With its easy blend of adult pop and narrative driven lyrics, Ewan MacFarlane’s debut solo album ‘Always Everlong’, released in 2021, set the Scottish singer songwriter on a very accessible musical path this year. Displaying the kind of talent that makes him appealing to a broad audience, it was easy to hear traces of Tom Petty in the title cut, but there was far more about the album’s maudlin moods that shared a heart with past works by fellow Scotsman Blue Rose Code, even without the material taking a pop/rock route rather than an obvious country influence. Whatever your take on it, the album – which took shape during the first lockdown of 2020 – couldn’t be any further removed from MacFarlane’s earlier recordings with Apollo 440.
Category Archives: News
Watch the new video from Sum of Seven
Finnish prog metallers Sonus Corona rebranded themselves as Sum of Seven in 2021. This new beginning brings great promise, and their current single ‘Voices’ presents a great mix of melody and power which, coupled with a well filmed video clip, certainly deserves to bring them to a wider audience.
Grab some Black Friday mega bargains from Cherry Red
It’s Black Friday and, as usual, beyond a couple of good deals in Germany, Amazon have been rather disappointing. It’s likely you’ve also scoured a couple of other places in the hope of a good bargain and come up short. Let Real Gone come to the rescue!
Kurt Baker shares new digital single ‘Turn It Around’
Following his move from Spain back to the US, Kurt Baker continued to raid his archive of materials to bring his fans some great music. The digital releases – in conjunction with his label, Wicked Cool Records – have really helped to capitalise on the popularity of his ‘After Party’ album, but the newest instalment might just be the best yet.
Dany Laj to release ‘Retrospectacle’ comp in January; watch the video for ‘Left Right To One’ now
Get ready to begin the new year with a great soundtrack!
You might not know their name, but Canadian power poppers Dany Laj and The Looks released one of 2021’s finest albums. Their ‘Ten Easy Pieces’ came loaded with massive retro hooks, chiming guitars and a world of fun harmonies that reinforced a very natural style. Even with Dany reaching for a few uncomfortable high notes in places, the record screamed power pop cool, and its lead single ‘Don’t Keep Me Guessin‘ was easily one of the catchiest things to emerge from across the Atlantic since Kurt Baker gave the world his ‘Brand New Beat‘ LP all the way back in 2012.