Bands of ’09

I’ve just been listening to East End upstarts Bleech. It wouldn’t be a surprise to discover the band members’ older siblings used to make them eat Britpop and grunge cassettes for breakfast and only now have the tapes worked their way through said group’s system. Whatever the case, the music they’re currently regurgitating on their seemingly never-ending tour of London is honest and pure – and yet further evidence that 2009 is proving to be a brilliant year for new music.

Already, The Virgins’ paradoxically anti-college/pro-college party rock has outrun the hype and their debut album is currently proving itself an early contender for record of the year. Empire Of The Sun, too, have lived up to their colourful image. You could tell everyone wanted to like them simply on the basis of their luminous makeup and Jedi-like musings. Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly, the duo released a record that allowed everyone to enjoy the experience guilt-free.

Another act ready to live up to expectations are Hockey. ‘Too Fake’ is already an anthem and the band have got plenty more material up their sleeve. Their ‘Mind Chaos’ album is uplifting and surely should set them up to be one of the festival acts not to miss this summer. Dananananaykroyd will be another of those groups. Their album’s good, but performed right in front of you the songs become an absolute riot. This time last year, it was all about Kentucky’s Cage The Elephant, and in much the same way this Scottish six-piece are capable of winning the world over with the power of their live show alone.

There’s loads of other inspiring music around too. And loads of it is weird and different-sounding. There’s Grammatics who are out on tour with Rolo Tomassi and Pulled Apart By Horses (they sound like neither band and yet fit perfectly into a scene which is more about attitude than sharing influences) –  if you haven’t already, search their album out now. There’s Passion Pit too, and interacting with their song ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ is like meeting a beautiful stranger from another planet. And that’s not to mention Titus Andronicus, yet another New Jersey outfit to make their hometown sound like the most raucous place in the universe. Also in sight is the Datarock album. That’s another strange one. Music that keeps you on your toes. It’s brilliant. How can such a thing still exist? Surely, by now, we should have heard everything there is to hear. But, no. Even La Roux is managing to do something thrilling despite sounding and looking like she’s been airlifted here directly from the eighties.

So hardly any of these musical entities are selling any records ‘cause that’s the nature of the beast these days, but anyone who tells you that fact’s in any way tied to a downturn in quality couldn’t be more wrong. This is the best time to be listening to new music. On top of all the stuff already referenced, 2009 has also given us rocking Dinosaur Pile-Up tracks, a tantalisingly diverse album by The Do, the Motorhead-slaughtering single from Gallows, plus stupendous live performances from the incredible talent of Alessi’s Ark and the frantic The Joy Formidable (who, fronted, by the compelling Ritzy Bryan, sound like the Pixies caught up in an electrical storm).

Looking back to January, the first group I saw this year was called Arthur. Despite both the rubbish band name and the fact that, on first sight, the quintet looked too young to be any good, the female-fronted outfit turned out to sound something like Arctic Monkeys playing American indie rock from the early/mid-nineties. They invested me with the feeling that 2009 was going to be a special year for breakthrough artists from the off; and that’s proved the case. The more established acts have tried to keep up, but they just haven’t managed it. The Enemy may be pushing their boundaries, and yes singer Tom Clarke does appear to be morphing into Richard Ashcroft, but how many people honestly prefer ‘No Time For Tears’ to ‘You’re Not Alone’? And Doves have made something of a comeback. But that’s because they’ve made a record that sounds quite a lot like ‘Lost Souls’ and everyone’s been confused into thinking they’re brilliant again, when really the Cheshire outfit are simply reminding us how outstanding they used to be. Finally, there’s the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ new record – well, okay, it’s super-cool (if overly one-paced/slow-moving), but no one really thought it would be rubbish, did they? And it’s just not possible for a band to completely blow our minds unless they’re taking us totally by surprise, which is why we rely on the new acts coming through. Fortunately, there have been loads of amazing ones already this year. And it’s still only April!