Previously the bassist with Irish indie rock million sellers JJ72, Hilary Woods embarked upon a solo career following the band’s demise. Her debut EP ‘Night’ – released in 2014 – took a step away from the jangling sounds of her former band and instead took a fascination with dream pop drones and acoustic guitar, creating a kind of dark folk vibe. Two years on, ‘Heartbox’ continues her musical journey, but takes it down a deeper and more foreboding route, often dispensing with the folkier elements, leaving just moody dream pop and electronica for the basis of three surprisingly minimalist soundscapes.
Tag Archives: singer songwriter
HECTOR AND THE LEAVES – Little Bee EP
London based singer-songwriter Tom Hector has an old spirit. On this, his third EP, his music has a dreamy quality, resurrecting sixties pop and sunny attitudes, replayed through a sort of nineties filter. It results in four tunes that might appeal to fans of the Beach Boys or The Feeling, yet at the same time he presents material that holds on to a slightly woozy attitude that might just catch the ear of those who’ve followed the solo career of The Bluetones’ Mark Morriss.
SUGARUSH – Sugarush EP
As the summer of 2014 faded, Israeli avant-garde rock band Memory In Plant released their ‘Epic Triumph’ EP, an angular collection of arty noises that wasn’t always the easiest to digest. Despite their deliberately obtuse stance, the EP somehow managed to bring entertainment value as bits of tunes fought their way through the cracks of the many spliced together ideas. Unsurprisingly, though, they weren’t so quick to follow up that release…
NICK CAPALDI – Lovers Leap EP
In 2013 UK singer-songwriter Nick Capaldi released his ‘Golden Summer‘ EP, a frighteningly mature work, worthy of a songwriter twice his age and experience. Not long after release, Nick started to talk of follow up plans involving a trip to Nashville. Those plans became a reality and in Nashville, he hooked up with legendary musician and producer Brendan Benson. The resultant four recordings, collected on 2015’s ‘Lovers Leap’ EP, felt like a long time coming, but were certainly worth the wait.
Real Gone’s End of Year Round Up 2015
We’ve reached the end of 2015. It hasn’t been as thrilling a year for new music as 2014 had been, but there has been plenty to entertain. We’re still waiting on the proposed deluxe edition of Prince & The Revolution’s classic ‘Purple Rain’ (we could be waiting a long time) and those promised UB40 deluxe editions. Another year has passed without the arrival of Real Gone favourite Mick Terry’s second album. Lots of people in the UK have been (over)-excited by Steven Wilson’s ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase.’, but most of what’s impressed us the most at Real Gone – as is so often the case – is often just a little more underground.
Here are our year’s top picks…