SPINearth.tv has spent the whole year scanning the horizon for bands that need to be known. Here's a few promising upstarts who've stood out in one way or another.
Kwaw Kesse
Agona Swedru, Ghana
Stemming from Africa's high-life movement, comes the new hip-hop cross, hip-life. And Kwaw Kesse is at it's front. Known for coining several terms and stirring controversy in the hiplife community, the 20-something-year-old Ghanaian has garnered thousands of youtube views and earned collaborations with American heavy hitters like Wyclef. Not to mention, he was introduced to President Bush during a 2008 visit to Ghana.
Nneka
Warri, Nigeria
Bustin' into the arena with the likes of soulful afro-beauties Erykah Badu and India Arie, Nigeria's Nneka is the latest soulstress to make us nod to jams with respect to her prophetic prose. Though she's not a gospel singer, her songs are rootsy and ring to a tone of change by pounding pianos and blasting horns. Watch her first single "Uncomfortable Truth" to see how deep her roots grow. Her stateside debut Concrete Jungle (due to release February 2) is already a-buzzing with anticipation by many music mediators, she was one of SPIN magazine's '10 Artists to Watch in 2010' - though we've been awaiting her Western translation for a while now. Anyway, she'll hopefully be gearing up for a tour on the other side of the Atlantic and we'll be there...nodding front and center.
Refugee All Stars
Freetown, Sierra Leone
We’re super excited about the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars’s album release which will come out on March 23rd. This African band started playing music together in West African refugee camps while their homeland was being racked by years of bloody warfare. Touring around the globe, the band has received a lot of attention, not to mention the documentary that carries their name and story. In the spring of 2010 they will tour the US and make appearances at several festivals such as Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz, Fuji Rock in Japan, Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn.
Carsick Cars
Beijing, China
You know a band is on the cusp of blowing up in everyone's face when they make their US premiere at SXSW. Landing a well-deserved spot on 2010's SXSW Showcase bill, China's Carsick Cars are an international force to be reckoned with an experimental sound they've been perfecting since 2005. While the band are packing their bags for their first North American tour, music enthusiasts around the country are downloading their highly in demand imported releases and loving what they hear. Although they've already garnered a vast following in their native city, Beijing, Carsick Cars are ready to take on a much bigger and more critical audience. This shouldn't prove to be a problem for a band that has already earned an opening gig touring with Sonic Youth in 2007 and worked with Wharton Tiers (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth). Reminiscent of early Modest Mouse and currently on the pinnacle of Beijing's live music scene, Carsick Cars aren't afraid to challenge themselves linguistically or musically. The band are currently in the studio recording their debut album, which will be released later next year. In the mean time, we are willing to bet some serious cash that 2010 will be the year of Carsick Cars.
RECOMMENDED TRACK: "Dear Friends"
Church of Misery
Tokyo, Japan
One word that gets thrown around a lot by people who don’t know what they’re talking about is “epic”. It gets tacked onto descriptions of things like house parties or good burritos, when really one of the only things worthy of the word “epic” is the music of Church of Misery. This Tokyo-based psychedelic metal band touts its monolithic sound with massive guitar riffs, two-ton, sludgy bass lines and a serious penchant for singing about serial killers. Look for both an early-works/ improvisation compilation (with a cover modeled after the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, how appropriate) and a live album dropping in early 2010 and start beefing up those neck muscles for their appearance at the Roadburn Festival 2010 in Tilburg, Holland.
my little airport
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
This boy-girl duo are as twee as the sky is blue. Ah P and Nicole met as journalism students in Hong Kong and put their heads together to create quirky, bashful, and charming tunes inflected with twinkling keyboards, odd grammar and titles like “faye wong, about your eyebrows” and “leo, are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?” my little airport just released their newest and most subtly politically-charged disc yet in November 2009, entitled poetics--something between montparnasse and mongkok on Harbor Records, an indie label they helped establish.
Frightened Rabbit
Selkirk, Scotland
Frightened Rabbit first demanded our attention towards the end of 2008. Thought the band toured for some of 2009, things have cooled off a bit for the Scottish rock band, who spent most of this year recording the highly anticipated follow-up to the band’s 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight. The album is done and is set to hit record stores in March while the band plays the first dates of what will likely be a lengthy tour. If one thing is for sure, Frightened Rabbit isn’t scared of playing their music live.
múm
Iceland
múm sing in whispers and fashion meticulous songs out of glitchy electronic equipment that sounds like it’s gasping for its last breath, the sum of which is an ideal dreamy, haunting, moody soundtrack for the frozen landscapes of their native Iceland. This ensemble, formed in 1997, just released a new album in September, entitled Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know (Morr Records) have been on tour constantly since. The disc has been lauded as some of the headiest electronica put out in 2009.
Michael Wookey
Paris, France
According to his Myspace bio, Michael Wookey was only 15 years old when his grandfather gave him a portable pump organ. The old man, passing down his instrument and heritage, was a French organist during World War II, and that pump organ ultimately inspired Wookey to write music. It also gave way to an obscure fetish for odd instruments. At 26, Wookey finds himself working on his fourth album, using a portable studio—recording in random sheds, basements and meat lockers wherever he's drawn by the quality of natural sound. He lives in the red-light district of Paris, and the French describe his music as a sort of "folk baroque".
Bonaparte
All Over The Place
Self-described: "You can say we are from Germany, France, Switzerland, Panama, America, Mexico, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden, Poland and Brazil—but we sound like something else.
Los Howlers
Santiago, Chile
The rock garage band from Santiago, Chile called everyone’s attention when the John Varvatos-Free The Noise contest announced them as one of their finalist. The Howlers didn’t make it to the first place but being the second best band of the world is not bad at all and has opened many doors for them in Santiago and soon everywhere else in the world. These guys are definitely on our watch for next year.
Vicente Gayo
Mexico City, Mexico
The fun Mexican rock-pop toy lover band fascinated us with their cool cartoon animated videos and infectious songs, The band got a lot of attention this year for its original ideas and their live performances. They just came out with a new video and will for sure make up some more fun stuff for the 2010.
The Buffalos
Tel Aviv, Israel
The Buffalos alt-country songs are as at home roaming the American plains as it is on the band’s home streets of Israel. The eerily comforting two-part harmonies sung by songwriter Omar Hershman and lead vocalist Sivan ‘Bella’ Leshed add a ghostly essence to the band’s subdued style of indie rock. The Buffalos cleverly mix together their influences PJ Harvey, Wilco, and Mark Lanegan to make a sound that is familiar yet new. The Buffalos will continue to play shows around Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem in support of their self-titled album, which is free for Israel residents online.
Scrambled Eggs
Beirut, Lebanon
Chosen as finalists in the John Varvatos Free the Noise contest, but unable to appear at the New York showdown, this Lebanese quartet is bound to break into the American scene eventually. With several albums under their belt and mentions in Time Magazine among other publications, they've gained a decent following and there's only more to come.
Best Coast
Los Angeles, California
The boys dominated the landslide of sun-scorched, lo-fi music that descended upon ears in 2009 until Bethany Cosentino and her brainchild Best Coast ripped into the scene. Her voice has a confident swagger that takes it beyond the obvious 60s girl group comparisons and makes it an instrument unto itself that injects her what’s-a-girl-to-do lyrics with a dose of irresistible, ennui-ridden sarcasm. The artfully scuzzy and shrill guitar lines and messy drums of her Best Coast cohorts don’t hurt her appeal either. After several home runs hit in the blogosphere, the prolific Cosentino is proving that a proper album might be next on her agenda in 2010.
Boys IV Men
San Francisco, California
“Why you lookin’ at my dick?” You be surprised how often that gets said in San Francisco. Well maybe not, but that didn’t stop local electronic dance trio Boys IV Men from making it the only words shouted on their song “Gold Stains.” The mostly instrumental three-piece made up of Aaron Rodriguez, Trevor Goosen, and Josh Hill are going into the studio to record their first album. They have steadily gained popularity in the Bay Area for their fast-pasted and highly energetic live shows through 2009. If the trend continues they are sure to show up on your radar by the end of next year.
Mi Ami
San Francisco, California
You don’t quite know what you’re listening to as soon as the band comes on; and in Mi Ami’s case, that’s a really, really good thing. This hyper-kinetic San Francisco trio gives a mind-bending live show, as vocalist/guitarist Daniel Martin-McCormick’s ultra-falsetto wild yawps scratch at the roof while the rest of the band pounds out its hardcore-psychedelic-R & B-Afro beat influenced cacophony and bodies in the audience jump and jerk around wildly. Their debut full length Watersports (Quarterstick) came out in early 2009 and was an underground marvel in its mesmerizing balance of tumultuous repetition and unhinged freak-outs. Their sound seems impossible, but mostly it’s just unexplainable. We can’t wait for what they think up next.
Small Black
Brooklyn, New York
Small Black is slowly catching the attention of the music world, and it's about damn time. After the release of Small Black’s debut self-titled EP in October, the band quickly played CMJ and are now scheduled to perform at next year’s SxSW. We have are fingers crossed that 2010 will bring a national tour and a full-length album. It’s a promising start for an awesome band.
Cloud Control
Blue Mountains, Australia
Killgirls
Adelaide, Australia
We first came across The Killgirls in a video that was produced and sent in thanks our dearest Spoz—our Adelaide correspondent. He was covering a night that was put on by The Touch (another great act out Adelaide), and modest and humble as the Spoz cam is, The Killgirls came through with an opening act, of which we only saw 30 seconds of, but it set us back. Thus, we remain impressed by this young band, and only hope that some Aussie label has the wits to take them on and produce more great music.
Made in Japan
Sydney, Australia
Quality. That's about all you need to know. Now listen and agree or disagree. Indeed some hard work has finally started to pay off, as Made i Japan has been paying their dues in the studio here and there, and coming out with with a few EPs at a time. With their self-tiled debut released early this year, it was a tight piece of work that reminded us of the early days when indie rock was turning it's first page, looking full of potential (very reminiscent of the best debuts from Kings of Leon, The Futureheads and The Rapture). Slippery slope that might be, boys and girls, we suggest holding on to your hats, and that these blokes stay focused on their quality of rock—as opposed to everything that comes with success.
wim
Sydney, Australia
As in Wim Wenders... Dare we say diamond in the rough (but digging itself out brilliantly)? Lets. This Australian quintet proves to show some serious potential with their dynamic play of melody and rhythm. Going from fun bass riffs to drone-filled chants over strong piano notes—that might leave you in complete melancholy—wim offers the sort of song-writing that looks promising for 2010 and beyond. After a short and successful tour stateside, and leaving some good impressions (TKTKTK), be on the look out for some goodness from this charming act.
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