The Next Big Thing: an A to Z of 2009 – Part 8

Finally, we have reached the end of my A-Z! Although actually it’s only an A-Y. Do you feel cheated?

The Sound of Arrows
The new… Le Sport
I, like many others in the pop blogging community, fell in love with this band just from watching a few seconds of their wonderful new video. The song is lovely anyway (although there are many better similar ones), but a super-ace video always makes a song seem extra special. It’s just so joyous – it has unicorns (my favourite animal) and skipping and fireworks and all sorts of other acetastic things. The video has certainly gained them some notoriety, but now they’ve got to follow it up with lots of good songs if they want to become more than a one hit wonder. In Sweden, they have strong competition from acts such as Lo-Fi-Fnk, Pacific! and Montt Mardie, but none of those are really well known internationally, so they will seem more unique to newcomers to the Swedish electro-pop sound. Anyway, they’re Swedish, they like unicorns, and they sound like the Pet Shop Boys mixed with Justice and I’m From Barcelona. The chances are undoubtedly high for future aceness.
Poptasticness: 76% Hit potential: 65%

VV Brown
The new… Vanessa Brown (well, you can’t disagree!)
I loved VV Brown when she released her ace single Whipped under her full name of Vanessa Brown a few years ago. It was a song that seemed like it could be a huge hit, but nobody noticed, and I think (much like I fear will happen to Silhouettes if they release Surrender) that it was just not the right song to start off a career. Great for an established artist, but a bit too ambitious perhaps for a new one. It was so polished and perfect already that it just seemed unnatural, and I’m sure many people would have got the idea, like I did, that she was being presented to us on a plate as the next big thing, and people don’t always go for that because it does make you feel manipulated. Crying Blood is much more like the kind of song that a new artist should release first, and I think it has a good chance of success, although I don’t feel super-confident that she’ll be the star of the year. I think she’ll be a sort of middling success and we’ll end the year wondering if she’ll get to do another album. That’s my prediction, anyway. Let’s see if I’m right!
Poptasticness: 83% Hit potential: 55%

White Lies
The new… The Bravery
It’s fantastic how few of the acts in this year’s ‘ones to watch’ lists are traditional man bands with guitars and drums and all that rubbish. The only such act that’s popped up particularly regularly is White Lies, and they’re not too bad. Their new single is really good, actually. I first heard some hype around them last spring and took a liking to some of their MySpace songs, missed them at The Great Escape, and then forgot about them until recently. The hype was there, but the album wasn’t, so they went off to record it and returned, probably not coincidentally, just in time to be everyone’s easy pick for a one to watch this month. I haven’t heard such an anthemic chorus in an indie-rock song in ages, and I remember now how brilliant and cathartic it can be to sing along with these songs. On the radio they were being compared to The Bravery in a derogatory way, but I absolute loved Honest Mistake, and Unconditional wasn’t bad either, so I really don’t mind having another Bravery around.
Poptasticness: 69% Hit potential: 88%

The Yeah Yous
The new… The Feeling
One of my most recent discoveries, and one of the acts I’m most looking forward to hearing more from in 2009. They’re really, really obscure, but they have a major label deal and they may have only put one song up on their MySpace so far, but it’s catchy enough to get stuck in my head most of the last week. They are a male duo, mid to late 20s at a guess from the small photos, and they’re clearly aiming for the jolly retro man band genre created by The Feeling. I haven’t been too impressed with The Feeling lately, and I used to love them, so it’s great to have a new act doing something similar. Lets hope their aceness lasts a bit longer! Considering they are so unknown that I was actually the first person ever to listen to them on Last FM (I don’t think I’ve ever given a band a Last FM profile before either), it’s obviously not a safe bet, but I do think they have brilliant potential and I personally will support them all the way (as long as they don’t go rubbish). It’s so nice to find a new British band to support! It has been a while.
Poptasticness: 96% Hit potential: 37%

The end! It has been a long journey from A to Y, but enjoyable and very interesting for me, not just to get into some new music, but also to think about where music is going in 2009, and what kind of acts can fit into the pop industry as it is today. I always note patterns, and then a year later they’ll be extinct, and that’s what’s exciting, although frustrating, about being invested in pop music as wholeheartedly as I am. You never know what is going to happen, and while there’s often sadness when an act you love doesn’t get the breaks they deserve, it’s easy to console yourself with the next brilliant new artist. Even in times of low poptasticness, if you know where to look and have the energy to do it, you will find amazing new music. I haven’t found my next Alphabeat or Lady GaGa yet, but maybe I’ve found a few Velvets or Those Dancing Days. Here’s hoping!

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