Category: New Music Reviews

Admittedly one of the first things that came to mind upon hearing this was T’Pau’s “Heart  and Soul” ( 80’s cheese classic), which is no bad thing. And the crooning at the end of the track brought to mind Simon LeBon ( Duran Duran) saving prayers ’til the morning after. And so to summarize, this is a pretty fine slice of fat 80’s style synth pop, that tips it’s hat to all the right places, and faces.

This is peculiarly hypnotic, as in, was compelled to play it roughly 5 times in a row after first listen. It’s a mournful, lush thing that absolutely smacks of 1985, with an early Prince-style synth, and Green Gartside-esque vocal ( he of Scritti Politti)…yet despite that, it sounds like a demo, so there you go.

Le Pie’s love for the legendary girl groups of the Sixties is brazen, and blatant, and this track, off her new “Sad Girl Theory ” EP, is one shining, handsome homage. With the “Be My Baby” drumbeat as it’s foundation, it somehow manages to be melodic, desperate, and laid back, all at the same time. Good, good,good.

Pretty heavenly harmonizing enveloped in a slightly post-punk-ish groove, yes, this is a handsome thing. It’s also slightly reminiscent of the Split Enz classic “One Step Ahead”,  all understatement, and melodic twists, and turns, and that’s a fine thing to be sure.

Can’t go wrong with a song named after a flammable liquid ( see: Miranda Lambert “Kerosene”)…but seriously, this is short, sweet, and tuneful, features the most gentle of vocals, and chugs along with a real grace.

“It’s Pretend”, jangles, and shines, is a little bit power pop, and a little bit Postcard ( Scottish label that was home to Aztec Camera, and Orange Juice in the 80’s). Also check out “Her Face” from last year above, for some joyful Suede like glitter, and romance. Make no mistake, these guys know their way around a tune.

The initial thing that came to mind upon hearing this was Nico, without the steely voice, and arcane lyrics. And so, I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, but gradually found myself getting hypnotized by it’s austere simplicity. And the little melodic change in the middle is really fine.

Drinker is Aaron Mendelsohn and Ariel Loh, and this is lonely, moody, and not a million miles away from Chromatics. It’s a lean beauty.

If you ever wondered what uniting the tuneful, harmonic perfection of , what I imagine are heaven’s 2 favorite bands, Abba, and the Cocteau Twins, would sound like, here it is, and it is very, very good.

Toy Savoy describe themselves as “noisy kind of pop music from the middle of cold, cold Norway”. This track is noisy in the way the best Britpop was noisy, as in, it’s not remotely noisy…but it’s as melodic, and infectious as any single that emerged from the scene in 1995 . Extra points are awarded for their mention of “beans and rice”.