Willis Earl Beal
Acoumastic Sorcery
XL
Though you may long to hear him let loose with some Gnarls Barkley or lend his smooth soul voice to some Otis Redding, that’s not what Willis Earl Beal is all about. He claims to return to the streets to perform when he fears he’s losing touch with his roots. And he’s still singing songs down the phone to people he doesn’t know.
Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound
Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound
Shock
She wrote the lyrics to Who I Was Born To Be on Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream, and now Audra Mae appears clad all in fur, holding a dog, and surrounded by the ragtag crew that is her band ‘the Almighty Sound’ on their debut album cover.
Xiu Xiu
Always
Shock
The jarring, self-hating Xiu Xiu are notorious for their polarizing shock tactics (music video of a girl making herself vomit, anyone?) and discordant sounds. This is intellectual emo for grown-up Goths.
Caveman
Coco Beware
Fat Possum
Caveman have been described as ‘dad rock’, and while it’s true that their on-trend brand of indie folk-rock would appeal to many dads, their debut album, Coco Beware, will delight a much broader demographic.
Birdy
Birdy
Atlantic
This record would be a great gift for cool mums, and could be turned into a ‘Face the Music’-esque game at coffee group, with a shot of espresso knocked back for each correct guess.