JONESY – Dopplegangbangers EP

For those yet to catch up with Canadian rockers Jonesy, here’s a quick recap. The band are loud, brash and often vulgar. When this works for them, it results in superbly trashy sounds that are hugely thrilling, despite their disposable nature. When the band misfires, they could be accused of just trying that bit too hard to shock, or perhaps just relying too much on an easy, crass aesthetic. They’ve released material that would challenge joke glam rockers Steel Panther in the rudeness stakes, and their debut album over-relied on the word fuck to make an impact, and yet, somehow, there also seems to be a reason to come back for more whenever a new recording appears. It could be terrible; it could be great. It’s a lottery – and in its own way, that makes everything seem even more exciting. Actually, exciting is probably the wrong word, but hopefully you get the point.

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THE 355’s – Jig A Jig Out EP

On this debut EP, The 355’s don’t exactly introduce themselves quietly. Within a couple of notes of the opening number – and lead single – ‘Jig A Jig Out’, the level of fuzz applied to the guitar work is off the chart, and there’s even an equally distorted vocal to match. It’s as if they’ve absorbed the best bits of The Black Keys and turned that duo’s typical schtick up to eleven. Although that bluesy element drops in intermittently during the next couple of minutes, effectively driving a great verse against a heavy drum sound, the bulk of this number is actually more concerned with much bigger rock sounds. Cranking the guitars, Adam Thompsett and Craig Lockwood fill the chorus and beyond with a great, overdriven riff that almost sounds like an old glam rock number retooled by a massive sounding garage rock band. This should be enough to appeal to a broad spectrum of retro rock lovers, even though the lyrical hook is a little more simplistic than was perhaps necessary. What that means, of course, is that the number is almost guaranteed to find an audience in high spirits in the live set, and its rowdy approach – combined with a fiery lead guitar break – more than suggests The 355’s are a band with a really gutsy edge. There’s time enough for a little melody here too, since the middle eight drops into a quietly atmospheric moment or two with a more soulful vocal, and this really helps the knockabout number feel far more well rounded.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #25

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. Always a home for the varied and eclectic, this selection is no exception. In this – hopefully entertaining – batch, we bring you some solid sounding shoegaze, some synth based alt-pop from New Zealand, some hazy sounding indie folk and even a nod to big band swing sounds. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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THE LEMON DROP GANG – I’m Done! / Johnny Is A Jerk

At the beginning of 2023, Tucson’s Lemon Drop Gang made their overdue return with ‘Sweetie Pie’, a track that re-introduced listeners to their ragged blend of CBGB’s infused riffs and Phil Spector-ish pop. As with the band’s previous works, it was far from sonic perfection, but then this band never pretended they were in possession of Brian Wilson or Todd Rundgren’s song writing chops or studio expertise. For fans, it was the kind of track that signified a fun and welcome return, whilst its digital flip side (‘The Party’s Over’) shared their love of 60s pop in its own brilliantly wonky way.

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THE LEN PRICE 3 – The Grass Is Always Greener / Man Out Of Time

For a lot of garage rock fans, The Len Price 3 will need very little of an introduction. The trio have been cranking out guitar based sounds since the mid noughties, and are arguably Medway’s best known musical export after Wild Billy Childish. For the uninitiated, their 2007 debut ‘Chinese Burn’ provides the perfect place to jump into their catalogue. Its fifteen tracks show how the band – none of whom are actually called Len Price – are able to strike a perfect blend between high octane 60s inspired sounds and a sweaty musical fury. All the way from opener ‘Christian In The Desert’ – sounding like a wobbly but furious mix of The Kinks and The Hives – through the surf tinged ‘Viva Viva’, to the choppy ‘Chatham Town Spawns Devils’ where the band evoke the same kind of energy as The Jam tearing through the Larry Williams number ‘Slow Down’, the album rarely lets up. Since then, the band have continued to deliver retro tunes with a very high quality threshold.

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