it acceptable to the masses.

Clearly possessed of lyrical integrity, Kerchief takes emotional confusion and reflections on life asset acquisition as the fuel for her song “Milk & Honey”. Her musical influences are more urban than, say, Ani DiFranco but she has the same strength of character. One to watch, perhaps.

Pleasingly skewed towards the house of art, Vienna Ditto show that there is more to electro pop than just locking it to the beat with singer Hatty Taylor sparking the match that sets “Oh Josephine” on fire and sends it off to burn the nightclub down to the ground.

Determinedly time travelling, Axis/Orbit right click on the past and send their song “Riot Canal” meandering off on a journey through the land of the psychedelic instrumental with only a short visit to krautrock city diverting them from guitar solo nirvana. Alternatively, they could just get their collective hair cut and join the army.

Surprisingly robust and driven inexorably forward by a sleazy combination of keyboards and guitar, “Cry Baby” is the kind of song that would likely make a band’s name. The band’s name - and you should be interested in them - is Phone Joan, they are from Norway and Carina Moen’s powerhouse voice is clearly capable of leading a good man astray. A big thumbs up to this one.

Throwing her all into the atmosphere, Sinny uses her voice and piano to inject the necessary emotional anguish straight into her song “Who Needs Love?” with the result being a confident walk down the road that once led Sia to stardom.

Rather more modern in style than her previous releases, “Carry On” neatly illustrates that Coeur De Pirate knows what success in the American market demands. She even sings in English to make this very commercial, if somewhat anodyne, electro pop song enticing to the download capable masses.

Navi is a Romanian singer songwriter who once co-wrote a Eurovision song contest entry but her song, “The Burning Process”, is a much more intense affair with dark electro pop influences much to the fore. A downbeat song, therefore, but not lacking in atmosphere.