Having been the recipient of several awards, as well as a Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy) nomination back in 2010 for her vocal duties with eclectic sounding Norwegian outfit Pelbo, Ine Hoem takes the plunge into the deep end by setting out her own stall with solo album ‘Angerville’. With this being a first album for vocalist Ine Hoem, her debut release actually came in the form of an EP by the name of ‘The Island’. This was the step in a new direction that saw Ine Hoem adopt a pop approach, which proved a success as the EP received heavy rotation on the nation’s radio networks and a further award as winner of ‘Musikkprisen’ at Ocean Sound Recordings. Once momentum had gathered, Ine Hoem set to task writing and recording the songs for ‘Angerville’, with additional production duties coming by way of up-and-coming producer Kristoffer Bonsaksen. With the first sign of life arriving last autumn with the single ‘This Year’, Ine Hoem immediately captured the imagination with her unforced vocals and lyrics purporting to achieve a longlist of ‘to-do’s’ when the reality of such dreams remains on far safer grounds. Ine Hoem manages to retain much attention via her pristine vocals; exemplified by the heavenly introduction to ‘Caroline’ which proceeds to carry the rest of the song and entire contents of ‘Angerville’ in similar fashion. Elsewhere, ‘Lost Lovers’ is a relatively pared-back composition and has the feel of a first-person narrative given the natural qualities of the vocals helping to piece together the initial steps of a relationship before its ultimate demise, which comes as no surprise considering its bold pronouncement of not feeling the ‘love’ for Bob Dylan! There is time for reflection with the joyful sounding ‘When We Were Young’, but is let down slightly by the twee narrative. Such a discrepancy is soon amended by the fragile and honest admissions of ‘I Will Follow’ only to be outdone (just) by the sublime ‘When We Collide’, which is equally sincere in its emotions only it’s the thorny opposite in terms of its predecessor. Engaging, heartfelt and gifted with a vocal of divine qualities, Ine Hoem will have no problems making a name for herself along this solo route just as long as she can continue to stave off the feelings of loneliness that seem to be impregnating ‘Angerville’ at nearly every turn.

Busy rummaging through old memories from their vast catalogue of songs, Appleton, Wisconsin-based Tenement reappear with a collection of tracks under the heading ‘Bruised Music Volume One’. The decision to include a mixture of rare and out-of-print songs lifted from seven of the band’s earliest recordings including tapes, EPs and split singles was an inspired one as those less fortunate to experience this material during its first outing, now have a chance to familiarise themselves with Tenement’s early punk rock sound. With comparisons ranging from Husker Du to The Replacements in relation to the time period covered from 2006 to 2009, the rarities selected provides an insight into the band’s development and the various teething problems associated with this. However, far from being a ragbag collection of loose ends and unfinished demos, ‘Bruised Music Volume One’ is far more accomplished than perhaps one would think, considering the aforementioned early years’ time period. An example of this can be gained from the rough and tumble of ‘Sitcom Moms’, with its retrospective lyrics and scorching hot guitar break rendering this song good enough to grace anything Tenement currently has scheduled for later release.  Following on from this is the hard-edged pop tones of ‘Spaghetti Midwestern’ and ensuing ‘The Fire Is Out’, albeit with a coarser texture yet still containing a pop influence. Eclipsing its customary two minute mark is the initial thrash happy ‘Summer Streets Parts 1 & 2’, which eventually stretches its creative limbs and provides another indicator of the talent at the centre of this three piece. Casting our own vote, however, the rhythmically tight and seared vocals of ‘The Best and Worst of Times’ wins hands down, and probably due to providing a reminder of Boston unit Buffalo Tom, who had a knack of writing similar sounding songs on a frequent basis. This current collection might be a bruised reminder of a few memories best forgotten when it comes to Tenement, but for the rest of us on the outside looking in, ‘Bruised Music Volume One’ makes for a fascinating insight into the early foundations of one of America’s ongoing punk bands.

Harking back to a 70s era when rock music was truly free, The Sitting Bull And The Bullshitters revive such memories via their debut album release ‘Still Undead’. First indication of such linkages to music’s past is the manner in which ‘Still Undead’ was recorded, by using methods including portable studios often in various locations out on the road when touring. More obvious signs, however, exist in the band’s actual sound consisting of mild, loose rock and rounded off with some mystical song titles that leave one thinking of numerous bands from that particular era. With the location of Finland housing the songs making up ‘Still Undead’, it’s America which provides the inspiration as The Sitting Bull And The Bullshitters create a number of songs full of catchy choruses or, alternatively, more drawn out tracks such as the ‘K-Town River Banks’ with its keyboard and guitar riffs towing this along admirably. Lead vocalist and founder, Markku Pihlaja, provides a slightly gruff edge to the songs and remains relatively calm throughout, without ever resorting to any form of histrionics in order to get the messages across. Such examples can be found with the social conscience that is ‘Cry For The Ocean’ where both band and singer go about their business in an unfussy manner yet the song still manages to seep under one’s skin with seemingly very little effort at all. This is one of the aspects that make ‘Still Undead’ an appealing album because the majority of its contents will catch you unaware due to a certain amount of subtleties that gradually reveal themselves. For example, the natural aspects of the vocal and engaging chorus of ‘Soulseeker’ or the travelling notion via its rhythm given to ‘Giants’, which bides its time before hitting its soaring chorus, are two such examples. Given time, The Sitting Bull And The Bullshitters can certainly carve out a name for themselves beyond their native Finland by transmitting ‘Still Undead’ to an America audience where it should find a welcoming home considering its affiliations with American 70’s rock.

Biding her time and taking the old-fashioned route to possible future glories is Norwegian singer-songwriter Frøder. The less is more paradigm certainly works here as Frøder is steadily building her way to recognition in her own country by a succession of single releases with ‘Keep Forever’ being the latest addition. By adopting this patient approach seems to be working as the Bergen-based artist has received substantial airplay for previous singles – ‘Speed of Sound’ and ‘Over The Sea’ – and recently Spotify selected Frøder as a name to watch in 2015 via their ‘Spotlight Artists’ category. The patient approach and gradual progression in terms of her work can definitely be heard in latest single ‘Keep Forever’, as it is by far Frøder’s most memorable effort for its effective use of keys that joyously tingle under the skin and then hold back to allow the vocal to express itself. If Frøder continues such an approach to her song writing, then the full-length album should be something truly worth waiting for when that time duly arrives.

According to the statisticians at YouTube, Lost Frequency certainly made a name for themselves with an earlier version of current single ‘Are You With Me’ that managed to clock up a hefty one million plus viewers, in addition to a whole bunch of remixes which saw viewing figures nearly go through the roof. Having finally made the transition to a fully-fledged release, ‘Are You With Me’ should entice the same level of support when it comes to purchasing said single considering its calm electronic rhythm, mild beats and soft vocal combining into a rather persuasive force. Having found its niche within electronic dance music, Lost Frequencies has a tendency to lean toward other influences which, upon closer inspection, the likes of One Republic can be heard in relation to ‘Are You With Me’ and therefore likely to appeal to those more attuned to indie rock with a side order containing elements of dance music.

Whatever your personal preferences are when it comes to music, Meghan Trainor has been a hotbed of discussion since the smash hit ‘All About That Bass’ cleverly spread its message by means of an infectious melody and smart lyrics urging women to ignore the ubiquitous stereotypical imagery of the female form, and instead learn to love themselves for who they are. Another aspect of Meghan Trainor’s life that is equally newsworthy is the fact she has been writing music for other artists for some considerable time, as well as being in the enviable position of having issued three albums while still in high school! Bearing such facts in mind, it comes as no surprise that the 20-year old from Massachusetts has a gifted knack for song writing, which becomes evident once the 50s flavoured pop, with shrewd lyrics nicely flipped to be in line with the present generation, grabs hold of your senses during ‘Dear Future Husband’. The frankness of words extends to the pared back instrumentation of ‘Close Your Eyes’ by offering encouragement to others without ever being preachy. Having gained experience from earlier bouts of song writing as mentioned before, Meghan Trainor has set a fine balance of songs that are, on the one hand, influenced by dance and pop music as well as old-school hip-hop beats (‘Bang Dem Sticks’, ‘Lips Are Movin’, ‘3am’) and then, on the other hand, stringed ballads (‘What If I’) and more roots-based tracks (‘Like I’m Gonna Lose You’). With so much to offer, ‘Title’ has set a very high precedent for others to follow in 2015 because it’s an album blessed with intuitive lyrics, wonderful melodies and a rather fine voice, which suggests that Meghan Trainor is certainly not ‘All About That Bass’!