Ones To Watch 2009: Part 2

So as promised here is 4or The Records next installment of our bands and artists to watch in the year 2009....

RED LIGHT COMPANY

www.myspace.com/redlightcompany

Red Light Company are a band with a pedigree.

Coming from quite literally all corners of the globe the now-London-based five-piece stand on the brink of becoming as global as their heritage in 2009 as they embark upon a multi-date tour throughout February and March and, with choruses that would resonate from even the most battered of radios, it’s easy to see why.

Support slots alongside such prestigious names as The Pigeon Detectives and Editors provided the backbone to a 2008 that saw them release three singles but this is the year when we think they will fully explode onto the masses when their album ‘Fine Fascination’ is released on the 2nd of March.

It’s an album that promises much, particularly if new single ‘Arts and Crafts’ is anything to go by; an instantly likeable and straightforward record, the kind perfect for enticing a wider audience into listening to their more intricate works, amongst which ‘Meccano’ and ‘Sinking Ship’ stand out. The latter begins a dark and moody number, vocalist Richard Frenneaux drawling his way through the song as if frustrated at not being able to fully flex his exquisite vocal. It’s a stutteringly hypnotic record that combines so well with the expert choruses seen in their other work – proof that this band know how to step away from the power packed anthem once in a while to outstanding effect.

As you may well have guessed, Red Light Company are a band I look forward to seeing evolve through the next 12 months, one whose name should be all the more familiar come 2010.

Words: Ben Coley

The Cocknbullkid

www.myspace.com/thecocknbullkid

23 year old Anita Blay has been making music for the last 8 years of her life and more recently, under the moniker of The Cocknbullkid, has started becoming more visible in the UK. 

Her vision is to be an artist people can believe in, without being prejudged or having to compromise herself or her artistic integrity in an industry full of shallow and image obsessed individuals without, well, individuality.  

Her music is simply pop, but with darker undertones and evocative lyrics capable of stirring up emotions within anyone who resonates with where she is coming from.  She writes autobiographically in the main about subjects such as religion, family and relationships, something she finds cathartic for her soul and which her listeners find truthful and insightful.  Its pop drenched in honesty, without all the lashings of sugar coating that goes into much of the pop music regularly shoved down our throats, by those with commercial influence as opposed to taste. 

The Cocknbullkid has appeared live on Later with Jools Holland, further demonstrating her cross-over appeal and released her debut single last year ‘On My Own’, produced by Metronomy’s Joe Mount.

March now heralds the release of the brilliant ‘I’m Not Sorry’, a song about being nasty, but being nasty and not feeling bad about it, with its infectious synths and beat laden melody underpinning Anita’s stunning vocals.  Her biggest UK show to date at the ICA in London is the setting for this single launch and then Texas and SXSW beckons and with a label deal pending, 2009 should see The Cocknbullkid’s star shine bright, for all the right reasons.

Words: Francesca Strange

LA ROUX

www.myspace.com/larouxuk

Avid fans of this website may have noticed by now but if it’s not glaringly obvious, I’ve written a fair few of these 2009 previews, each true to their word in advertising a band I expect to do well this year.

Indeed it’s clear that there’s a lot of exciting music coming from within these shores at the moment and yet it is without overstatement that I say, for me, La Roux stand out way clear of the rest.

The work of duo Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid is worthy of anyone’s ear and it’s easy to understand why Lily Allen was so keen to get these booked as her under-act on her tour. Sorry Lily, but I’ve a feeling you just might get upstaged, for La Roux are an electro-pop outfit unlike any other.

Naturally for ones so-categorised their influences could be simply pinned down to numerous 80’s synth-pop acts – Depeche Mode and The Human League strike me as key components of this bands musical background – but there’s so much more to La Roux. Each song is melodic and delivered with a beautiful vocal but more than that each contains fascinating lyrics, well written and well structured so that the end product is something that could see electro-pop transgress from the scene clubs to the masses in a way that the likes of Late of the Pier have yet to establish.

I just don’t see how any DJ worthy of his wages could listen to any one of these records and think those that fill his floor wouldn’t move their feet to it. Moreover, they’d probably wake up the next day wondering what that song in their head is. It’s La Roux, and you’re going to bloody love them.

Words: Ben Coley

Sky Larkin

www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin

Leeds' Sky Larkin released a single as a watch this week. Not a limited edition vinyl. Not a limited download. A watch. 'Beeline's' actually a good single in it's own right, but a free watch makes it even more impressive.

The female fronted three-piece have been flitting around the underground scene for a couple of years now, and are now ready to put all that touring and festival-ing into our iPods, and wrists. They've enlisted the help of Death Cab for Cutie's producer to put the shine on debut 'The Golden Spike', after signing to Wichita Recordings last year and seemingly tick all the boxes when it comes to being a band to watch, so 2009 should be a good one for them.

Katie Harkin, Doug Adams and Nestor Matthews make up Sky Larkin and their short and sharp indie guitar pop is stupidly catchy, catchy enough to place them just ahead of the countless other bands trying to do the same thing. Being female fronted, they've been compared to the likes of The Breeders and Yeah Yeah Yeahs but the similarities seem to end at being female fronted, the differences might start at the fact that they're absolutely mad. Anyone who releases a single as watch would have to be I guess.

Words: Jack Phillips

Marina and The Diamonds

www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds

679 records are probably already cracking open the champs after signing, nurturing and unleashing artists such as Little Boots, already destined to be huge this year, whilst winning over singer/songwriter Marina and The Diamonds amidst a label bidding war. 

This 23 year old singer songwriter, whose heritage ranges from ancient Greece to Wales to London, is debuting her first release on valentines day; a limited edition double a-side of her haunting vocals on ballad ‘Obsessions’ and the kooky but clever pop charms of ‘Mowgli’s Road’, before hunkering down in the studio to work on her 679 album deal.

Having been somewhat under the radar until recently, Marina has the vocal talents of someone older than her years, reveling in her lyrical outpourings that evoke dramatic imagery and heartfelt emotions.  Described as more Kate Bush than Kate Nash, she is one frank lady whose determination to tell it like it is has already won her armies of fans in those who appreciate such candidness and a significant amount of industry buzz in the wake of her early demos.

Currently working with Liam Howe on production, and with numerous collaborations and remixing offers in the pipeline, her peers have also been at the forefront of the praise being lavished on Marina, from Dev Hynes to Passion Pit to Victoria Hesketh (Little Boots) herself.

Expect this talented chanteuse to be a big voice amongst this years hopeful breakthrough artists, with her label taking her into the studio to finish and perfect her debut LP before touring the UK and making Kate and Lily quake in their vintage shoe boots.  It’s going to be a good year and Marina is embracing it.

Words: Francesca Strange

Little Boots

www.myspace.com/littlebootsmusic

2009 couldn't have started any better for Little Boots. Everybody is talking about her, she's the single of the week on iTunes, she was voted the BBC Sound of 2009 and she came second at the BRITs Critics' Choice Award behind label mate Florence and the Machine, although the end of 2008 wasn't exactly bad either. She played a slot on Jools Holland and Hot Chip's Joe Goddard produced her 'Arecibo' EP, which the record company has already sold out of.

Little Boots' Victoria Hesketh has made her way to becoming the most talked about and anticipated artists of 2009 via Pop Idol (apparently), Dead Disco, a Tenori-on, which is possibly the most bemusing instrument you'll ever see, and some bedroom-recorded YouTube cover versions - proper cover versions that is, she's made the songs her own and they're better for it. She then seems to have arrived at a sound that combines Goldfrapp vocals, with an added ingredient that is a Lancashire accent, some Ladyhawke choruses and some heavy, bassy backing beats.

The timing seems perfect too. There's a Little Boots shaped hole at the minute what with Goldfrapp changing lanes to go down the folk road, she'll be splattered all over the Radio One playlist in no time when her album arrives later this year. She won't be disowned by the cool crowd either though, due to the off kilter edge to her electro pop.

She's a mesmerising performer too, you can't take your eyes off her, anyone who saw her on Later... With Jools will undoubtedly agree and she has a voice as distinctive as you'll hear all year. She's certainly the coolest one woman band you'll ever see.

Words: Jack Phillips

Amazing Baby

www.myspace.com/theamazingbaby

Amazing Baby are part of the Wesleyan University alumni that spawned MGMT in a blaze of glory last year; and if early indications of their psych-prog tunes are anything to go by, 2009 should see the fellow New Yorkers explode onto our airwaves in a similar fashion.

Up until recently their 5-track EP ‘Infinite Fucking Cross’ was available free on their MySpace, demonstrating their capabilities of creating anthemic music, incorporating elements gleaned from the entities of psych, pop, rock, funk and folk in a progressive formula. 

The resulting intricate sound whilst being somewhat musically ambitious, resonates superbly live and on record, with such cohesiveness that it has seen them support MGMT and become the focus of a label bidding war, which, if rumours are to be believed, will have them signing on the dotted line imminently, if not already.

Whilst the psychedelic-rock-pop tag has become a popular theme of late, these most recent Brooklyn brethren have embraced it, perfected it and spat it out in favour of something more inspired or possibly acid induced in the groups mere 12 months of existence. 

Stand out track ‘Head Dress’ is a pedal-heavy, guitar screeching anthem with a riff capable of reverberating around your head forever.  A contrast to the dramatic 80’s synths and dreamy echo induced qualities of ‘Supreme Being’, or the ominous acoustic nature of ‘The Narwhal’ which transforms into layers of mysticism and throb once encased in the song.

Amazing Baby have grasped the concept of creativity with both hands and as they smash into 2009 as the icing on top of New York’s musical psych-prog cupcake, expectations are considerably high!

Words: Francesca Strange

MAGISTRATES

www.myspace.com/magistratesband

Magistrates describe their music as ‘pop pop pop’ and that’d be pretty fair on first listen, so make sure you keep listening.

Unmistakably fashionable, their music calls once more on the 80’s for inspiration. I’m sure somebody once told me the 80’s was a musical era worth forgetting, etching from memory altogether, but it couldn’t have been that bad could it? No, it must’ve had some resonance because what Magistrates have derived from it is the ability to write dance-floor pop that should appeal to all manner of folks.

Of course, there must be about a thousand bands who would claim to be expert protagonists of the 80’s inspired floor filling zone, so what sets Magistrates apart as being so worthy of a place on this most elite of lists? Well, it’s that their songs are so well written, defying traditional pop convention to build outwards to various other genres. Drum beats that would slot right in to a dance song, a vocal that sounds like Prince having his balls waxed and this organ in the background that was definitely stolen from the studio The Doors recorded ‘LA Woman’ in; Magistrates are one of those rare bands whose sound can genuinely be described as interesting.

What’s more, their diversity should enable them to fascinate wide audiences and evolve to become an even better band than they already are throughout the next year. Oh and if I hadn’t yet convinced you to step along to one of their shows, they’re bloody handsome buggers too. What more do you actually want? If you thank the 80’s for nothing else, thank the 80’s for Magistrates.

Words: Ben Coley

We Have Band

www.myspace.com/wehaveband

We Have Band have been described as a ‘disco rock trio’ who ‘wear their influences like a flak jacket’ and after around a year playing together have already busily smashed up the scene in a blaze of undisputed glory.

2008 was the year that saw the threesome tour the UK, get picked up by Kitsune who included their debut track ‘Oh’ in the infamous Kitsune Maison Compilation 6, released a single on indie label 50 Bones and become the dahlings of Mr. Introducing himself, Huw Stevens, with a live session at Maida Vale.

We have Band are Darren Bancroft, Thomas WP and Dede WP whose sound is a hybrid of dark dance, electronic and pop music with 3 different vocals and intuitive sampling without being contrived in anyway.

Their bass-heavy synth pop tunes such as ‘Oh’, ‘Hear It In The Cans’ and ‘You’ve Had Band’ have attracted comparisons to the likes of Hot Chip, Talking Heads and New Young Pony Club, suggesting their liklihood of achieving similar success across dancefloors and radio play lists.  And the darker, more sublime depiction of the Pet Shop Boys classic ‘West End Girls’ could be We have Band’s golden ticket to mainstream chart success.

2009 kicks off with European touring before they hit the shores of the US playing in New York and then the infamous SXSW conference in Austin, Texas.  We Have Tip.  We have Band!

Words: Francesca Strange

James
Posts: 1

Cock
Reply #1 on : Tue February 03, 2009, 13:27:08

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I swear the Cock n' bull kid has been one to watch since 2006/07. Is she ever going to be watched?

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