Another year, another astonishing array of releases to get you through January to December. But where last year had some very clear cut winners across the board (from the likes of Arcade Fire, Kanye West and LCD Soundsystem), this year has not appeared so obvious. But, better late than never, Hotcakes brings you an eclectic list carefully decided by our five writers. Enjoy! 30. Givers - In Light 29. Balam Acab - Wander / Wonder 28. The Black Keys - El Camino 27. Gui Boratti - III [...]
Dry The River are a band that have long convinced me that at some point their gripping vocal harmonies, integrated within well structured, mood-building tracks - not to mention their relentless tour schedule - would pay dividends. With the latest announcements it appears the fruits of labour are finally emerging for this band with a rapidly growing fan base boosted by a series of big show support slots earlier this year. Following the release of the excellent Weights And Measures EP DTR have now announced the release of their next single [...]
While some songs come along and make you flinch, others make you want to cry and some practically force you to jump up and down in excitement. In this case, when a song is this lush and, at the risk of sounding a bit cheesy, so damn sexy, it makes you kick back and click play again and again. 'Okinawa Channels' is more proof that the awkwardly named NZCA/LINES has cracked the art of writing an electro/R'n'B song. Even with a song that includes a string accompanied finish and countless 'Ooos' beforehand, Michael Lovett [...]
Blessing Force is a collaboration of bands, friends, artists and writers responsible for the building excitement surrounding the music scene in Oxford. It is a community of talent made up of a series of groups and individuals including Trophy Wife, Chad Valley, Solid Gold Dragons, Jonquil, Neon Pulse, Pet Moon and more. Grouping themselves under the one title of Blessing Force has allowed many of these artists to work together on projects and help one another freely with a common cause in mind. A project such as this is refreshing to see; promoting a sense of togetherness which is [...]
Shifting time signatures, intricate guitar leads and, of course, dancing that your mother definitely can't do. Yes that's right, it's Dutch Uncles . Formed in 2009 this Manchester outfit are going from strength to strength and 2011 has been a thoroughly productive year. Upon the release of their second album Cadenza it became apparent to me that these guys had contrived something very special indeed - a purely indie pop record which is listenable, understated, while still managing to discretely ooze musical intelligence. The seamless drifting from one time signature to another, coupled with [...]
Jonquil - who need new press pics as they've become a four piece since the above - have released details of their soon to be released new album. Following on from one of my favourite EP releases One Hundred Suns , the new album Point Of Go will be released through Blessing Force (UK) and Dovecote (USA) on 5th March 2012. Having already provided us with the samba infused, infectious 'Mexico' to prepare us for things to come, Jonquil have now made their latest track 'It's My Part' available for examination. It does [...]
Brooklyn band Caged Animals released their debut LP Eat Their Own on Lucky Number Music a month or so ago and now they're back with a new video. And what a video it is. Slight spoiler alert: the scene with the match towards the end is probably my favourite moment in a music video this year. Piles of $$$ by Caged Animals
Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet and Mike Skinner's new project The D.O.T. have collaborated on a new track 'Trouble' for Rizlab's latest project. The video is something of a first and will be recorded live on 30 November with the audience deciding what happens on the fly. You can send in suggestions of what you'd like to see happen in the video before the event and then viewers of the live stream on the 30th will be able to vote during the performance on what they'd like to see in the next scene. [...]
It's that time of the year again where we can begin to speculate about the bands we will all be talking about throughout 2012. You have to speculate to accumulate, and I enjoy accumulating, so outlined in this post are my tips for grandeur as we cross into the year to come. Clock Opera First up, Clock Opera [pictured] hailing from London. This four-piece act fronted by Guy Connelly, who it must be noted showcases a powerful beard, produce uplifting, free flowing and beautifully constructed pop songs. The use of fractured samples provides [...]
After two weeks... Still cannot stop watching this hilarious video. I think it helps that the song is really catchy too, but this guy's dancing is a breath of fresh air. All people should dance like this from now on, always. 'Lonely Boy' is the first track from The Black Keys seventh studio album El Camino , which is due out in just 15 days. December 6th cannot come fast enough, with a space reserved perhaps for a late entrant into an end of the year list.
I've been using Last.fm for longer than I can remember and you might have read about a couple of their past live events ( Ghostpoet / DELS ) on these pages. Well, I'm pleased to say that Hotcakes have got two pairs of VIP tickets to give away to the latest live event featuring The Boxettes. Alongside will be a selection of up-and-coming British urban pop acts including Clement Marfo & The Frontline, Daley and Stooshe. The tickets can be yours simply by commenting on this post or by clicking here to [...]
One of Hotflush's hottest prospects George FitzGerald is back with a new three track EP and after releases on Aus and his own Man Make Music imprint, the Shackled EP represents a welcome return to the label that originally brought him into public view. Title track 'Shackled' has already found fame after featuring on Hotflush boss Scuba's recent DJ-Kicks compilation and is unsurprisingly the highlight of the release: a relentless bleepy techno onslaught complete with a killer clap and the sort of chopped vocal sample you'd [...]
If you saw our last Baker's Dozen feature you'll know we're big fans of Dauwd and, given that his new track 'What's There' has just been featured on The xx's new blog , I'm sure there will be legions more soon enough. There seems to be a new young UK producer springing up in the bass music scene on a weekly basis but Dauwd really does stand out from his peers. His is the sort of electronic music - exemplified in the rolling bassline and chopped, effected vocals of 'What's There' - that [...]
Back in August, we covered Ghostpoet doing a pop-up session for Last.fm and HP . We did this because we love Ghostpoet and now another artist we love, namely DELS , has done one too. Above is the video from the session which includes a fairly insightful interview with the man himself where he discusses performing in front of his family for the first time and the pride he felt at seeing his first 123 in Rough Trade.
To celebrate the launch of CALMZone London & the new London helpline CALM are taking over Topman Oxford Circus on 25th November. This exclusive free event, features sets from Zane Lowe, Rob da Bank, Eddy Temple-Morris plus a few of our past interviewees The Maccabees , Huw Stephens and Kissy Sell Out . From 12pm – 8pm, Topman Oxford Circus will be transformed into into a club with sets from all of the artist listed below. Follow #TopmanCALM & check out www.topmanctrl.com for more details, interviews & exclusive announcements. [...]
The producer of one of my most treasured albums of the year has return with a new track 'Atlantis' from his forthcoming EP of the same name. Upon playing this for the first time a colleague immediately shouted "ENJOY THE SILENCE!". No, they weren't telling me to turn off the racket and get back to work, but pointing the similarities to the Depeche Mode classic . And it's true, the bass line is essentially a slowed down version, and the relentlessly addictive percussion reminds me in places of Aphex Twin's 'Xtal' but these are good [...]
Normally, our Baker's Dozen feature is a supposedly monthly collection of tracks that we've had on repeat through the preceding four weeks. This month however, I've decided to do things slightly different and therefore this feature is my exclusively electronic list of thirteen tracks I couldn't live without right now but have yet to grace these pages. One I first heard today while others are a couple months old. Enjoy. Cooly G - Landscapes (ft. Simbad) Hyperdub's bright young thing Cooly G is back. Nods to Abeano for this one. [...]
Taken from the Floating Points' forthcoming Shadows EP . The visuals were created live in realtime by Will Hurt as part of their ongoing live A/V collaboration. Shadows by floatingpoints
Spotify is quite easily the most rapidly growing company in music, given that they've finally offered people what they've been after for years - a way to listen to music, via the internet, for free, while keeping the company in the green without even breaking a sweat. They do this through premium subscriptions (no advertising), and through placing an advert every three songs for those who were lucky enough to get alpha or beta accounts before the company began placing daily limits on new members unless they upgraded. It sounds great, and knowing that your band [...]
They've been making noise around the internet for a while now but it wasn't until I heard this new track from Stay+ in the form of 'Fever' earlier this month that I sat up and taken note. Formally known to the world as Christian Aids (before being forced to change their name by a certain charity) they've been described as 'ghost-rave' by some who seem desperate to ruin life with an ever-increasingly list of fantastical genres. I suppose the echoing vocals in their 'Stay Positive' track are slightly 'spooky' and given Halloween is around the corner [...]
Hotcakes
Avicii – Two Million
Scissor Sisters’ “Baby Come Home” Video: Watch The Band Get Animated
Yellow Magic Orchestra edit from Chrome Canyon
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
