Music / First LookAlbum stream: Cloud Boat – Book of HoursSinger-songwriting craft and the skipping steps of UK bass's year zero unite insideShareLink copied ✔️May 20, 2013MusicFirst LookTextCharlie Robin Jones With simplicity, elegence and gentle warmth, Cloud Boat's Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke have played their way into the hearts and minds of thousands of music fans. Their first-among-equals status of UK bass music's class of 2011 was assured when they signed to the offshoot of James Blake's R&S Records, and in many ways, they conjure up the mood of the generation whose formative years were spent tuning into Boiler Rooms and waiting for "Crooks & Lovers". Working within that so-very-now mix of pinning and swing, they breath fresh, full life into the skipping steps of British underground dance music with the full spectrum of songcraft and folky wanderings, finally uniting the twin figures of the campus bedroom dreamer – the folk singer-songwriter and the pirate radio DJ. As occasional Dazed writer Sam Hockley-Smith wrote in a Fader piece last year, their sound is rooted in the post-rock of Hood and the wandering folktronica of the late 90s and early 00s – a very British sense of music being of sad and nice at once. This is sexy, pure and very, very emosh music, and we are chuffed to offer a stream of their debut album, "Book Of Hours". It's out on R&S offshoot Apollo next week, but you can listen to it exclsuively on Dazed below. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREThe ultimate guide to music festivals in 2026Stop calling Justin Bieber’s Coachella set ‘lazy’ Nike Airmaxxing with New York designer Annie LianXaviersobased’s online obsessions: NBA 2K, skate videos and NickelodeonQueer nightlife is thriving in Bucharest’s abandoned backrooms Nike Airmaxxing with multidisciplinary creative Jake EliasThe rise of Rico Ace in 5 tracksSwedish House Mafia unpack their Miami Ultra festival mega-set2Slimey isn’t here to be a meme artist: ‘I want a fucking Grammy’ Nourished by Time: ‘Music should be fun – but it can’t be fun all the time’K-pop has an AI problemCoals are kickstarting Poland’s dream pop sceneEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy