It takes a few minutes of listening to Pearly Gate before you really get in to it. Their sound makes me think of The Zombies, or a hazy sunny day in the 60’s on a pink cadillac driving down a dusty road somewhere in California. I really like. Check out here.
Before I ran this blog, I shared one with my ex-wifey called Baby Sonic Trap. It didn’t last very long. Anyway, Mnek was one of the artists I featured on that old blog, and I kind of forgot about it for a while but his song, ‘If Truth Be Told’ came on my iTouch yesterday and I remembered just how fun this guy is. He’s only a teenager- something like 15 or 16 maybe? But so so good! Check out here.
I said last week I would mention more about this Swedish lady. I didn’t really know who she was until I saw her live last week at Penguin Prison’s London gig, and I didn’t expect that I would enjoy her stuff as much as I did (her pictures make her look moodier than she actually is). She seems to be more established in Europe than she is in the UK. I guess it’s cool pop- and it’s easy to listen to. Check out here.
I heard ‘Chasing Time’ ages ago and never got round to finding out who was behind it, then tonight on the way home from the gym I saw a really cool poster for Alan Pownall on a derelict wall and thought I’d google him. I love when stuff like this happens. Check out here.
Definitely one for the future – Jenna Andrews has a lush voice and some beautiful melodies. Check out here.
Florrie is from the British Xenomania camp of hit makers- Girls Aloud are probably their biggest success yet (and Alex Gardner later in the year I reckon!). I don’t know much about Florrie, so I’ve stolen her bio from Last.fm…
Florrie Arnold (b. 1988) is a drummer, singer and songwriter. As the drummer in Xenomania house band JFK, she has performed drums on Girls Aloud’s “The Promise” and Alesha Dixon’s “The Boy Does Nothing”.
Give ‘Panic Attack’ a listen. Check out here.
Sometimes you stumble across an artist who’s still so new that you wonder how amazing they would sound with a bit of extra production. Francheska is one of those artists! Hailing from New York (I think). My fave track is ‘Luv Sux’. Check out here.
Signed to Dizzee Rascal’s label- grime at it’s best. He won’t be releasing anything huge until the summer. Check out here.
Fancy some cheesy Turkish electro? Beduk is your man. It’s not amazing (if you listen to his album sampler, some of it is pretty terrible), but it’s really fun. And I admire how far Turkey’s gone with it’s pop scene. Check out here.
From NW London (where all the coolest people come from… ahem…), her Myspace calls her the ‘UK’s number one Dancehall Queen’. Look out for ‘Sticky Situation’. Works best with a dose of English sunshine and an ice cream. Check out here.
Currently unsigned it seems, reminiscent of Human League a little. I like ‘I Need It All’. Pretty good. Check out here.
I don’t know much about this guy, other than the fact that he’s signed to the same label as Same Difference. But don’t let that put you of- ‘My Lonely Valentine’ is a slice of happy funky pop. Check out here.
She makes me feel soooo old (she’s only 18), but it’s good music! Bloodshy is producing her stuff, along with Paul Epworth so album should be good! Check out here.
Just been signed to Motown. Will be massive. ‘When She Turns 18’ is perfection. Love! Check out here or click here for a free download.
OK, so not very ‘new’ (he’s been causing havoc on the blogs for a good few months now) but I’ve just realised that I haven’t bigged him up, and he’s one of my most listened to artists in the last 3 months according to my Last.fm
Anyway, this is nothing more than fresh, forward looking electro that’s a bit too cool to be pop but is easy to fall in love with at the same time. He’s coming to London later in the month which is nice as it seems he’s been stuck in his native New York for ages! Check out here.
Signed up by Mary J. Blige, Starshell is just pure fun pop (from what I’ve heard so far). Her first single, Superluva, was written for Britney and Lady Gaga. Both gave it a miss. Silly !Check out here.
Currently featured on B.o.B’s ‘Nothin On You’ (which is just about the most amazing bit of hip hop I’ve heard for ages), Bruno Mars look set to shake a few airwaves later this year. Check out here.
I don’t think you’ve ever heard anything like this before. It’s on a similar stroke to Active Child, but kinda not. I can’t explain it very well. I can listen to Washed Out’s stuff on repeat and not get bored. It just takes you away to somewhere new. Check out here.
It’s so rare to see people from Syria (my own home) get famous in the western world (for the good reasons!). Enter Salem Al Fakir, who’s a bit of a pop star in Sweden. I didn’t know about him til I saw a clip of him performing ‘Keep On Walking’ which is absolute perfection in my eyes. He’s already released 3 albums since 2007 in Sweden, so it’s only a matter of time before the rest of Europe clocks on! Check out here.
