Listen: SoftSun share new track ‘Daylight In The Dark’

Here’s a real treat from the Ripple Music label. SoftSun are a doom-laden shoegaze/desert rock trio featuring a few familiar faces. Guitarist Gary Arce will be familiar to some as a member of both Yawning Man and Yawning Balch; vocalist Pia Isaksen is a member of Superlynx, and drummer Dan Joeright is a member of Earth Moon Earth. Between them, they’ve created something that sounds almost nothing like their parent acts, immediately making SoftSun an effective side hustle.

Continue reading

The Real Gone End of Year Round-Up 2023

We seem to say it every December, but this year has gone so quickly. We’ve fit a lot into twelve months, of course. Over the last twelve months, Real Gone has picked up a truckload of new followers and regular visitors; we’ve discovered new bands, reconnected with a couple of familiar faces, and given more column inches to old favourites.

*

Continue reading

YAWNING BALCH – Volume Two

Yawning Balch – the collaborative project shared between the members of desert rock band Yawning Man and Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch – unleashed a sprawling giant with their debut release. ‘Volume One’ shared three lengthy instrumentals where the musicians absorbed themselves in a stoner friendly, wavering landscape; it’s improvised riffs going deeper into the desert rock world than many had gone in a long time. It was the perfect record for late night listening, and suggested that, if and when a second volume should arrive, Yawning Balch had the potential to be one of the greatest deep psych/stoner bands ever.

Continue reading

YAWNING BALCH – Volume One

As their name more than implies, Yawning Balch is a musical project that combines the talents of the entire Yawning Man band and Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch. Stoner fans have come to expect great music from both parties, but in their respective acts, neither have managed anything quite as drawn out as the sounds that fill half of this debut from the desert/stoner rock supergroup. Fu Manchu, especially, have often represented the accessible end of the stoner spectrum, so this really gives Balch an ideal landscape on which to stretch out.

Continue reading

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #2

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the single MP3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. As always, there has been absolutely no shortage of digital tracks coming our way, and this time, our assortment brings you some great shoegaze, massive stoner metal riffs, a singer songwriter or two, some big rock sounds, and even something from the rootsy end of the musical spectrum. We hope you find something to enjoy, and our digging to find the best of a current crop inspires you to explore these bands and artists a little further.

*

Continue reading