It’s barely the beginning of 2008, and already there are artists that should be bursting through the ‘ranks’ of music. So, to start off tSB’s walk through the effervescent fields of sound, I’ve decided to name the top 5 artists that I think will get somewhere in 2008.
In 2007, I stumbled over the Wombats, back in around March, and look at where they are now; a fair few people know them, and so the aim of this is not only to be in there with a say before the big cheeses get there, but to point you in the right direction.
1. Laura Marling
Laura is barely ending her teens, and as far as I care she’s better than the mockney stylings of Kate Nash and Lily Allen. I was actually pointed in her direction at a gig for a ’busker’ called Beans On Toast, and he was by no means wrong. All I will say, though, is that if she keeps writing lyrics like those in New Romantic, a lot of the musical references will be lost on the many. She mentions Ryan Adams. To me, that’s a fine reference, to a Radio One listener, maybe one in three, or 50% if you’re lucky, will know him; the rest will think she mispronounced Bryan Adams.
2. Los Campesinos!
It may seem, so far, that I’m basically naming all the bands that the NME has pointed out to people, but this was a nice discovery for June 2007. Their brand of bubblegum rock makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, and makes me wish I had actually gone to see them when I had the chance. It’s one of those bands where you listen, you like, and then you wonder later why you never gave them your full attention. If they can pull in the audiences, they’ll get far.
3. Jacob Golden
His favourite Daniel Johnston song was recorded on a tape-deck before you were born, apparently. This man makes me think of what Conor Oberst could have accomplished. I genuinely think that if Conor were to stop flittering between folk, country and electronica, as he did for the last few releases, and if he added more of a tune to his melancholy drone, he would be Jacob, although probably a little more upbeat. When I went to see this guy play, I was amazed, and that rarely happens. He needs a breakthrough, a tough kick at the industry, and he should be able to get the crowds, rather than being third on the bill.
4. Bon Iver
I won’t lie, I stumbled over this guy just before Christmas, so I’m probably behind the times. He reminds me of Iron&Wine but with a more upbeat vocal section. The music is stuff you could drive to, as calm as it is. It’s all good stuff, and I think that if people went and gave it a listen, they’d find it to be really simple stuff; what more can I say?
5. Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly.
All joking aside, I hate this guy. I loathe his music. I find it irritating, I find it to be, and I quote my own words from the first time I heard it, “Elevator Music For Depressed Teenagers”. There is no denying that it is just that. But, I would be a total fool if I turned around and said “No, he’ll never make it anywhere”. The way the ‘market’ is going now, with the influx of indie and ‘emo’; the love of acoustic and solo artists, one would have to be a total fool to discredit someone who is just that. Really, I think little Sam could get out of the backwaters of music and into the limelight, even if only for fifteen minutes of fame. Not my cup of tea, but probably the El Dorado to your musical Cortez.
So, the five above are my ticket through 2008, and it seems as though I’m predicting solo and acoustic artists to take it that step further; 4 of the 5 being solo and/or acoustic. I think last year’s boom in Electronica through Nu-Rave has died down enough to bring it to a simmer with the Daft Punk-esque Justice taking a step towards the back, and Klaxons heading off into the wings with CSS in tow. The surge in the popularity of Kate Nash, meanwhile, coupled with Indie and ‘emo’ being the cream of the latest crop lately, will provide the perfect moves for these artists to step towards centre stage and gain some valuable air-time. It’s just up to them to capitalize on it now.
