It’s hard to believe that Real Gone has reached its tenth anniversary. There have been a vast amount of albums and EPs reviewed in that time. Some captured a moment somewhere in the world of DIY recordings; others continue to be unloved by the masses but we’re still more than glad we got to help spread the word in our own way.
Then there have been those albums destined to become classics; albums we’ve continued to love long after our reviews were shared. For our tenth anniversary, it seemed only appropriate that we took a look back at a few landmark albums from our first decade online – an album from each year we think holds up well; recordings that continue to be important to us and have somehow allowed us to build a following and still have an internet presence… Ten years – ten albums… Every one a classic.
2010: SILVER SEAS – Chateau Revenge!
This was arguably the album that shifted Real Gone up a gear. From the early beginnings covering forgotten gems and bargain bin items, the second half of 2010 found us giving coverage to select new releases. When we first heard this, it was like discovering a forgotten classic, so it was right up our street. This album has still yet to reach the size of audience it deserves. Long before Jeff Lynne’s work underwent a re-appraisal and reached a new generation through ‘Guardians of The Galaxy’, The Silver Seas were championing a similar brand of AM radio pop. This, their third album, is a genre masterpiece. [Full review & stream here]
2011: THE CARS – Move Like This
A Cars reunion was one of the last things many people expected to happen in the twenty first century. In 2011, the band – minus Benjamin Orr – returned with this studio album that was every bit as good as some of their 70s and 80s work. Amidst a bunch of other bands bringing back a synth based revival, The Cars proved they were still kings. [Full review & stream here]
2012: REDD KROSS – Researching The Blues
This album marked the end of a long hiatus for Redd Kross and the McDonald Brothers. It was also their best album since 1990. Mixing heavy power pop and glam influences, the Redd Kross style rarely sounded better than this. ‘Stay Away From Downtown’ is as catchy as hell, and that’s only one reason to add this to your record collection. [Full review & stream here]
2013: EVOLETAH – We Ache For The Moon
After three years of throwing out opinions, Real Gone really began to find its feet in 2013. A house writing style had been established and the mix of new releases and retrospectives on older albums had found a balance. By coincidence, Aussie band Evoletah had really come of age, too. When they approached us with their previous album in 2012, they were a fairly generic alternative rock band clinging on to various 90s influences. With this third album, they sounded like an entirely different beast, mixing rock with ambient sounds, elements of prog and a touch of jazz. The result is an album that just keeps giving. [Full review here]
2014: BLACK MOTH – Condemned To Hope
By 2014, Real Gone had gained a reputation for detailed and professional metal coverage. This second album by then new-ish band Black Moth remains one of the very best metal records not only to grace our inbox, but one of the best by a British metal act. In Harriet Bevan, the band showcased one of the finest voices to break through in a while and simply put, ‘Condemned To Hope’ is unmissable. In a world swamped with so many similar albums, Black Moth really stood out with this fantastic collection of stoner metal grooves. Highly recommended if you still love Kyuss, Fu Manchu etc. In 2019, Black Moth announced an “indefinite hiatus”. We might never recover… [Full review here.]
2015: THE NUTS – s/t EP
We live in a world where there’s a new Ramones-influenced band to discover every week. When Italian trio The Nuts released their debut EP in 2015, it sounded like a cut above the rest…and it still sounds great. The combination of Vale’s curly lead vocal and speed driven riffs brings the best in its class since the 90s. Their full length album ‘Upside Down’ from 2017 is every bit as good. [Full review & stream here]
2016: STRANGE MAJIK – Raised On Rock & Roll
The genesis of this album was simple enough. Strange Majik head honcho David Pattillo was listening to Leon Russell and marvelling how old music still has the power to thrill, even if its music you’ve owned for decades and heard a million times. This album is a joyous and unapologetic tribute to rock, pop and soul from the 70s and plays like a deep voyage through one man’s record collection. You’ll have as much enjoyment listening as Strange Majik surely did when making it. [Full review & stream here]
2017: K7s – Take 1
Another punk record, the K7s plough a similar furrow to The Nuts, sharing a love for Ramones and various Euro punk bands like The Apers and The Manges. Packing thirteen songs into twenty seven minutes, it doesn’t hang about, delivering riff after riff and hook after hook in a way that would make Johnny & Joey proud. The band also features power pop hero Kurt Baker…and that’s rarely a bad thing. [Full review & stream here]
2018: JET BLACK SEA – Overview Effect
All three Jet Black Sea albums are deep musical adventures, but their third album finds the band digging further into prog territory than ever before. A thirty five minute title track allows plenty of time to lose yourself in a world of floaty guitar work. [Full review & stream here]
2019: MEDICINE – Scarred For Life
There’s a school of thought that says if you’re going to cover someone else’s songs, make them your own. It’s something that shoegaze band Medicine truly believe in as they take tunes by Buffalo Springfield, Judee Sill, Scritti Politti, Fleetwood Mac and others and mangle them into distorted shapes worthy of Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. A fascinating listen… [Full review & stream here]