ENVY OF NONE – Stygyan Waves

The first album by Envy of None – the first new post-Rush music from guitarist Alex Lifeson – very much conveyed the attitude of a musician moving on. The fan reaction, on the other hand, proved that many of his followers were incapable of doing so. Many of them were hoping for something prog based, or at least something hugely guitar oriented in the vein of his vastly underrated Victor project. What they got was an album full of hooky songs that sounded like the missing link between ‘Blood For Poppies’ era Garbage and Chvrches.

Taken on its own terms, the music’s broad, melodic sound – coupled with great vocals from Maiah Wynne – provided something hugely enjoyable. Although the songs occasionally took a little while to sink in, it was an album that had more than enough potential to find its way under the skin of those willing to keep an open ear.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #87

This week’s Singles Bar is a rock-centric affair, but we’ve attempted to pull together a selection of tracks that really capture a wealth of different moods. There’s a track with 90s dream rock/shoegaze flair, a slab of Finnish metal with thrash elements, a classic sounding and very 90s influenced tune, and something with light prog leanings. Those hoping for something highlighting other genres should also find pleasure within some great power pop and a timeless sounding country-pop number marking the return of a great singer-songwriter. January is often notoriously quiet for new releases, but there should be enough here to pique your interest as usual!

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The Pineapple Thief to release 4CD box set of acoustic recordings in April

The last few years have seen continued critical acclaim for Bruce Soord. The last couple of Pineapple Thief albums were largely well received by fans and critics alike, and his Wisdom of Crowds side project with Jonas Renkse cemented his popularity.

The Covid pandemic put an end to live performances, but Soord kept himself busy by performing acoustic sets from home during lockdown. Fans will finally get the opportunity to own all of these recordings in April when KScope Records issues The Pineapple Thief’s ‘The Soord Sessions, Vol 1-4’. Full details on the new box set can be found below.

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GODSTICKS – Inescapable

The sound of the third Godsticks album came as a bit of a surprise. At some point between the release of their second album ‘The Envisage Conundrum’ and the writing of 2015’s ‘Emergence’, things took a heavier turn. It wasn’t necessarily for the better. What had once been a fairly inventive prog band with a few harder moments was now a full on prog metal band. The lion’s share of ‘Emergence’ was rather…dull. Still, some fans seemed to take to the more aggressive sound and it undoubtedly attracted a few new ears. For better or worse, at least this was a prog band actually progressing.

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THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – Dissolution

For a few years, it seemed as if Bruce Soord’s Pineapple Thief would always be a genuine underground band. Then, with the release of ‘Tightly Unwound’ gaining favourable press in 2008 and 2010’s ‘Someone Here Is Missing’ being compared to Porcupine Tree, the band made a huge leap forward in the world of cult prog rock. From then on, each release has been eagerly awaited by fans and critics alike and The Pineapple Thief have truly carved themselves a place in the annals of thoughtful rock music.

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