Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore the various individual tracks and mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we offer a festive selection – a collection of tunes with a Christmas theme, ranging from the traditional to the bespoke. Some of the material is brand new; some re-works the familiar in a new way, but when heard together, we hope these tunes entertain, and will prop up any great alternative playlist!
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At the end of a troubled 2020, Bakersfield ska men Mento Buru released an EP full of Christmas cheer. The sunny ska based rhythms were at odds with “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, but that only added to the fun. Not everything on the ‘East Bakersfield Christmas’ EP was of a gold standard, but its best bits – including a terrific ‘Feliz Navidad’ – certainly made it worth checking out and definitely played to the band’s strengths.
There are various things synonymous with the festive season, not least of all everyone’s favourite Wham! tune, ‘Last Christmas’. But, this Christmas, Disconnected Souls have chosen to ensure you’ll never hear George and Andrew in the same way ever again.
The Delines’ 2022 album ‘The Sea Drift’ was a little smoother than their previous recordings, but in many ways, the record’s soulful Americana sound created some of the band’s richest sounds to date. Its timeless sound also translated perfectly to the stage – perhaps, in some ways, a little too perfectly – but it definitely showed off a band at the peak of their powers.
Marillion’s world is a place littered with contradictions. As far as a huge chunk of the mainstream media are concerned, the band split back in the late 80s, and yet they sold out the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2017. In minutes. They spent the second half of the 90s and the early 00’s fighting against the “prog rock” tag, but continued to release albums that featured ten minute epics. As far the general public’s perception is concerned – at least a proportion of the general public that seems aware of Marillion’s existence in the modern day – the band are unfashionable. And yet, their 2022 album ‘An Hour Before It’s Dark’ was a critical and commercial success, hitting #2 on the UK album chart.