The Hot Five - June #2
- 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. Tracks usually concentrate on guitar-based music, but really focus on anything and everything that I come across.
Track of the week: Dry The River – ‘Gethsemane’
Dry The River are back. With a UK tour booked for this October, and festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and the Camden Crawl, it seems that Stratford boys are in for a big summer. On top of all this, new album Alarms in the Heart will be released on August 25. Comeback track ‘Gethsemane’ is instantly impressive. A minimal arrangement focuses the attention on high, reverberating vocals that is layered with some clever harmonies. I’ve taken to this track straight away, so lets hope Dry The River continue from strength to strength.
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Snap Out Of It’
Arctic Monkeys new single ‘Snap Out Of It’, released last year on AM, is an example of a very well written song. There’s a sophistication about Alex Turner’s songwriting that has developed hugely since the release of Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not in 2006. ‘Snap Out Of It’ typifies Turner’s swaggering style; it oozes confidence and has the quality to be able to justify the conviction. The band have a busy summer of festival appearances, as well as dates across North America in August.
Strange Cages – ‘Desert’
There’s a really strong music scene coming out of Brighton at present. With new artists such as Royal Blood currently getting a lot of exposure, now seems a good time to be uncovering other artists too. This track from Strange Cages is a great example of garage rock, with a raw sound and energetic delivery. The track is available as a free download via SoundCloud, and Strange Cages will be playing shows in both London and Brighton this month.
Lykke Li – ‘Gunshot’
When discussing the writing of this song, Lykee Li said: "I wrote 'Gunshot' straight after a meditation and the lyrics just came out of violent words, 'I'm longing for your poison like a cancer for its prey, I shot an arrow in your heart where you waited in the rain'. This dark element to the song is heard in the reverberating lead vocals, and there is a generally brooding atmosphere on display here.
I’ve decided to share a live version of Lykee Li’s latest single with you. I have to say that I was listening to the track whilst writing this review and the performance was so good that I forgot it was recorded live. ‘Gunshot’ is taken from Li’s recent album I Never Learn, which she will be showcasing at Glastonbury and Latitude this year.
Hidden track of the week: The Stone Roses – ‘Fools Gold’
This is what I’ve spent the last week listening to; it’s arguably the Stone Roses’ best song, with such a strong bass line and drum / percussion section. Released as a double A-side single with ‘What The World Is Waiting For’ in 1989, and is the band’s most commercially successful release. The Stone Roses reformed in 2011, though there are dark rumours of rifts within the band, and as of yet there are no concrete plans for the band to release any new material.
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