Alice Smith: not just another four-octave voice
Hyped on: Concrete Loop; Critique de Culture; BrightestYoungThings
Official site
MySpace
Who: A Washington, D.C. native now based in New York, Smith first turned heads with an independently released debut album, “For Lovers, Dreamers and Me,” that prompted Rolling Stone to declare her one of its “Artists to Watch in 2006.” Despite the magazine’s prognostications, not many in ’06 paid Smith and her four-octave range much attention—but she’s gotten a second chance thanks to Epic Records, who reissued “For Lovers” last fall.
What: Smith’s skin color and soulful singing style get her tagged as an R&B artist, but musically she’s cut from the same cloth as pop crossover acts like Corinne Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse and even Fiona Apple. On “Woodstock,” she’s “feelin’ mellow like a cello” while casting her line into the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden”; “Gary’s Song” veers between a jazzy strut worthy of Eartha Kitt and a gospel-tinged chorus worthy of Aretha Franklin. The highlight is “Do I,” a remarkable quiet storm of pop, reggae and lush strings penned by Smith herself.
Made for: Amy Winehouse fans looking for a new, less self-destructive muse. Your next fancy dinner party. Grammy voters—lead single “Dream” was nominated this year in the best urban/alternative performance category.
X-Factor: Smith’s boyfriend is Clarence Greenwood, a.k.a. Citizen Cope, whose mix of rock, blues and hip-hop is a mirror image of Smith’s own genre-blending style. The two sometimes tour together, and Greenwood showed up to spin a DJ set for one of Smith’s CD release parties last fall. – AH
British Sea Power, "Do You Like Rock Music?" (Rough Trade)
Hyped on: Berkeley Place; I Rock Cleveland; The Cold Cut
Official site
MySpace
Who: Brighton, England is the definitively British home of the four school friends who make up this big-thinking, book-smart band. (The boys go only by first names Yan, Noble, Hamilton and Wood, like characters in a Dickens novel.) Similar to Colin Meloy of the Decembrists, BSP has a fascination with old-timey people and places, referencing blips in history like the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich and a 1953 flood on Canvey Island.
What: It’s strange to think that an “under the radar” band nerding out over crusty ocean current maps has a sound big enough to fill, say, Giants Stadium. But such is the case with BSP. “Down on the Ground” and “A Trip Out” begin with compressed swells of reverb, like so many of those great Pixies songs, before frontman Hamilton (Neil Wilkinson) spins his accented first-person stories. “Waving Flags” is deadpan Bowie/Arcade Fire territory, with a giant chorus and a confounding story about “astronomical fans of alcohol” and, quite possibly, nationalism. How the two topics link? No idea. The answer may be locked up in a dusty book somewhere in the South Midlands.
Made for: Fans of the gigantic, outer-worldly Arcade Fire deal. Brit-pop followers sick of modern Brit-pop (and more into Arcade Fire at the moment). Members of Arcade Fire (former AF drummer Howard Bilerman recorded the album).
X-Factor: “Rock Music?” was hashed out in studios in Montreal, the Czech Republic and Fort Tregantle—a 19th century fortification in Cornwall. – MR
Pig Destroyer, "Phantom Limb" (Relapse)
Hyped on: Floodwatchmusic; Idolator; Glorious Noise
MySpace
Who: On “Phantom Limb,” these Virginia noisemakers add a little brainpower to their grindcore/metal brawn, creating the “Album of the Year”—at least according to the metal tastemakers at Decibel magazine. Oddly enough, the mainstream press (Rolling Stone, Fuse, MTV, Idolator) has just as eagerly embraced the band’s throwback extreme sound.
What: While most “acceptable” metal bands these days slow down their tempos (Isis), temper the noise with My Bloody Valentine–isms (Jesu) or simply throw everything at a wall and hope it sticks (Dillinger Escape Plan), Pig Destroyer avoids such pretension. Their one-to-two-minute blasts simply pulverize…without a bass, we might add. That’s not all that’s different about these merchants of death metal—they’ve also released one album of music exclusively on DVD (for Surround Sound purposes), and singer J.R. Hayes has no problem crafting full-length concept albums or adapting his work-in-progress novel into the band’s music.
Made for: Non-metal fans who desire something aggressive. Thoughtful God-haters and misogynists (religion and deceitful women are two big targets of Hayes’ work).
X-factor: Although Hayes has been chided for his depiction of women, he offers up a romantic side on “Phantom Limb.” The singer claims the pummeling, one-minute-plus “Jupiter’s Eye” was written—fondly—for an ex. “I wouldn’t say it’s a straight-up love song,” he says, “but it’s definitely pretty Morrissey for a death metal record. That’s cool with me.” – KM
The Field, "Sound of Light EP" (Heartbeats International)
Hyped on: Crackers United; bolachas grátis
Official site
Who: The Field is Swedish techno artist Axel Willner, who blew up the minimal scene with the release of “From Here We Go Sublime” on the influential Kompakt label in 2007. His lush, hypnotic compositions reference classic Detroit techno like Carl Craig and new heroes such as Ricardo Villalobos.
What: “Sound of Light” is a specially commissioned body of music Willner composed for Sweden’s design-intensive Nordic Light Hotel. The four songs—“Morning,” “Day,” “Evening” and “Night”—were created after Willner spent time in the “light inspired” lodging. Each of the 15-minute movements creates something akin to genuine hypnosis, with warm loops of comfortably numb electronic sound waves, like Daft Punk on a handful of Valium.
Made for: Ex-ravers missing that 4 a.m. euphoria. Design junkies that subscribe to Wallpaper* magazine. Digital music nerds too young for Brian Eno’s “Ambient 1: Music for Airports.” Electro heads coming down after a long night on the dance floor.
X-Factor: Willner considers himself something of a sommelier and works in one of Sweden’s government-controlled liquor shops. – SS
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