Sounds of 2007

This is a piece I did for PA's music column a couple weeks ago and thought I'd put it on here as well. It might be all about new music but I've been listening to a really old dance track I've only recently discovered all afternoon!

:: MIKA
After clocking up an autumn of live performances that could give the late Freddie Mercury a run for his money, 22-year-old Mika is set to charm his way into the hearts of the music-buying public in 2007. Debut single Grace Kelly is a brilliantly bombastic taster of his album Life In Cartoon Motion, a collection which mixes the camp theatrics of the Scissor Sisters with sad tales that inspire both joy and melancholy in equal measure.

:: THE TWANG
The Twang are five talented boys from Birmingham who have been getting the likes of NME and Radio 1's Edith Bowman extremely excited. And, despite the dodgy name, rightly so. The intricate guitar work of Stu Hartland rivals that of U2's The Edge, while the songs themselves are uplifting, cocksure, funny musings on everyday life that build on all the best ideas had by The Stone Roses, Oasis and The Clash. These boys have taken rock'n'roll and are running with it.

:: REMI NICOLE
Not yet with a proper record deal, Remi Nicole's future still seems assured as the offers to sign her continue to pour in. Her voice lies somewhere between Corinne Bailey Rae and Lady Sovereign, and, rather than sticking to a particular style like those artists, Remi can do heartfelt acoustic strumming (Fed Up), bouncy Britpop (Na Nighty) and cheeky pop (Rock'N'Roll). Lily Allen has paved the way for sassy, alternative pop stars. Remi Nicole is set to fall in behind her.

:: SHINY TOY GUNS
Dubbed `emotronica' by popjustice.com, Shiny Toy Guns' music defies categorisation as it jumps from soaring U2-style melodies to dirty funk basslines that Peaches would be envious of on their impressive debut album We Are Pilots. While The Killers concern themselves with becoming a serious rock band, Shiny Toy Guns seem ready to take on their synth-rock mantle (they even share the same producer) and entice rock fans back into the disco.

:: ENTER SHIKARI
With the more hardcore end of rock music now making waves in the mainstream charts - My Chemical Romance for example, and Lostprophets to an extent - the time seems right for Enter Shikari. The band take the hardcore singing style and guitar riffs and mix them with more melodic, soaring vocals, with the odd trance riff thrown in for good measure. It sounds a strange mix but it works, and has had labels foaming at the mouth wanting to sign them; they've decided to release their music independently instead.

:: THE VIEW
Sometimes all you need is a straightforward rock'n'roll band, and it seems Scottish four-piece The View have been created for just that purpose - to fulfil your rock'n'roll needs. They've been compared to The Libertines, with whom their sound has much in common, but The View's tunes are meatier, more honed, and just downright catchier than anything Pete Doherty or even Razorlight's Johnny Borrell could write. Their next single, the sure-fire hit Same Jeans, is out in January, followed by a UK tour.

:: JACK PENATE
Handsome of face and floppy of hair, Jack Penate looks like he's stepped from the 50s - sometimes the 1950s, sometimes the 2050s. Which kind of sums up his music as well. Taking rockabilly rhythms and mixing them with today's prevalent Britpop guitar sound, Jack crafts timeless sounding upbeat pop nuggets. His limited edition debut single Second, Minute Or Hour ended up as Jo Whiley's Single Of The Week, suggesting that the intended slow build is not going to happen for Jack.

:: JUST JACK
After his overlooked 2003 debut album The Outer Marker sunk into obscurity thanks to his record label going bust, Just Jack (real name Jack Allsopp) is back for another crack at success. This time he's got the helping hands of a major label deal, shared management with his new-found friend Elton John, and a flawless-sounding album in the shape of Overtones, out at the end of January. Like Mike Skinner with better tunes, or a wittier Stereo MCs, this talented musician's sound is actually just Jack.

:: THE FRAY
Denver four-piece The Fray have stolen that British band trick of sticking a `The' in front of the band name in the hope that they may have some success here, just like they have in their native America. Possibly. They'd probably do well with or without it, as their tunes, which are what Coldplay and David Gray might sound like if they were American, have radio-friendly written all over them. See them support The Feeling in February.

:: THE HOURS
The Hours, between them, have played with the likes of Black Grape, Elastica and Pulp, but sound nothing like any of those bands. Instead, their music, which sounds like a more energetic Keane, should appeal to the more discerning fan out there. The band's debut single Ali In The Jungle made single of the week for Radio 1 DJs Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe, and new single Back When You Were Good is more sophisticated piano-driven pop, this time backed by a Phil Spector Wall Of Sound-style production.

:: COLD WAR KIDS
On first listening to Cold War Kids you'd be forgiven for thinking they're British. The meandering melodies, gentle riffs and songs that are soundscapes rather than tunes are all reminiscent of the likes of Beta Band, Guillemots or Elbow. But, no, the four-piece are from Long Beach in Los Angeles and intend to take on their British counterparts in February when they tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Their album Robbers & Cowards arrives the same month.

:: MARK RONSON
After helping launch Lily Allen's career this year, and giving a helpful shove to those of Amy Winehouse and Robbie Williams, producer extraordinaire Mark Ronson is stepping out from behind the mixing desk to front his own album. Called Version, it does what it says on the tin and is versions of famous hits, from a jazzy, funked up take on Coldplay's God Put A Smile On Your Face to a soulful hip hop take on Britney's Toxic. It's out in April.

:: KLAXONS
Leaders of the so-called `new rave' revolution, as championed by NME, the Klaxons (like all the other new rave bands) are essentially an indie rock band with angular riffs and frenetic rhythms that has thrown in the odd electronic squelchy noise as a nod to rave music. They have, though, covered rave `classic' The Bouncer, that `your name's not down' one. Shouty, energetic and completely bonkers, Klaxons are riding the zeitgeist into the hearts of the kids.

:: SAM BEETON
Not many 16 year olds have Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, and the Travelling Wilburies in their CD collection, but singer-songwriter Sam Beeton does. He's not your average teenager - the self-confessed Luddite is the only artist here not to have a MySpace page - and those musical influences are all over this rising star's songs. His record company Sony BMG are so impressed with the music that the major label are making him a priority next year.

:: THE HOOSIERS
The Hoosiers frontman, the impressively monikered Irwin Sparkes, says that if his band were a film they'd be a cross between Anchorman and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. That might confuse you but their music won't, as it's foot-tappingly catchy pop music given a twist by Irwin's slightly happier than Robert Smith vocal style. Forthcoming single Worried About Ray is a perfect example of the band's "skiffle-pop'', as they like to call it, and it's out in the New Year.