Single Review Round-Up: Stevie & The Moon, Crazy Arm and Dive Dive

Stevie & The Moon - Rainbows/Wolves

Described as one of Scotlands most exciting new acts, Stevie & The Moon have a sound that oozes potential but doesn't quite act upon it in this split single.

'Rainbows' is led by a repetative riff with echoing vocals, an effect that while can be atmospheric can also become increasingly annoying the more it's used, certain parts of this song are obvious in their resemblance to Arcade Fire and that's by no means a bad thing.

Meanwhile 'Wolves' takes this bands potential and showcases it in the best possible light, it's relatively fast paced, with an absolutely fantastic chorus that exhibits positivity through its sound eventually ending on a triumphant bang.

All in all, it's a clear tale of two songs for me 'Rainbows' is boring but 'Wolves' is fantastic, I look forward to seeing which path they follow and hope that they choose the right one.

3/5

Crazy Arm - Ambertown/Sweet Storm

After a progressive 2010, consisting of tour after tour and gaining new fans along the way Crazy Arm have decided to showcase their undoubted talent by ending the year with this single, unfortunately they're not ending the year with a bang, sort of.

'Sweet Storm' might well be one of the most boring songs I've heard all year, the dual vocals don't work at all and the riff in the background is seriously annoying, I can see what the aim is of the whole song, but it it becomes more and more disjointed as the song goes on, I was quite glad when it ended to be fair.

On the other hand, 'Ambertown' is a complete cracker and more like the Crazy Arm we all know, from the opening lyrics you knew exactly how this song would end up; fast paced, melodic and not to forget the distinctive vocal stylings of Darren Johns make their mark and stand out.

I really do like Crazy Arm, they are a band that work hard and generally do well, I really hope they do carry on with a sound like 'Ambertown' because it really is a great song

3/5

Dive Dive - Liar

This lot have been around a long, long time, i remember seeing them when they came to my high school, they put on a brilliant live show but I always presumed they had fallen off the radar.

Fast forward six years and Dive Dive's latest single 'Liar' is a short burst of indie pop that is likely to somewhat please the masses. Over almost as quickly as it started, the song is effective in getting your attention and before long you're nodding your head in appreciation of the catchy chorus.

That being said, nodding your head is about as far as you get, the impression I get of this song is one of being in a half full venue listening to a support act trying to make their best impression and in all honesty not getting very far.

Dive Dive obviously have willpower and a passion for music and for that I completely applaud them, but this song is pleasing while also being forgettable.

2.5/5

Chris Marshman