New bands to watch in 2010

Running in parallel to the annual music critics’ new bands features, music bloggers are posting their “ones to watch” lists for the year ahead. History shows they are worth paying attention to. Last week’s BBC Sound of 2010 poll featured Marina and the Diamonds, The Drums and Ellie Goulding at the top, all acts which have been bigged up on blogs for eons. So what acts are bloggers excited about for 2010?

Starting with Neon Gold is a good idea seeing as they actually released Marina and Ellie’s first singles last year. They’ve listed 15 artists they are looking forward to hearing more of including New York’s sincere emo-tinged folksters Freelance Whales and LA-born pop queen in the making 17-year old Sky Ferreira who is working on an album with top-class names like DJs Aeroplane, producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Friendly Fires) and the heavyweight Swedish pop team of Bloodshy & Avant. The latter are part-responsible for Britney Spears’ Toxic.

Highlights from The Music Fix’s list of 18 acts include Sunderland’s stylistic Dexys Midnight Runners-inspired indie-popsters Frankie and the Heartstrings, the ’80s-synth heavy Parallels, the French-revolution-namechecking Manchester band May 68 and Hyperdub dubstep producer Darkstar.

Spin Earth takes a global view of things looking at bands from around the world whose profiles are rising. Taking one from each continent featured, we have Nigeria’s soulful Nneka who recalls Erykah Badu, Hong Kong’s cute and twee duo My Little Airport, Europe is represented by the under-loved Scotch folk of Frightened Rabbit, Chile’s garage rockers Los Howlers do it for South America, the US east coast’s Bethany Cosentino aka Best Coast impresses with her melodious scuzz-pop for North America while Sydney’s answer to Fleet Foxes with synths Cloud Control bring it home to Australia.

Closer to home, the bloggers behind Swear I’m Not Paul and 2UIBestow have teamed up to offer their top ten Irish acts which include Belfast rockers A Plastic Rose, the impressive indie-folk of Henrietta Game and Dublin duo We Cut Corners.

We Cut Corners also feature in State.ie’s Faces of 2010 week which shines a light on homegrown alternative acts like Cork’s O Emperor, the cinematic uneasiness of Catscars, the return of Carol Keogh, Dundalk’s promising Take The Money and Run complete with magnetising female vocalist and the soon to be Stephen Street-produced Funeral Suits.

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