Some predictions are easy. U2 will tour this year, and it’s going to be a big deal. Plenty of people are going to buy the new Coldplay disc, and even more will pick up the new one from 50 Cent.
But what about the fresher faces that we won’t be able to get enough of six months from now? Here are four acts that might just hit it big in ’05.
COUNTRY: BLAINE LARSEN
Bio: He may look like he was born in the back of a Wonder Bread truck on its way to a 4-H convention, but 18-year-old Larsen sings in a rich baritone that evokes a life of cheating ladies, barroom brawls and broken whiskey bottles. While growing up in rural Washington state, Larsen crooned along with George Strait on a home karaoke machine, and that influence is apparent on his just-released debut, “Off to Join the World.”
Pros: The kid has plenty of great stories, and he’s certainly easy on the eyes. Sharing a label with megastar Kenny Chesney won’t hurt, either.
Cons: His up-tempo numbers aren’t nearly as convincing as his slow-burning ballads. He may be too pretty, as country fans tend to like their male stars ruggedly handsome (Tim McGraw), essentially average (Garth Brooks) or borderline redneck (Alan Jackson).
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ELECTRONIC: M83
Bio: M83 creates soundtracks for films that don’t exist–and if the films did exist, they’d be artsy silent ones about robots that fall in love, then learn to cry. The French duo’s second international release, “Before the Dawn Heals Us,” hit stores last week, and like 2003’s “Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts,” it’s luxurious, atmospheric and sometimes a little creepy. The band will hit the road in the spring
Pros: While built on a foundation of electronics, M83’s songs boast the urgency of rock music, particularly bands like My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai.
Cons: The amorous couples that bought all those records by Air, a stylistically similar twosome from France, might be turned off by this duo’s darker turns.
ROCK: THE BRAVERY
Bio: This New York City five-piece is working its way through the Strokes’ Guide to Fame. The band signed to an influential British label and released its three-song debut, “Unconditional,” abroad, working the London press into a froth with its ’80s dance rock and detached, pouting mugs. Island Records snapped up the Bravery and will issue the band’s debut in the spring. For now, “Unconditional” is available from iTunes and other download services.
Pros: Thanks to Franz Ferdinand and the Killers, kicky, danceable rock is back in vogue. And the Bravery sounds a lot like the Killers.
Cons: Capricious hipsters might not even bother to briefly champion the band before banishing it to the “overrated hype” bin. And lead singer Sam Endicott is already shaping up to be quite the grumpy pants, telling journalists he has never heard the music of obvious influences like the Psychedelic Furs and the Smiths.
POP: NICK LACHEY
Bio: With his history in the third-string boy band 98 Degrees and his reputation as the “smart” one in his marriage, the muscle-bound Lachey is hardly a newcomer. But as a solo act, he’s a veritable 98-pound weakling–his dreadfully titled 2003 disc “SoulO” sank without a trace. Things may turn around this year, though, as he has signed a new deal with Jive Records, home to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
Pros: If his album tanks, he still has a future on MTV for “Newlyweds: And Baby Makes Three” and the inevitable “Newlyweds: Divorce Court.”
Cons: Lachey’s getting a bit old to be a teen idol.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and alBerto Trevino ([email protected])