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.
Tag Archives: retro
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.
The Crystal Teardrop go massively retro on new track!
It might well be 2023, but in The Crystal Teardrop’s world it’s still 1967! The Midlands based rock band have reached deeply inside themselves and unleashed their inner flower children on their brilliant second single ‘By The River’.
LEATHER CATSUIT – Leather Catsuit EP
A long time coming, DJ Kim Olin allegedly first hatched an idea for a rock ‘n’ roll band back in the 80s, but it wouldn’t be until 2022 that Leather Catsuit became a reality. At just five tracks, the band’s debut is too short, but since each of the tracks explores a different avenue, it plays like a complete showcase – enough to win the affections of potential fans without trying too hard.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #8
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. There’s another great selection this time around, ranging from rock and metal, to folk punk, to dreampop. With a variety of big guitar sounds, echoing voices, retro riffs and and even sharing a new tune from a French singer-songwriter, this promises to be one of our biggest and best selections of singles so far. We hope you’ll discover something new within and, as always, consider exploring some of these bands further.
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