SUN ATOMS – Ceiling Tiles / Tower Of Song

On their 2021 LP ‘Let There Be Light’, alternative rock band Sun Atoms shared some great music. That record’s quieter and more downbeat moments blended elements of goth pop with a very retro guitar twang, often falling somewhere between the classic, introspective songwriting of Leonard Cohen and the more contemporary moods of Tindersticks. When approaching busier sounds, the material mixed light electronica with spoken word passages. With other moments utilizing muted trumpets and very retro sounding backing vocals, the album was a pleasingly varied listening experience.

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Listen: The Fierce And The Dead unveil new Colin Edwin version of ‘Golden Thread’

Every new Fierce And The Dead album is different from the one before. It’s what keeps the band vibrant and interesting. However, they’d never taken a musical leap quite as bold as on their 2023 album ‘News From An Invisible World’. A lot of the music felt more commercial – without being commercial – and a few of the riffs steered away from the heavier moments of the previous fan favourite ‘The Euphoric’. A much bigger change came with the addition of vocals. This new song-oriented Fierce/Dead could still summon the sound of a riff-based truck if and when required, but Kev Feazey’s voice brought a whole new dimension from which the band would surely grow further.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #39

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. As usual, there has been a bumper crop. This week, we bring you a singer songwriter who uses low key electronica to their advantage, some massive sounding post rock, the son of a Beatle, a throwback to the 90s (in the best possible way), and more besides. Dive in… It’s all good!

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MAGEN TRACY AND THE MISSED CONNECTIONS – At My Age EP

In terms of unexpectedly mixed moods, the opening of the title track from Magen Tracy’s ‘At My Age’ digital EP really makes an impression. The intro shares a bright sounding guitar riff, cast from some classic rock pop sounds, which almost immediately brings an expectation of a similarly perky vocal. Instead, the listener is greeted with a much deeper tone, and an almost dour melody where Tracy appears to be channelling Marianne Faithfull circa 1979.

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UPON STONE – Dead Mother Moon

San Fernando’s Upon Stone broke onto the metal scene in 2021 with a well crafted EP, ‘Sky, Sword and Specter’. Its four tracks blended old school death metal with a pinch of hardcore, and when slowing down, the best material wasn’t shy in sharing a few (very welcome) trad metal traits. Assuming you could make it past a rather abrasive vocal, the music pulled from various sources to create an extreme metal release that actually felt really well balanced.

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