Those keeping a close ear on the UK metal scene over the past year should have already encountered occult/stoner/doom band Goat Major. The Welsh band have released an EP and album absolutely loaded with great material, and by drawing from classic influences ranging from Sabbath, Kyuss, Witch Charmer, Down and other top drawer doomy fare, they’ve tapped into a classic, retro sound that will never get old.
For the uninitiated, the Tom Waits catalogue can seem rather daunting. Not only is Tom blessed with a sometimes challenging voice, but his albums have seen the legendary singer songwriter’s style change over time. His earliest albums present him as the ultimate bar room balladeer with a relatively clean voice; over the course of the 70s, his delivery becomes more ragged, more obtuse even, despite the core style of the music remaining the same. Into the 80s, Tom began to channel Kurt Weill and his music became more interesting, more rhythmic, a world away from the man who gave us ‘Ol’ 55’. By the end of the 90s and beyond, Waits almost sounded like a man working within a universe of his own: fans were as likely to hear him shouting his way through something in German to a musical backdrop deserving of a pirate shanty as they were to hear him storytelling at the piano.
During the dark days of the 2020 lockdown, Kabuki Love released the ‘Psychosomatic’ EP, which featured ‘Spare Me’, a recording that dug deeply to revive a strong influence from 80s goth bands. Throughout the number, the guitars adopted the huge ringing tones of ‘Dreamtime’ era Cult, and rhythmically, everything pulled from the more commercial elements of Bauhaus to create something that felt like the ultimate throwback. In many ways, this became one of the band’s flagship tracks, capturing a toughness and a melodic edge that worked together to showcase musicians who clearly understood that things didn’t need to be overly complex to be interesting.
When Kurt Baker relocated from Maine to Madrid, he embarked on a very important musical journey. Not only did the formation of The Kurt Baker Combo allow him to experiment with a slightly rougher garage rock sound compared to his US based KB Band, but he also stretched out further, collaborating with power poppers Bullet Proof Lovers, sharing some excellent punk as a member of the K7s, and even appearing on recordings by Spanish punks Neuvo Catecismo Católico. In all, it was a massively prolific time.
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past couple of weeks. This time around, we’re pleased to share some adult oriented pop-rock, new works from a couple of great singer songwriters, a slice of great power pop from Australia…and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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