Here are ten artists that have been making their way through my playlists over the past few months and look to be ready to break in 2011. Certainly not all of them are going to break out and become successfull, but it will definitely be interesting to watch and see what happens. I'm also curious to see what new genre fusions start emerging...2009 was the year of do-it-yourself electronica (Neon Indian, Washed Out, MNDR), 2010 was the year of distorted lo fi rock (Surfer Blood, Best Coast, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti), so exactly what does 2011 have in store for us?
1.) Tennis
Lo-fi indie pop with incredibly addictive vocals, hailing from Colorado. They can take a while to get into, but I haven't been able to stop listening to them the last couple of months. Their debut full length is out 1/18/11 on Fat Possum records.
live - bowery ballroom (3/2)
soundcloud - 'marathon'
2.) Yellow Ostrich
Very minimal, vocal pop bedroom project that sounds like a weird fusion of Freelance Whales and Local Natives. Again, a tough listen at first, but I think they are destined for some kind of iPod commercial or a catchy smart phone ad.
live - mercury lounge (1/4)
soundcloud - 'whale'
3.) The Head and the Heart
An upcoming indie-acoustic band that's been drawing comparisons to Dr. Dog, Fleet Foxes and even Ray LaMontagne. Their music is incredibly accessible and often light-hearted.
live - terminal 5 (2/18)
soundcloud - 'sounds like hallelujah'
4.) Yuck
Lo fi indie band that actually has some nice pop harmonies buried underneath their endless layers of distortion and chaos. Think Wavves or Beach Fossils, but actually good.
live - mercury lounge (1/25), glasslands (1/26)
soundcloud - 'georgia'
5.) The Pass
They may be the band I'm most excited for in 2011. The Pass quietly released "The Burst" this fall and it hasn't garnered the attention it should. Their sound is a fusion of dance, pop, electronic and indie rock. Imagine a blend of Phoenix, Passion Pit and Delorean...brilliant.
live - nothing in the nyc area
soundcloud - 'vultures'
6.) Holiday Shores
They're a weird amalgamation of garage pop and dance. They somewhat remind me of a much rawer and earlier Vampire Weekend, but with more guitars and distortion. They are Kisses if they were from the east coast.
live - bowery ballroom (3/2)
soundcloud - 'edge of our lives (live)'
7.) La Sera
Lo fi indie pop that has some hints of soul and motown. This solo project is from Vivian Girl's member Katy Goodman, and is much brighter (and less suckier) than Vivian Girls - very much in the same vein as Best Coast.
live - bowery ballroom (3/2)
soundcloud - 'never come around'
8.) James Blake
An exciting electronic fusion of dub beats, samples and effects. He already kind of broke this year, but I think he's really going to go off in 2011. If there was a white Flying Lotus - it's James Blake.
live - nothing in the nyc area
soundcloud - 'cmyk'
9.) Smith Westerns
Breezy, indie rock band that is filled with pop melodies. They really remind me of a rough, stripped down version of Rooney or The Thrills. Thankfully, they're are not too overly lo fi.
live - glasslands (1/18)
soundcloud - 'weekend'
10.) Penguin Prison
I still don't know why Penguin Prison isn't huge. It defies logic. Combine equal parts synthesizers and Justin Timberlake-esque vocals...you should have a star in the making, right? I'm willing to bet money that they break out this year, for the next two months they are touring with Girl Talk, so they'll finally be getting some decent exposure.
live - nothing in the nyc area
soundcloud - 'the worse it gets'
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