So the BBC's
Sound Of 2009 longlist has been announced.
I'm still not on the judging panel - I'm
well disappointed. Maybe next year.
(
Here's how it's done if you care).
Remember that the BBC Sound Of polls always unearth artists who are
definitely going to be big in the year to come - 2008's winner was Adele, whose number-one album 19 sold well over a million copies. Previous winners have been Mika, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Bravery, Keane and 50 Cent. And even the
longlist for last year's poll reads like a list of 15 of 2008's most popular bands.
If you haven't heard of any of the artists below, take note... and remember you heard about them here first! Come back to this blog this time next year, and I can guarantee there'll be loads of familiar names.
For no reason at all, other than it gives me an excuse to listen to lots of music, here's what I think of each of the acts.
This is one of the acts I'd heard of, but not actually
heard.
First listening - to
Too Young To Love - and the first ten seconds are quite good. Then the next four minutes are pretty much the same.
The vocals remind me of epic stadium rock, Glasvegas or Radiohead style, with a mushy bassy accompaniment that I think sounds a bit cluttered, and is relentless to the point of it being annoying. Sounds like the kind of thing that would sound a lot better live.
Not exactly a masterpiece - but then this is the only track I've heard.
Another act I'd heard of but didn't know any music by. First thing I listen to is his single
Yours, which sounds starts strongly with a nice funky riff and driving beats. The song is nice and poppy but - in the same way as The Big Pink's track - doesn't really go anywhere.
It's the kind of track I can imagine liking when it comes on the radio for a bit, but even during the course of the song I'm getting bored and this is just my first listen.
An interesting one this. I'm hearing
Crying Blood and the beat instantly makes me take note. When the vocals and synthy riffs kick in, it takes me to a 50s shiny-chrome jukebox bar - sounds retro and rock'n'roll in a nice modern synthy way.
Although it's not melodically thrilling, the vocals are strong and it's really catchy... definitely my favourite so far.
Finally! A song I've heard before!
I'd already heard
Walking On A Dream on the
Mashup so I knew what to expect.
The song reminds me of
The Rose by The Laughing Light Of Plenty - but this track has the distinct difference of being quite good (I'm surprised they're not in the list, incidentally)...
I'm not convinced by their Eqgyptian pharaoh look, but it sounds good and it's catchy. (It's got the same electro-disco-pop feel as the others have so far, and is similarly not very interesting... noticing a pattern?).
If you were worried that indie is dying, this should cheer you up.
Or maybe it's depressing that Florence about as indie as it gets in this list?
I've liked her quirky melodic pop for a while, having been introduced to her much earlier in the year by Ashley at
likesounds.
I then saw a video of her play at SXSW 2008 in Austin (where she fell off a boat or something).
The first track I heard was
Girl With One Eye and I think it's still my favourite - I'm not really convinced by her new track
Dog Days Are Over.
She also has a Kent connection... she's worked with Kid Harpoon!
I heard
Three Little Words a couple of weeks ago on
Rob da Bank and was reminded about it again by a blog post at
Circle Square Triangle.
I can't decide yet if I like it... it's well made, catchy and poppy but I'm put off by the Mika-esque falsetto vocals
(something I also think about bands like MGMT).
The main thing I'm noticing from the list so far is how much of the music is reminiscent of 80s and 90s pop and rave... synthesisers, neon colours and men in shirts seem to be making a comeback. Not sure if i like it.
Yaaay! I love Kid Cudi. He's talented, funny, and he's worked with
Crookers - three factors that make him instantly my favourite so far.
I heard
Day'n'Nite a couple of months ago on the
Mashup and probably on
Westwood too, and eventually found the Crookers remix for my iPod. I've been listening to it ever since.
At first I was skeptical of dubstep, but now I really like it and I love how it can cross over so many genres, as this track demonstrates really well.
I love little gaps and bits of silence by the way, so the drop out of the chorus makes the whole track great.
More of the same female-fronted electro-pop. It's alright, but will rapidly become annoying if it all goes on the same... I think I'm not keen on the light, happy, airy feel to it - imagine it more along the lines of Crimewave by Crystal Castles, and I reckon you're onto a winner.
Hopefully by the end of 2009 all these artists will have furthered their style enough to mean that people won't get too bored of them.
I think I'm also put off by the cheesy retro video for Quicksand.
Somewhere between Ladyhawke and MIA, perhaps? With something of Britney or Missy Elliot about her?
It's similarly retro and catchy in a pop sort of way, but not particularly strong lyrically.
There's a sort of male-voice smooth r'n'b bit in Just Dance - a bit like Chris Brown - which makes me feel sick.
Also... she should also put some clothes on, and stand up straight, before I get distracted.
Wohoo - Little Boots! Another familiar name, face and voice.
(I've got her phone number and you can't have it).
This was another artist I heard via Ashley and was instantly hooked - I first heard Meddle, then Stuck On Repeat, then got really excited when I realised I'd been listening to the Fake Blood remix for a few weeks (I'm still obsessed with the way she's cut up to sing 'Fake Blood' halfway through).
I've heard Meddle too much now and I'm bored of it (through no fault of Little Boots or her music). But I'm definitely interested in hearing new stuff from her, and I can see her coming out on top of this poll too.
I know this sounds a bit weird and stalkerish, but I preferred her when she had brown hair (as depicted above).
I was looking forward to the day when Chipmunk arrived in the list... but this'll have to do. And actually, Master Shortie is a damn good replacement.
This works out perfectly for the musical Britain that's still riding the grimewave brought on by the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, and Dead End is yet another catchy hip-hop single with some nice disco hand-claps in.
His real name's Theo Kerlin - don't you think that sounds more cool than Master Shortie?
I first heard of Mumford And Sons back in the summer when Tom from the show told me about how he'd just seen Laura Marling play live. Mumford And Sons are Laura's backing band for her live shows, and also make music in their own right... I finally got round to listening to them for the first time today.
Feel The Tide instantly reminds me of the thoughtful and melodic Death Cab For Cutie, or the happy folk of Noah And The Whale. I like it.
I'm not keen on Passion Pit. There, I've said it - and I'll look silly in 2010, because I can equally see that they're going to be big.
You can already hear the annoying falsettos of Mika - or MGMT! - in there, and the music is messy, painful and confusing.
I heard them first via Ashley (noticing another pattern?). I've since heard Sleepyhead played by Annie Mac, Rob da Bank and Zane Lowe... which makes me want to like it, but I don't. Sorry.
With a name that reminds me of Passion Pit, my relationship with The Temper Trap was never going to work out.
The sweeping-stadium-rock sound is boring (and yes, I thought that even before I heard Glasvegas).
I can imagine Sweet Disposition sounding good live... it has that epic indie feel to it that would sound good in a big room. But here in the little studio I'm sitting in, it does nothing for me.
Last but not least... yet another band I heard first from
Ashley.
So that's who I need to thank for shaping my music taste over the past few months... thanks Ashley!
I quite liked Death... I liked the Crystal Castles remix too... and then I heard To Lose My Life on Zane's podcast and decided I really like them.
They remind me of Editors - who I think are dull. So maybe I'll tire of White Lies fairly soon... but for now I think they have something unique and their songs are catchy, memorable and definitely worth playing on repeat for a while.
In conclusion
Babby pappy female synth-pop is the way forward next year.
If anyone's going to win, it should be Kid Cudi, Little Boots or Florence And The Machine.
What do you think?
