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!