Alpines – “Chances”

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There’s little argument that Catherine Pockson of Alpines has one of the best vocals out there at the moment, and when it’s combined with the production talents of Bob Matthews there’s going to be fireworks.

“Chances” is perfect evidence of that – a moody and evocative single that just cries out for repeat plays. We’re looking forward to these guys releasing a full blown album in 2013.

 

Kendrick Lamar – “The Art of Peer Pressure”

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Kendrick Lamar is has already taken his place as one of the finest wordsmiths in the game, but on tracks such as “The Art of Peer Pressure” we discovered that he is one of the best storytellers too.

This is one of the finest tracks taken from one of the best albums of the year.

 

Haerts – “Wings”

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Haerts‘s burst onto the scene with their debut single “Wings” earlier in the year, and it has been on heavy rotation ever since. This boy-girl duo enlisted labelmateSt. Lucia to help with production duties on this little number, and the end result is fantastic.

We predict big things from them in 2013, so keep your eyes open!

Kanye West – “White Dress”

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In the year of “Mercy“, “Clique” and “New God Flow” Mr. West’s best work may arguably be a cut off the soundtrack from RZA’s directorial debut The Man with the Iron Fists. RZA produces a tender track which brings out the soulful side of Kanye which has not been seen since his early albums.

The Neighbourhood – “Sweater Weather”

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Despite releasing two massive tracks, not a lot is known about the Californian band, The Neighborhood. We are okay with the mystery as long as they keep giving us impressive tracks like “Sweater Weather” which is a sweet and catchy track that has garnered over a million plays on YouTube and made many best-of-2012 lists, including a spot on ours.