The End Machine’s second album, 2021’s ‘Phase 2’ presented some great hard rock sounds. It found the sometime Dokken men George Lynch (guitar) and Jeff Pilson (bass) very much working within their musical comfort zone, but with that, came a great strength. Aided by brilliant Robert Mason on vocals, the band often sounded like a rock powerhouse, despite playing very safely. It would be fair to say that, in hard rock terms, fans of those three musicians got exactly what they wanted.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #40
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. Our popular feature continues to gain attention and we’ve had a flood of submissions this week. Picking a few of the best, as always, we’ve attempted to bring you a variety of sounds, from punky power pop to a soul/rap crossover, from indie rock to an unexpected Japanese arty piece. Hopefully, these choices capture the quirkiness we always aim to bring…and we hope you find something to enjoy!
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AMIGO THE DEVIL – Yours Until The War Is Over
Amigo The Devil’s second album, 2021’s ‘Born Against’ took folk, bluegrass and country influences and created something really interesting. Instead of taking an easy route through those styles, the best material mixed them with more interesting things, which led to tracks like ‘Drop For Every Hour’ and ‘Shadow’ sharing more of a Brecht/Weill influence, the mournful approach of Leonard Cohen cutting through the centre of ‘Different Anymore’, and even further away from the expected, ‘Murder At The Bingo Hall’ blending roots with a moody indie rock rhythm. Not all of the experiments worked, but it was always great to hear a man keen to push the boundaries of folk and Americana.
SUN ATOMS – Ceiling Tiles / Tower Of Song
On their 2021 LP ‘Let There Be Light’, alternative rock band Sun Atoms shared some great music. That record’s quieter and more downbeat moments blended elements of goth pop with a very retro guitar twang, often falling somewhere between the classic, introspective songwriting of Leonard Cohen and the more contemporary moods of Tindersticks. When approaching busier sounds, the material mixed light electronica with spoken word passages. With other moments utilizing muted trumpets and very retro sounding backing vocals, the album was a pleasingly varied listening experience.
Keeley confirms upcoming live dates
Keeley’s ‘Floating Above Everything Else’ was one of the best albums of 2023. With a love of 90s shoegaze and dreampop, augmented by a very narrative writing style, the band – fronted by the charismatic Keeley Moss – delivered a very mature and distinctive work that rose above its collected influences.
With new material already being worked on, 2024 promises to be just as great for Keeley. The band have confirmed a run of dates for March, and if they’re playing anywhere near you, it’s worth putting in the effort to see them!
A full press release and a list of confirmed dates can be found below.
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