At the tail end of 2013, US punks Science Club released their ‘Aging Punks’ EP, a mid-budget, fairly ragged affair that captured a great energy. Just over a year on, their ‘Day Job’ full length brings more of the same. While the eleven songs are culled from recordings made over a four year period, the album hangs together well. Even with an obviously DIY recording style and ragged production, the musical talents within the band are still obvious – particularly those of bassist Nick, whose busy approach provides the real heart of most of the material.
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Queen 70s poll results & video gallery
Over the past week, Real Gone has been running a poll covering Queen’s seventies output. We knew the idea would get people talking, since Queen are one of the few bands that could be considered a global phenomenon. We had no idea when it began whether the well known hits would dominate, or whether the long-standing fans would speak out for some of those lesser heard album cuts. [Full results here.]
Almost 1,300 votes were cast, and one thing is clear. People still absolutely adore ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It’s so entrenched within the Queen legacy, it’s become almost unavoidable. Although there’s a vast amount of great material recorded by the band between 1973-78, it was guaranteed a high placing, but it secured the top spot within hours and then held onto a fairly commanding lead. It’s easy to dismiss the song as overplayed, but if we are able to step aside from that fact for a moment, it’s still a fantastically crafted piece of music, unlike anything in rock music before, and – a couple of other Queen numbers aside – still stands out from so much since.
THE HANGABOUTS – Illustrated Bird
The Hangabouts are a retro-pop trio from Michigan, whose music conveys much love from the mid-late 60s, although often recycled on a smaller budget. Given they’ve got a similar musical mindset to so many great musicians – particularly the acoustic side of Fountains of Wayne and the woozy output of DIY outfit The Paul & John – their 2014 release ‘Illustrated Bird’ should be great. However, due to a limited budget that doesn’t always suit their chosen style, it sometimes falls short of the mark. That’s not to say, however, it doesn’t have some great bits.
THE SOFT SPOTS – Gently Down The Stream EP
On their debut EP, the self-released ‘Gently Down The Stream’, Philadelphia’s The Soft Spots blend various indie/alt-pop oriented sounds creating what sounds and feels like a very accomplished release in terms of production, especially for a band so inexperienced at the time of its release. They waste no time in making sure this surprisingly professional sound greets the ears of the prospective listener.
Dance Gavin Dance: US tour dates
Metalcore/post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance have a run of US live dates upcoming in support of their soon to be released LP ‘Instant Gratification’. All confirmed dates are listed below.