The nominations for the 'BBC sound of 2012' are out, and flicking through some of the nominations excites me, so much fresh new music to look forward to! There seems to be a great mix, ranging from the soulful voice of Michael Kiwanuka, to dubstep artist Skrillex. I'm going to pick a couple of my favourites from the short list of 15.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/soundof/2012/
Dot Rotten - To be completely honest, I hadn't heard much of him before seeing him on the list, however after listening to 'Keep It On A Low', I'm impressed. This isn't the kind of music I go for admittedly, however I can see him storming the charts in 2012, helped by his extensive touring into the new year.
Dry The River - Having heard them back in the summer, I've been hooked to the unique vocals and smart build up, especially in tracks such as 'No Rest', where you can almost feel the band bursting with emotion. One to look out for without a doubt.
Jamie N Commons - Definitely the debut I'm most excited about for 2012. As BBC rightly put it, 'With a whiskey and nicotine soaked growl of a voice, a five piece band and a bunch of songs that sound like they were uncovered in an attic where they'd been lying there since 1959 waiting for Johnny Cash or Nick Cave to cover them, Jamie N. Commons makes it hard to believe that he's only 22.' Need I say more.
Lianne La Havas - Bon Iver called her his 'favourite Brit', after being invited on tour with Justin Vernon after appearing on Later.. With Jools Holland. It was this appearancethat has earnt her a wider audience, who currently have an EP to enjoy, although I'm sure many are looking forward to new releases to come in the new year.
Before moving to Nashville in 2009, Andrew Belle had previously grown up in Wheaton, Illinois. It was not until the end of his time at university that his music career began, playing with a variety of bands from which came his solo career, starting up at local bars and restaurants in Chicago.
He has since shared the stage whilst touring with the likes of Boyce Avenue, Ben Folds and Greg Laswell. His debut EP 'All those pretty lights' was released in 2008, from which songs were featured in hit TV shows such as '90210' and 'The Ghost Whisperer'.
His music has earnt him the title of 'Best Breakout Artist' in 2009, with his voice resembling that of The Fray and Coldplay. His first full album was released in 2009/2010, called 'The Ladder' and features a "smart pop" sound, with tracks including 'Make It Without You' and 'The Ladder'
His latest release is a Christmas single, a relaxing cover of 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', which is sure to keep his eager fans satisfied for the moment, although i'm sure a 2nd album should be on the way, and I look forward to hearing it!
Currently touring with Ben Howard around the UK, Brother And Bones are lead by the strong vocals of Rich Thomas. Having seen him perform an acoustic set only yesterday, I can only start out by saying how brilliant he is live. The music has a folk twist to it, and is fresh and captivating, whether Rich Thomas plays on his own, or with his band.
Their first EP called 'Skin' was released in June 2011, and featured their first single 'Back To Shore'. It will keep you tapping your feet all the way through, with the catchy beat and great vocals.
The five piece band describe themselves as being made up of not just musicians, but painters, photographers and film makers, setting them apart from the standard pop band lead by a stand out front man. Having performed to a packed out Rescue Rooms yesterday, and engaging and chatting with the crowd as well as delivering a solid acoustic set, it seems Rich Thomas and his band are set for more than just the local pub gigs going around.
Just a one of self promotion! The first track from our Autumn EP! Take a look and a listen, let us know what you think :)
London singer-songwriter Alex Clare released his debut album 'The Lateness Of The Hour' in July 2011. He started playing guitar and piano, whilst training to be a chef, and started attending open mic nights because he hated his job so badly! Whilst on a boat down the Thames he wrote several songs, which eventually found their way to Island Records.
Alex Clare's voice is captivating and full of soul, though it may be difficult to pin his music down to a specific genre. It seems to be a mixture of blues, reggae, soul and dubstep, that just seems to work. The first I heard of him was his cover of Etta James' 'Damn Your Eyes', which left me wanting to hear more of him.
The album itself is certainly interesting to listen to, due to his voice and rapid change and variety of musical genre throughout each track. It seems the best option for him now might be to follow in the footsteps of fellow ginger Ed Sheeran, who has propelled himself into the charts with constant gigging and collaborations.
His latest single release 'Too Close' seems to be gaining him more attention, having over 100,000 youtube views and counting. This could be the start of something good for Alex Clare.
Having formed in the summer of 2009, The Head and the Heart emerged from Seattle with a folk, indie/pop sound, lead by the unique vocals of Josiah Johnson.
Releasing their self titled, debut album in 2009, they managed to sell an impressive 10,000 copies, purely by word of mouth, and local stores. The band create great harmonies, and each individual track is interesting and unique to listen to, due to a range of melodies and tempos used, accompanying the attractive vocals.
You might be wondering about their seemingly odd choice of band name, and how it originated. On their website the biography simply states, 'So many decisions in life and in the music we love can come down to a critical tug between the logic in our heads and the hot red blood beating through our hearts.' This gives some real indication of the bands dedication and passion for real music.
The band members all met during a series of 'open mic' nights in Seattle, and have since toured the US and Europe, with the likes of 'Vampire Weekend', 'Iron and Wine', and 'Death Cab For Cutie', and have re-released their album, remastered and expanded. Having signed with record labels 'Sub Pop' and 'Heavenly records', I'm sure I am not the only one hoping for more of the same upbeat folk music from the six piece band sometime in the near future!
Although they have been together since 2004, Young The Giant have only just released their debut album in January 2011, which was self titled.
It seems that the wait was worth it though, with an album full of promising sounding alternative rock, such as 'My Body' and 'Cough Syrup', although picking out odd songs seems unfair, as the whole album boasts solid progressions and catchy lyrics to go with it.
The album has gained a mixed reception, mainly 6/7 out 10, but I doubt they will be complaining having received gained praise from Morrisey, an artist known for openly criticising modern music. Some more critical reviews commented that the band were still yet to find their own twist and have cleverly stuck to and replicated other rock styles.
The American band are already becoming known for having a Summery sound, however it could be fair to say they are still figuring out their style. Never the less they do seem to be extremely promising, and the album is certainly good enough to lift you up, and does possess a feel good factor, possibly because the album was inspired a lot by the beach!
I think that even though they have had a few negative reviews, you cannot doubt the uniqueness of Sameer Gadhia vocals, which stand out instantly. It is finally worth noting that they don't auto tune, but then why would they need to, watching their live performance of 'Islands' above!
As soon as I heard 'Flaws' by Dan Smith, or as he is better know, 'Bastille' I was hooked. His first few releases, including an Ep called 'Laura Palmer', and a few other singles, have been made up of extremely catchy pop synth tracks, including 'Flaws' and Icarus'.
What I love about Bastille's music, is that even when tracks such as 'Flaws' are completely stripped down to an acoustic guitar, they still sound great, which shows he can actually write well, and possesses real talent.
Bastille first gained recognition online due to his home made video for his track flaws, which contains vocals
that remind me of artists such as Jack Peñate and Wolfgang.
Icarus (Unplugged)
Although it might still be early days for Bastille, it has been a while since the UK charts have been graced with a serious contender from the male pop genre, recently being dominated by female pop singers. I'm definitely excited about future releases and am looking forward to hearing more from him!
Having gained almost all of her recognition through youtube, Myspace and local gigs, Gabrielle Aplin, is a completely self promoted musician. She now has over 5 million views on youtube and 1.3 million on Myspace. It seems like she must be doing something right!
However it was not her covers that got my attention, but in fact her own written pieces, which include the catchy 'Never Fade' and 'Panic Cord'. Influenced by artists such as Damien Rice and Jamie Cullum (Who she also happened to attend the same school as!) and with a voice comparable to that of Ellie Goulding's acoustic work, she manages to combine fantastic vocals with her guitar and piano playing. However I think it would be unfair to constantly compare her to any particular artists as I feel she has her own unique style, as demonstrated on her first two EP releases (Acoustic EP and Never Fade EP).
The first song she covered that started to draw a wider audience was her cover of 'Liar and The Lighter' by You Me At Six, hitting over 600,000 views on youtube. She went on her first big UK and Ireland tour in May 2011.
I think that Gabrielle Aplin is going to have a huge year in 2012, having already entered the UK, Australian and US charts, with both of her first EPs, and having bought both of them recently I'm definitely look forward to a full album sometime in the near future!
You can visit http://gabrielleaplin.co.uk/ to download two of her tracks from her acoustic EP, 'Mountains' and 'On Your Knees' for FREE, and both of her EPs are currently only £1.79 each from iTunes!
This is a guy I have been listening to on youtube for a couple of weeks now, and I'm quite excited writing about him! David McCaffrey has a couple of stand out songs including 'stars' and 'sons and daughters'. These two, especially 'stars' have grown on me and got stuck in my head without me having much of a choice really! His music sounds fresh and original, besides it being incredibly catchy!
If you're into alternative/acoustic sounding stuff
I recommend giving him a listen,
and I'm definitely listing him as one to watch out for in the future!
I could not think of a more appropriate way of starting my music blog than by introducing this artist, to those of you who are not familiar with him already. Considering the labels' history of successful artists, Ben Howard decided to sign for Island Records, with whom he has recently released his debut album 'Every Kingdom'.
The album was released on the 30th September, and interest in Ben Howard is rapidly increasing. The album includes 3 singles released previously including the track 'Old Pine', which was released in April, peaking 36th in the UK indie chart.
Over the summer, Ben Howard release a further two tracks, 'The Wolves' (June 2011) and 'Keep Your Head Up' (August 2011) which both entered the top 100 of the UK singles chart. Keep Your Head Up - Ben Howard The Wolves - Ben Howard
What strikes me most about Ben Howard, is even at young age he is able to captivate audiences who may otherwise have no interest in the 'folk singer-songwriter' scene. He has already shown an incredible amount of versatility, which can be seen by watching his live performance of his first single from 2010 (These Waters) which takes up a different style from his recent album, attempting to draw in a wider range of audiences. 'These Waters' shows Ben Howard as he is supposed to be viewed; live. Ben is often accompanied by India Bourne who adds to the unique feel of Howard's music with her cello and harmonies. Ben seems to have gained an ever growing fan base simply by word of mouth, and with the help of youtube and radio stations, both local and national, much like Ed Sheeran. He is often being compared to John Martyn, but I wouldn't think twice about fitting him comfortably into a playlist with the likes of Jose Gonzalez, Bon Iver and Jack Johnson (who alike Ben Howard is a keen surfer). All in all, I think Ben Howard has set himself apart from the usual singer songwriters that seem to come and go, but this is not just down to his complex tuning and catchy melodies, I think that he is one to look out for in 2012, where I think he will get his break through.
Hey everyone!
This is my first post on my new blog! Hopefully over the next couple of weeks you will see it fill up with loads of musical talent, including my favourite artists and songs of the week!
