6Music Picks: Who should be big in 2012

Tom Robinson has been so good to The Other Woman. We’re heading into our third year of being his Girl Music Guru and he’s always enthusiastic, warm, genuinely interested in what we’re jibbering on about and our biggest fan (we like to think...) TOW is privileged to have ten minutes of his 6 Music Introducing show every week to showcase two bands we’ve decided need some serious airplay. For the New Year’s show though, we got a whole half hour! Whoop! Thank you Tom, you are the best.

Here we go, in no particular order, the band’s that (if we ruled the world) would be number 1 in 2012:

Hysterical Injury - Maths

 

Yes we know we’ve banged on about this band, along with most of the other new music bloggers out there. Hysterical Injury are just one of those bands who you wish would go stratospheric, they are grungy, DIY and have one helluva front woman in Annie Gardiner, how can they go wrong? With a debut album on the horizon (Dead Wolf Situation/ Crystal Fuzz/ Feb 6th) we’re excited... This noisy Bath-based duo may just make 2012 their own.

The Lovely Eggs - Allergies



Holly and David are musical genius. Holly is one of our all time favourite in-your-face, brilliantly talented front women and these two do things completely on their own terms. With the mighty Gruff Rhys on production duties on this Too Pure Singles Club released single, could 2012 be their year? It’s like, sheesh, five years too late if it is!

Lady Leshurr - Lego



This quick fire MC from Birmingham has been on our radar since early 2010 and we’ve been watching closely as her reputation has spread. Culminating in a New Band A Day nod from The Guardian’s Paul Lester recently and the release of her Off The Leash EP. Formidable and above all, she’s have a good time which is always fantastic to see!

The Horn The Hunt - Animal Magic



Clare Carter is another of our front women of 2011. Catching The Horn The Hunt live a few months ago the tiny blond singer is mesmerising. Their second album Depressur Jolie is dark and gloriously synth laden, with Clare’s vocals keeping it all together. This Leeds band are surely a cert to play some of the rockier festivals this year? Oh wait that would take creative, adventurous programming...

Chapter 24 - Spindle



Another band we’re hoping will take 2012 by the horns are Corby band Chapter 24. We’re big fans at TOW and Tom’s hugely into them too. Forget all the Riot Grrrl/ Slits comparisons - yes, there’s a girl on vocals but frankly that’s where it ends. Their heavy blend of funky spiky guitars and reverb heavy vocals result in something entirely poppy and psychedelic. A True Gem.

6 Music picks: Death Rattle and Dominique Young Unique

Death Rattle - The Dig




A while ago when chatting to Tom on his show he mentioned That Mouth, a London band who he was very excited about. Whilst mooching around for tracks to play on Amazing Radio last month we thought we'd find out what they're up too - turns out after releasing their debut album in October, TM is no more... welcome Death Rattle! Their first single The Dig is a dark and brooding track with a rather freaky split-face video to go with it. TOW reckons Death Rattle are plumbing some sort synth-laden depths and we can't wait to hear their debut, which they've been recording across the channel in Normandy.

Dominique Young Unique - Life Of A Party



Whilst perusing Guardian journalist Paul Lester's playlist on the Amazing Radio website we came across this young, quick fire rapper from Tampa, Florida. She's just released her third mixtape Stupid Pretty, the follow up toDomination and Glamorous Touch which respectively spread like wildfire across the net. The title track of the mixtape has a fantastic video of Dominique in a tiny pair of bright orange pants and a t-shirt wandering around London Underground, much to the embarrassment of the regular commuters. Surely it's a matter of time before this one cracks day time Radio 1...

6 Music picks: No Cars and 2:54

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.   


No Cars - Sellotape




How good is this video? Talk about capturing the vibe of a band and the atmosphere of a gig - pure joy in this case. No Cars are Haruna, Sachi and Kyoko who've released their debut album Yoko Eats Whales this year. Haruna tells TOW that 'we are gathered to save the earth, or kidnapped from Tokyo'... the truth though is that they met at her ex's gig. She goes on to say they're influences are: 'Vegetables. I don't listen to music much but the other girls in the band like juke box the ghost.(I don't know who they are)'. Officially they're 17, don't worry girls we won't spill the beans on how old you really are - not that it matters to us! But if Flo can do it so can you ;)

2:54 - Scarlet 





London based sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow are 2:54, with the help of Alex Robins and Joel Porter. This gloomy but very polished pop group recently supported hipsters Bos Angeles in the UK and will be touring with The Big Pink in February. Someone's got them on the fast track as they've already worked with producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and look set to make great waves. It's all a bit moody, don't bloody smile whatever you do... diggin' this track (Serious Face).

6 Music picks: Dreama and We Spies

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Dreama - Somethin Yesterday





Ah bliss, we finally get to play Dreama on BBC 6 Music! As we suspected, Tom R. is now a big fan and she's getting more play on his excellent show. Dreama is a young MC from west London who got in touch with TOW and pointed us towards her mixtape A Dreama's Reality which is available for free at her website. Dreama aka Martina Simon has written poetry since she was a young thing and says she naturally moved into rap and music. TOW loves this track for it's simple, hardcore electro back beat and her cheeky vocal. Check out her website too for her excellent and very informative blog!

We Spies - The Sea, You See

  The Sea, You See by WeSpiesUK 

 
Now to a young Brighton band who we can't stop listening too. Headed up by singer Lucy Elliot We Spies call themselves 'ambient indie' and that does them justice to some extent. But it's Lucy's frantic on-the-edge vocal style which sets them apart from their peers. Lucy is joined by Joel Frosh, Ed Davis and Joe Spencer.

Sharon Van Etten Interview: Tramp

You might remember TOW catching up with Brooklyn’s Sharon Van Etten at the beginning of the year. She was on tour with The National and riding high on the critical acclaim of her first album proper Epic. Here us catch up with Sharon here.

Well now almost a year later, the singer songwriter has announced details of her forthcoming album, Tramp, which will be out on her new label home Jagjaguwar in the new year (February 6 2012).

Van Etten worked with Aaron Dessner from The National on this record, working from his home studio in a leafy part of Brooklyn. Guests on the record include Jenn Wasner from Baltimore duo Wye Oak and the wonderfully ethereal Julianna Barwick... TOW caught up with SVE in a pub near Hyde Park on her recent brief trip through London to talk about conquering this filthy great city, working with Aaron and finally finding a home.

  


LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD 'SERPENTS':

   Sharon Van Etten - Serpents by Pretty Much Amazing

6 Music picks: Two Wings and Hollows

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.   

Two Wings - Eikon


 
A chance encounter with Two Wings supporting Essie Jain at Cafe Oto last year led TOW to fall head over heels. Hanna Tuulikki and Ben Reynolds and their merry band make such joyous music, it's hard not to grin stupidly whilst listening. Hanna is no stranger to us, having already got into her solo project Nalle - there's plenty more going on in her musical world too and the same can be said for Ben. But it seems they've found their true home together now, with Two Wings - channeling the greats like The Band, Richard Thompson and other seventies era folk Americana greats, but with Hanna's haunting, inimitable vocal setting this band stand leagues apart from their contemporaries of a similar ilk.


Catch them live at Cafe Oto on 9 December.


Hollows - Shapeshifter

   

Hollows are a five piece girl band from Chicago (well, there's an honorary boy on drums ;) who found each other through a Craigslist add that included the phrases "60s, funeral, girl group, Shangri-Las," - 'nuff said! The Chicago Tribune recently said of this band: "No band is currently making better use of the Farfisa-like Gibson G101 combo organ than Hollows." Agreed! We think... Either way we're smitten with this infectious, tight and flawless band. More please.

Hot Sand/ Shapeshifter is out now on Soft Power Records.
 

6 Music picks: Chapter 24 & Mari Kvien Brunvoll

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

CHAPTER 24 - Spindle

Spindle is out on Odd Box Records on November 28 - and it's a stormer! This Corby four piece have come into their own and are currently on a Stateside tour, wowing the Yanks as only a Corby band could. Spindle is short and sweet but really sums up what this band are about: riotous, melodic, punk pop with Claire Smith's deep, layered and distorted vocal taking it stratospheric every time. TOW met the band at 6 Music last year and what a charming bunch they are, all set for success!

Marie Kvien Brunvoll - Everywhere You Go


What is it with jazz musicians and terrible online profiles? Norwegian artist Mari has a dodgy myspace and a Facebook profile - set up by a fan. Come on Mari, get it together! This Molde-born singer and multi-instrumentalist has already made her mark on the burgeoning Norwegian jazz scene and is threatening to do the same outside of her home country. Using loops, pedals, zithers (!) and that stunning voice of hers she makes haunting, beautiful music that captivates the listener. There's a blues sensibility in there too and her music boarders on folk and acoustic too, it's a shame she's been pigeon-holed as a jazz artist as this can put *some* people off. Not the open-minded readers of TOW though ;)