Clement Marfo & The Frontline
Behold, the future of music is upon us – check out a few tips that I think could come good in 2010. Starting with the magnificent Clement Marfo & The Frontline. This 7 piece act is the product of a collaboration between Hip-Hop artist Clement Marfo and the Indie / Electronic band The Frontline, and the resulting fusion of music and ideas is fucking ace. Champion for instance layers Electronic glitch & beep samples, Ska-infused prominent brass melodies, guttural driving basslines, subtle bluesy guitar licks and intricate kick / snare patterns to provide the platform over which Marfo spits his venemous rhymes, while Kojo Vihram provides catchy pop-hook choruses. Anthemic pop-sensibility meets grime vocal prowess and a whole host of other cultural and musical influences for good measure – amazing! Lights Out meanwhile takes the bass driven, indie dance-beat and euphoric electronic vibe of bands like The Killers and The Bravery, and throws in some grimey vocals a la Marfo, who puts some of the current Grime-Pop acts of today’s charts to shame with his impressive display of lyricism. These guys and girls are playing a few London shows on the run up to Christmas so be sure to check ‘em out while it’s still hot off the press.
Jenners Field are a really young London-based band who take the bleak death-Pop stylings of White Lies, the vocal pomposity of Tom Smith, and the experimental Electronic Indie feel of Me My Head, and stir it all up in a lo-fi, endearingly under-produced and raw blender. These boys also happen to have written one of the most stirring, atmospheric and infectious tracks I’ve come across in a while in Brave: an experimental rock track which transcends cultural barriers, combining middle-eastern guitar melodies with western popular traditions, and not to mention one hell of a chorus. And they use a theremin.. ’nuff said.
Jeuce is a musical force as yet unrecognised by the masses. However they are steadily building a fanbase for themselves, and are gaining the respect of the electronic music community; up-and-coming labels and producers alike, and for me, 2010 could be their year. They are entrepreneurs unhindered by futile dreams of immediate pop success, and as such there are many strings to the Jeuce bow. Not only are they a phenomenal live dance act, they are also well-reputed DJs, producers, opinion leaders, and have even dabbled in running their own label. It’s their live performance that is most exciting though, and you should definitely check out their grimey brand of dub-infused, bleep & bass indie dance immediately. 2010 could well be the year that the Jeuce brand drops.
Sketches are an emotional, dual-vocal Indie band. Epic and powerful sweeping soundscapes characterise their more soul-wrenching tracks, Dear Heart and Bleed Victoria (due for release on Fandango next week). Simple, brilliantly produced with lush delay and reverb guitars reminiscent of The Edge, and effortlessly endearing, Sketches have a few big-name followers, so fingers crossed 2010 will be their year.
Also in 2010, listen out for these guys: electronic Pop sensations Nite Visions; emo /alt rockers This Familiar Smile whose debut album Ribbons, Regards & the More Machine drops 2010; Pop-Punks Monte Carlo; Rap / Electro group F*Street, who have definitely got what it takes to ride the JLS riptide.
Yeeeaah Rock on 2010!
30 Seconds To Mars
Oh my.. It’s been a long time since posting! So! To start off a kinda informal trend on this blog for the following few months, I’m gonna keep it to an end of the decade vibe for a while, starting with this, perhaps topsy-turvily and clumsily titled post – Stuff I’m looking forward to for 2010… yeh!
1. 30 Seconds to Mars building on the epic success of Beautiful Lie. New album This is War is out early December, with single Kings & Queens, due to be released January, already making a big stir. Keep an eye out for these boys, they’re only getting bigger.
2. Similarly Biffy Clyro are finally really hitting the mainstream. Yes, Puzzle had some buzz, some airplay, some tv coverage, and Mountains, originally intended as a non-album track, was huge, but Only Revolutions looks set to be the album that really propels these Celtic rockmonsters into the open arms of the mainstream. Singles Captain and That Golden Rule have been chart successes, and the album is really strong. ‘Mon the Biff.
3. The as yet untitled Kings Of Leon remix album, with covers from the likes of Linkin Park, Mark Ronson and Lykke Li. Also, however the hell they follow up on the ridiculous success of Only By The Night.. I can’t wait for it.
4. A year for Rock. 2009 has gradually become a year for Rock, and 2010 looks set to be the same. Obviously, the very definition of the charts and the mainstream require anything alternative to be watered down, but the meteoric rise of bands like White Lies, The Big Pink, The Temper Trap, Mumford & Sons, and the ongoing success of The Foo Fighters, Muse, the Biff and Kings of Leon among others suggests that 2010 is going to a big year for mainstream Rock.
5. A year for Grime. Similarly, the charts have become slowly more and more dominated by Grime this year. Tinchy, N-Dubz, Chipmunk and to a lesser extent artists like Wiley, Tinie Tempah, Bashy and so on, have been in the charts or receiving air play. The end of the 2009 has been particularly exciting for Chipmunk, who will no doubt continue to climb the Pop ladder, and with a new album imminent from N-Dubz, and Master Shortie being my one to watch, 2010 is gon’ be all about the Grime.
6. The fall of the quirky girl Pop-star? Pixie Lott, Florence & The Machine, La Roux, Little Boots… Surely the dominance of the quirky chicks in the Pop charts can’t continue into 2010. The female race will be pinning their hopes on Mini Viva who have exploded into the Pop charts in the latter part of this year, and to a lesser extent the eccentric and sexy Marina & The Diamonds and another hot tip for you – Daisy Dares You, to carry the baton. However when it comes to squelchy electro-pop, 2010 could be a year for the boys – Mr. Hudson, one of the most exciting acts for me this year, will continue to thrill, and to go out on a limb Frankmusik will be back, bigger and better in 2010 with Follow The Leader. To further stick my neck out, Metronomy are another act to watch out for, and Nite Visions will almost certainly be in the charts in the latter part of 2010.
7. X Factor taking over the world – no detail needed as everyone knows this.
8. Brand New‘s return to the UK. January baby! Daisy, released a few months back, is frankly epic, and they’ll be touring off the back of it early 2010. Scroll down a few for more info on this. These boys put on one hell of a live show, and I can’t wait for the London leg of their UK tour.
So there it is folks, just a few things I’m looking forward to. What are y’all looking forward to?
