Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, our chosen eight numbers take in some ska, some chunky country rock with the emphasis on the rock, a couple of brilliant synth oriented tracks, a treat from the shoegaze archives, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.
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Ria Aursjoen will be familiar to some people via her work with Octavian Winters, a band whose recordings offer a more accessible take on gothic and symphonic rock sounds. Musically, the band’s love of an 80s sound is offset by a more contemporary darkness, but whatever route their arrangements take, its often Ria’s voice that’s the big musical draw. With that in mind, this solo EP comes as a very welcome addition to her catalogue. The first release under the Aursjoen name retains a haunting and sometimes gothic atmosphere in places, but much of the material conveys a different mood, often leaning further towards influences from folk and alternative pop, allowing Ria more space to share a dark beauty.
Adam Cresswell first came to the attention of alternative music fans as a member of Saloon. Between the late 90s and mid 00’s, the British band carved out a musical niche mixing elements of post punk, hard edged indie and Krautrock. Their use of angular riffs and vintage synths created something abrasive but distinctive, and the best moments on their 2003 release ‘If We Meet In The Future’ made it very easy to understand why Saloon’s blend of Neu!, Stereolab and Cinerama made them a John Peel favourite.
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. This time around, we bring you the return of soul performer Casii Stephan, some vocal jazz-folk from the brilliant Flo Perlin, a slice of punk ‘n’ roll, a synth based treat, some prog-leaning post-rock, and more besides… Enjoy!
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They might not be household names, but Autogramm have been building a following on the alternative music underground since 2018. They’ve released discs on the Nevado and Jarama 45 labels, and their blend of indie rock, power pop and 80s synth pop often sounds as nostalgic as it does contemporary.
Tracks like ‘Born Losers’ and ‘Hey Allie’ (from their 2023 LP ‘Music That Humans Can Play’) are perfect demonstrations of how to construct a chorus that sounds like a fabulous 80s throwback, whilst ‘Love Is For Fools’ absolutely nails an early 80s, skinny tied, power pop homage, and their earlier ‘Small Town’ conveys a post punk energy with almost just as much ease. Autogramm are one of those bands that, wherever you choose to drop into their catalogue, you’ll find a huge, retro sounding hook that feels massively uplifting.