Bridged Gaps and Covered Tracks (A Real Gone Sampler, 2013)

Welcome to 2013’s free Real Gone Sampler.  It’s been an absolutely brilliant year for independent music – check out our end of year list here – and that’s been reflected by how many bands were keen to get involved in this now traditional project on its third anniversary.  This year’s sixteen tracks (with a couple of strays from prior to 2013) came together remarkably quickly but, as always, there were a few obstacles along the way.  It’s great that most of the bands we asked were on board instantly…and only one missed the deadline – an improvement on previous years.

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THE END MEN – Play With Your Toys

In the role of carnival barker, The End Men’s mouthpiece Matthew Hendershot beckons us into his tent of musical curiosity at the beginning of the New York duo’s second release. His voice is curiously like that of Tom Waits with its gravelly tone, a comparison heightened by the sideshow setting, while the minimalist music recalls spiritual chants of the deep south.  The setting isn’t original, but no other backdrop best highlights the journey on which the listener is about to embark… “If you join us, I promise you this: an adventure you won’t wanna miss.”

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