The Best of 2009
2009 is looking good
Firstly I guess I must mention what a brilliant year 2008 was for music in general and how pleased I was that bands such as Elbow, Glasvegas and The Ting Tings got the critical acclaim they deserve. Also how can I fail to mention the announcement of the Blur reunion, how exciting is that?
That will most definitely be one of the highlights next year as Blur go out on tour again for the first time since 2003 and will hopefully be headlining some summer festivals.
As one old band reform however there is plenty of new talent around in 2009 and many bands looking to make the big time. Here are my suggested 10 artists to watch out for this year.
Firstly I couldn’t start with any other band than White Lies, a three piece from London whose album, To Lose My Life, has rocketed to number 1 in the charts on the first week of release and with very good reason. Their single of the same name was their first in the top 40 in the UK however many songs on their album including a previously released tracks Unfinished Business and Death prove that there is much more to be had from these guys and there album as a whole is definitely well worth a listen. Whilst their songs may have a slightly depressing edge about them there is no doubt that they are indie-pop with some good lyrics to match and can be very uplifting at times. They have just kicked off their UK tour but there are only 6 dates available for tickets so you will have to be quick if you want to catch them out on the road. If you are not sure then check out their page www.whitelies.com
There is a lot of hype surrounding the second artist Florence And The Machine who have been voted critics choice at this years Brit Awards. Their catchy songs and vocal style are reminiscent of The Ting Tings and they have achieved relative success with songs Kiss With A Fist and also Dog Days. There is no word about an album yet but there are many songs available for download already. For more information visit their myspace page www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic
Another band causing a bit of a stir in the industry is Passion Pit a five-piece from Massachusetts who came 9th in the BBC Sound Of 2009 poll. Their song Sleepyhead has achieved success in advertisements in Canada and they are recording their first full length album as we speak. If their earlier stuff is anything to go by it could be shaping up to be a mixture electro, indie and rock similar to that of British band Does It Offend You, Yeah? These are quite an acquired taste so my suggestion is to check out their myspace page first at www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
There was one band last year that set the stage alight every time they set foot on it and managed to get a very hardcore fan base as well as receiving air play on radio 1 from Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens. Fighting With Wire hail from Derry in Northern Ireland and have toured with the likes of Biffy Clyro in the past. Their punk rock style is unashamed and their debut album Man vs. Monster proved that whilst receiving critical acclaim at the same time. There is no talk of an album coming up this year but they will be out on tour somewhere and I strongly advise you check them out. www.myspace.com/fightingwithwire
Another band that have had some good support slots recently are Pete & The Pirates who have been on tour with the likes of The Pigeon Detectives along with another brilliantly talented band The Hot Melts who definitely deserve a mention. Pete & The Pirates debut album Little Death was very hit and miss but they have huge potential if they keep writing material such as Mr. Understanding, a brilliant indie-pop anthem that is always a highlight live. Visit www.myspace.com/peteandthepirates for more details and I seriously recommend checking out The Hot Melts at www.myspace.com/thehotmelts
Where do I begin with the brilliant Fleet Foxes?? They had a brilliant 2008 but 2009 promises to be even more successful. Their self titled debut album achieved chart success peaking at number 11 in the UK charts and was also extremely well received by critics, included in The Times top 100 albums of 2008. Singles such as White Winter Hymnal and Mykonos, whilst not achieving chart success still propelled the band to achieve some air play on mainstream radio. They are hard to categorise in to a genre but the best I can do is say they are a folk-indie band from Seattle. To see for yourself check out their myspace page www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
The Airborne Toxic Event promise to be huge this year with their single Sometime Around Midnight achieving success in the States and looking certain to do the same over here in the UK, another American band this time from L.A. they are your typical indie rockers but they have some big tunes, look out for their self titled debut album in February this year. They are just coming to the end of their UK tour but they have just released tickets for shows back over here beginning in Glasgow on the 31st of March. Check out their official page for details on more shows and to check out some of their songs. www.theairbornetoxicevent.com
Something completely different now with Laura Marling, a young 18 year old acoustic guitarist who has been cooking up a storm for a while now in the music world without achieving the mainstream success she deserves, a definite one for the future she has been touring and recording music for 2 years now and is surely headed for great things. Songs such as New Romantic and Ghosts particularly catch the eye with brutally honest lyrics and sombre tones there is no-one else around these days like her. Alas, I Cannot Swim, here debut album was very well received and was produced by Noah And The Whale front-man Charlie Fink. Most recently she has been working with artists such as The Mystery Jets which can only be a good thing as they are, to put it mildly, brilliant. Find out more by visiting www.lauramarling.com
Friendly Fires made something of a surprise breakthrough last year with their song Paris but I feel that there is much more to come from them in 2009 hopefully performing at festivals across the summer they are a unique dance-come-pop-come-indie crossover which for some reason works brilliantly despite sounding like a complete miss match. Visit www.wearefriendlyfires.com to see more from the band.
Finally, for the bands to look out for this year we come to yet another American based band from Texas called White Denim. This three-piece are an indie-garage band who have produced one of the most catchy riffs I have heard in a long time with their song Lets Talk About It sounding much like early work by The Hives which can surely only mean it is a good thing. Their first full length album Exposion was released late last year but I feel that it has not quite achieved what it can. Well received by many critics it has yet to push them towards mainstream success but if they keep producing material like this then it is only a matter of time. For their official website go to www.whitedenimmusic.com
Apart from up and coming bands of course there is also new material from the well established bands coming out in 2009. Here is what I feel is a brief look at the best of what is to come in 2009.
We can look forward to new albums from The Young Knives, Kasabian and Queens Of The Stoneage and if that wasn’t exciting enough then here are some possibilities to wet your appetite even further. Rumours have been flying around about guest producers on many albums these days but it looks possible that Queens Of The Stoneage front-man Josh Homme could be producing the new Arctic Monkeys album due for release at some point this year. Another guest producer has been rumoured to be Paul McCartney on the forthcoming album by The Wombats.
A certified guest appearing on an album this year is Johnny Marr, the former guitarist of The Smiths working on The Cribs new album. Johnny Marr has lent his expertise to many bands in the past most recently Modest Mouse and if that is anything to go by we can expect something brilliant coming from the Wakefield three-piece this year.
I hate to end with rumours but these are pretty exciting to say the least. First of all it has been announced that The Strokes may return to the studio in February this year to begin recording a new album but with no release date as yet we will have to wait and see whether this materialises or not. Finally the album that keeps being put off. I am of course talking about the upcoming Green Day album, scheduled for release late last year this album has kept us waiting a while but if their new material is anything like their recent side project Foxboro Hot Tubs then we can expect something very different from them which I am looking forward to listening to. Watch this space…
Liam Spencer