Mortal Coil

The 2010 list is by far the most uninspiring ‘Sound Of…’ I’ve seen EVER.

Whilst I’ve heard Ellie Goulding’s name mentioned over the past few months, the moment I heard her I dismissed her as completely talentless and uninteresting. The less said about her, the better.

Everything Everything appear to be mildly interesting in a sort-of XTC/They Might Be Giants wacky-indie-pop kind of way which is likely to appeal to fans of semi-intelligent music. Whether they will make a dent in the charts, however, is another thing altogether.

Delphic are growing on me – and for me, the best of the list. They could almost be flatmates with The Big Pink, but for me their album’s the one to watch – I think they’ll be next year’s White Lies.

Just who the hell is Daisy Dares You? How come, in all the blogs I’ve read and contributed to, DDY’s name has never once cropped up. On the basis that she’s holding an acoustic guitar in the picture on the BBC website, I gave her video a screening and it seriously disappointed.

I’m also seriously struggling to believe that Stornoway have any chance at all of selling out the O2 Arena any time soon. In fact, if they end up as support on a future Levellers tour, I think that this could be considered the pinnacle of their career.

So… what’s missing???

Firstly, Exit Calm. Hailing from Barnsley, Yorkshire, their music manages to be exciting, dynamic and widescreen all at the same time. Their 2009 single ‘We’re On Our Own’ was my Song Of The Year. Their album’s released in the Spring – for me, they’re the big name of 2010. Watch this space…

Next up – London-based The Domino State. With three excellent singles and a Coldplay support to their name, it’s a wonder that the excellent Domino State aren’t on more people’s lips, but the release of their album early in 2010 should change all that. Excerpts of tracks on the forthcoming album are available now on their myspace site.

Finally, from America, the excellent Yeasayer. Their fab debut album All Hour Cymbals was a great listen but if new single Ambling Alp (available now in the US and early Jan in the UK) is anything to go by, they’ve developed a more-commercial sound which will appeal to fans of Vampire Weekend and The Strokes. A new album and a UK tour early next year are planned.

I suspect that once again “the sound of 20xx” won’t be known till closer to mid-year, when popular opinion coalesces and someone rather new gets a controversially high slot on a main stage at a summer festival or two.