In the early 90s, The Fall hit upon a relatively commercial sound on albums like ‘Extricate’ and ‘The Infotainment Scan’, but as the decade wore on, they found themselves somewhat floundering. Unable to capture a distinctive sound, at least beyond Mark E. Smith’s trademark drawl, their albums became a little hit and miss. 1995’s ‘Cerebral Caustic’ traded in their sharper edged approach for something far more lo-fi; the swiftly delivered ‘Light User Syndrome’ sounded like Fall-by-numbers (although they were great on that tour), and 1997’s ‘Levitate’ abandoned most of the band’s post punk and garage tendencies for extra synths and a barrage of dance rhythms, creating the ultimate opinion-divider. The best bits of 1999’s ‘The Marshall Suite’ reminded everyone that the band were still capable of delivering a few bangers (‘Touch Sensitive’ would go on to become one of The Fall’s most enduring tracks), but by the turn of the millennium, it began to seem like The Fall mightn’t deliver a “classic” album ever again.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #127
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time out, we bring you a new track from a still new rock band, a fantastic piece of soul, a heartfelt country number, a new take on a Halloween staple, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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SINKR – No Sign Of Light
At the end of 2021, Manchester band SINKR arrived on the rock scene with their debut single. Taking obvious musical cues from Pixies, Therapy? and Bivouac, the two track release wasn’t always big on originality, but they were clearly very good musicians, and the material was strong enough to suggest that, over time, the band’s talents would grow, and listeners who still love the sounds of the early 90s might eventually discover a new favourite band. A follow up album ‘History of Things To Come’ (released in June 2022) brought their growing audience more of the same in places, but between the punky ‘The Cut’, post-emo-ish ‘Factories’ with its huge, lolloping grooves, and the overdriven post-grunge meets melodic punk of ‘If Only’, there was more than enough to suggest SINKR had grown as musicians, even over such a short period of time.
OSWALD SLAIN – Bucky
Towards the end of the first quarter of 2025, Bristolian indie rockers Oswald Slain released their debut EP ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’, but this wasn’t the first time some of the band members had been in the spotlight. Guitarist vocalist Charlie Fitzgerald and drummer Rhii Williams had previously released material under the name Little Thief, and delivered one of 2021’s best albums. Realising they’d taken Little Thief’s garage rock sound as far as it could go, they teamed up with other musicians and branched out. Not that some of Oswald’s debut was massively far removed from the old sound; Fitz’s vocal retained a distinctive edge, and a couple of the songs definitely sounded like a logical extension of the Little Thief world. Nevertheless, ‘Kiss Me…’ was a strong first outing, and keeping the wheels greased, the band delivered an equally enjoyable follow up single ‘Firing Line’ barely a couple of months later.
Watch: Tempest Saint share new video for ‘The Cursed’
Metal has gone through many different fads and fashions over the decades. No longer just limited to a world of hair, studs and leather, it has taken in a world of different riffs, sometimes exploring musical landscapes that are heavier and more complex than ever before.
There’s still time for tradition, of course, and Tempest Saint – a band from the Greater London area – understand this very clearly. Their current single ‘The Cursed’ opens with a riff that draws heavily upon a 1984 Judas Priest vintage, setting a great – and somewhat familiar – sound in place. Bringing in a heavier, speed driven rhythm, the whole of Tempest Saint latch onto a sharp edged yet melodic barrage of riffs that really captures their unwavering commitment to a classic 80s style.