Weekly Column: The Hot Five
- Written by Tom Fake
The Hot Five – My views on five tracks that have attracted my interest in any given week, usually with an older track thrown in the mix for something a bit different. Tracks usually concentrate on pop/rock releases, but really focusing on anything and everything that comes my way.
Track of the week: Passenger – ‘Let Her Go’
Sometimes I find songs that I really should have discovered months before, and this is a great example of that unfortunate habit. Brighton folk rock artist Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, seems to have really hit the mark with this 2012 single, from his fourth album All The Little Lights. Having topped the charts in 16 countries and got to number 2 in the UK, it’s still top of the official Alternative Charts. It’s not exactly current, but it’s a great summer song, and the weather seems to be kind to at least my part of the country (as in, I’m shocked it’s not raining or snowing) this weekend, so it is rather fitting for this week.
Hanni El Khatib – ‘You Rascal You’
I’m pretty sure that if Jack White were aware of this track he would have sued. It is so reminiscent of White’s style from later White Stripes albums and contains a Raconteurs-esque solo and far from happy lyrics. Despite this, or maybe because of this, it’s still a great track that catches you from the first sound of distorted guitar. Apparently Hanni El Khatib says that his music is ‘for anyone who has ever been shot or hit by a train’, and although I can safely say I haven’t experienced either of those particular occurrences, I like it anyway…
Matt Corby – ‘Resolution’
This is the new single from Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby, who came to prominence through Australian Idol in 2007. So no, not exactly the type of artist that comes to mind when you think of those sorts of television programmes. Sure, he shows off his voice on this track, but he does so relatively subtly, and the track itself is fantastically created, building throughout with an intricate guitar part, and layered harmonies and backing vocals. Corby relocated to London in 2009 where he was snapped up by Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett at indie label Communion, and has supported artists such as Elbow and Feist on their respective tours down under; a one to watch perhaps.
The Family Rain – ‘Friction’
Here’s a track of what The Family Rain describe as ‘high-octane, hip-hop inspired, dirty blues-infused rock’n’roll’. To be honest, I can’t really disagree with that too much. It’s catchy, as music of this genre needs to be to stand out from the crowd, and its definitely a danceable song; although suggesting hip-hop, rock’n’roll, and blues in one brief statement is a lot to live up to – in truth it’s indie rock that takes in all of these influences. Having said this, there is nothing wrong with this track at all! Made up of brothers Ollie, William and Timothy Walter who hail from Bath, there’s no doubt that this band is aiming high, and hopefully this track will be the start of good things for The Family Rain.
Hidden track of the week: Dan Black – ‘Wonder’
Any gamers here will recognise this track from a past FIFA game, though I forget which. Although, ironically I suppose, I wonder why anyone would why listen to MTV at all, let alone with the sound off, Black’s reference to The Smiths makes up for it; this electro-indie is infectious, and intelligently created using a mixture of samples and a more traditional instrumental set up. There has been hushed talk of a new album from Dan Black, although nothing concrete has been confirmed as of yet.
Follow Tom on twitter @tomfake