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Special Feature
FIFTEEN for THIRTEEN - SoundsXP's Tips for 2013
Article written by
Paul M - Dec 2, 2012
At the end of 2011 we told you to look out for Toy, Two Wounded Birds, Alabama Shakes and the Staves, amongst our list of mighty fine new acts for 2012. Well without reaching for the tannoy controls to yell "WE TOLD YOU SO", or engaging in copious back slapping, we shall instead plough on and repeat the process this year. So without the aid of balls of crystal, here's who you'll be getting moist fulcrums over in 2013:
BIG WAVE
A 5 piece lo-fi guitar pop band from Torquay who combine classic C86/Sarah Records bands, elements of Soul and Motown to the best of 4AD's late 80s output.
Dignan Porch play songs with a riot of different textures – a little krautrock, some psychedelia, even a touch of guitar rock, and it’s as powerfully attractive as a scrapyard magnet. One day Japanese fans will make pilgrimages to Tooting because of this band so get in on the ground floor.
Otherworldly Americana from the sunbaked plains of, er, Manchester. From the tragic tale of ‘Missing Out’ to the jittery ‘It’s All Over It’s Everywhere’ they’re urgent, exciting and, at their peak, utterly entrancing and have more than a little hint of Summerteeth-era Wilco and a lot of Neil Young about them.
Hailing from South-West England, HUSH! have already made minor waves locally and have headed to that there London in the hope of furthering their career. With this type of contagious, jangly indiepop that so many of us find irresistible they should have no trouble turning a few heads. Currently in the rehearsal room beavering away on new material, it may be a couple of months before we hear much more from them, but if first taster 'There's Something In The Stars Tonight' is anything to go by, fans of melody and the brighter side of 80s indie will have much to look forward to.
Rose Keeler-Schäffeler released a couple of vinyl singles and a lot of online demos but the best is sure to come once she’s sorted her work-life balance and moved on from the bedroom to the studio. She has a genius for the catchiest lo-fi pop that will take flight in 2013.
From Pity Me, Durham. Martha are straight edge vegan punk poppers. Their 5 song EP released in 2012 is easily the most fun you can have with your ears. They deliver poppy punky songs that bristle with energy, enthusiasm and intelligence. Live the band are even more special. Firing off their pop salvos and hitting the target every single time. Irresistibly brilliant.
A London fourpiece with a penchant for funky electro pop rock. Expect plenty of nods to 80s Bowie and Talking Heads and eBay searches for jackets with rolled up sleeves. By the end of 2013 we may well be aiming sniper rifles at them but right now they make us nod our headband clad noggins and tap our suede pixie booted toes.
N/V/Adj is Evan Inman and Chrim Ruck. They began the band way back in July of 2012 as way to fill up space on their portable multi-track recorder. Their approach bears the hallmarks of classic bedroom DIY pop. They record layer after layer of crunchy, lo-fi pop sounds using a variety of instruments: guitars, banjo, ukulele, synth and drums (live and electronic). They shoot their own videos on an iPhone and they recent download single 'Everything's Not Perfect' is a rather fab piece of pop music.
The London band with the unusual name (it’s Polari - gay slang - for “effeminate man”) sound like they could have been on Creation Records in the 1980s and, if they had, they would have been the Weather Prophets, with their deadpan vocals and spacious, chunky guitars, allied to killer melodies.
The debut by South London band Palma Violets was on the right label; it sounded just like Rough Trade guitar bands of yore, especially The Libertines and The Strokes. There’s nothing new about the Violets but they have a real buzz that’s missing from ersatz indie like the Vaccines – and anthemic choruses liable to explode a live venue. Expect them to feature on many Tips for 2013 lists.
Apparently the members of London-via-Brighton DIY punks Sauna Youth have all previously exhibited or sold art or poetry in the past. Lyrically there are hints at the former lives but musically, their unholy racket of scrunching guitars and pummelling percussion, is a whole different story.
With bands like The Horrors, TOY and Yeti Lane pushing experimental psychedelia to the fore in the past couple of years, incorporating it with krautrock and shoegaze, the time seems right for a band to come along and take us back to the sunkissed-psychedelia that characterised the late 60s, not just in style but in the quality of their songs too. The ones most likely to be providing us with irresistible retro, kaleidoscopic pop are Kettering duo Temples who've just released their debut single on Heavenly Recordings. We're looking forward to more of the same.
A planet spanning group of musicians who came together in London to produce a fusion of their various cultural influences. Occasionally melancholic, often uplifting and peppy, they chuck in keys, ukes, melodicas and handclaps, and have possibly the most bonkers, turbo charged drummer we’ve ever seen. One for fans of Islands, the Beta Band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Vampire Weekend.
We don’t know much about them apart from them being named after Grace Slick’s mum and linked to Sexbeat Records. We can spot Wesley from Let’s Wrestle in the line up though so it must be good, as their early Soundcloud recordings confirm.
A rock synth quartet from London, by way of Australia, Brazil and South Africa, have built up a reputation in the last 12 months with their in your face live shows and art school videos. Debut album is due in 2013.
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