‘08 threw up plenty of successful new bands in the form of MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Late Of The Pier and Glasvegas but who will hit those heady heights over the next twelve months? Let recordstore.co.uk guide you through the swamp of potential as we highlight the bands that have caught our ear so far this year.
Punk/Rock/Metal/Noise
The end of the guitar band has been heralded by the tastemakers but here at recordstore we raise a middle finger to the doubters and proclaim that 2009 will be the year that guitar bands get heavier, louder and infinitely more interesting. No longer will we be sent into a coma by some two-bit Beatles-obsessives, mediocre Libertines copyists and gloomy tykes who think they’re as good as Joy Division when they can’t even make songs to match The Editors. We’ll wave goodbye to young scamps that are only after fame and glory as soul, passion, DIY spirit and the ability to rock like a mutherfucker become watchwords for A&R spanners across the globe.
Pulled Apart By Horses have got the equipment to penetrate 2009 like a well hung porn star with their danceable Pixies-meets-McLusky brew of punk rock, whilst Dinosaur Pile-Up have steered clear of the major label dollar to release one of the finest post-grunge/post-stoner anthems this side of QOTSA. Like the idea of a grunged up Black Keys? The Old Romantic Killer Band can oblige...they can sound a little like Gomez in places but don’t let that put you off. How about a spot of Janes Addiction tussling with Refused? Look no further than the barrage of noise produced by Sacramento two-piece Middle Class Rut (terrible name, fantastic songs – sometimes you can’t have it all).
Have you ever imagined what Spector-esque girl group twinkle would sound like played by a trio of gothy post-punks and ratched up to 11? Well wonder no more ‘cause An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump deliver all that and more. Teeth Of The Sea serve up post rock soundscapes with a hint of Morricone (a sumptuous concoction), they also take their name from the French translation for ‘Jaws’, which is pretty cool in itself. Wavves frantic punk is awash with fuzzy guitar, indecipherable vocals and enough pop nous to drive you to the dancefloor and Hotpants Romance re-create the sound of 1970s CBGBs with their ragged brattish punk tuneage.
Meanwhile, shouty post’n’progressive-hardcore fans can rejoice with the promise of an intoxicating cocktail of sounds from Blakfish, political rants and battering-ram riffs from Roll Call For The Second Site , guitar noodling intensity from Adebisi Shank and some old skool manic tearing of vocal chords from Throats .
If you like your rock ear blisteringly loud then 2009 could be the year for you.
Indie/Folk/Singer Songwriters
That’s not to say that the softer side of guitar heroics will be left to fester in the pit of yesteryear. No sir, there’s plenty of exceptional new talent ready to erase the memory of that missing Joe Lean album and prove that indie kids can still deliver some intriguing records. No Borrell-esque ego or Keane bloat in sight. The Virgins are simply one of the finest guitar pop bands to emerge in years. They may be embroiled in the hipster world of the New York underground but their perfect melodies and glistening sheen recall Phoenix, Brendan Benson and even The Cars. Titus Andronicus are named after one of the Bard’s great works but there is nothing tragic about their lo-fi indie-punk blasts and if you like Arcade Fire’s epic swoon but always wanted them to rock a little more you need to check out The Airborne Toxic Event (the second worst name encountered this year but again the tunes more than make up for it). When Teitur was first played on the office stereo some time last year it immediately hit home – we just couldn’t work out where to get hold of copies to tell you lot about it. Thankfully, after much investigating, it appears his phenomenal avant-folk is finally getting released properly in the UK. Shoegaze should’ve died a death years ago but The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart haven’t let being unfashionable stop them from producing a near-perfect drone-pop classic. If you enjoyed No Age and Vivian Girls in 2008 then this is the record for you. They may look too young to engage in any of the formalities of rock’n’roll but First Aid Kit have managed to produce a record that their elder contempories Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes would be proud of. If noise-driven pop is your thing then check Women who take classic 60s psychedelia and coat it in layers of lo-fi guitar, or how about The Big Pink who capture the druggy wooze of The Chemical Brothers ‘The Private Psychedelic Reel’ and mix it up with Doves-ish choruses. Crystal Stilts are all crashing tambourines and recorded-in-a-cave vocals and their dark pop is both startlingly and utterly infectious. Formerly the brilliantly monikered The Muslims (but now called The Soft Pack , shame), this San Diego four-piece are a little bit Strokes and a little bit Pavement – but the results are never less than brilliant. Aussies The Temper Trap channel the spirit of baggy and heap on the atmosphere and mountain top choruses and Blank Dogs create deranged pop that faintly hints at a love of the Goth somewhere in their past. Now, if only The Smiths would reform........ Dance/Electronica/Hip Hop So, onto the scenes the critics believe will take over 2009. Despite loving the guitar, plenty of beat based tunes have grabbed our attention suggesting that, for once, the critics may be onto something. Swoonsome electronica with a little MGMT-ishness meets the genius of The Avalanches is the order of the day from the simply magical Passion Pit a five-piece from Massachusetts who are destined to become your new favourite band. La Roux may have the striking looks of a model and the hair of a Shoreditch twat but the music produced is no fashion before passion cred-void. Think Purple Rain era Prince thrust into the coolest club nite of your life and you’re halfway there. Telepathe meanwhile roped in TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek and immersed themselves in dubstep to produce some proper forward thinking pop. Empire Of The Sun may be titled like a martial arts movie but this is Luke Steele of Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau making futuristic dream-pop for the 24th century. Asher Roth is the new Eminem – yes he’s White, yes he’s a phenomenal rapper – but that’s not all – this guy has the chops and the charisma to take on the world – Slim Shady’s comeback better be good ‘cause Roth is ready to overshadow him. The UK, meanwhile, isn’t renowned for groundbreaking hip-hop but Hudson Mohawke is about to change all that – described by many as “wonky” their warped (‘scuse the pun – check their label) brew is gonna give you goosebumps. The awesomely named thecocknbullkid makes indie/electro infused pop music that dares to be lyrical, clever and funky as fuck, but if that’s not raw enough for you check out squelchy houser A1 Bassline who ain't afraid to chuck in some old skool garage or a splash of hip-hop into the mix. Hot Chip bud Jesse Rose
Clubbing in 2009 just got a whole lot better
Plenty to give your eardrums a battering there then. Got any more tips? Let us know
Cheers
Steve
"Roll Call For The Second Site", whats that all about then.
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