Monday, January 09, 2006

Sound of 2006:



Corinne Bailey Rae
She is: A British soul singer who will warm your heart one minute and break it the next. She sings love songs that avoid being saccharine and bland and has enough pop sensibility to acquire a large and devoted following. The pundits say: "A voice so fabulous that after I hear this I will melt." Jools Holland. She says: "I want my music to have an effect on people. But I'm not interested in celebrity. Click here to hear 'Like a Star'


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
They are: New York indie five-piece who were one of last year's biggest word-of-mouth success stories. With effervescent, tuneful, inventive songs and singer Alec Ounsworth's distinctive yelp, they look set to go overground in 2006. The pundits say: "The missing link between Talking Heads and Tom Waits." They say: "What are our influences? The Pointer Sisters, Rachmaninov... I dunno." Alec Ounsworth. Click here to hear 'In This Home On Ice'


The Feeling
They are: One of the few British guitar bands of recent years to proclaim that they are pop and proud.They are hoping to resurrect a brand of middle-of-the-road soft rock, inspired by Supertramp and 10CC, which has not been in fashion for a few decades. The pundits say: "Buoyant, enthusiastic and likeable, theirs is unashamedly catchy FM prog-pop with vast sunshine hooks and killer choruses." They say: "Don't fear the cheese. Embrace it." Singer Dan Gillespie.Click here to hear 'Sewn'.


Plan B
He is: An uncompromising London rapper/R&B singer who accompanies himself on an acoustic guitar. Dubbed the British Eminem, his savage tales of drugs, crime and violence are likely to attract controversy.The pundits say: "He sings in a style that switches disconcertingly from a sweetly soulful croon to a venomous bark." He says: "Yeah, I'm being blunt and I'm using bad language but I'm just trying to portray something real." Click here to hear 'No Good'.


Guillemots
They are: A quartet trying to rediscover a time when good tunes and chart success could go hand-in-hand with individuality and invention. They can be quirky and catchy in one song and dreamy and haunting in the next. The pundits say: "Inventive, eclectic and weaving melodies like they were going out of fashion." They say: "You're never going to top birdsong as the ultimate pop music. All we can do is try to come close." Singer Fyfe Dangerfield. Click here to hear 'Trains to Brazil'.

Sway
He is: A Londoner who is leading the British rap pack with charisma and wit.His infectious delivery and gentle satire on urban life won him the best hip-hop prize at last year's Mobo Awards - beating US superstar 50 Cent. The pundits say: "He's single-handedly made UK hip-hop cool again." He says: "I'm a positive person and this positivity comes out in my music. I don't go round holding guns to people's heads, so I won't rap about holding guns to people's heads." Click here to hear 'Little Derek'.


The Automatic
They are: Exuberant electro-rock teens from Wales whose energy and knack for hormone-fuelled anthems has seen them slice through the indie pack. Debut single Recover was produced by ex-Lightning Seeds star Ian Broudie and released on the Kaiser Chiefs' label.The pundits say: "Hyperactive wonk-pop from the Welsh backwaters. Smells like teen spirit to us." They say: "We're more exciting than a lot of bands. You've got to have interesting songs." Singer Rob Hawkins. Click here to hear 'Recover'.

2 comments:

  1. Nice Post... that's a lot of music to digest. Anyone more a favorite than another?

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  2. I like Sway, and I reckon the music press do too. I think (and hope) he'll be big. I like the way he takes the piss out the US rappers who use gun love as a marketing tool....

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