It's been another great for new music, and next year is already looking just as exciting...
On the MTV2 front we've got particularly high hopes for the wonderfully skewiff Dexys Midnight Runner-isms of the Guillemots, the fierce, 2 minute teenage burnouts of Be Your Own Pet and the bizarre, Gang of Four meets the League of Gentlemen uniqueness of The Young Knives. We also fully expect the eccentric, Pavement / Flaming Lips inspired new wave of US bands such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the Spinto Band to do the proverbial do over here, and we say yay for "round" music again - lets lose those oh so 2004 angles, Kids!. However, If its more Killers / Bloc party / Futureheads style angles you crave, bands such as the Automatic, Boy Kill Boy and the Test Icicles should keep you happy throughout 06.
Many exciting acts for 06 on the Base front approaching too, with Sway finally fulfilling his promise as the first UK artist from the grime scene to blow up since Dizzee; The articulate, Nelly meets Jay-Z party Hip Hop of Young Jeezy; The crisp, sweet soul of Chris Brown and Ne-yo, and the roughneck, self referential, cellphone number-obsessed hip hop of Mike Jones. We're also loving the Jill Scott influenced neo-soul of UK vocalist Corinne Bailey Rae, who we expect great things from in 06.
Sitting somewhere between Base and MTV2 is the harsh urban poetry and acoustic grime of Plan B: Working with producer Paul Epworth (Futureheads and Bloc Party) and coming across like an East London blend of Eminem and Gil Scott Heron, the album promises to be a startlingly original blast of reality and musical schitzophrenia that will be demanding your attention in 06. In fact, in the wake of LCD Soundsystem and The Go! Team, It looks 06 is going to be another year of crazy musical hybrids, with Parisian upstarts Justice already damaging dancefloors with their rock techno; The warped, urgent indie electro of Shy Child and the slightly less urgent (but no less thrilling) indie / electro / funk of Hot Chip.
Anyhow, thats just a small fraction of all the exciting new music coming your way over the next few months, and we hope you're looking forward to more musical mutations and rhythmic deviations in 06 as much as we are! And if you want to check out many of the above bands and artists, be sure to tune into our "Spankin New Ones to Watch" specials over the Christmas and New Year period. Cheers!
'MTV2: Spanking New Ones to Watch premieres 27.12.05 @ 22:00
Base: Spanking New Ones to Watch premieres 09:01:05 @ 21:00'