It’s great looking back. When all these bands arrived in our ears they were so fresh. They jostled and niggled to be noticed.
Give them a bit of time and they positively fly home with their nuance and sway. So, here we are at the business end of the year lauding the young talents that ’shroomed this year, mainly from the UK but a triptych of US acts to keep the Atlantic friction in full swing. These are our favourite newbies.
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4. Fanfarlo
A gift to those of us who love our trivia, Fanfarlo could be a round in a pop quiz all to themselves. Their career is a chest full of facts. Initially a limited self release, the band hand-assembled five hundred presentation box edition albums for sale in Rough Trade shops. The debut album was also available to download for $1 from their website for a period before its full release in September. The cover features a photo of two girls, one is the little sister of Sigur Rós’ Jón Þór Birgisson, who is actually named Sigurros (meaning Victory Rose in Icelandic). The video for ‘The Walls Are Coming Down’ features one of the few professional escapologists in Europe. It is possibly the album received most by Clash’s Dundee office, with five copies appearing in the post to date (and even more extraordinary, we still have three!).
Fronted by Swede Simon Balthazar, the London-based ensemble utilises an Arcade Fire-esque palette of instruments including trumpets, mandolins, glockenspiel, accordion and the mysterious fanfarlophone, resulting in a sonic common ground with the Canadian press darlings. Given the impact of Arcade Fire, (their ‘Funeral’ topped our own ‘50 Greatest Albums Of Clash’s Lifetime’ poll) it’s fair, and no insult, to call Fanfarlo the first great post-AC band, dealing fearlessly with similar honesty through passionate, heartfelt music.
Opening with the stately ‘I’m A Pilot’, a song that builds in tension before breaking into a delightful waltz. A concise example of Fanfarlo’s raison d’être, the dramatic, dynamic movement. Happy, shiny pop ditties these are not.
Aided and abetted by experienced producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Twilight Sad) the band deliver one of those debut albums that it’s clear they have been honing and refining, awaiting the chance to unleash upon the world as their grand statement. Of course, that’s not quite the case as the band have teased us with singles and EPs as they built towards ‘Reservoir’. The deep, dense sound bring to mind a prodigiously talent gang locked away in a dusty music shop backroom, eagerly playing every instrument they can get their hands on.
Although released to the wider public in September (after those lower key release skirmishes), the album sessions took place over a year ago. Where the band go from here is unclear. Their sound (it’s obviously a bit early to call it a trademark sound) doesn’t immediately suggest a shining path to glory. Equally, there are no immediate failings to be shored up or papered over. Maybe they could ‘just’ distill and intensify the sounds, songs and talents on show on ‘Reservoir’ into a purer, improved brew? Yeah, that’d do me.
Words by Nick Annan
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3. Girls
There’s definitely something in the water, for it seems that this year has been all about The Golden State. And diving headfirst into that crystal clear sea of success were San Franciscan boy band Girls, with their ingeniously (or lazily) titled September release, ‘Album’.
Before you could say ‘Beach Boys’, these institutionalised slackers exploded onto the scene like speeding comets, making a noticeable dent in the music world. Chet White’s unconventional upbringing (he was raised by the infamous Children of God cult) was the obvious catalyst for this media frenzy. Speaking on his experience, he found the real world a tough place to deal with initially. “You don’t really know what it’s like growing up in a cult until you actually leave, because you don’t how to live any other way,” he says. “It’s only when I think of my life now and think of it then that I can go, whoah, that really happened!”
But after meeting the boys earlier on in the year, I still found their instant celebrity quite unfathomable. Not because they’re shit and over-hyped but because they are the living, breathing embodiment of lackadaisical bohemian sensibility: archetypal stoner dudes who shuffle through life one day at a time, espousing the I-don’t-give-a-fuck-man mantra with full gusto. Maybe it’s this blithe charm that makes them so appealing. Whatever it is, they have been the band on everyone’s lips for the past couple of months.
Catching the tail end of the summer, the San Franciscan duo drummed up worldwide popularity and critical acclaim with their glorious offering of sun-drenched, hedonistic, surf pop gems. But Christopher Owens and White are anything but sun-kissed surfer dudes. They love the beach, that’s for sure. But you’re more likely to see them languishing in the shade than riding the waves on a surfboard.
Indeed, Girls’ ‘Album’ conjures up images of lazy summer days blissfully indulging in life’s simple pleasures. “The songs are just all about how I feel,” says Owens. “The very last song is called ‘Darling’ and it’s about falling in love with writing songs. It’s a really positive message and they’re all very relatable topics. You know, life can go so many ways and it’s not always great, but I guess it’s important to always dwell on the positive.”
The sound of broken equipment and echoey rehearsal studios defines the music of Girls. But did they intend to create a lo-fi sound? “We just didn’t have much to work with so it came out a little DIY,” says White. “But if we had the means we would have made it sound more polished. It was definitely not out of choice. We’ve always talked about investing in a studio and now it may actually happen.”
Well, if their success this year is anything to go by, then their dream may just come true.
Words by April Welsh
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Read part 1 of our Top 10 Newcomers HERE, part 2 HERE and part 3 HERE.
