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?

Toot Toot

Master Shortie

I don’t like to blow my horn.. or ring my own bell for that matter. But in this case… toot toots and ding dongs are in order. On the 22nd of April I wrote a lil’ somefing-somefing about up-and-coming Urban acts, including a short and sweet blurb about this dude Master Shortie – rapper and entrepreneur extraordinaire whose brand of cock-sure Indie-Rap is really starting to turn heads, shake hips and tap toes. So much so in fact that he has been getting a lot of heat on national radio; is currently Myspace’s featured artist; and will be playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. You heard it here first people… Toot!

 

Pixie Lott

 

Ok it’d be bold of me to claim that I spotted this one. On the 10th of June I talked Pixie up big style and about a week later she was the hottest thing in the charts, with Mama Do reaching the dizzy heights of number 1, and my little site was raking in around 300 people a day looking for info on all things Pixie.. presumably because there weren’t many other sites picking up on this talented and stunning Pop-Soulstress.. Cheers Pixie!

Enough of all this bragging and boasting though.. I really began this little article to point you in the direction of two more effortlessly talented songstresses who just happened to remind me of the Pixie Lott success story.

 

Felicity Kaya

 

18 year old Felicity Kaya blends Jazz, Pop, Rock and Lounge in her arrangements, over which her soulful, rich and versatile vocals reminisce of the likes of Amy Winehouse, Gabriella Cilmi and of course everyone’s favourite current Soul diva Pixie Lott. Kaya offers more to the intelligent Pop fan than most of today’s quirky-girl-Popstars though: the moody and meandering Time To Hold displays an impressive vocal prowess; diverse ‘Kurdish meets western popular culture’ influences; and complex and irregular time signatures. Apollo meanwhile is a delightful Lounge track that smacks of sipping screwdrivers at 3am in a smokey Jazz Bar. Prominent walking basslines, drum lines heavy on the crash, and subtle, delicately positioned key and brass licks make this a beautifully crafted track. Perverted Eyes, my personal favourite, is a more driven Rock-Pop track, displaying Edge from U2-Esque guitar work and production, and what sounds a bit like a bluesy Deep Purple-era Hammond Organ. Catchy, poppy and quirky-cool, this track will appeal to all the Amy fans out there, and is easily chart-worthy.

In short boys and girls, Kaya has the talent, the look and the tracks to make some serious progress, and now under management and signed to Out Of Bound Records, who knows what might happen. I just hope that whoever’s in charge gets the ball rolling on a Myspace page and starts realising the vast potential for online advertising, marketing and most importantly social networking! Until that happens though, check out some samples by clicking the image and heading over to her label homepage.

 

Daisy Dares You

 

I’m convinced that in the not too distant future I will be saying a big ‘I told you so’ about this girl. At just 15, Daisy Dares You already displays an incredible ear for a catchy Pop track, as Number One Enemy clearly demonstrates. The track opens up like a Tetris theme tune and breaks into a sparse bass ‘n’ bleep verse which really allows Daisy‘s vocal talent and quintessential cockney Nash-esque charm shine through. The chorus is a straight 4/4, lightly distorted guitar driven, simple but anthemic Pop-hook, and I can already hear hordes of teeny bopper fans chanting back the words. And if it ain’t broke… the same formula is used for Talk About The Weather, an equally catchy and endearing soft-Rock track reminiscent of some kind of London-answer to Kelly Clarkson. Daisy Dares You, the self-titled track, and Next Few Minutes are slightly quirkier electronics-infused tracks which nod to Synth-Pop monsters Hello Goodbye and Shiny Toy Guns. Unashamedly Poppy; at times anthemic; always catchy; and undoubtedly endearing – Daisy Dares You definitely has all the ingredients to be a smash… Watch this space!

 

The soulful tones of Joss Stone, choruses as infectious as a double dose of Umbrella-ella-ella, and a squeeky clean image make Pixie Lott comparable to a substance-free antidote to the drug-riddled train-wreck that is Amy Winehouse. Pixie has the tracks, the voice and the look to be the UK’s next huge Soul / Pop Diva, and I can’t see her pulling out of gigs due to drug-induced respiratory problems.. nor can I see her public persona and media attention being dominated by stories of break-downs and rehab. Ok so this is turning more into Amy bashing than a positive review, so I will wrap it up with: click the image, head to her myspace and check out Here We Go Again to find out exactly why this gorgeous Pop Diva is set to support the Saturdays and the Script among other huge acts in the coming weeks.