Advertised as “a love letter to Relapse Records” and inspired by bands like Mortician, this debut release from Arizona’s Trocar really doesn’t mess about. Its four tracks serve up lightning fast sheets of noise where industrial noise collides with the insanity of grindcore, aiming to hammer the listener into submission in record time. Valuing a relentless intensity over indulgence, it creates pure noise without sacrificing tightness or complexity.
Author Archives: Real Gone
THE RIGHT HERE – Reckless Kind / Molly
They aren’t especially well known in the UK, but The Right Here have been releasing enjoyable rootsy rock records since 2012. Capturing a sound that falls somewhere between Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem and Nato Coles, the blue collar grubbiness within their work is laid on pretty thickly, but their gifts for knocking out riffs and hugely broad melodies makes their work widely appealing.
Their 2021 release ‘Northern Town’ was picked up for distribution by Rum Bar Records, placing the band in great company alongside Nato Coles, Watts and Nat Freedberg, A well rounded record, it placed the Soul Asylum-esque ‘Buy Me Another Round’ and ‘Every Once In A While’ alongside the punkier ‘Good Luck Trying’ and the countryfied ‘Drinks & A Dress’, giving the album a varied yet consistent heart.
The Fierce And The Dead unleash new single ‘Golden Thread’
As a band, The Fierce And The Dead have never been shy of evolving. From their noisiest post rock origins, they slowly grew into a melodic juggernaut, mixing heavy grooves and progressive textures on their third album ‘The Euphoric’.
There’s growth and re-invention, and then there’s genre-fluid, which is certainly where the band found themselves during the writing and recording of their fourth LP. Fans got a taste of the “new” Fierce/Dead in May 2022 when the ‘Wonderful’ single appeared on Bandcamp and other streaming services. For the first time, the band shared something song-based with a strong vocal, and for many, that was the biggest change. However, things had also taken an unexpected turn musically with a world of post-punk riffs colliding with the prog-ish experimentation.
MARY FAHL – Can’t Get It Out Of My Head
Mary Fahl first came to prominence as a member of October Project in the 1990s, but it was only after moving on and exploring solo ventures that the American vocalist began to reach her full potential. Despite not being the most prolific, her releases have been rich and sometimes quite varied. Clinging on to a folk core, and blending that with an easy listening vocal, Fahl’s best songs have ploughed a very adult MOR furrow, but those paying closer attention will spot a broad range of influences. For example, ‘Annie Roll Down Your Window’ shows an affinity for Indigo Girls, an almost Neil Finn-like pop element drives the folk rock sound of ‘Raging Child’, and much later on, ‘How Much Love’ conveys the dark heart of Tracy Chapman set against the sparseness of Daniel Lanois.
UFO – High Stakes & Dangerous Men / Lights Out In Tokyo
The body of work released by UFO’s second incarnation – featuring the now legendary Michael Schenker on guitar – has inevitably overshadowed the rest of their catalogue. The run of releases between 1974’s ‘Phenomena’ and 1979’s career-defining live album ‘Strangers In The Night’ represents a musical CV that would make any rock band proud, but there is so much more to UFO than those “glory years”.