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 few weeks. This time out, we’ve got a number with retro post punk leanings, a catchy piece of garage pop, a huge and jangly workout that falls between garage rock and melodic punk, something insanely heavy, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.
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When David Byron left Uriah Heep in 1976, the band’s fans figured he’d be irreplaceable. His dynamic vocal range was an essential part of the Heep sound, after all. Not long after his departure, the band found a replacement in ex-Lucifer’s Friend vocalist John Lawton and, joining him in the newly configured Heep, came another familiar face – ex-Bowie/Spiders bassist Trevor Bolder, replacing the departed John Wetton. Despite Heep now being the underdogs, the resulting album – 1977’s ‘Firefly’ – was not only enjoyable, but a big improvement over the workmanlike approach which dominated most of 1976’s ‘High and Mighty’.
When you think of Tom Waits, the idea of collaboration is not usually something you’d consider a priority. He’s taken a co-credit with others in the past, of course – most notably with Crystal Gayle on the ‘One For The Vine’ soundtrack – but you’re more likely to find Tom taking the reins and marching to the beat of his own very distinctive drum. However, ‘Boots On The Ground’ finds him joining the legendary Massive Attack for an oppressive and beat-laden recording that really works.
On their previous single ‘The Final Word’, Kill The Silence took some very heavy riffs and coupled them with an emo-centric vocal to set an interesting contrast in place. It was the kind of track that proved alternative/metal music was still pushing boundaries.
This visit to the Singles Bar mixes the familiar with the brand new. Making repeat appearances are an Irish shoegaze band with one of their most forceful tracks to date, a hard working metal band who are wholly committed to bringing huge riffs, and a singer songwriter who’s unafraid of a complex melody. There’s also a debut from an act who sound like they deserve to be big in record time, a number mixing garage rock and post punk sounds, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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