Single review - Sylvia - The Woe Betides

Published here.

The Woe Betides must have some of the most colourful names in pop and new single ‘Sylvia’ is equally as colourful.

Firstly you have founding members Simon Mastrantone and Grundy le Zimbra, but these pale into insignificance thanks to the drummer Colonel Sexlife – not his real name, just a guess.

The single ‘Sylvia’ provides some serious pounding pop rock that certainly blows away any of the proverbial cobwebs.

The words “Sylvia you’re a terrible person but I’ll never love anyone else” drone along beautifully with the thrashing guitars.

The sound is indie but with a little more bite and there is definitely a nod to American skater rock within this song. It’s the kind of music you can imagine was floating out of band practices in suburban garages circa 1992 but in a good way.

Single review - Dreaming, Allo Darlin'

Published online at the 405, here.

Elizabeth Morris’s sickly sweet vocals and lyrics come together to make yet another perfect pop tune.

Joined by Monster Bobby from The Pipettes, and his extreme baritone, the duo make an unlikely couple but this all just adds to the charm of this thoroughly enchanting song.

You could say this latest offering is very much in a similar vein to last year’s 'Henry Rollins Don't Dance' and 'The Polaroid Song', but we’re certainly not tired of these yet so if you liked them you’re sure as hell going to like ‘Dreaming’.

The runaway bass line and layers and layers of pretty instrumentation from ukuleles, drums and dreamy guitars stop this track turning into a boring old ballad. And all with the sort of cutesy lyrics that any romantic city dweller will relate to: “Take the night bus with me tonight, frost on the window. It’s freezing out here on the pavement, but here in your arms it’s heaven.”

Single Review - Religious, Gloria Cycles

Now published at The 405, here.

Gloria Cycles latest single ‘Religious’ is unashamed upbeat indie pop and what’s wrong with that.

Including the Jack Penate-esque vocal stylings of Kenny McCracken – an imposing chap, with his waxed ginger moustache and waistcoat he looks like he’d be happier perched on top of a penny-farthing than holding an electric guitar.

It’s a song about proving to a lover and perhaps yourself that you’re in love with them. Nothing unusual there. The feel-good raucous chorus states: “Do I need ya? Yes I need you here my love. I’ll try to never leave ya, never make you get up and run”. And it will be in your head for days.

But there’s nothing wrong with this track, even if it is just a slightly new slant on a very well gone over theme.

The Brighton-based band have managed to provide us with little piece of musical sunshine in ‘Religious’ during what must be the longest winter on record.

Single Review - Body - Thao with The Get Down

Published over at The 405, here.

With all the ska influence and swagger – not to mention strong female vocal, of an early No Doubt, ‘Body’ is a brazen return to the sort of ‘90s pop rock sound long forgotten under a barrage of indie.

Just as easy is imagining The Zuton’s Dave McCabe belting this out or even The Coral, if switching our aural attention to this side of the Atlantic for some comparison.

“What am I just a body in your bed? You are a dead man. I just have to shoot the gun.” Thao questions with serious attitude, and you can’t help but believe her.

It’s a classic angsty study on the “why don’t you love me” theme but this band delivers it with so much punch and exuberance that it feels totally new.

The Low Anthem 'Charlie Darwin' review.

For those listeners who are currently enjoying the near tidal wave of folk bands that are spilling over into the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic (think Fleet Foxes from over there and Mumford and Sons over here) will inevitably like The Low Anthem.

The minimal and acoustic production on ‘Charlie Darwin’ brings the band’s three unique voices to the fore. Really it’s these skilled and beautiful harmonies which steal the show on this particular track which stands out as the most mellow on their 2009 album, ‘Oh My God, Charlie Darwin.’

And ‘Charlie Darwin’ gives the listener a chance to reflect back on the folky sounds of old – there’s more than a hint of Neil Young in the guitar finger work, and the mouth organ and close harmonies certainly evoke a ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ era Bob Dylan.

The sound is unmistakably American and will undoubtedly start cropping up all over any US show when a soundtrack is needed to convey the magic of a harvest moon spraying light over the cornfields of the Deep South...or something!

So then, ‘Charlie Darwin’ is not an example of some of the more forward-thinking progressive folk around but is instead a lovely track which attempts in it’s looking back to nod to some of the best folk-rock songwriters in history. Well worth a listen I give it 7/10.