When thinking of singer songwriters, Emily Zuzik certainly won’t be the first name that comes to most people’s minds. However, the Los Angeles based performer has had an interesting career. In addition to releasing work under her own name dating back to the early 2000’s, she’s collaborated with Moby, Enchanted Kids and several other artists. Dip into her back catalogue and you’ll find material from an artist who doesn’t want to be pigeonholed. Her 2006 release ‘You Had Me At Goodbye’, for example, features guitar driven pop-rock that would be perfect for a ‘Trouble’-era P!nk (‘Potential’), tunes that are Sheryl Crow-esque (pop-rocker ‘Subtraction’ and the country tinged ‘Breaking It Down’), light vocal jazz (‘Fascinating’) and even a number that sounds like something from the Morcheeba back catalogue (‘Stand Up Stand Out’). …And yet, Zuzik’s strong vocal presence is such that the material never feels like a musical grab-bag. The album is the work of a performer who not only appears to have sucked up a world of influences like a sponge, but also clearly believes in their art.
Author Archives: Real Gone
THE INCITERS – Bring Back The Weekend / If I Could Only Be Sure
Over the years, American band The Inciters have delivered a great blend of northern soul and rocking sounds in a package that’s pretty much guaranteed to get their audience jumping. Their ‘Boot N Soul’ single from 2023 was a perfect example of their retro heart beating furiously, and its parent album ‘Bring Back The Weekend’ showed how the band were not just about quality, but also consistency. Within that thirty five minutes, the musicians worked their way through self penned soul bangers, twangy rock numbers with a retro flair, and even a couple of retro pop infused numbers that lent themselves brilliantly to a horn section, each with equal greatness. It was one of those albums that, no matter where you dropped the needle, a good time was guaranteed.
TURKEY VULTURE – Dead To Me EP
Turkey Vulture’s second EP, 2024’s ‘On The List’ saw the US noise rock duo stretching out. The bulk of the material concerned itself with massive, heavy riffs blending garage rock and sludge metal influences, but in ‘Jill The Ripper’, the intense duo showed how they could apply a clean sound without losing their sinister edge. Showing a more experimental side, the number took influences from dark folk and applied an accordion to give the performance an almost sea-shanty like melody. In its own way, the results were just as devastating as the Vulture’s heavier tunes, but more importantly, it appeared to give their DIY sound an even bigger scope for the future.
SNAKEMOTHER – Snakemother
Snakemother are a four piece band who relish in sharing a mix of heavy riffs and gloomy atmospherics. Within in the vast landscapes of doom metal – often populated by bearded figures with guttural tones – Snakemother really stand out, since the four musicians are unafraid to blend their extremely slow and heavy sound with a relatively clean vocal, which gives the six tracks on their self-titled release a pleasing feeling of balance.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #101
Following another week where there have been an insane amount of submissions for the Singles Bar, this visit offers a broad selection of sounds. Among the eight picks, there’s a really atmospheric slice of pop from a singer songwriter on her way to becoming a proper cult figure, some superb indie pop vibes, and even a long stoner infused jam which really doesn’t suggest a “single” at all. As usual, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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