Arizona brother and sister duo Dorsten are back and what a number! This song starts off with footsteps and claps slowly, along with finger picked guitars, then Sophie comes in with her signature powerhouse vocal. Careful. She will knock you off your seat. Little blonde girl with the big voice? Of course she is. This …
Single Review: “Power Of The Wolf” – Beth Roars.
This song has so much of a punch behind it I don’t even know where to begin. First up, the production value is up there… It combines eastern melodies and otherworldly synth sounds with electronica and pop sounds. The lyrics speak of uncertainty in life but when it comes down to it when you take …
Single Review: “Someone’s Sometimes” – Sarah Michie
This song starts off really moody, with chords in the lower register… But Sarah’s vocals come in over the top and it’s such a lovely contrast. It’s such a powerful ballad, and the lyrics even name check “Creep” by Radiohead, and I love that for this song. I’ve just realised there’s a nerdy reference in …
Single Review: “By The River” – The Crystal Teardrop
Sitars? Of course. This has a bit of the Eastern touch melody-wise combined with a bit of indie pop, and it works really well. The vocals are so clear, and the guitars are put through their paces with phasing, a bit of reverse and tremolo. Great work production wise. This is quite a soundscape especially …
Single Review: “Mirror Shoes” – Matt Edible And The Obtuse Angels
This next one has lots of fuzz on the guitars – this is made up for with big vocals! Unison in the verse and harmonies very much in the 70s rock vein in the chorus. Cowbell? Of course there’s a cowbell. The toms are big as well on this, I wonder if the drums were …
Single Review: “Time And Space” – Joely June
This next one has a lovely drum pattern that had me tapping it out on the table as I listened. I like the touch of an afrobeat groove at around 0:49, it adds a different spice to the track. In fact, that’s what makes this song for me. It’s the drums. Winner! Again strong vocal …
Single Review: “Better Option” – Four Faces
“I’ll see what I can do yeah” starts off this one with a pitch bent note and a “WHOOP!” to begin it. It then launches into a big indie rock track which passes through filters – it’s all big riffs, but again this is a strong track with a belter of a chorus. The chord changes …
Single Review: “SHARK!” Dirty Nice
To an upbeat guitar driven track we go with this one, a bit rowdy! And fair warning – the “again and again and again” bit will get stuck in your head. It’s quite the catchy refrain! What I really like though is that the song references the title with its punctuation mark to make its …
Single Review: “Hailstones, Clocktower, Hummingbird” – CATMILK
There are many things I like about this one, one being that it starts off with a little poem at the beginning, then fades up to the music coming in. You would be forgiven for thinking it was just that, but it all fits together nicely. An acoustic guitar driven number, this song gives me …
Single Review: “Billboards” – Aymee Weir.
This song for me is like a jumble of thoughts like the post-weekend blues on a Sunday – it gets referenced in the lyrics about what happened the night before. It’s an observational song too, and I like that. My favourite thing about this song is the vocal arrangement – the harmonies aren’t overbearing. The …