THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #72

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 previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you a superb light indie track, a really intense slab of metal, an 80s star continuing to forge ahead with a solo career, and more besides. As always, the SB continues to mix future classics with the unexpected, and we hope you’ll find something new to enjoy…

*

The current offering from Crash Harmony has been described as “wistful and nostalgic” and it’s not hard to hear why. Following a hard strummed acoustic intro, the track grows into a slow and jangly affair with a very early 90s heart. The melodies are simple, but in capturing elements of the mellow end of the Soul Asylum sound, the slower Lemonheads material and even a pinch of The Connells, it’ll take the listener straight back to an almost bygone time. That’s hardly surprising since the track was written in the late 80s but has spent an eternity sat on the shelf. A faster interlude feels a little out of place, but gives a broader insight into how well this band can play, and the continuous interplay between a solid rhythm guitar and crying lead set behind an easy, emotive voice will certainly win over fans of the style.

For many, Wendy James will always be associated with her work with rock-pop band Transvision Vamp, but since their break up, she has released a string of solo albums. ‘Everything Is Magic’ – the current single from her upcoming tenth solo release – is a rather sultry affair. A slow piano riff provides a strong melodic base, and a very retro guitar occasionally drops in with a moody twang that’s perfectly suited to the arrangement. Naturally, it’s Wendy who draws the ear, and adopting a hushed tone she works through a fairly bleak narrative. Her understated, almost whispered delivery gives her chosen lyric an almost haunting quality, showing off a very mature sound. For those who’ve lost track of James’s work over the years, this’ll certainly come as a surprise, but it’s also a pleasingly mature number that shows there’s far more to this performer than most people would expect.

A new arrival at the Metropolis label for ’24, SINE serves up an impressive sound on ‘Trauma Bondage’. Bringing huge waves of dark synth pop and a dance edge, the track has a pulsebeat that almost seems to pay homage to Giorgio Moroder’s pioneering electro-disco sound of ’77, yet at the same time, has elements of Depeche Mode and early Ministry propping up a great arrangement. The music, despite being very mechanical, flows brilliantly from the first note to the last. So much of that is down to the presence of a contrasting vocal which shares a brilliantly moody performance that plays almost like a theatrical take on a classic 80s goth sound. For lovers of heavy beats and electro-pop coolness, this is a must hear. As an introduction to this band, it’s pretty much perfect.

With its absolutely unrelenting vocal performance delivering sharp edged rap elements, ‘3 Minutes’ by Uncured is impossible to ignore. Almost immediately, the track cuts through everything with a ferocity that calls back to the nu metal scene and bands like Ill Nino, but there’s actually something the way that vocal hits that still feels contemporary. Musically, it’s just as hard, with the bulk of the number relying on deep drones and an almost industrial intensity. It’s not until somewhere around the mid point where everything explodes into shards of metal where old style thrash influences collide with a more hardcore stance that the music threatens to overturn the vocal. And in this case, that’s exactly how it should be: with a lyric attacking the pharmaceutical companies and the prevalence of addiction, this is a track that’s as thoughtful in its approach as it is brutal. A superb slab of alternative metal.

Adopting a very mellow stance, Sarah Lew’s ‘Did You Ever Notice’ combines old style singer songwriter ideals with a strange dream pop haziness. From the number’s opening bars, sparsely played acoustic guitar notes sit on top of a swirling sound, barely constructing a melody. It’s left to Sarah to push everything forward, and her haunting vocal shares a brooding tone that really works. A little further on, psychedelic keys are lifted by something that sounds like a modern take on Gong – and more specifically Gilly Smyth’s “space whispering” – and a buzzing electric guitar sound adds a huge influence from the jazz world. This is definitely one for people who (incorrectly) think “there’s no new interesting music now”, and the kind of single destined for a genuine cult status. Simply put, it’s brilliant.

In and out in under two minutes, The Trampoline Delay’s ‘Little Lucy’ is a single that doesn’t hang around. It barely has time for an intro. From the outset, the band deliver huge power pop riffs that borrow from The Posies (circa ‘Amazing Disgrace’) then overlay their chiming sound with a great indie-tinged harmony vocal. The collision of these two elements creates something with a brilliant, summery feel, and the simple vocal hook is one that’s bound to stick. About a minute in, the relatively sparse lyrics are cast aside to make room for a brief guitar solo before the rest of the number settles for repetition of the chorus. Much like Teenage Fanclub’s ‘What You Do To Me’, this is destined to become a simplistic classic.

After taking fifteen years off, the returning Sunset Rubdown are clearly keen to make up for lost time. Issued just a few weeks after their comeback single, ‘Candles’ finds the band delving even deeper into a well of weird art-pop. The core of the track is helmed by a really wonky synth refrain, which is augmented by carny-like blasts of sound, occasional toy piano clanking and a grumbling bass. This concoction of noise actually creates a pleasingly quirky melody, almost as if a band like Vampire Weekend had been left with the task of reworking some of They Might Be Giants’ abandoned ideas. Everything is made more accessible thanks to a more traditional vocal hook, and that actually holds the menagerie of noise together brilliantly. This is a great example of taking things that feel familiar and mangling them into something new. It may be strange; it may be wantonly…different, but it’s also a single that’s as catchy as hell.

In closing, here’s a gorgeous, melodic treat from Pillow Fite. Blending indie strums with a dream pop inspired lead guitar, ‘More of That’ shares a great sound. Musically, the duo show off a classic style, but the arrival of a clean vocal really seals the deal. It’s hard not to be reminded of the poppier material from the third K’s Choice album ‘Almost Happy’, but the arrival of a busy lead guitar break brings a little more of PF’s own, distinctive style. This is a bright sounding track that sounds like a smash from the very first listen, but really doesn’t lose any of its musical sparkle over time.

September 2024