Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we’ve got a couple of fine indie oriented tracks, some well crafted country rock, a genre bending number with a Spanish vocal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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By its very nature, prog rock is complex, and the fans love that level of indulgence. ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ by multi-instrumentalist/songwriter John DeMena takes that to extremes, but manages to convey a feeling of an artist actually using his musical talents to progress, rather than just wheeling out some obvious Yes-isms or some outdated and misguided tribute to Gentle Giant.
By using mechanised beats and reverbed sounds to open this EP, KiKi Holli + The Remedy immediately advertise an interest in taking their audience somewhere that feels a little detached. There’s very little that’s organic about the sound, but in this case “detached” doesn’t mean “cold”. As the first couple of verses of ‘Something About You’ play out, it becomes clear that this number’s music draws from different sources, but pretty much exists in its own world. The rhythms of this track call back to the trip hop movement of the 90s; the sparsely applied electric guitar chords – chopping with a sharp edge, but never feeling intrusive – lend more of a film score quality, leaning towards a couple of 90s Bond themes, but in contrast, Holli’s lead vocal takes on a smooth presence, crying each line as if drowning in a soul/R&B arrangement. …And it’s that voice that helps this to really shine, and also to invite the audience deeper into the band’s world, even at times when the music might seem a little more aloof. This takes several plays before it’s true magic shines through, but at the point where things start to click, chances are, the listener will consider Holli’s vocal style incredibly alluring, and want to hear more. Potentially much more.
Back in 2022, singer songwriter Ken Newman released ‘What Am I Afraid Of?’, an album loaded with thoughtful, narrative pieces that chimed with an increasingly uneasy world. Between the roots rock sounds of ‘Nothing To See Here’, the politically charged ‘I Can’t Breathe’ and ‘I Dream of Guns’, and the retro power pop meets Americana sounds of ‘Away From You’, the album showcased a thoughtful wordsmith, adrift in an ever failing US. For those not into lyrical concerns, Ken ensured the music was always of a standard that allowed the songs to flow on their own terms, presenting a great arranger at work.
By the beginning of 1974, Bryan Ferry had achieved star status in the UK. In two short years, he’d recorded two big selling albums with Roxy Music, appeared on both Top of The Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test and even found time to record his own album of cover versions, the brilliantly inventive ‘These Foolish Things’. That solo debut reached a slightly broader audience than the artier Roxy Music and scored a top five place on the UK album chart.