Eternal Summers “Able To” from Indianface on Vimeo.
The rise of pedal distortion- led pop-rock, from the garage revival of the Vivian Girls to the fuzz and rawness of Times New Viking, is currently one of the creative fronts in popular music. And the E of 2009 is likely to add some more wood to this fire with brand new names such an Eternal Summers. In the jaunty and tuneful side of indie rock, this boy-girl duo’s debut EP is quickly earning them a great deal of devotion around the blogosphere.
Other recent source of hipness is the influence of Afrobeat in today’s US leftfield bands and in 2009 will keep on expanding. One of its most visible examples, Extra Golden , the band that’s made of the merging between Kenyan Benga music and American rock their USP, got a new album “Thank You Very Quickly.”
EMINEM-I’m Having A Relapse
More established as one of hip-hops biggest star, Eminem is back offering a double ration of his new work. In a few weeks “Relapse” will see the light of day, anticipated by “Crack A Bottle”, a collaboration with regulars Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. The album is planned to have a sequel “Relapse 2” by the end of the year. All this time in the shadow seem to have work wonders for the white rapper’s creativity.
In a very different side of the urban music spectrum, Erykah Badu is recording the second part of her acclaimed back to form “Nu Amerykah”, titled “Return Of The Ankh”. Jah Born and some members of Sa-Ra are behind the controls, whereas guest appearances by Bilal and Andre 3000 are rumoured to feature on its tracklist.
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN-Think I Need It Too (Live in Utrech)
Among the E veterans having a new go in 2009, Echo & The Bunnymen are the ones with the highest profile. Ian McCullough and his mates from Liverpool will try to claim back the place that belongs to them, next to The Jesus & Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, as one of the most influential acts in the 80’s indie infused sounds of a whole new generation. “The Fountain” is the title of their new opus. A first taste of their new single, played live in Utrech, can be enjoyed above.
Decade hoping from the 80s to the 90s. Eels have announce the release of their seventh studio album “Hombre Lobo”, in which the existential musings of the band’s charismatic leader Mr. E will be aired once again.
EMPIRE OF THE SUN-We Are The People
And more big winks to the Eighties, in this case to the mainstream electro-pop that invaded the charts during the decade, Empire Of The Sun are on their way to become this year’s MGMT; thanks to a clever way to rehash of some of the decade’s tricks into catchy pop nuggets. “Walking On a Dream,” the Aussie duo’s debut, formed by a member of The Sleepy Jackson and another one of Pnau, is packed with them.
Drinking from the same electro-pop waters, with an added touch of new wave; Portland, Oregon’s Echo No Echo released their debut “Crystals” last year, and carried by that revivalist wave, as showcased in tracks like “She’s A Radio,” they could also become one of the discoveries of the year.
The E female this year is likely to be Erykah Badu for a second consecutive year, but there will be some other women trying to go for that slot.
With a new title, “Flirt” instead of “Here I am,” and a change of record label; two years after its first scheduled date, Eve’s fourth album will finally be unveiled. The preceding singles “Tambourine” and “Give It To You” failed to secure enough buzz to guarantee its release, and it felt victim of the current trend of postponing albums by big names whose commercial perspectives are not clear. Top-notch Collaborations include Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Pharrell.
From European shores, for her third opus El Perro Del Mar will add the shiny Balearic electronica of Studio’s Rasmus Hägg to her habitual swooning vocals in “Love Is Not Pop”. The results of that promising partnership’s first single, “Change Of Heart” can be heard on myspace.
Eminem has all of my respect. Best rapper IMO.