It’s been a while since we published the last Break-Through Bands of 2010. So, now it’s time to play catch up. Employing a similar concept as IRC’s Top Ten Songs lists, it is in fact the readers – all of you – who are deciding the top new, or ‘break-through’, bands and artists of 2010.
For this, the fourth poll in this series, we’ve put together another playlist mix for the latest round of nominees. Each nominee has earned their place among the top new bands of 2010 due to critical and fan approval following the release of new or debut releases, relentless touring, and music festival appearances.
Cast your vote for the best new band in the poll shown below. Also, there is a complete overview of the previous poll winners. Note: The sequence of bands presented in this playlist mix is completely random.
Bikini – New York City
Nigel Diamond and Olivier Olivier met at Canada’s Glen-Lyon Norfolk School of music, and began to collaborate as Bikini. Just a couple of week’s ago, we were unable to find a MySpace page for New York experimental indie band, Bikini. But a lot has happened in just the short period of time.
Last week, right before the Thanksgiving holiday, Bikini released their debut EP, RIPJDS, which includes the awesome singles featured here, “American Mourning” and “ACheerleader.”
“American Mourning” – Bikini from EP RIPJDS
“ACheerleader” – Bikini from EP RIPJDS
Braids – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
This Montreal indie pop band shed their old skin as the Calgary band The Neighborhood Council and headed east to Quebec in 2008. They honed their skills, tweaked their sound, re-defined their image, and to complete the transition, changed their name to Braids. After a summer of touring, Kanine Records signed the band this past September, right before their premiere at the all-important CMJ in New York.
Kanine has announced that Braids’ debut album, Native Speaker, will be released in January. Their big sound, sculpted from pianos and synthesizers, glimmering guitars and ambient intermissions, is evidenced on the track featured here, “Lemonade.” Tonight the band kicks off yet another tour, this time with Sweden‘s hugely popular indie pop band, The Radio Dept.
“Lemonade” – Braids from Native Speaker (or TBA) – Jan. 12th 2011
Weekend – San Francisco, California
San Francisco’s rising indie band, Weekend, released their debut album, Sports, this month to wide acclaim, and now they are on the rip, increasing their profile across the country with touring and winning big endorsements for their debut. The LP’s lead single, “Coma Summer,” was by far, the top song of the week for the second week in November.
“Coma Summer” – Weekend from Sports
Beach Fossils – Brooklyn, New York
Last May, the Brooklyn buzz band Beach Fossils released their self-titled, debut LP to the open arms of adoring critics and admiring bloggers. The band had been building momentum in late 2009, but with their multiple, packed appearances during South by Southwest 2010, and the release of their acclaimed debut – one which has already made a number of top albums of 2010 lists – the band are on a roll. Check out these tracks if you somehow haven’t heard of Beach Fossils yet.
“Face It” – Beach Fossils from Face It/Distance 7″
“Youth” – Beach Fossils from Beach Fossils
Titus Andronicus – New Jersey
One of our favorite shoegaze bands, Titus Andronicus, released the follow up album to their widely acclaimed debut, The Airing of Grievances, earlier this year at about the same time that they were blowing away fans and bloggers and mainstream music press at shows and festivals, like SXSW, including some good ‘ole jamming rock and roll that has a clear theme related to American history, which make their songs all the more interesting.
“Four Score and Seven (Part One)” – Titus Andronicus from The Monitor
“Four Score and Seven (Part Two)” – Titus Andronicus from The Monitor
Sun Airway – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Like so many others, when we first starting hearing songs from the Philadelphia indie band Sun Airway, we thought we were hearing an Animal Collective unreleased track, even though we knew it wasn’t. Isn’t that weird? But Sun Airway do pour on the synth heavy hooks and pop psychedelics quite richly indeed.
Plus, it’s only been little more than a month (Oct. 26th) since they dropped their oddly titled debut LP, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier, and Sun Airway are already known coast to coast for the delicious singles that came over in recent months ahead of the official street date.
“Put the Days Away” – Sun Airway from Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
Sun Airway is Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marsceill, both ex-members of the defunct emo band the A-Sides. They started work on Nocturne during the summer of 2008.
“Infinity” – Sun Airway from Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
Women – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
While Calgary‘s art rock/no wave band Women are hardly a new band, it’s fair to say that the band didn’t really start to break out until late 2009 and for much of 2010. The band’s 2008 self-titled debut LP received great reviews from Pitchfork and All Music, among other influential publications.
But it was after some heavy touring and advanced singles from their recently releases sophomore album, Public Strain, that catapulted the band into a whole other ball game, and made our Best New Releases (one of our fav BNR mixes of 2010) post for the last week of September.
“Narrow with the Hall” – Women from Public Strain
But the band, and their fans, suffered a major blow in October, when Women band members ironically lived out the title of their latest album by getting into a fight on stage in Victoria, Canada. While rumors swirled that the band was going to break up, but those rumors where squashed. However, the actual result was not much better. Women canceled the remainder of their tour. Although it is a setback for the band, we don’t think it should adversely affect anyone’s perception of Women as a break-through band in 2010.
“Eyesore” – Women from Public Strain
Yours Truly Presents: Tennis “Pigeon” from Yours Truly on Vimeo.
Tennis – Denver, Colorado
Everyone likes a good love story. But this love story is a unique one that found husband and wife team Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore sailing the eastern seaboard of the U.S. for seven months. During that time, the college sweathearts began writing songs that eventually evolved into a full album worth of songs, and officially made them, Tennis, the band (helps with Google searches). The couple’s debut LP, Cape Dory, will be released on January 18th via Fat Possum Records.
“Marathon” – Tennis from Cape Dory
“Take Me Somewhere” – Tennis from Cape Dory
“South Carolina” – Tennis from Cape Dory
Look for Cape Dory, set to drop Jan. 18th
Small Black – Brooklyn, New York
The easiest bands to like are those that connect with you within the first 20 seconds of a song, and then keep luring you in as the song progresses, so that before it even ends, you’ve already made up your mind to play it again, and again. And then you listen to a second track from the same artist, and it’s the same, if not more, intense experience. And the third single, and so on. That’s been our experience with Brooklyn band Small Black. The band’s debut single, “Photojournalist”, is joyously mellow and layered with synths, masterful vocals, and rich percussions holding it all together. Repeat.
“Photojournalist” – Small Black from s/t 7″ single
Thanks to that first ‘hit’ single, Small Black have been gaining ground and growing a fan base across the U.S. and Canada, and parts of Europe as well. Subsequent singles – like the addictive “Despicable Dogs” and the dreamy “Pleasant Experience – were released throughout the summer to wide approval. And for good reason, they’re just so damn good, easily one of the top bands in the wildly popular ‘chillwave’ movement that is revolutionizing alternative music.
“Despicable Dogs” – Small Black from 12″
Cults – New York City
When we went to see The Morning Benders in Santa Cruz, Calif. a couple of months ago, we noted afterwards that the crowd seemed more interested in the evening’s first two openers – Cults and Twin Sister – than in the headlining band. Cults is a boy/girl duo and students at a New York film school. They quickly spread on the web with the release of their debut 7 inch single, “Go Outside”, which became a favorite for plenty of summer mixtapes. Ther are a few more songs from the Cults’ BandCamp page.
“Go Outside” – Cults from s/t 7-inch
“Most Wanted” – Cults from s/t 7-inch
Pick Your Favorite Among These Ten Bands
(polls)
Previous Polls Reveal Other Top Break-Through Bands of 2010
Now that you’ve taken the poll, here’s the low-down on the previous polls. Click through to the article of the poll results for more details and to stream or download songs from most of the bands in each poll.
- Poll One – In the first poll, IRC readers picked the Local Natives and Surfer Blood as the top two break-out of 10 presented. Click here to see the poll, and listen to or download songs from each of the bands featured in Poll One, including Delorean, Real Estate, Sleigh Bells, Free Energy, and Crystal Castles.
- Poll Two – In the second poll, readers overwhelmingly selected The Drums, followed far behind in second place by the Freelance Whales. Click here to listen to and download tracks from each of the bands in Poll Two, including Wild Nothing, Ganglians, Warpaint, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Washed Out.
- Poll Three – In the third poll, the new supergroup Broken Bells and Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club took the top spots. Click here to view the article and playlist mix that includes 2010 songs from Tame Impala, The Middle East, Fang Island, Film School, and Suckers, among others.
In case you wanted to vote for any of the bands or artists presented in the first three polls, you will have a chance to at the end of the year. At that time, the top two winners from each poll (poll five will be published in a couple of weeks) will be included in one final poll where thousands of people from around the world will choose ‘the’ Top Break-Through Bands of 2010.