Author Archives: Real Gone

WITCHCRAFT – IDAG

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Five years on from their lockdown release, ‘Black Metal’, which saw Witchcraft trading in their trademark stoner riffs for a bleak, stripped down occult folk sound, and almost a decade after the release of the brilliant ‘Nucleus’, the Swedes play things fairly safely on their 2025 long player ‘IDAG’. In this case, though, the feeling of safety has its own strength: founding member Magnus Pelande sounds more comfortable than ever working within a classic doomy metal format, and for the band’s fans, this return to a more “classic” Witchcraft sound will certainly present a welcome move, even if in some ways it feels like a step backwards.

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THE CHELSEA CURVE – Jamie C’mon (Andy Lewis Remix) / Hey Sah-Lo-Ney

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Across a series of digital singles in 2021, Boston’s The Chelsea Curve delivered a bunch of top notch tunes. At their best, the tracks sounded like unreleased gems by the likes of Pearl Harbor & The Explosions and Holly & The Italians put through a mod-ish filter, such was the band’s knack for hitting the listener with a world of classic riffs and big, very retro hooks.

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DELUXE EDITION DREAMLAND: Dire Straits – Dire Straits

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Following the launch of the Universal “Deluxe Edition” range in 2001, it has become increasingly normal practice for classic albums – and sometimes not-so-classic albums – to be reissued in an expanded format.

At the affordable end of the deluxe reissue scale, such releases normally take the form of a 2CD set, combining the original album of the chosen release with a disc’s worth of b-sides and/or rare and unreleased material. Most of the big bands of the 70s, 80s and 90s have been awarded deluxe reissues, but for years, there had been one very notable absence: Dire Straits.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #104

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This visit to the Singles Bar marks the second anniversary of the popular column. Something that started as an experiment with a plan to share a few tracks every month immediately sprang into life as a weekly fixture, and it pretty quickly became an important part of Real Gone’s coverage. Helping us mark this occasion, we’ve got new tracks from a couple of familiar names; a smart piece of indie rock; a brilliant shoegaze influenced number, something with bluesy leanings, and more besides. This varied selection really captures the spirit of the Singles Bar at its best…and as always, we hope you find something new to enjoy. Thanks for your ongoing support over the past couple of years, everyone. There are many more SB’s to come!

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KPT – Claw EP

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During 2020, when the world was in turmoil and a lot of musicians and gig goers were feeling socially lost, KPT (pronounced “Kept”) delivered a record that felt suitably dark and befitting of the time. ‘Big Witch’ jumped between electronic genres, sharing soundscapes that blended deep drone (‘Lament’), heady beats (‘Untamed’), and even ventured into into industrial sounds (‘Second Thoughts’). The relatively minimalist album really came into its own, though, when KPT explored some wonderfully bleak soundscapes that evoked ominous sounding film scores. It wasn’t the kind of album you’d necessarily pull off the shelf every day, but within its half hour playing time, it offered some enjoyable instrumental noise when approached in the right – suitably detached – frame of mind.

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