DARK DARK HORSE – Centuries

Dark Dark HorseWhile the bulk of the work released by Leicester post-rockers Maybeshewill is concerned with winding atmospheres around hard edged guitar riffs, this project from Jamie Ward creates an almost entirely different mood.  Over the course of eleven tracks, Dark Dark Horse’s debut release ‘Centuries’ weaves electronic ambiance, pulling together the best moments from the likes of Zero 7 with the quiet menace of parts of Radiohead’s ‘King of Limbs’ and almost Thomas Newman like piano work to create a record which you’ll either love or hate.

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REAL GONE’S EUROVISION GOLD, Part 3: Almost Famous – The Silver Contenders

Previously at Real Gone, we’ve celebrated the Eurovision phenomenon by posting our three favourite and faintly ridiculous clips and also highlighted the occasions when the UK made royal arses of themselves with, frankly, quite awful performances. In this third instalment of Real Gone’s Eurovision Gold, we take a more rounded look at what makes Eurovision so much fun, with a few clips from runners-up. …And remember, enjoying Eurovision has nothing to do with musical taste. We’d never listen to this stuff at any other time of year…it’s about huge spectacle, high camp and, more than occasionally, flat out trashiness. You know you love it.

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THE END MEN – Play With Your Toys

In the role of carnival barker, The End Men’s mouthpiece Matthew Hendershot beckons us into his tent of musical curiosity at the beginning of the New York duo’s second release. His voice is curiously like that of Tom Waits with its gravelly tone, a comparison heightened by the sideshow setting, while the minimalist music recalls spiritual chants of the deep south.  The setting isn’t original, but no other backdrop best highlights the journey on which the listener is about to embark… “If you join us, I promise you this: an adventure you won’t wanna miss.”

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SNOWFALL – Cold Silence

SnowfallIn the noughties, Norwegian hard rock band Winter Parade released two albums for two different independent hard rock labels: while ‘Midnight Paradise’ [MTM Records, 2002] and ‘Two’ [Perris Records, 2008] were a huge commercial success, both found a cult audience. Following the band’s demise, bassist PB Riise teamed up with guitarist Tore Meli and Coldspell drummer Perra Johnson to form the core of Snowfall, a band whom – given their heritage and past links – may, on the surface, be dismissed as just another Scandinavian hard rock band.

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