Hitsville

Welcome to Hitsville. Established in late 2008 as a humble music-focused Blogspot, Hitsville has now evolved into an all-round pop culture site; film, TV, video games, the internet and, yes, more music. Basically all the best things in life.

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RIP Prince

Here’s 67 minutes of his 57 years of brilliance

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WE MADE ANOTHER HITLIST!

50 tracks

Chapter One

This is just the beginning

http://po.st/hitlist

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The 1975 - The Sound

Their album has been out for1 hour, so not even long enough to listen to all the way through, and fully aware of their ability to be divisive, especially with regards to musicality, originality and people’s desire for honesty and supposed genuine music, The 1975 have released the video for their catchy single, The Sound; released a few weeks ago to a pretty solid worldwide charting.

We here at Hitsville have followed the 1975 for some time and yet are equally divided by this record. Then again, some of us have grown up unashamed of pop music so we have the advantage...

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Do we have a Klaxon to sound when new Gold Panda is released? Because we should. The most chilled out, ambient, enjoyable klaxon on the market, but a klaxon nonetheless.

This is Time Eater.

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It may be 1* out in England right now, but this new 1975 track makes it feel like we’re at Hyde Park already... **spoiler**

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Explosions in the Sky return with this new track taken from their forthcoming album The Wilderness, out April 1st 2016. Welcome back EitS

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Hitsville’s The Year In Film 2015

The top twenty movies from the past twelve months, as chosen by the Hitsville team

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Hitsville’s The Year In Television 2015

The top ten TV shows of the past twelve months, as chosen by the Hitsville team

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Hitsville’s The Year In Gaming 2015

Rolling out the results of our ‪Year In Everything‬, here are our picks for the top five games of 2015

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Listen: Kanye West - Facts

New year, new ‘Ye. “Facts” is Kanye’s first new track since “All Day” and his second New Year’s Eve drop in a row (the final hours of 2014 brought us McCartney collab “Only One”). Now we’ll just hold our breath that the elusive Swish appears sometime before 2017.

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Grime first blew up at a time when Britain's youth were left disenfranchised and alienated by New Labour. The mood of the time was captured perfectly by with Dizzee Rascal declaring himself "a problem for Anthony Blair" on “Hold Ya Mouf”. The genre was an outlet and medium of expression for underprivileged black youths from working class backgrounds, so it's no surprise that grime has experienced a new surge of popularity over the past couple of years in a Tory-led Britain, rife with youth unemployment, student debt and benefit cuts. Last year saw the first waves of a resurgence which went on to become a fully-fledged tsunami in 2015. With the scene thriving, grime has gone from strength to strength, and now seems as good a time as any for us to look back at some of the unforgettable, iconic moments from the last twelve months in grime...

Footsie released “Scars”

After keeping fans waiting for almost a decade, MC and producer Footsie of Newham Generals kicked off the year by releasing cult classic “Scars” on vinyl in January. The track featured vocals from D Double E, Monkstar and Wiley, and was accompanied by a brilliant lyric video later in the year. “Scars” was released with independent label Butterz who have also had an amazing year having cut themselves out as one of the most exciting imprints around.

Novelist’s 18th Birthday

This February, prince of grime Novelist turned 18, and to celebrate the milestone the Lewisham youngster teamed up with Red Bull to throw the mother of all birthday parties in the form of a secret warehouse rave, featuring a line-up including Stormzy, Sir Spyro, The Square and of course London’s Rudeboy himself. Novelist worked with Red Bull once again this summer to put on his first headline show, entitled The Sound, consisting of a series of exclusive parties spanning across three dates.

Kanye West at the Brits

For his performance of the recently-released “All Day” at this year’s Brit Awards, Kanye West drafted in some of the UK's biggest grime names to join him onstage, resulting in something which could have easily made up an all star Eskimo Dance line up. The spectacle featured the likes of Fekky, Stormzy, Jammer, Krept & Konan, Frisco, Novelist, Shorty and Skepta all donning black tracksuits, accessorised with flamethrowers on prime time television. The performance sparked a dialogue about the genre with many taking to social media to voice their opinions (one complaint of OFCOM was even sampled on Skepta’s “Shutdown"). Hate it or love it, the performance was unforgettable and with Yeezy being considered one of the greatest taste makers of our generation, the feat meant that grime had been received the hypebeast seal of approval.

#UKGRIMECYPHER on Twitter

Twitter account @UKGrime was responsible for one of this year’s most entertaining trends when they started the #UKGrimeCypher hashtag, leading to people sharing clips of themselves spitting bars over old school classic grime instrumentals. Many of the clips went viral, from the hilarious have-a-go MCs to the talented up-and-comers, with even seasoned stars like Shystie joining in.

Skepta’s “Shutdown”party

To celebrate the release of the now-omnipresent banger "Shutdown", Skepta threw a party in an East London car park after a announcement on social media which came only four hours before the party itself. Despite the last minute nature of the event, the turnout was overwhelming with hundreds of fans showing up and the carpark was soon transformed into a mosh pit as revellers spilled onto the surrounding streets and stopped traffic. The irony certainly wasn't lost on anyone when the party was quite literally shut down by police.

Idris Elba remixes “Shutdown”

As “Shutdown” went on to become one of the hottest tracks of the summer, star of Luther and The Wire Idris Elba posted his remix of Skepta’s hit on Soundcloud. The actor’s move into the music world may have come as a surprise to some, however Elba started out as a UK Hip Hop and Garage DJ at the young age of 14. He showed off his musical talent again later in the year featuring as “Driis" on Nigerian Afrobeat artist D’Banj’s single “Confidential” alongside Shadow Boxxer.

D Double E’s wedding set

Grime heavyweight D Double E turned one couple’s nuptial ceremony into a rave when he performed a set at a London wedding this summer. Clips of Double spitting over the classic Rebound X instrumental “Rhythm and Gash” and Wiley’s “Eskimo” at the celebration swiftly went viral on Twitter, gaining thousands of retweets and likes.

Stormzy storms the charts

In May, Stormzy first took the charts by storm with “WickedSkengman4” which made chart history as the first ever freestyle to hit the UK Top 20, peaking at number 18 and beating previous record holder JME’s “96 Fuckries” (which was just ten copies short of number 40). To celebrate the success of “WSM4″, Stormzy threw a party in a Nando's and drove around London handing out free pairs of Adidas trainers to fans who bought the single. But that wasn’t the only chart success of the year for the Skengman, whose Twitter-led campaign to get his single “Shut Up” to Christmas Number 1 recently came to an end. The top spot went to the NHS Choir’s charity single “A Bridge Over You” (possibly thanks to an assist from Justin Bieber), however “Shut Up” sat in the Top Ten for two weeks and outsold recent X Factor winner Louisa Young’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”.

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We miss things though. It’s inevitable. We have a small team of people who have lives to lead up and down the country and across the globe, and whilst we’d love to force them to work for free for ages, the government are already doing that to plenty nationally, so we don’t.

By way of apology for the things we’ve missed, it’s only right that you’re as best informed as possible before the year ends.

Without further ado, we’ll be posting about a load of great records that we think deserve a place in your Top 10, or that we haven’t already reviewed this year.

The New Indie Champions

Tellison – Hope Fading Nightly It’s somewhat unorthodox to start a record with a letter of resignation from your lead singer, but to Tellison, it simply weaves an important part of their narrative. It’s not been easy for them as a band and singer Stephen isn’t afraid to tell people that. Recurring themes of Tellison include love lost and a fear of both the world around and the first person you’re becoming. On Hope Fading Nightly, by then name alone, you know that that’s still the case. What is surprising however is the style in which they do it. An album that’s taken a long time to make, Tellison power through with careful attention to detail paid to every song, regardless of whether it’s intended as a single (”Tact Is Dead”, “Boy” and “Wrecker” so far). Helix & Ferman has the stylings behind it of a festival main stage at sundown whilst any band would love to be able to write Orion. It’s in Tellison’s frank honesty and no nonsense approach to writing songs that has made them Hitlist favourites and in turn, made one of the most solid records of the year. Listen to: “Tact Is Dead”, “Orion”, “Boy”.

CHVRCHES – Every Open Eye Only at album number two, there’s little to be said about CHVRCHES that hasn’t already been said. Lauren Mayberry and co’s rise has not been without note or rightfully outspoken moments. Furthermore the resilience and sense of purpose in their attitudes towards sometimes difficult issues has paid off in terms of how powerful their music has become. Just listen to tracks like “Empty Threat!”, you’d be hard pressed to find a band with such an enthused and synthesized band also sound like they’re ready for anything thrown at them. Mix this defiance with the pulsing build to “Clearest Blue” or the delicacy of record closer Afterglow, and you’ve got a band of not only great tracks, but substance.

Lucy Rose – Work It Out Thought Lucy Rose was just Laura Marling for the kids who grew up on Bombay Bicycle Club on BBC Radio 2? Think again. On Rose’s debut record Like I Used To, you had the story of a young lady stepping out of the background and falling in love with her own sound. In Work It Out, we have the result of that. It has moments of full band brilliance that glisten (”Koln”, “Our Eyes”) blended subtly in with some of the most intimate moments of her short career to date (”Into The Wild”). For a second album, there’s so much choice of what kind of artist Lucy could become, whilst hinting at the moments of brilliance she’s very much capable of producing alongside her band. Listen to: “Like An Arrow”, “Koln”, “Into the Wild”.

The Spook School – Try To Be Hopeful “I’ve got to accept that I’ve inherited a history of persecution and abuse” sing The Spook School within the first minute of one of 2015’s most important DIY records of the year. Now signed to Bella Union, label life has given The Spook School the extra touch of sheen that takes them from being an essential underground act to a band right on the cusp of something brilliant. That something is quite simply how enjoyable and diverse this record is. Try To Be Hopeful is one of the most frank albums of the year that refuses to talk down to the listener or give up on everything that makes the twee side of indie rock enjoyable. Listen to: “Speak When You're Spoken To”, “Burn Masculinity”, “Friday Night”.

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This year, there appears to have been more music than ever and with the introduction of the likes of Apple Music and, to a lesser extent, Tidal, there’s been more ways than ever to hear it. We’ve tried to bring it to you in as many ways as possible but the best way is usually just to write about it or playlist it.

We miss things though. It’s inevitable. We have a small team of people who have lives to lead up and down the country and across the globe, and whilst we’d love to force them to work for free for ages, the government are already doing that to plenty nationally, so we don’t.

By way of apology for the things we’ve missed, it’s only right that you’re as best informed as possible before the year ends.

Without further ado, we’ll be posting about a load of great records that we think deserve a place in your Top 10, or that we haven’t already reviewed this year.

The Rockers

Dinosaur Pile Up – 11:11 As far as I’m concerned, DPU are one of the most underrated rock bands in the country. Now with three records under their belt, they stand up alongside northern bretherin Pulled Apart By Horses and Drenge as one of the last remaining bands in Britain with nothing but unadulterated rock and roll coursing through their veins. 11:11 is the rightful and darker continuation of Matthew Bigland’s solid output of utter belters. Whilst Nature/Nurture dabbled in the poppier sides of rock, from the homonymous lead single it was clear that the other side of this coin was being explored. It’s riffs for days to the point that I can barely tell you the favourite tracks from it simply because it plays through like a train chugging through the pennines at night, and I mean that in a good way! Listen to: “11:11″, “Anxiety Trip”, “Grim Valentine”

Drenge – Undertow It’s unlike albums as dark as Drenge’s second to feature so heavily on our minds at the end of the year. The simple truth however is that if you put Drenge in any room, turn down the lights and plug in their newly three piece instruments, they won’t disappoint. If you thought their debut was exciting but a little juvenile, I implore you to wrap your ears around Undertow. Drenge are now a fire breathing band covered in everyone else’s sweat. Of course, when you put on “We Can Do What We Want”, the all-kicking all-punk rock mosh off, it may feel like Drenge haven’t grown up at all, but in the content of their tracks now, is a method to the chaos and in terms of listening to the record from A-Z, it makes for a more enjoyable experience for all.

Fightstar – Behind The Devil’s Back It’s fair to say that this is by far the heaviest record in our contention this year. In the first 20 seconds of “Sharp Tongue”, Fightstar remind us how lucky we are to have them back and they refuse to take their foots off the pedal. Even in slightly cringey, instantly dated moments, you remember that Charlie Simpson’s signature vocals will be back in a few seconds and it hardly distracts from anything happening around it. When you hear their comeback single “Animal”, it takes everything not to shout it out in public. Fightstar are essential and we’re very glad that the reformation of Busted won’t damage that fact. Listen to: “Sink With The Snakes”, “Animal”, “Murder All Over”.

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We miss things though. It’s inevitable. We have a small team of people who have lives to lead up and down the country and across the globe, and whilst we’d love to force them to work for free for ages, the government are already doing that to plenty nationally, so we don’t.

By way of apology for the things we’ve missed, it’s only right that you’re as best informed as possible before the year ends.

Without further ado, we’ll be posting about a load of great records that we think deserve a place in your Top 10, or that we haven’t already reviewed this year.

The Debutants

Bully – Feels Like Every year there’s records that get music journalists saying shit like "punk’s not dead". We know we’re full of shit, but when acts like FIDLAR, Metz and Bully exist, there’s only a certain amount of ways to persuade people to listen to them with fresh ears. A sound-byte tends to do the trick, but whilst the words punk and grunge are highly contestable and overarching, the music of Bully is direct, raw, gritty and more in the spirit of punk than most of the punks you think of from the supposed golden era; whilst still maintaining a slightly glossed fuzz level that shares more of its sound with Sonic Youth than it does Hole. From the off, I Remember is a statement of intent that doesn’t allow for respite even during Bully’s slower tracks. Trying is simply one of the tracks of the year and the whole record proves that whilst genres fade and bend, this Nashville band are very much alive. Listen to: “Trying”, “Milkman”, “I Remember”.

Kagoule – Urth Three piece rock and roll was really in danger of going out of fashion ever since Green Day put out 21st Century Breakdown and Blink 182 did the last four years of their career. Plus, with Royal c***ing Blood and Sl*ves, who needs a third member? Answer, Kagoule. Taking a grungey sound and making it feel infinitely more intelligent yet unpretentious in this day and age is a tough act but these guys nail it perfectly by taking nothing but their songs seriously. Listen to: “Gush”, “Adjust The Way”, “Centralwing”

Will Butler – Policy Whilst the lesser known brother of the Butler family, Will’s antics are a thing of cult legend these days. By far the most animated member of Arcade Fire, Butler’s debut solo album was predictable in its unpredictability. It dabbles in so many areas whilst never ceasing to be distinctly dramatic and enthralling. In many ways, it’s Bowie, but not a specific era. In others it could be Jane’s Addiction, Animal Collective or Of Montreal. Whatever it is, it’s short, sweet and has kept us coming back for more. Listen to: “What I Want”, “Anna, “Son Of God”.

Prides – The Way Back Up I’m gonna say it. I don’t know if the boss will agree, but as far as I’m concerned, Hitsville exists for bands like Prides. [Editor’s note: well that, and to give me a chance to be snarky about how bad The Simpsons has gotten] Their infectious pop music made the organic way, grown in the UK and in the right hands is exactly the kind of music we strive to champion and we’re really glad we get to do so. They’re the perfect heroes for the underground of pop and at the forefront of the modern way of doing the indie-dance crossover. Early comparisons to CHVRCHES, Passion Pit etc were and are still valid but that doesn’t mean that The Way Back Up doesn’t stand of its own accord towards the top of the pile. Listen to: “Out Of The Blue”, “Messiah”, “Higher Love”.