Blog Co-Operation: Top 10 Upcoming Irish Acts

This post represents blog co-operation at it's best. Peter over at 2 U I Bestow and myself have been working on creating a list of 10 Irish acts who we believe will make considerable progress towards world domination in the coming 12 months. Each of us picked 5 acts. Think of this as the Irish version of Sound of 2009. And don't complain when we constantly say "I told you so" throughout the year!




Aortal

Aortal are a three piece power alternative rock band with an amazing vocalist. Their MySpace with 20,000 plus friends describes the band as " ..... a Dublin three piece fronted by James O' Toole on guitar and vocals with Conor Friel on bass and Jay McNamara on Drums. This exciting new act combines striking vocals and visuals with the raw energy of a pumping heart." Due to their search for a drummer I have a feeling Aortal's debut won't be released in 2009 but what I do think will happen is that the band will create a big buzz in Ireland. The beginning of this buzz will be in February where they will be competing in the JD Set rock band competitions after been chosen from hundreds of bands! An initial Aortal comparison has to be JJ72 with a slighly harder edge. James is a great singer and it's that voice that will carry Aortal all the way to success.


MySpace

Aortal - 'In Light'





Armoured Bear

Armoured Bear come from down south, and like all southern bands, come packed with attitude. It doesn't only apply to US bands that southern thing, you know? Armoured Bear were a hit at last year's CorkXSW Festival, and after the release of their stunning Honeycomb Moons, they should be much bigger nationwide. The appeared on RTE's The View last week, and this is only the start of their rise in popularity. Expect big things from this upcoming Irish indie quartet. Oh and you should check out their wonderful website. It's almost as clever as the music.

MySpace
Official Site

Armoured Bear - 'Imagination'





Laura Izibor

Laura Izibor from working class Dublin was first discovered at the age of 15 when she won a national song contest. This was five years ago. Now at the age of 20 and on the cusp of releasing her debut album "Let The Truth Be Told", Laura is fully prepared for superstardom. Laura is a pop diva with an Irish attitude! I feel her Irishness will seperate her from similar artists such as Joss Stone and Duffy. She has full financial backing from Atlantic records and her music is already familiar to us due to the clever placement of Laura's songs in movies and on advertisements. Her songs can be heard in PS I Love You, The Nanny Diaries, Greys Anatomy and Seven Pounds. Laura has also supported the likes of James Blunt, Estelle and the legendary Aretha Franklin in New York City. Did I mention she actually can write a decent pop tune?

MySpace

Laura Izibor - 'Mmm'





Lines Drawing Circles

Lines Drawing Circles are probably not a band you've heard of. Yet. Their debut single will be released in February, with a special release party in CrawDaddy on 7th February 2009. We've been lucky enough to hear that single, and have to say it sounds very, very promnising. It's one of those infectious pop songs, but never becomes syrupy. You know the kind of stuff Nada Surf do best? A bit like that. They released a self-titled EP last year, which had glimpses of greatness. The new single, 'Thebes' is even better.

MySpace

No videos available yet.



Susan Enan

Susan Enan spent many years living in Northern Ireland but is now a resident of NYC who has a debut album ready for release during 2009. There are many similarities between Susan and Laura Izibor in that you may well be familar with Susan's sound due to the placement of Bring on the Wonder (ft Sarah McLauchlin) in the tv programme Bones and is the closing song of that soundtrack. I became aware of Susan's talent when her song Moonlight appeared on the Ruby Sessions Compilation in 2003. Moonlight is such an amazing song which has to be discovered this year. When the debut appears, she will already have a massive pool of fans due to the Bones soundtrack and will hopefully become massive in the year 2009.


MySpace

Susan Enan - 'Bring On The Wonder'





Television Room

Television Room is a band formed out of the ashes of The Marshal Stars who in 2004 were signed by Vertigo records. The Marshal Stars were a three piece power pop band ready for national success. Hotpress regularly featured the band's singles and gigs with a next big thing tag attached to the band! However a new direction was sought by the Marshals Stars Michael John and James O'Brian and Television Room was born in 2007. Television Room are a five piece indie pop band ready for national and then global domination. Their first single Tinabelle can be found on the Faction 2 compilation album and the band have finished recording and mixing their debut which will be released this year also on Faction Records. I predict big things for Television Room this year.

MySpace

Television Room - 'Coffee Houses'





Tenaka

Tenaka is one guy: Ronan Carroll. He's this year's RSAG. Yes, he's that damn good. His name reminds me of a wrestler, or T-Hawk from Streetfighter, but who cares about names? It's the music that matters. He recently released his debut EP, EPonymously Titled to much acclaim, and has even been featured on BBC Radio across the water. Some of his tracks are instrumental, but add in the word "multi" and it makes them all the more interesting. A supremly talented musician, if his live act stands up to his studio stuff, 2009 could well be his year.

MySpace

No videos yet.



The Funeral Suits

A band can become successful due to one or two specific influencial endorsements. In the case of The Funeral Suits, getting an endorsement from BBC's Steve Lamacq has given the band band clear motivation to succeed. The Funeral Suits are an indie band with great tunes and dynamic musicians. In the summer of 2008 they released their first EP Oh Dear. It looks like 2009 will have The Funeral Suits touring up and down the country, getting as much exposure as possible and recording their debut album. The Funeral Suits certainly belong to the indie genre of Fight Like Apes and Los Compesinos and this will be their year!

MySpace

The Funeral Suits - 'Black Lemonade'





The Kanyu Tree

If there is justice in the world, this summer should be the summer of the Kanyu Tree. Their songs are a pop masterclass. The band is a trio of Galweigan brothers (the Cluskeys). Last year they supported The Hold Steady (where I found out about them), The Feeling, Ocean Colour Scene, The Bluetones and the Stunning. 2009 can only get better. If you've heard them, you'll know why. If not, get to their MySpace page now and download 'Crocodile'. A sing-along sensation. Check them out at a free gig in Whelan's on 21st of January, 2009.

MySpace

The Kanyu Tree - 'Crocodile'




The Kinetiks

One small problem with this band is the sheer amount of "k"s in their name. One too many if you ask me. However, in Gaz Harding, they are blessed with one of Ireland's finest frontmen. Charming and sincere, but with a no-care attitude, you can tell he really feels every word and every note he plays. They're set to release their new EP, called Aye Aye Aye on March 6th, and look set to increase their already-decent exposure by hopefully moving up the Oxegen stagelist. They're on RTÉ's The Café tonight (Friday, 16th January), so check them out.

MySpace

The Kinetiks - 'A Smile Crack'd Your Face'

Lists: BBC Sound of 2009 Announced

Blackpool electro-poster Little Boots has been announced today as the BBC Sound of 2009, following in the footsteps of Adele, Mika, and... Corinne Bailey Rae.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7814304.stm

1. Little Boots
2. White Lies (above)
3. Florence and the Machine
4. Empire of the Sun
5. La Roux
6. Lady GaGa
7. VV Brown
8. Kid Cudi
9. Passion Pit
10. Dan Black

Watch her single 'Meddle' from last year to see what the fuss is about:


Alternatively have a look at my own tips for 2009:
http://swearimnotpaul.blogspot.com/2009/01/upcoming-brilliance-sound-of-2009.html

Upcoming Brilliance: Sound of 2009

Forget about BBC's Sound of 2009 (although that'll make for a great read next week), this is where it's all happening. These are the acts you need to hear in 2009. Well, this is what I think anyway... (they're in alphabetical order, so no-one is above another)

Broken Records
Broken Records are a Scottish band that are miles better than Glasvegas, if only because they've a cello, violin, trombone and mandolin. Yet they remain a rock band. Oh and someone has called them the Scottish Arcade Fire. Not a bad comparison. Glorious. I cannot wait for their debut album, as new single 'Lies' and 'If The News Make You Sad, Don't Watch It' are both tremendous.
New single 'Lies':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brokenrecordsedinburgh

Fiction Family
Punch Brothers were the must-hear Nickel Creek offshoot of 2008 led by Chris Thile, but 2009 will be the year of Sean Watkins. His band, formerly known as The Real Sean Jon release their debut record at the end of this month (the 20th) on Dave Matthews' ATO Records. Check out their new single 'When She's Near':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fictionfamily

Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine are going to be massive in 2009. You mark my words. Of all the people I list here, no-one else will probably rise so rapidly. It's amazing that you haven't heard of her already. Oh wait you have? And what song? Of course, the excellent 'Kiss With A Fist'

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic

Mr Hudson
Kanye West's latest protege will be just like Estelle, A-Track and John Legend - massive. This man knows music. Kanye knows more about music than most PR men. And he'll tell you so. Similarily, he'll tell you how brilliance Mr Hudson is. And every time he says something like that about someone other than himself, you just have to stand up and listen.
'Picture of You':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mrhudson

Mumford and Sons
The best new live act I saw in 2008 wasn't even the full band. It was just band leader Marcus by himself, supporting Laura Marling at Whelan's, and he was fantastic. Forget about Noah and the Whale, this is the future of British pop-folk.
'White Blank Page':
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
80s pop along the line of A Flock of Seagul..well, maybe not them. But the kind of music that used to be on the radio when it was good. They've a horrible name, but they make enchanting music. 'Everything with You':

MySpace: www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

Passion Pit
This band are on every list. And it's no wonder why. They're fantastic. I've talked about them numerous times on this blog, and I'm not about to stop any time soon. Expect them to crop up on a lot of end-of-year lists too. 'Sleepyhead':

MySpace: www.myspace.com/passionpitjams

Jay Jay Pistolet
It's not fair that people born much later than me are succesful. What will be fair, however, is the success of Jay Jay Pistolet. He's been around since 2007 and really should've released an album last year, so hopefully he'll finally do it in 2009. 'We Are Free':

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jayjaypistolet

Also be on the lookout for VV Brown, White Lies, and John Mayer.

Yes, that John Mayer. If he does release an album in 2009 (and I hope to God it does), he'll be huge. The publicity has already been done. He's probably the best young guitarist I've ever seen. His work with John Mayer Trio is impeccable. Just watch this, if you don't believe me:

Upcoming Brilliance: The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

It seems the world is finally catching up to the brilliance of Craig Finn's sing-speak, and warmly embracing Brooklyn's The Hold Steady. Since the days of Lifter Puller, Craig Finn and Tad Kubler have been vastly undervalued musicians. However, the release of their later band, The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America in 2006 was their catapult to a worldwide audience. That album was vaunted by every critic I know (including myself on that previous website I wrote for...do some investigative work!)

It was also their first record to be released in Ireland. Their previous two, Almost Killed Me (which features the oh-so-wondeful 'Knuckles') and Separation Sunday got a fair bit of love the other side of the great wide ocean, but not here. Boys and Girls changed that, and with the release of their newest album, Stay Positive, this Friday, they're set to embrace an even wider market. Tom Dunne is even playing 'Sequestered in Memphis' for Christsake. How much more popular can you get in Ireland?

The band are also due to perform at Oxegen this weekend. They played a great show earlier this year at The Academy (I was present to hear live versions of some of the new tunes, and they soung great, especially 'Yeah Sapphire'). That show featured support from the Kanyu Tree, a Galway band who make some excellent summery pop.

But as for now...
"Yeah, Sapphire
I'm sick and I'm tired and I'm fried
And you gotta believe me

Yeah, Sapphire
If I cross myself when I come,
Would you maybe receive me?

Yeah, Sapphire
You were feisty at first,
But I broke you and I showed you the temporal

Sacramento,
It swung at us first
But it ended up going down gentle

Sapphire, if Cheyenne's too small
We'll haul it all back to St. Paul
I was just about to call you
When you called

Yeah, Sapphire
I know the last time we touched
I came on a bit rough, please forgive me

Yeah, Sapphire
After you left, it was a big sketchy mess
They almost killed me

Sapphire, if Cheyenne's too small
We'll haul it all back to St. Paul
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]
I was just about to call you
When you called

Sapphire, if St. Paul don't call
We've always got Aberdeen
'Cause dreams they seem to cost money
But money costs some dreams

It went just as you predicted
I swear there must be something in your dreams
It all went down exactly like your visions
And I know you said don't call until I'm clean

I'm not drunk, I'm cut
I'm gushing blood
And I need someone to come and pick me up

I was a sceptic at first, but these miracles work
I was a sceptic at first, but these miracles work
I was a sceptic at first, but these miracles work
I was a sceptic at first, but these miracles work"

Upcoming Brilliance: The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

On August 18th, New Jersey "punk rock band" The Gaslight Anthem release the follow-up to their splenid debut album Sink or Swim. I put punk rock in inverted commas, because this usually indicates some sort of post-Sex Pistols nonsense. The Gaslight Anthem are very far from nonsense. Their music is a kind of dirty rock infused with nuanced referencing and witty lyrics. Family Guy would be proud of some of their intertextuality! (Is it still called intertextuality when one band references another's lyrics?)

The Senor and the Queen EP was released to much acclaim (well a small bit of acclaim, but all from notable sources) earlier this year. Their upcoming release The '59 Sound could well break them into the mainstream, and deservedly so. Promotion proper for the album begins on July 22nd when the band release a 7 inch of 'The '59 Sound' and 'Even Cowgirls Get The Blues'.

Expect them to be vaunted by Pitchfork and other mainstream sources when the album is finally released. Check out this stunning tune from their first release this year (the EP), then you'll know why I put them in the "Upcoming Brilliance" category.

The Gaslight Anthem - Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts