With the BBC’s Sound of 2013 vote now called and all the blogs' and music mags’ Ones to Watch lists done and dusted, we asked around to find out if anyone was accidentally passed over in the media scrum. Here’s what we discovered…
Christopher Owens
I own a few band tee’s but I only wear one; it’s the Girls one I bought six months ago after their incredible sell out show at the Kentish Town Forum. Not long after though, frontman Christopher Owens and guitarist Chet White announced they were splitting up. Thankfully, Owens revealed he'd be making music on his own and it is just as mesmerising as his work with Girls. Debut album Lysandre is out this month and I can’t see it not making our end of 2013 list.
Flamingods
When innovative label Art is Hard Records announced that they were ready to release their first full album, we all knew the band would be pretty special. We weren't wrong either. Flamingods will get the New Year off to the best possible start when Sun lands this month. They're not a band that you can simply file alongside anything else, but if you need a reference point, early Animal Collective isn't a bad place to start. www.myspace.com/flamingods
Seasfire
Picking a tip for 2013 was a difficult one, with so much fantastic music in every size and shape bursting onto the scene recently. But I've narrowed it down to the dramatic and always brilliant Seasfire. Their music is dripping with theatrical, sweeping melodies, and a haunting vocal that's gripping and wonderfully intense. Keep your ears open for these melancholic electronic wonders from Bristol. http://www.seasfire.tumblr.com
Jetta
Liverpool-born and London-based singer Jetta first came to our attention with Start A Riot, an incandescent blast of bass-heavy indie-goth. The ultra-confident introduction was featured by the NME and marries a dark leftfield vibe with one of the most exciting voices I’ve heard for a long time, giving her the edge over a plethora of female pop singer songwriters. Jetta headlines Generator’s The Tipping Pointshowcase at Roundhouse Rising on 16 February. http://startariot.co.uk/
Meat Wave
I’m obsessed by a band from Chicago called Meat Wave. Nobody knows them but they’re amazing. They only have the records on YouTube but they draw on a lot of things from my musical history – music from the 90s and early 2000s that I really love. They put it into a fresh, fun, punk sound. There’s a song called Brother that I can’t stop listening to. I’m also obsessed with Father John Misty. He’s getting huge in the States and he should be everywhere. He writes amazing lyrics and is a singer-songwriter more in the Bob Dylan storytelling aspect than a singer of love songs. http://meatwavechicago.bandcamp.com/
AlunaGeorge
Not a brand new act, but one I’m excited to see develop in 2013 is AlunaGeorge. They’re the complete package. You Know You Like It has been out over a year, and I’m still not bored of it – it just oozes sass. Plus they’ve got such a broad appeal, the hipster blog scene love it, as do urban and BBC 1Xtra fans, while Heat magazine-reading Topshop-shopping average Joe’s are just finding out about them. I think the production is key: George is right up there already with this new crop of upcoming UK producers like MNEK and Jamie XX in creating some really interesting beats, and I think that’ll really help their appeal in the US too. http://www.alunageorge.com/
