First songs of the week for 2014 (although to be honest this was half drafted before Christmas…).  Oh and Happy New Year!!!

Hannah Boleyn – Cemetary

A quirky piece of retro R&B with strong rock ‘n’ roll vibes; its pretty much everything I love.  Add to that the raw shot of power that are Hannah’s vocals and this is great little record which I hope gets a nice bit of airplay.  Hannah is definitely on the ‘Must See Live’ list for 2014, although the biggest challenge will be finding out when she’s playing next!

Phantogram – Fall In Love

More absolute fire from Phantogram.  This pair know how to deliver elecro-pop with aplomb, this one is fierce and every bit as exciting When I’m Small.  I love the way Phantogram weave so many hip-hop esque samples in to their music and Sarah Barthel’s vocals are a fiery dream over the (at times) pounding sounds; a gem of a record.

Mano’s Daughter – Machine

I discovered Mano’s Daughter last year and was drawn in by their mysterious nature.  Machine does not disappoint and is a fusion of sparse mystery from the outset which switches to a driving dance record with big vocals and bigger synths by the end.  Looking forward to hearing a lot more from Mano’s Daughter in 2014 and like Hannah I really do hope I can catch them live at some point (as I kept on missing them at the end of the year).

XX△N△XX- Disappear

Sticking with the dance music, Polish duo XXANAXX deliver another great little track with Disappear.  Captivating vocals alongside a dreamily hypnotic beat makes for a listen.  The similarities to Disclosure will be drawn, but that is in no way a bad thing.