The Hot Five - August #3
- Written by Tom Fake
The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.
Track of the week: Amber Run – ‘Pilot’
Having already revealed a video for latest single 'I Found', Amber Run have now debuted a brand-new video for their upcoming EP's title track, 'Pilot'. The video follows on from the harrowing plot of the ‘I Found’ video, both of which can be viewed below. The track itself is full of character, and the Nottingham five piece have clearly got a knack for arranging their music as huge chorus emerges from a comparatively subdued yet still energetic verse. Having just finished a series of summer festival dates, Amber Run were recently voted as one of the top 10 acts who played the Isle Of Wight Festival by attendees, and they will support Lewis Watson on his UK tour this September.
‘I Found’ :
‘Pilot’ :
The Magic Numbers – ‘Shot In The Dark’
The Magic Numbers are a consistently underrated band. New LP ALIAS was released this week, with singles ‘Shot In The Dark’ and ‘Roy Orbison’ showing the diverse talent within the band. The guitar-driven ‘Shot In The Dark’ produces a sound closer to the band’s live performances, with the song written and arranged by the band in their own recording studio. The song details lead singer Romeo Stodart battling with his “inner demons”; he elaborates on this, saying that “there’s an uncertainty within yourself about how your life’s going to pan out, so I guess we’re all taking a shot in the dark. That’s the outlook. It’s kind of like an internal monologue, sung to me”. ALIAS was released this week, and the band will head out on a headline UK tour in September.
KONGOS – ‘Come With Me Now’
I get the feeling that this track is going to be one of those Marmite moments; you’ll either love it or hate it. ‘Come With Me Now’ is sure to have you stamping your feet to the beat; it benefits from great production, and the character of the vocal melody in the chorus makes this track instantly distinctive. KONGOS have already become the fastest debut artist ever to top the billboard chart (breaking Lorde’s recent record), having already sold over 1 million copies of the single in the US. I get the impression you’ll be hearing more from KONGOS in the not too distant future, the band are currently touring with Kings of Leon and are set to return to the UK in October.
Nathan Fake – ‘Black Drift’
Nathan Fake and fellow Border Community artist Wesley Metsell have recently set up their own label, Cambria Instruments. The label’s first release features a track from both artists, available in all digital formats and on limited edition 12” vinyl. Not only does Nathan Fake have a fantastic name, but ‘Black Drift’ is also the perfect combination of esoteric melodies and slamming percussion, resulting in a definitive piece of atmospheric techno
Hidden track of the week: Editors – ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’
Every now and then a forgotten track from my iTunes library plays on random and I get hooked again. Quite simply, I forgot just how good this track was, with lead vocalist Tom Smith at his magnificent, dark indie best. Editors most recent album, The Weight of Your Love, was released in 2013, and the band will play both Zurich Open Air and Berlin Festivals within the next month.
You can follow Tom on twitter @tom_fake