The follow up to Robin Guthrie’s ‘Atlas’ EP (released in July 2024), ‘Astoria’ presents four more very laid back instrumental pieces which not only show off the one-time Cocteau Twins’ composer and guitarist’s talents, but really add new depth to his solo work. Three of its four tracks aren’t especially immediate, but in time, all of the musical sketches will feel as essential as anything from Eno’s classic years, or those fantastic discs by Jansen Barbieri Karn.
Tag Archives: ambient
ROBIN GUTHRIE – Atlas EP
For a lot of people, Robin Guthrie will require no introduction. He’s been a major part of the alternative scene since the late 70s, not just as a founder member of the dream pop pioneers Cocteau Twins, but as a producer, and a collaborator with artists as diverse as Harold Budd and Ride’s Mark Gardener.
Come On, Come In: Big Hits From The Real Gone Singles Bar, Year One
In May 2023, Real Gone ran a column highlighting some of the best digital singles that had come our way. We’d always shied away from singles, preferring instead to concentrate on detailed album and EP reviews, but too much good music was falling by the wayside. The column was an experiment, of sorts: it was a departure from what had gone before, but still came with the same enthusiasm. Would people embrace this new feature? Would “quick takes” weaken the Real Gone brand?
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #46
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore the various individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. The submissions keep coming, allowing us a broad selection of styles. This week, we bring you some great adult pop-rock from Norway, a singer songwriter with a superbly retro sound, a little bit of country, the return of some legends of German metal, and more besides…
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IN THE PONDS – The Last Stop Ranch
On their 2022 release ‘Polar Night’, instrumentalists In The Ponds crammed a variety of musical moods into a very short playing time. Ranging from spooky, almost prog rock inspired echo driven guitar (‘Lonesome George’) to an atmospheric, David Lynch inflected ambience (‘Someone’s Always Watching’), and even supplying a nod to the distorted blues of The Groundhogs (‘Haruki On The Sand’), it was the kind of EP that created a great musical CV.