Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the last few weeks. On the surface, this might appear to be a rather louder selection with picks from German industrialists, American doom merchants and some unfamiliar indie rockers laying the foundations. It isn’t without the typical SB variety, however, since you’ll also find some downbeat singer songwriter fare and a great piece of cosmic country among other things. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
*
Joshua Thew’s new EP has been called “melancholic”, and one listen to his current single ‘Reveal’ makes it really obvious why. The stripped back arrangement presents sparsely played piano notes, over which Thew cries with a soulful tone. Falling somewhere between Hozier and Anonhi, his vocal moves between a rich sound and a high tenor that comes across with a genuine fragility. The music gradually takes a hold, building upon sparse notes to create a few jazzy fills, but Thew’s vocal is always the main focus. His performance captures a moment in time and a mood that conveys a genuine heartbreak, and for those who love very introspective singer songwriter works, it’ll certainly make a strong impression.
When it comes to a groove, Barber Q really couldn’t be accused of holding back. The riff that powers their current single ‘Dynamite’ comes with plenty of swagger, and adopting a dirty tone from the outset, the guitars share a solid blend of noisy indie rock and melodic metal that creates something absolutely unshakable. The hard edges occasionally feel at odds with a verse where everything slows and lightens to accommodate an emo-ish vocal, but given a little time to settle, this push and pull between hardness and emotive sounds really works. Eventually coming together to power a harmony filled chorus and present a finely tuned old school lead guitar break, this Scottish based band clearly aren’t scared of exploring a varied arrangement. In terms of contemporary sounding rock tracks, this is an absolute winner.
Federale adds his distinctive croon to a cosmic country arrangement on the brilliant ‘The Worst Thing I Ever Did Was Loving You’. The track’s 60s inspired tones are augmented by a 90s style drum pattern, instantly setting up a pleasing contrast, but the track takes its sense of adventure a little further by juxtaposing a deep, reverbed vocal with a very clean production style, and by layering a world of retro pop with some shamelessly country steel guitar sounds. All of those factors would make this a great listen, but the absolute clincher here is a second vocal supplied by Jenny Don’t. Moonlighting from her own band The Spurs, Jen sounds like a natural counterpart to Collin Hegna’s smoother style, and this creates something that sounds like a near perfect four minute update on the Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood sound for the twenty first century.
There’s a very pleasing 80s sound cutting through the centre of ‘Green With Envy’, a strong offering from up and coming rock band Famina. The darker vocal sound conveys a hint of old goth; the blanket of keys adds a darkwave/synth pop quality, and brighter sounding guitar lines lean somewhere towards the melodic alternative strains of The Bolshoi. Despite the massive blast of nostalgia this single ultimately brings, Famina add their own twist to a retro sound when a few neo-operatic vocals lift parts of an already strong chorus, before being called upon to add a hugely haunting element to the end of a great track. Famina are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Pop rock sounds don’t come much bigger than on Noanne’s ‘Everything I Hate About You’. The number’s glam-ish swagger is reminiscent of Goldfrapp’s ‘Ooh La La’, but the broad pop melodies that swirl against the rigid rhythm lends a very different feel here. Propping up a great arrangment, you’ll find swathes of brass and occasional tinkling piano, but a punchy bass locking everything together is key in making everything work. As strong as this is, musically speaking, it’s a showstopper of a vocal that actually makes everything bristle with life. Noanne’s huge voice is unafraid of volume, but she also conveys a strong sense of melody throughout, curling her massive tones around a massive melody where soul, pop and rock collide. A couple of listens should be enough to convince the listener that this is a potential hit.
Canadian rock duo Lonely Little Kitsch are back and punchier than ever. ‘Vices’ – the follow up to ‘Stuck In Place’ – works a steady groove where a simple rhythm pounds out a garage rock verse, occasionally reminiscent of The Black Keys in a bad mood. This is more than enough to catch the ear when set against one of Kirsten Goetz’s best vocals. Contrasting the harder edges with a sultry sound, she really shines, but everything explodes on a great chorus where a classic rock melody meets the alternative edge, and Goetz sells a really great hook. Those who’ve followed the band’s career thus far will love this, and those coming to Lonely Little Kitsch for the first time will discover something with immediate appeal. This is the band’s best single to date. [Warning: Video contains flashing images]
German industrial stalwarts Haujobb are back on the scene! Their current single values heavy mechanics over easy melodies, but the end results are incendiary. At the beginning, the beats refuse to drop into an easy rhythm, and by never taking the obvious route, 0this track is always fascinating. Against a very jerky backdrop, keys work intermittent layers of extra sound, like Einstürzende Neubauten have been called in to rework something from Nine Inch Nails’ career best ‘Pretty Hate Machine’, and the disjointed elements are gradually pulled together by layers of sound via a different set of keys. Dropping several drones which gradually intensify, somewhere around the halfway mark, everything starts to fall into place and cold melodies bring the disjoined arrangement into focus. Although Dejan’s spoken voice provides a strangely theatrical element here, the number doesn’t really come into its own until Emese Árvais-Illés of Black Nail Cabaret arrives at the eleventh hour with a superb counter vocal that adds wordless soul infused wails. Although her contribution is clearly inspired by dance records of the 90s, an influence for her performance can also be traced back to Pink Floyd’s masterpiece ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’. This isn’t particularly commercial, but it’s great. There’s potential for this to be one of the coolest industrial tracks of 2024.
Angelica & The Crooked Path’s ‘Creatures of Spring’ presented the band with a very interesting juxtaposition of 90s infused dream pop shininess and a heavy as hell riff. This single, ‘Lily’ focuses far more on the Appalacian band’s denser side, but is equally enjoyable. Kicking off with a massively distorted bass, the arrangement immediately telegraphs a no-nonsense intention, and bringing in a sludge riff worthy of Conan, the slow, doomy melody lurches slowly across five minutes in classic style. There’s still a great melody here, though: a clean vocal soars above the noise, occasionally sounding like Annie Haslam has intruded on a recording session by Witch Mountain, before a howling bluesy guitar offers an unexpectedly haunting lead break. In terms of showcasing the Crooked Path’s heavier intents, this is superb.
August 2024