And I’ll tell you something else, these are bloody good pop songs, simple direct, fearless and possessing a pop kick to knock you into next week.
Bright Sparks: The Hayley Faye Band – Baby Sleep Mode
http://www.surbiarecords.com/ http://www.myspace.com/hayleyfaye
Now what’s this? Another girl singer-songwriter? Well yes, but, but, hang on in there a minute… For one thing there’s no winsomeness, no harps and no emotional padding. In common with a lot of female singer-songwriters, the songs are acoustic based, and stripped to the minimum. But they are positive, extrovert and tough. Moreover, there’s something very direct and very appealing about Miss Faye’s vocal delivery. You could say she openly enjoys singing these tracks, and is quite happy to share her enjoyment with you, which is something quite rare in this genre.
Babysleepmode is an energetic, slightly acerbic pop shuffle, reminding this old git of the Proclaimers with its in-yer-face, stripped down folk-pop. Kings and Queens is a great direct pop song, possessing the emotional directness someone like Marc Almond traded on. Tracks on her myspace are pleasingly baffling, such as Art Teacher (who else has written a feisty song about art class?), or the stop-start chanteuse-isms of Song for the Deaf.
And I’ll tell you something else, these are bloody good pop songs, simple direct, fearless and possessing a pop kick to knock you into next week.
This girl has talent, no doubt.
Words: Richard Foster