BBC Sound of 2014 Review/Trends in music
It seems its that time of year again, where the BBC seem to predict the future and tell us what it will sound like. Its the coveted BBC Sound of 2014 award, given to the artist who will provide the soundtrack to the rest of the year. Previous choices for the award have included Haim, Michael Kiwanuku and Jessie J, the majority of whom have gone on to be very successful, so winning this award is actually rather beneficial for he artist who wins. Whether it is actually deserved is a matter I will be looking at today. I'll also be making my own predictions in terms of music trends in 2014. So without further ado, lets take a look at the winners!
1) Sam Smith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv679SxziHQ (Sam Smith - Nirvana)
So here it is, the Sound of 2014, and it seems like his year is going to be a soulful one. You'll know him for his feature on 'Latch' by new dance music forerunners 'Disclosure', but his own solo music seems to gravitating towards a sound similar to that of James Blake, only with more focus on the soul than the experimental. There is no doubt that his voice is unique, being sharp and crisp in a way that strikes a chord within you. Yet he also seems to have enough to offer behind his vocals to make him stand out from the crowd. Of course, it will yet to be seen what his album will be like, but he certainly sounds promising and could herald an RnB revival. A good choice in my opinion!
2) Ella Eyre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqPC3dmKFdw (Ella Eyre - Deeper)
On first impressions it would be easy to conclude that Ella Eyre is the female version of Sam Smith, having also been a collaborator with last year's other big new dance act, Rudimental. Whilst there are certainly some similarities, such as the chopped up style of sampling and focus on the individual singing style, Ella Eyre has a slightly more upbeat approach. Despite this, she doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of innovation. Sam Smith seems to be doing more with the instrumental side of his music, whilst Ella Eyre seems a little more predictable. There is no doubt that she has a fantastic voice, but she's not particularly mind blowing.
3) BANKS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naMvm2DUKiE (BANKS - This is What It Feels Like)
Where the previous two seemed to be more soulful or fun, BANKS seems to pushing more for atmosphere and subtlety. The music behind her voice tends to be highly minimalist, drawing comparisons once again to James Blake, Burial and Massive Attack. However, whilst those three artists tend to focus purely on their own exploration of electronic atmosphere, BANKS seems to be making that sound more radio friendly. It certainly is interesting, yet has the danger of becoming somewhat repetitive. The album will no doubt have the potential to be stunning or bland.
4) Sampha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC-0p4k0jw4 (Sampha - Too Much)
Guess what!? Another collaborator! This time its the turn of SBTRKT's number one singer Sampha, who brings to the table a slightly more experimental style than the previous three. In some ways he is the artist who has deviated from his collaborators the least, bringing the subtle nuanced style of SBTRKT with him. Despite his unique voice, some of the songs suffer from the same issue as BANKS, in that they get a little repetitive. However, he is certainly promising and may have the chance to stretch his legs more when it comes to recording an album.
5) George Ezra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyGSQjyaoDA (George Ezra - Budapest)
At last! A guitar! The smokey voiced George Ezra rounds off the BBC 2014 as the only guitar based artist in the top 5. His style is more reminiscent of Michael Kiwanuku than Ed Sheeran, which can only be a good thing. Whilst his guitar style wont blow anyone out of the water, his voice is so emotive and resonant that you can't help but like it. Unfortunately, he seems to be late to a scene that is slowly moving out of the mainstream, which would probably explain his position in this poll. Definitely worth a listen to, and I look forward to his album eagerly!
So there we have it, the Sounds of 2014 and it seems this is the year of the collaborator. The top 5 seem to highlight several trends, especially considering that only one of the top 5 is a guitar based. Here are some of the trends I believe the music industry is undergoing at the moment.
Guitar music takes a step back:
It seems that guitar music has moved itself out of the mainstream after several years of popularity. The 2000s seemed to be characterized by a number new, innovative guitar bands including Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, Kings of Leon to name but a few. Now, however, these bands seemed to have either moved onto new things (Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor'), faded into relative obscurity (Bloc Party/Franz Ferdinand) or become rather shit (Kings of Leon). The recent influx of popular guitar bands haven't quite cut it, and major labels are focusing more of their efforts on electronic bands. That's not to say that bands becoming less mainstream is a bad thing. In fact, it may give it the very thing it needs, a chance to be innovative and exciting. Guitar music will no doubt come back in some form, but for now it is taking the back seat to Dance music.
Electronic music renaissance:
Gone are the days of dubstep, when dance music was at its very lowest. It was easy at the time for dubstep to be popular, but in all honesty it was a joke. Only a few artists have come out of dubstep well (being James Blake and arguably Magnetic Man), with the rest either disappearing or becoming the soundtrack to video game montages. Nowadays we have a whole plethora of new dance music acts that are diversifying the scene. Whether it is the old school futurism of Daft Punk, the pounding French house of Justice and Kavinsky, or the British dance explosion fronted by Disclosure, Rudimental and SBTRKT. It's being experimental too, with Jon Hopkins and James Blake both exploring the subtle side of things. Even guitar bands are getting in on the action, as seen with Arcade Fire's new album 'Reflektor'. Dance music hasn't been this vibrant in a long time, and it signals a glorious emergence from the filthy dark ages of dubstep.
Overload of Solo Artists:
It's quite eye opening that only three artists out of all the nominees for the 2014 poll aren't solo artists (being Say Lou Lou, Royal Blood and Jungle) and even they are duets. Royal Blood stand as the only representative of bands in there as well. It seems the market is being flooded with solo artists to the point where it will be hard for any of them to be remembered. The sad fact of the matter is that the some of the solo artists picked in this top 5 will not be remembered at the end of the year. There will be many more solo artists emerging throughout the year who will be touted as the next big thing. Whether this says more about the decline in band music is open to debate, but there is no doubt that what is an already competitive market has become even more so with the overwhelming number of new acts. It is clear this is the case with these new artists using more experimental styles in an attempt to distinguish themselves from the rest.
Well, that's my round up of the BBC Sound of 2014. It is worth noting that these are only predictions and opinions. The true sound of 2014 will be discovered at the end of the year. However, do you agree with choices? Gutted that Jungle didn't make the cut? Do you also agree with the music trends? Let me know in the comments!