The Drums have been picked by a huge margin by readers in the latest polling of the ‘break out artist of 2010 (So Far)”. Of the ten choices, Freelance Whales came second to The Drums, with rather low scores for the remaining eight artists in the poll.
For the past six weeks, hundreds of people have been taking our latest group of polls in a quest to find the ‘break out’ band of 2010 (so far). In the first round of ten bands, Local Natives were picked by 1,000 readers over nine other hot bands, including Surfer Blood, Crystal Castles, Sleigh Bells and Neon Indian.
In this latest poll, featuring another ten artists, 309 people voted. It was strikingly apparent from the first 100 votes that The Drums and Freelance Whales were the real competition of the latest poll. After 200 votes, the margins remained relatively the same, with The Drums receiving an impressive 43% of the vote. This is not surprising considering the huge amount of blog love and mainstream press accolades The Drums having been enjoying, especially in the month’s leading up to the June release of their terrific debut.
“Forever & Ever Amen” – The Drums
“It Will All End in Tears” – The Drums
“Let’s Go Surfing” – The Drums
Brooklyn’s Freelance Whales followed rather far behind The Drums with 18% of the total votes. The remaining 39% of the vote was divided up among the other eight bands in the poll: Placing far behind Freelance Whales, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Villagers both took 7%, Warpaint, Smith Westerns and Washed Out with 5% each, Wild Nothing and Ganglians (4%), and Magic Kids (3%).
“Hannah” – Freelance Whales
“Generator First Floor” – Freelance Whales
Staten Island’s indie rock band Cymbals Eat Guitars broke through last year with their debut LP, Why There Are Mountains, one of the best debuts of the year. As 2010 rolled around, CEG were on a roll that continues to this day. The band will perform at a number of festivals this summer, including Lollapalooza and Lowlands in the Netherlands.
“Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)” – Cymbals Eat Guitars
The Irish indie rock band Villagers are definitely one of the ‘break-through’ artists of 2010. The recent release of their debut album, Becoming A Jackal, has been widely hailed by critics and fans alike. Frontman Conor O’Brien said his lyrics are “transcendental darkness” and “dark imagery or feelings alongside really mundane domestic everyday things.”
“Becoming a Jackal” – Villagers
“Billie Holiday” – Warpaint
“Be My Girl” – Smith Westerns
“Feel It All Around” – Washed Out
“My House” – Ganglians
“Your Rabbit Feet” – Wild Nothing
“Hey Boy” – Magic Kids