Montreal’s Museums arrived on the shoegaze scene in 2024 with ‘Sink Your Teeth In My Brain’, a two track digital release that captured a wealth of heavily treated guitar sounds and swirling atmospheres rather effectively. Coupled with a strong sense of indie-centric melodies and a clean, almost dream pop-esque vocal, the material was accessible for the style; the production values showed some obvious budgetary limitations, but the band’s bright and breezy style marked them out as an act to keep an ear for in future. Subsequent singles ‘Ur Best’ and ‘In Waves’ continued the streak of great retro sounds. With its fusion of indie and bubblegum pop, and incessant hook – sort of like a collaboration between Velocity Girl and Rilo Kiley – the latter more than suggested that Museums could be capable of delivering something much bigger in time.
Author Archives: Real Gone
VARIOUS ARTISTS – So High I’ve Been: A European Rock Anthology 1967-1973
When it comes to compilations, the UK rock scene of the late 1960s/early 1970s has been covered extensively – to the point of absolute overkill. It’s easy to feel that this is a part of musical history that no longer needs revisiting, just as many “new” articles on The Beatles, the Stones and Queen now border on being digital landfill. With that in mind, it’s always far more interesting when attentions are turned to overseas acts. Cherry Red’s rather excellent set ‘Living On The Hill’ promised “a Danish underground trip” upon its release in 2020 and subsequently did exactly what it said on the tin, giving the keener rock fan three discs’ worth of genuinely unfamiliar sounds from the North, with Blast Furnace being the compilation’s nearest to a “known” name.
Nevaris shares live version of ‘Ninth Sun’ ahead of EP release
In February 2026, Nevaris will release ‘SoundSession’, a live EP recorded in collaboration with the legendary Bill Laswell. As a preview, a live version of ‘Ninth Sun’ has been shared as a digital single.
Bowling For Soup team up with able machines for spirited cover of Elastica’s ‘Connection’
The always entertaining Bowling For Soup are kicking off what promises to be another successful year with a cover tune. Teaming up with able machines (featuring power pop cult hero Linus of Hollywood), they’ve reworked a 90s classic, Elastica’s ‘Connection’, and created something even more indebted to new wave than the original cut.
SHANNON CURTIS – 80s Kids
On 2024’s ‘Good To Me’, Shannon Curtis delivered ten slabs of synth pop that sounded so authentically 80s, you might even believe a few of the songs were rarities from the era. With the album released at a time where a lot of musicians appeared to be obsessed with the 90s, this even more retro sound hit like a musical ray of sunshine. At the album’s best, the bright sound – heavily reliant on unnatural sounding keys and a strong vocal – showcased some great choruses. The multi-voiced ‘Serenity’ could’ve been culled from an old teen film soundtrack; ‘Sweat & Butterflies’ worked a pulsing heart that had clearly been inspired by OMD’s ‘If You Leave’ and a couple of Fiction Factory numbers, and the title cut showcased a great contrast between big beats and a more sedate voice, ending the record in a slightly more thoughtful manner. Even with a couple of tunes adding slightly more of a light goth/dreampop reverb, this was a record that offered a lot of entertainment for the 80s obsessed listener.