Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

THOMAS KING – Last Night Living EP

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Austrian born singer-songwriter Thomas King relocated to Los Angeles in search of his musical dream.  His first release, the 2010 EP ‘High On Life’ attracted some good press from various independent music websites.  King maintains the momentum with 2011’s ‘Last Night Living EP’ by picking up where he left off, resulting in four studio-honed pop tunes.  On paper, well crafted pop with a knowhow of the recording studio seems like a winning formula, but in reality, the studio trickery quashes most of what could be great about King’s material.

Nearly everything on this EP sounds like it’s under a metallic, fake sheen.  In the case of the throwaway but catchy ‘Round Again’, this is an approach which just about works, since the main chorus line adopts a simple, chantable ‘whoah’ in a way which screams Europop.  Similarly, ‘Stay With Me’ bounces merrily under a barrage of keyboards which nod to The Killers and so many other eighties revivalists.  On both these numbers, there are plenty of elements just tailor made for radio play and King’s knack for a chorus manages to shine from beneath the studio filters.

In terms of studio tweaking, he pushes his luck just too far with the title cut, as his voice is subjected to extreme levels of auto-tune.  No doubt this is for stylistic effect, but it doesn’t make it in any way enjoyable.  Even the most disposable of pop should be able to stand proudly without sounding like Cher’s ‘Believe’;  countless bands managed it throughout the 80s, after all – even the campest of Euro-poppers.  Attempting to get past the robotic vocal ugliness, there’s a one-two robotic beat which goes nowhere until the chorus where, unbelievably things get worse.  Swamped with the levels of auto-tune best reserved for r ‘n’ b trash, King delivers a chorus which is stupidly repetitive to the point of annoyance.

The best of these four cuts – without question – is ‘It Starts Tonight’ which fuses choppy new-wave guitars, a wash of keyboards and a catchy hook.  Sounding more like something from California delivered in 1987 (with another hint of the early twenty-first century thrown in for good measure) as opposed to Euro-pop, this shows Thomas King at his best.  Although still radio-friendly in the extreme, he needs to embrace this slightly tougher edge more often; those extra layers of guitar – and (very slightly) less vocal filtering really helps to give his song writing a lift.  The end result could stand proudly among similar post-millennial pop-rock workouts.

There are some good moments here – at least from a song-writing perspective – there’s absolutely no denying that ‘It Starts Tonight’ has a fantastic hook with the ability to stick, potentially in the long-term.  However, an over-reliance of that autotune knob – even if just for dramatic effect –is not only horribly distracting, but for your average adult pop-rock fan, it’s hugely unwelcome.  Yes, this is an artist who can write a chorus, but for best results, those choruses need to be delivered with some real human emotion – for King and his studio honed sound, there’s barely anything approaching such old fashioned luxury.

December 2011

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“LET IT ROLL…”: an absolutely free album-length sampler from Real Gone!

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To celebrate the work of lots of independent and DIY bands appearing at Real Gone, it’s time to end the year with something special.

With the co-operation of sixteen different artists, we are able to bring you “Let It Roll…”, the first ever Real Gone sampler. The name comes from a Dead Exs line, and it was good enough a title for George Harrison too, so…
[It was almost called “Now That’s What I Call Don’t Say We Don’t Ever Give You Nuffin’“, but in lots of ways, the name is unimportant].

Here’s hoping you find something to enjoy. If you do, please get in touch with the musicians to tell them and make sure you check out their full releases! If you’ve downloaded it, please link back to this page on twitter and facebook – help make this a major exercise in spreading the word…

All tracks were used legally with the help of the respective artists.

This download has now been removed from our server.  Should you still wish to download it, please email us via the contact section on this website and we’ll send you a zip file of the contents.

Tracks included:

01 KURT SHANKS Seven Flights Up
02 GUSTAV NILSSON Paper Cuts
03 MUTINY MUTINY A Movie With No Plot
04 THE BLACK STOUT Voices of Generation
05 MISHKIN Good Day To Die
06 THE GENUINE FAKES Time Is Slight
07 DANIEL TASHIAN Anna
08 STATE COWS Hard Goodbye*
09 THE DEAD EXS Come Down Easy
10 MICK TERRY Comets
11 PROSPEKT Dissident Priest
12 NATHAN EDWARDS Be OK
13 RABBIT IN THE BLOOD Back To The Sea**
14 DOM LIBERATI Won’t Let You Down (live)**
15 PALE AUTUMN The Tides Return
16 SHARKS TOOK THE REST Restaurant

* Non-album track
** Previously unreleased

Real Gone would like to extend their thanks to everyone who took part. You can find various links back to the band’s products and websites scattered around this website, as well as reviews for everyone. There are a couple of notable absences due to missed deadlines or Ts&Cs… Here’s hoping they can be a part of it all at the end of 2012.

Merry Christmas.

GARY JOHN BARDEN – The Eleventh Hour

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Best known for lending his vocals to a few of the early Michael Schenker Group’s releases, Gary Barden has been a jobbing vocalist for decades.  Aside from his work with Schenker, his voice can be heard on albums by Silver, Praying Mantis and Statetrooper. 2011’s ‘Eleventh Hour’ is his fifth solo record.

The album begins in a rather unsubtle manner.  The heavy-handed ‘Baghdad’ presents a heavy-ish riff coupled with some already out-of-date political statements (ridiculously simplified to children’s news level).  Although the tune is augmented in places by equally unsubtle effects noises of bombs and the like, the riff itself is a more than reasonable one. Sadly, however the show’s over once Gary Barden starts to sing… Over the riffs, he wails such lyrical howlers as “George W and Tony Blair took years to find the madman’s lair”, after which it’s impossible to even try to take this seriously.  Some of the other lyrics are harder to decipher in places due to Barden’s over-singing, which hasn’t improved much over the years; it’s still full of unnecessary growls, warbles and other potentially nasty elements.  In fairness, it could be said that Barden sounds a little better on parts of this release than on Statetrooper’s 2004 outing, ‘The Calling’ – where he wailed like he was having a kidney removed without anaesthetic – but, most of the time, that’s not saying much.

The following couple of tracks are less bombastic, as if Barden believes he’s made his grand statement and can now settle into something more natural…and perhaps more fun.  With an upbeat pace, ‘Fallen By The Wayside’ is a slice of rock with plenty of drive where the twin lead guitars are the obvious high point, while ‘Child of Sorrow’ is a stomping rocker – the kind you’ll find on any number of Rainbow-esque hard rock discs.  The needle on the cheeseometer is flickering off the end of the scale here, but at least it could be said this number attempts to bring a rousing chorus to the table.  It’s okay, yes, but you’ll certainly find better examples of this kind of thing on hundreds of other melodic rock discs out there.

‘Easy Does It’ offers one of the best riffs on the album, as well as one of the best vocals.  Instead of going for the big rock edge, Barden attempts something soft and soulful (albeit still in a rock style); the slightly gritty element in his voice works well as he hits the longer vibrato-filled notes.  A more than commendable bluesy guitar solo ups the stakes here too, before the track loses its way temporarily.  All bluesy elements are eschewed in favour of a faster paced swagger that’s just horrid.  It may only be temporary, but it’s so ill-judged, as if it was shoehorned in from another work in progress.  Despite this faux pas, it’s a track which showcases what Barden and band are capable of when everything comes together – it’s a shame those times are somewhat of a rarity.  The eight minute epic ‘Before The Eyes of The World’ brings with it another superb riff – the kind which would have been at home on Dio’s ‘Angry Machines’ record of ’96, but aside from a twin lead solo it doesn’t really offer much more of any real interest.  Barden’s vocals are average at best, and even that once-promising riff starts to sound repetitive and leaden before too long.  Bringing in the track at half the length could have been a great improvement…

‘Would You Wanna Do’ is another of the better numbers (although, as always, better is a relative concept).  A pleasing selection of guitar arpeggios during its verses starts things off well enough, while a good sense of melody during the pre-chorus and a few decent lead guitar moments also help the track stand out.  The chorus doesn’t live up to the promise set out by the pre-chorus, however, and the female vocals on hand instantly make the piece sound dated.  On the plus side here, Barden reins in his voice a great deal, making it much less of an endurance on the listener.  On the negative, yet again, it sounds like a recording from a third generation cassette dub, thanks to the slack production values.  That production just mars many of the good moments on this album – often sounding like you’re listening on the morning after a particularly loud gig.  It’s a pity; a much slicker (ie: more expensive) production could have improved this album’s general feel, even though it would never have saved us from Barden’s terrible lyrics.

Bulking an already not especially enjoyable disc out to eleven songs, Barden offers his own recording of ‘Don’t Take Me For A Loser’ – an early 80s co-write, originally featured on Gary Moore’s ‘Corridors of Power’.  Lacking any of Moore’s effortless style, Barden and band chug their way through the tune in a workmanlike manner: the lead guitar work never rises above average, the lead vocals are okay at best and the female backing voices are lost somewhere in the sludge.  On the plus side, it’s still a well constructed tune – a hundred times better than most of ‘Eleventh Hours’ paltry efforts.

With ‘Eleventh Hour’, Barden adds yet another pretty ropey release to his expanding legacy of mediocrity.  Generally speaking, his backing band is okay, but Barden himself proves to be a wholly second division talent in both the vocal and song-writing stakes – someone rarely worth the admiration he seems to gather.   This is an album for his devoted fans only; other melodic rock aficionados would be best advised to spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere.

November 2011

CROWN OF THORNS – Crown Of Thorns

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If you meet people who were fans of melodic rock in the 80s, chances are, they’ll bang on tirelessly about how alternative music killed melodic rock at the beginning of the nineties.  However, in 1994,a small UK based label called Now & Then Records provided a wave of genuine excitement with their first bunch of releases.  After releasing an album by Gary Hughes (later to become the frontman with pomp/melodic rock giants Ten), the label released a string of fantastic melodic rock discs, some of which had been rescued from the vaults of major labels, destined to potentially never see the light of day.

One of these early releases was the debut album by Crown of Thorns, a black rock band made up of a handful of cult musicians. Featured in the band’s first line-up were ex-Plasmatics/Little Steven man Jean Bouvoir, drummer Tony Thompson, who’d previously worked with the Duran Duran/Robert Palmer vehicle The Power Station, and bassist Michael Paige.  Rounding out the quartet was a rather unexpected musician: Micki Free, who’d previously been a member of Shalamar’s final line-up.

Right from the opening bars of the first track – the band’s self-titled song – there’s a sense that Crown of Thorns are a really tight unit.  After a brief drum intro from Tony Thompson, lead guitars drive the track into its first verse where Beauvoir’s soulful vocal style adds plenty of melody, while retaining enough bite to still be very much a rock performance. While the chorus is strong and the band’s gift for solid arrangement should never be undervalued, it’s Micki Free’s lead guitar work which makes this a killer opener, as he strikes a perfect balance between melody and squealing rock chops.  Lead single ‘The Healer’ offers similar rock stylings, though it’s perhaps a little punchier all round.  Beauvoir’s vocal is turned up to eleven, hitting more high notes than elsewhere on the disc, but remaining totally professional, he understands the importance of melody and never overplays those rock elements. Again, the chorus comes with a big hook, but it’s the harmonies which really drive it home.

The album’s big ballad ‘Standing On The Corner for Ya’ is a match for many of the big, arguably more famous 80s rock ballads, with huge chords and fantastic use of harmonies throughout. Understated verses, featuring Beauvoir with piano accompaniment allow that big chorus to really make an impact.  As with many other tracks featured here, Micki Free’s guitar solo – this time full of long, string-bent epicness – provides one of the high points, even though it’s fairly short in duration. ‘Winterland’ (co-written with Kiss man Paul Stanley) gives the impression of a track that’s more atmospheric at first, due to a soft intro featuring Beauvoir delivering a modest performance, backed by a clean sounding guitar.  However, after a few bars Free chimes in with a few hard, rhythmic chords, which help give the number an extra bit of oomph.  The verses are decent enough, but a chorus featuring Beauvoir in good form, singing against some great harmonies really lifts the track even farther.  With such a simple and memorable chorus, it’s easy to forgive a guitar solo that includes a couple of odd, really jarring notes.

‘Dyin’ For Love’ moves away a little from the melodic hard rock sound and offers something closer to classic AOR.  This is due to a more mid-paced approach and a keyboard giving an extra depth of sound in places.  Tony Thompson’s drum line and Michael Paige’s bass work both provide solid simplicity, giving the band a fine anchor.  The arrangement is spot-on throughout and the chorus one of the album’s absolute best.  ‘Hike It Up’ is a track full of mid-paced paunchiness; while it doesn’t bring anything new to the genre, it’s a brilliant driving rocker featuring great harmonies, a couple of great key-changes and a whammy bar solo.  If ‘Standin’ On The Corner’ and ‘Dyin’ For Love’ provide the album’s best examples of rock balladry and solid melodic song writing respectively, then ‘Hike It Up’ stands as one of the best examples of Crown of Thorns “the hard rock band”.

With an almost mechanical bassline, ‘Til The End’ has all the hallmarks of a Jim Vallance penned Bryan Adams number, though rather strangely, although Vallance is credited as co-writing a couple of numbers with Crown of Thorns, this particular track was written without his assistance.  Jean Beauvoir can be heard in particularly strong voice here, and although his performances on this release are all good in their own right, it’s on the slightly softer numbers he really comes into his own.  The harmonies used within this track are especially good.  If there’s a weak link on this debut album, then ‘Are You Ready’ pulls the short straw.  With its mix of hard rock, retro grooves and a tinge of funk metal, it was obviously designed as a live crowd-pleaser (and in the live setting it’s certainly rousing enough) but on record, its contrived efforts at creating good times do not translate quite as well in your average living room. That said, it’s definitely not a skipper.

Boasting so many strong numbers and decent production courtesy of renowned studio man Beau Hill, this debut is not only one of the best melodic rock discs of its time, it could possibly rank as one of the finest melodic rock discs ever.  It still sounds great so many years later.  Like a few of the other early Now & Then Records releases, it’s an album no decent melodic rock/AOR collection should be without.

June 2011

THE BYGONES! – Radio, Ready Or Not!

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Brooklyn three-piece The Bygones! are a band whose main musical thrust is garage rock.  Their debut EP ‘Radio, Ready or Not!’ has a DIY approach which gives everything a slightly rough around the edges feel.   As debut releases go, it’s far from perfect, but to be fair, it is home to a couple of great numbers.

‘Gimme Some Space’ is a trashy piece of goodness which sounds like a cross between a ragged version of The Real Kids and Boston four piece Watts, if they were in a particularly shouty mood.  Dan McGuinness’s drums are crashy and live sounding, which sound great placed against Billy Janisewski’s particularly urgent vocal and guitar work.  Pulling everything together, Colin Van Deusen’s bassline is a bit lost under the raucousness, but in just under two minutes, The Bygones! clear the cobwebs on this number, proving that at full pelt, they’re a band with a lot of promise.  Likewise, the rock ‘n’ roll twang which carries the title cut shows a great energy, with Janiszewski’s slightly warbling vocal line fitting the bill rather well.  Van Deusen’s bass is audible on this track too, which is a major plus considering his playing is busy throughout. It’s also rather tight for this type of garage-based arrangement.

When The Bygones! slow things down, the cracks start to appear in their performance.  ‘Sour Apple’ begins with a very retro guitar, while the bassline is solid and high in the mix.  The basis for something decent is very much there, but the vocals are a little waily, never really settling in.  A counter backing vocal does its best to make everything gel but, fact is, Janiszewski’s lead vocal just doesn’t blend as well as it should.  It may work better live, of course, but here it’s in need of a bit of polish up, particularly when it comes to a particularly unrestrained ad lib just before the fade out.  ‘Begging’ is musically better all round, with a stronger lead vocal.  The real star on this number is Van Deusen, whose bass line really carries the piece with its unwavering approach.  The end section where the band cut loose is just a little too rough around the edges once again, but it’s a minor point.

‘The Lonely Ones’ expands The Bygones! range to include a little 60s style power pop.  The rhythms and general arrangement appears pleasing enough, but it’s a simple lead break which provides the track’s strongest element.  This track also features the EP’s most memorable chorus, but stepping back and looking at the whole package, their sound isn’t terribly original.  If you need a firm pointer for  what to expect here, The Bygones! sound like a budget version of The Flamin’ Groovies.  There’s not a lot wrong with that for a musical basis, but The Bygones! would have achieved better results if they’d been able to inject a little more of their own style into the recording.

Based on this debut EP, The Bygones!  have lots of potential when it comes to a full-pelt approach, but generally need to work at their craft with regards the more mid paced stuff, or those tunes which require a little more subtlety.  The DIY nature of their recording means The Bygones! are not necessarily ready for radio yet, but some the foundations are firmly in place.

Listen, or download the EP using the widget below.

September 2011