The sound of things to come
Laura Hulley peers into 2009: will it be all girls, glitter and the end of indentikit indie?
Gone is the year of the reformation: 2008 was The Sex Pistols; Take That; Boyzone; dull, dull, and duller. It was the year of dredging up the past and trying to spin a few extra quid out of it – flogging a long deceased horse. Not any more: 2009 is to be the year of female dominated, super-sparkly electro pop, like it or not. And no, this is not regression, and nor is it 1984 part II: the electro ladies of ‘09 promise to push pop music further forward than it has dared to go for years. Here are our top tips for 2009:
If you haven’t heard of Blackpool’s Little Boots yet, then go find her. She’s gone from relative obscurity to being top of the coveted BBC Sound of 2009 list in a matter of months. As one third of so-nearly-famous Leeds band Dead Disco, Little Boots cut her musical teeth whilst still at University; and judging from her recent performances on Jools Holland and the ethereal covers she’s posted on YouTube, it won’t be the last we’ll hear from her.
The singer-songwriter has died and been reborn in the form of Florence and the Machine. No boyish guitars or folksy whining here and 22 year old Florence Welch certainly isn’t a ‘beans-on-toast’ Kate Nash type. Florence’s songs are a fantastical mix of David Bowie, Bjork and P J Harvey. What could possibly be any better?
There is still room for those who aren’t all mad hair, beeps, blips and basslines. folksy songstress Emmy The Great has been gathering a following on the live circuit for some time, and with her blunt, magical lyrics brimming with innovative angst, she’s bound to take ‘anti-folk’ in a new direction this year: perfect for a break from the boisterous electronica girls.
Bringing it all back home are York band The Federals. With a sound that is as garage-guitar as it gets, they deserve a mention not only for carrying the fading flame of floppy haired, skinny-boy indie but for having the potential to break out of the (almost non-existent) York ‘scene’, having recently featured in The Times as one of their Top 5 ‘gigs to watch out for’.
Despite all the wonderful new music being touted as ‘The Sound’ of 2009, the hangover from ‘08 will continue with a steady stream of tearful reconciliations; at least the members of Blur have been musically active since their split, and aren’t too old for it to be embarrassing. For The Darkness, this may not be the case. Obviously excited by the news that lycra and hairspray are back, they’re rumoured to be planning a new tour and album. I wonder who they think will care.
If glitter, costume, drama, and extravagance are your thing or you have a penchant for the 80s, the coming twelve months will be a visual/aural treat. They promise to break away from the banality of identikit indie and usher in a new age, ruled by electro-pop queens and their faithful laptops.
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The end of indie?
oh no! surely there must be a mistake?
i was just getting into it..LOL