20 Watt Tombstone’s three contributions to the 2016 split ‘Death Blues vs. The Dirty Spliff’ (shared with Left Lane Cruiser) showcased a band who instinctively knew their way around superb riffs. Those tunes straddled melody and heaviness in an almost perfect way, showcasing a band capable of wielding a great, live sounding tone, often matching the likes of Black Label Society and Black Stone Cherry in terms of chunky retro coolness. Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly speedy in following up that recording. A few years came and went without a word, and then a pandemic lockdown delayed any progress a little further.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #21
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. We’re happy to share a typically mixed batch this time around. You’ll find the return of an underground rock band, a brilliant track loaded with harmonies that draws influence from the Laurel Canyon scene, a tune that goes deeply into an Americana sound, a piece of modern metal and more besides… As always, these are just eight picks from the mountain of material that’s come our way, but we think you’ll find something new to enjoy.
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LOOKING GLASS WAR – Where Neon Meets The Rain EP
On this debut EP, Boston’s Looking Glass War aren’t shy in mining the past for some key musical inspirations. Drawing from post punk, goth, melodic shoegaze and dreampop, ‘Where Neon Meets The Rain’ presents four very different songs – each showing a different angle to the band’s retro, riff-based sound – but this is more than a hacked out musical CV. Yes, the songs are all different, but there’s a common musical thread and a very distinctive vocal gluing the pieces together. In terms of debut releases it has a lot of muscle, even if originality often takes a back seat.
THE GREAT AFFAIRS – Sleepwalker
Nashville’s Great Affairs have released some really enjoyable material over the years. Just as importantly, with the help of line-up changes bringing different talents to the table, they’ve also grown as a band. Their second album ‘Ricky Took The Wheels’ paraded the band as fairly obsessed with The Black Crowes; ‘Happy Endings’ appeared to have a bigger interest in Americana; later works – largely due to second vocalist/drummer Kenny Wright’s arrival – introduced more grit, adding a Stones-ish/Faces colourant to the band’s musical palate. No matter what the musical mood, though, a Great Affairs release has guaranteed a selection of great songs. Even ‘Everybody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt’ – an album released during a very troubled 2020, and capturing the band on autopilot in some ways – had its own charm.
SOVIET FILMS – Four EP
This EP from East Anglian noise-makers Soviet Films breaks a period of relative silence from the band. It might only feature a quartet of tunes – on the surface, a small amount of new music for a two year wait – but ‘Four’ presents a more epic sounding band, enjoying a more adventurous approach to arrangement than before, if indeed that were possible. The featured material represents everything fans could want, and music with the ability to unnerve new listeners in the best possible way.