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. The submissions keep coming, allowing us a broad selection of styles. This week, we bring you some great adult pop-rock from Norway, a singer songwriter with a superbly retro sound, a little bit of country, the return of some legends of German metal, and more besides…
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If you believe a lot of the press Marc Valentine has gained over the couple of years prior to this album’s release, he’s been labelled as the great saviour for British power pop. It’s sort of understandable, considering that he’s not only dabbling in what’s essentially a very American sound, but also, he doesn’t really have too many UK based peers. There’s Portable Radio, of course, and a few others lurking within the true underground, but most British power poppers seem to be relics of a post punk boom; skinny tie wearing combos associated with 1979 episodes of Top of The Pops, and celebrated on Gary Crowley’s excellent Punk and New Wave box set of 2017.
Marc Valentine’s ‘Futura Obscura’ album, released during the death throes of 2022, tapped into a whole world of old fashioned power pop sounds. Its wall of guitars drew heavily from a world of early 80s heroes, but also from early Weezer, and Valentine’s hooky approach to songwriting ensured that a selection of huge choruses sounded great, whatever the era and however much his core sound relied on a throwback quality. His 2023 single ‘Jinx of Finchley Road’ went a step further in the infectious stakes by adding a world of tinkly keys to a marching beat, instantly shifting his retro pop from Weezer-world into a place where the ghosts of Jellyfish loomed with a largeness that was impossible to ignore. If Valentine hadn’t previously been on the list of power pop performers to look out for, this was a single that would certainly get him more of the attention he deserved.
For a lot of garage rock fans, The Len Price 3 will need very little of an introduction. The trio have been cranking out guitar based sounds since the mid noughties, and are arguably Medway’s best known musical export after Wild Billy Childish. For the uninitiated, their 2007 debut ‘Chinese Burn’ provides the perfect place to jump into their catalogue. Its fifteen tracks show how the band – none of whom are actually called Len Price – are able to strike a perfect blend between high octane 60s inspired sounds and a sweaty musical fury. All the way from opener ‘Christian In The Desert’ – sounding like a wobbly but furious mix of The Kinks and The Hives – through the surf tinged ‘Viva Viva’, to the choppy ‘Chatham Town Spawns Devils’ where the band evoke the same kind of energy as The Jam tearing through the Larry Williams number ‘Slow Down’, the album rarely lets up. Since then, the band have continued to deliver retro tunes with a very high quality threshold.
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 has become a popular feature for the site, and its disregard for genre restraints has ensured that a variety has kept it interesting. This week, we bring you a new track that unites a cult rock hero with a busy power pop figure; some great pop from a Scottish singer songwriter, and some massive metal sounds from Greece. As always, if you discover anything new you’ve enjoyed, come and tell us – we always value your feedback. Submissions for the Singles Bar are coming in by the dozen, but if you have something you think might work for us, don’t be afraid to get in touch.
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