Alrighty music hipsters – Tone Deaf has finally recovered from the thorough demolition of the editorial team’s livers over Christmas and New Year! Hence, we’ve had a sustained pow wow down at Tone Deaf HQ where after threats, violence and the odd arm wrestle we’ve finally decided on our top 10 indie and pop music picks for 2010. These guys are going to be topping the charts, playing the sold out hype gigs and possibly being hammered on high rotation so much it gives you yet another reason to not listen to Triple J.
Plan B
London rapper and occasional actor Ben Drew – better known as Plan B – released his debut album in 2006, garnering much critical respect for his lyrics which cleverly deconstruct the violent nature of life on council estates in the UK. His sophomore release – The Defamation of Strickland Banks – is due to be released in March tying in with a film of the same name. The project is shrouded in secrecy, however the first single from the album, Stay Too Long ,comes out this week and is going to be one hell of a dance floor filler – this year’s Crazy perhaps?
Chapel Club
Currently unsigned but with every A&R man left in London chasing after them, Chapel Club haven’t even officially released a single. Figures of multi million pound record contracts are supposedly being thrown around which just makes for a hell of a lot of hype to live up to. Supposedly an incredible experience live, their unofficial myspace single Surfacing firmly puts them in the Smiths/Echo & The Bunnymen ballpark – grandiose, literate rock.
Marina & The Diamonds
This year’s La Roux or Florence & The Machine! There, we said it. Of course she’s not but a slightly wacky girl called Marina who has no backing band called The Diamonds per se – rather we, her audience, are the Diamonds. Born to a Greek father and Welsh mother, Marina is an enthusiastic blogger who also has a knack for turning out catchy synth driven pop. Spotted by Warner Records supporting Melbourne’s very own Gotye in London, think Kim Wilde updated for the new decade because we can’t help but see similarities with her forthcoming single Hollywood andKids In America, while also drawing upon the kookiness of Kate Bush and Wuthering Heights. She’s about to undertake her first UK tour later this month having returned from working with TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek – check out her amusing blog and the Hollywood film clip here
Fools Gold
A Los Angeles band with a lineup that ranges from 10 to 12 members, Fool’s Gold are as influenced as much by the African desert rock of Tinariwen as they are by Talking Heads’ world music influenced Remain In Light. Playing infectious African influenced grooves which will appeal to everyone from chin stroking indie hipsters to gurning rave heads, the lineup features members of We Are Scientists and The Fall. With two vocalists, including one who sings in Hebrew more than English, two saxophonists and four percussionists, this is one planet under a groove.
Check them out here
Airship
Also hailing from Manchester and frighteningly young, these lads are setting indie radio in the UK alight with their Spirit of the Beehive EP. Taking the poppier moments of Echo & The Bunnymen, a soupcon of Modest Mouse and even hints of Depeche Mode, take a listen to the track Kids which is on the Manchester compilation out on Love & Disaster.
Check them out here
Delphic
While Klaxons got sent away to redo their sophomore album by their label when it was delivered last year, it looks like white hot Manchester group Delphic are more than poised to accept the indie-dance crown. The New Order comparisons will be inevitable, and while they don’t quite nail the basslines that would get Easter Island statues dancing, this is Ibiza meets the Hacienda writ large.
Check them out here
Ellie Goulding
Topping the BBC’s Sound of 2010 poll of 165 UK prancing wankers … errrr, sorry, tastemakers; you can be sure that a lot of promo money has been thrown in her direction. However, despite wanting to be cynical about the marketing and hype machine behind her, we can’t help but be impressed by her seemingly unaffected vulnerability and sweet pop. Bummer, looks like we got sucked into the hype as well….
Check them out here
The Drums
So sugary and saccharine to the point where they could almost be twee, The Drums instead just fall the other side of the coin with glorious winsome pop/rock which recalls Sally Cinnamon-era Stone Roses or even the West Coast psychedelic bliss of Love. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York and with only an EP entitled Summertime! to their name, the surfadelic jangle of the band are going to be soundtracking the northern Summer.
Check them out here
Hurts
Hmmm, so synthpop is back in a big way – it seems everyone with a Casio keyboard that has a sequencer function in it is an electro artist these days. So what’s suppose you get together a mysterious duo who are supposedly based in Manchester and London, who are signed to a major label and have practically no information on them online. A good marketing strategy you might say in the age of everyone being Facebook friends with their favourite artists and getting a daily blog update from them. So we’ll bite. Their Myspaz diverts to their website which diverts to Myspaz again. They have one song available called ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, which has been remixed by none other than New Order collaborator and re-mixer extraordinaire Arthur Baker and recalls the icy pristine synthpop of Ultravox and the crystal clear production of the Pet Shop Boys, all wrapped up in a Bowie Berlin period Teutonic sheen.
Check them out here
Esben & The Witch
We might be getting ahead of ourselves with this one – it could perhaps end up in our picks for 2011, but we have been quickly sucked in by this group. Hailing from Brighton on the south coast of England, this three piece mix ethereal vocals over icy synths and guitars. It also happens to be goddamn catchy. Perhaps a natural successor to Bat For Lashes, this band (who coincidentally have no members who are witches or named Esben) also recall This Mortal Coil and the Cocteau Twins.
Check them out here
