Aug 14, 2011

Five great tracks: Edition #1 (Escapists, Yukon Blonde, Kyla La Grange, Various Cruelties, Hot Spoke)

August 14th, 2011 • Comment, Introducing

Here’s an attempt to bring to your attention more stuff than we normally do, with a simple, easily-digestible roundup of some great tracks (and bands) we’ve come across of late. Whether it’s signed, unsigned, electronic, organic or recorded in a toilet is not our concern – it just needs to be good. Laissez-Faire, aren’t we? Here goes:

Escapists – “Church Bells” (Unsigned)

Regular readers of this blog should already be familiar with this South London quartet, a band who have played our live nights on a number of occasions. They’re just about to release their debut single, ‘Post Gospel Blues’ in October, but here’s another track from their debut full-length that they’ve posted online. Front man Simon Glancy sings over some aurally pleasing piano chords to create a beautiful and emotive two-and-a-half minutes. If it’s not set to be the LP closer, it should be.

Yukon Blonde – “Fire” (Nevado)

Not a Kasabian cover but a brand new song from Yukon Blonde, Vancouver’s answer to the likes of Local Natives and Fleet Foxes. Off their new EP, ‘Fire/Water’, it’s a retro styled, breezy rocker that evokes images of dog eared 12″ copies of “Harvest”, the sun, and wide open spaces – which they’ll no doubt see a lot of during their forthcoming mammoth 60-date (yes, 60) tour of North America.

MP3: Yukon Blonde – Fire

Kyla La Grange – “I Could Be” (Chess Club)

‘I Could Be’ is the B-side to Kyla La Grange’s latest single on Chess Club Records, ‘Been Better’. Dark, moody and sung in hushed tones, it sits somewhere in between Cat Power and Anna Calvi and displays why KLG is amongst the hottest property on the London music scene right now. The chorus packs a hefty punch, too, with La Grange displaying her remarkable singing talent to its fullest extent. We’re eagerly waiting more where this came from.

MP3: Kyla La Grange – I Could Be

Various Cruelties – “Chemicals” (Hideout)

Since we last wrote about London’s soul-pop outfit Various Cruelties in March, they’ve gone on to sign a major record deal with Hideout – a subsidiary of Mercury. Their highly promising early demo ‘Chemicals’ has been re-recorded and now sounds even bigger and more anthemic than before – presumably the intention of their AR team. Not that it always works that way – sometimes energy and character can be sapped out by expensive production – so kudos to those involved. We expect this to soundtrack a goals round-up near you very soon.

Hot Spoke – “Grimwood” (Unsigned)

Hot Spoke are a new indie/folk band from Down Under, from the same Sydney scene as the much vaunted Cloud Control, Boy And Bear and The Jezabels. They cite Wilco, Jeff Buckley, Nancy Sinatra and Kate Bush amongst their influences, and we’d suggest they’ve probably listened to a PJ Harvey record or two in the past. Singer Vanessa Jade is sure to turn heads and generate plaudits with her very impressive set of pipes – which take centre-stage on ‘Grimwood’, a brooding and very accomplished three-or-so minutes. Be sure to download the similarly veined ‘Chromatic’ below.

MP3: Hot Spoke – Chromatic

Tags: Chemicals, Chess Club, Church Bells, Escapists, Fire, Grimwood, Hideout, Hot Spoke, I Could Be, Kyla La Grange, Nevado, Various Cruelties, Yukon Blonde