Top 5 New Artists of 2009

This has been a huge year for music and I am excited to write about the best of the best. The selection process was not easy but alas, I have chosen. Read on to find out I have chosen as the top five new artists of 2009.

The xx got into my top list of the best albums of 2009, so it would only be fair to give them a spot in the five best new artists of 2009. A little information on the band would probably be helpful to you if you are not aware of them yet.

They are a three piece band from London, England, and their debut self-titled album, released in mid-August of this year, was a huge success here in North America. They are best known for their single "Crystalised" which offers mellow female and male vocals and a sort of dark atmosphere which is hard to describe but nonetheless delightful to listen to.

Cymbals Eat Guitars have been around for a little while, but this is the year they got recognized with their debut album Why There Are Mountains. Guitarist Joe D'Agostino and drummer Matt Miller started Cymbals Eat Guitars when they were in high school, and they were mainly focused on doing cover songs. A couple years later they ended up in New York where they solidified their band with bassist/vocalist Matt Whipple and keyboardist/vocalist Brian Hamilton.

Cymbals Eat Guitars have combined several aspects of 1990's and early 2000's indie rock bands to become what they are today. Their most popular song which is actually they opener on their album is titled "And the Hazy Sea" and features wailing vocals and a flood of guitars. This opener got the hooks in me, and the rest of the album does not disappoint.

Florence + The Machine are almost a given here. Florence Welch is the female vocalist here, and 'The Machine' refers to her band that provides the backing to her vocals. Florence + The Machine released their debut album in the UK in mid-summer. It was available for download in America at that time, and was later officially released here in October.

Florence + The Machine are probably best known for their singles "Kiss with a Fist" and "Dog Days are Over" although I have nothing but praise for the rest of the album as well. Florence + The Machine will begin touring Australia and Europe in early 2010.

Passion Pit hails from Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are basically an electronic slash synth-pop band that has been rapidly gaining followers left and right, most notably in the club scene. Their first full length debut album Manners was released on May 19^th of this year, and since then they have had tremendous success with singles like "Sleepyhead" and "The Reeling"

If this wave of electro pop bands like MGMT and Passion Pit has passed you by, you need to go back and check yourself before you wreck yourself. Passion Pit will turn your wine and cheese party into a dance party, and you can quote me on that one.

Japandroids come from Vancouver, Canada, and they are another band that earned a spot on my list of top albums of 2009. The band is made up of Brian King and Dave Prowse, who met and formed the band while attending university in British Columbia.

Their first full length album Post-Nothing was released in the end of April of this year. They are only two people, and because of that they make it their goal to sound as close to a full band as possible. They have coined themselves as garage rock, and I think that is quite the accurate tag. Songs like "Heart Sweats" and "Young Hearts Spark Fire" are super energetic noise rock that make for great listening.

Top 5 New Artists of 2009
The xx
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Florence + The Machine
Passion Pit
Japandroids