Tag Archives: wales

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #94

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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 past few weeks. This time around, we’ve got some enormous sounding post rock/metal from a still new act, an interesting excursion into the alternative end of the new age spectrum, a couple of superb singer songwriters…and more. The weight of submissions to the SB since January has been vast, so it’s been an even harder job picking tracks than ever before, but we hope you love what you hear…

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Listen: Rabbit Revolution Deluxe share angry new single ‘Tim Gurner Says’

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Rabbit Revolution Deluxe’s 2023 album ‘Control Freaks’ mixed rock, pop and politics in such a way it was impossible to ignore the influence of the younger Nicky Wire and Richey James Edwards. With sloganeering messages and a very 90s sound, tracks like ‘G7 Countdown’ blended the vitriol of the early Manics with the busy rhythms of the baggy movement; ‘Head In The Sand’ celebrated self-ignorance against a hefty indie rock groove, and – best of all – ‘Stuck On Stupid’ attacked the world with a Miles Hunt-ish sneer and a post-punk sound, pumping the heart of one of the band’s most pointed tracks to date.

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BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD – Skinwalker

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On their Mercury Prize winning debut album ‘Backhand Deals’, Welsh band Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard were unafraid to wear a very retro heart on their sleeve. The bulk of its tunes took a very melodic approach and fused a great set of pop and rock influences on a record that occasionally sounded like a 90s band who’d discovered a bunch of old vinyl LPs from the 70s in their parents’ loft. Instantly familiar but always entertaining, it was the kind of guitar driven, melodic pop/rock collection that seemed destined to rival The Feeling’s brilliant ‘Twelve Stops Then Home’.

Then, somewhere between the promotion for that record and the recording of their follow up ‘Skinwalker’, they had a drastic rethink.

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GODSTICKS – Emergence

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godsticksMixing rock and progressive edges on their first two records, Welsh trio Godsticks carved out a sound that they could easily build upon.  Given the soaring melodies and atmospheres they’ve proved more than capable – particularly on songs like the lovely ‘Withdrawn Was Giveaway’ –  it’s hard to work out why they felt they needed a change of direction. Their third release ‘Emergence’ severely cranks up the heavier edges…and the over-riding sound is that of a grungy hard rock with occasional prog-metal quirks.  If you like that, that’s fine, but if you actually liked what Godsticks did before, it’s a crushing disappointment.  Gone are the clean lead guitars and any neo-prog string bending; gone are the crisp and tinkly melodies and basically anything that made Godsticks worth listening to…and in their place, a bunch of riff heavy, needlessly repetitive dirges.

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