Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting mp3s and individual tunes that’ve landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. In proper Singles Bar tradition, this week’s column covers a lot of musical ground by taking in country and a couple of singer songwriters alongside some extreme metal. There’s even time to introduce a new rock band. It’s unlikely that everything here will appeal to everyone, but as always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.

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‘Tattoo’, the debut single from Bottlemoth, introduces a new band in a position of great strength. With a full compliment of solid sounding rhythm guitars overlaid by a ringing lead, and augmented by a crashy drum part, the track immediately sets in place the kind of contemporary melodic indie/rock beloved by BBC Radio 6. There’s a pinch of a harder sounding Killers here, but as the melody gains momentum, and once Bottlemoth introduce some very friendly male/female harmonies – used brilliantly throughout – the track, and band, take on a more distinctive personality. The quieter verses place the vocal against a classic jangle brilliantly, but its the arrival of a warm bass and, latterly, the crashier riffs used to link everything that really makes the track. This is a fine, fine start, but it’s likely that Bottlemoth will share even greater things going forward…

‘Give The Devil His Due’ by Absinthe Green has been floating around for a couple of years, but is now getting some deserved re-promotion. The Greek band’s single immediately wrong foots the listener by opening with a slow, heavy riff, which suggests some classic sounding Sabbath-esque doom, but quickly morphs into a high energy hard rocker where the bulk of the riffs tap into the heavy, yet melodic sounds of the mid 80s. There’s even time for some speed driven alternative-tinged thrashing. When over analysed, the track feels like three ideas in one, but it works seamlessly thanks to a great vocal from Snowy Shaw, who adds a very natural voice to everything, and is clearly able to convey tension and anger whilst retaining an accessible and melodic tone. Overall, this is a great workout, tailor made for a huge cross section of hard rock fans, and deserving of a little more success this second time around.

Best known for being a founding member of Front Line Assembly, Bill Leeb branches out with his first solo recording in 2024, and ‘Terror Forms’ is a genuine treat. The core of the track drives forth with a heavy synth based rhythm which revisits the classic sounds of 90s industrial, but as with the best FLA work, there’s also a melodic heart which makes it very accessible. At times sounding like Kraftwerk colliding with the light end of Rammstein, at others, wholly reminiscent of classic KMFDM, this tune’s mechanised rhythms are set grab the listener immediately, but there’s just as much musical quality coming through a semi-detached vocal where Leeb duets with Leathers musician Shannon Hemmett, who adds even more of a melodic twist. It’s all very retro, but still sounding great in the present, for those who still reach for those classic KMFDM and Gravity Kills albums with any regularity, this is a must hear.

Here’s a solid slice of country from David Luning. ‘Lessons’ opens with a fine combo of voice and guitar, with Luning maintaining a strong presence over a finger picked rhythm, tapping into something almost rootsy. This is more than enough to catch the ear; the slightly folky strains actually make the music a little more palatable for those not hugely into country sounds, but the track really comes into its own when a slightly rockier chorus takes a hold. The guitar tones are of a vintage, with echoes of the 80s, which combined with a timeless vocal sets a huge Americana sound in place. With a pinch of Springsteen underscoring elements of Steve Earle and something a little moodier, this is a brilliantly arranged number that’s a little more uplifting than Luning’s earlier ‘Down Below’ but retains a realism and grit that still suits his style.

From the moment that ‘Feel The Warmth’ by Sue careens forth with a buzzsaw guitar riff, it throws the listener face first into a world of brilliant aggression. Adding a deep bass grind and slightly atonal vocal on the verse, the single manages to fuse hardcore with an unsettling post-punk feel. The music takes no prisoners; it barrels forth with a feral quality until the middle eight when a different punky tone drives an instrumental break with sharp rhythmic stops. Even when the riff finally breaks out into something broader to accommodate a pure howl, Sue are set to melt the faces off their prospective audience. Proof, if need be, that there’s more to contemporary hardcore than your new favourite Idles record, these Brummie lads genuinely mean business.

Cranking the tension in a very different way, here’s some death metal brutalism from Slaughtersun, a US band inspired by the likes of At The Gates. Fronted by Thank You Scientist’s Ben Karas, the still relatively new musical outfit delivers very strongly when it comes to thrash speed riffs and the expected guttural vocals, but its the extra twists that make this track so impressive. Between the sheer force, the arrangement takes on almost a prog-death approach, since the heavy sounds occasionally lapse into rhythms that allow enough space for angular riffs to cut through, and for the drumming to introduce a further complexity. These slightly lop-sided ventures really add interest, and the presence of a shrill lead guitar break that melds an equally complex post-metal approach to a Jeff Hanneman-esque tone really pushes the track forward. There are moments where this values tight musicianship over accessible songcraft, but in terms of style, it’s streets ahead of the competition.

Pretty much in tandem with the release of the enjoyable album ‘With All The Other Ghosts’, Edinburgh based singer songwriter Cam Fraser – aka Boulder Fields – has returned with the brilliant ‘Horse In A Sling’. It’s not the most upbeat of singles, but its a wonderfully arranged track, showing off a great marriage of acoustic strums and an anchoring bass groove. The end sound shares a dark take on an Americana influence, occasionally even sounding like something Fred Abong might experiment with on one of his more complex arrangements should he venture into similar musical climes, but it still remains very accessible. Cam’s vocals have an aching quality as he finds himself waist deep in a narrative concerning the need to hold on and looking for light at the end of that metaphorical tunnel. There’s a general feeling of unease here, but for those really not interested in storytelling, the mid tempo arrangement still offers some great music. It isn’t entirely representative of the album as a whole, but as a snapshot of a fine, natural talent, it works very well indeed.

On the other side of Scotland, Glasgow’s Murdo Mitchell is full of retrospective regret on ‘Could’ve Done It Better’. With a lyric exploring things he wishes had gone unsaid and things he knows he could’ve approached differently, the narrative has a universal theme. It’s one that a million singer songwriters have tackled, but Murdo’s direct approach and strong accented delivery gives this track more of a distinctive edge. “I honestly tried to protect you” he opines, without fear as a huge chorus rises, and the accompanying melodies are very strong. “How did it get to this?”, he cries, again, against a hugely enjoyable melody. His vocals come with such unflinching honesty, but it’s beneath the more direct elements that this single really comes to life: the punchy, jazz inflected bassline running throughout brings a great rhythm, and bright sounding lead guitar stings shimmer intermittently behind the shuffling guitar, adding subtle textures that call back to an even more retro sound. Murdo’s vocals might be an acquired taste for some, but there’s no doubt that this track has a huge feel and an even bigger intent.

July 2024