SUN ATOMS – Take This Love / And The Lion Saw The UFO

Near the beginning of 2024, US post punk band Sun Atoms broke a near three year silence when they released the single ‘Ceiling Tiles’. That track provided the perfect reminder of their great sound with its angular riffs, pulsing rhythms and light gothic tones. In a little over five minutes, the music transported the listener back to the early 90s with its alternative feel, but Sun Atoms’ music still played very well in the present.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #66

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the recent individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, you’ll find a several familiar names returning to “the bar”, but with their best tunes to date. Stylistically, it’s a pleasingly mixed bag, drawing from indie rock, Americana, soulful singer songwriter fare, and choppy guitar sounds that very much tip the hat to Arctic Monkeys. As a varied selection, it’s interesting, but certainly works. We hope, as always, that you’ll find something new to enjoy…

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #61

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting mp3s and individual tunes that’ve landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. In proper Singles Bar tradition, this week’s column covers a lot of musical ground by taking in country and a couple of singer songwriters alongside some extreme metal. There’s even time to introduce a new rock band. It’s unlikely that everything here will appeal to everyone, but as always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #53

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 past few weeks. We kick off our second year at the Singles Bar with one of the most varied selections to date. We’ve got electronica, country, a brilliant slice of synth pop, something retro sounding featuring an indie/shoegaze legend, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Moving Away From The Pulsebeat: Post Punk Britain 1977-1981

When punk shook Britain’s music scene in ‘76, it came as a revelation. The DIY spirit of the Buzzcocks’ ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP suggested that anyone could be in a band; you didn’t need to have to have years worth of musical training. Music could also be about capturing an energy and a spirit. Punk’s first wave was relatively short-lived. By 1978, guitar driven bands were mixing the less flashy elements of punk with bigger melodies, resulting in the mod influenced sounds of The Jam and the broader power pop of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Some were even taking punk’s pure drive and creating what would now be considered goth, and bands like Ultravox! and Wire – arguably the greatest bands to be tagged with the term “post punk” – added strange and angular artiness, shaping the sounds of a generation.

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