11 for 2011 (part one)

Wherein Screenaged Kicks introduces you to eleven bands/artists you really should investigate this year. You'll feel better for it, honestly. Part two coming tomorrow.

JAPANESE VOYEURS



Promising to 'bring you a bag of rot gathered from the festering cesspools of the human psyche', Japanese Voyeurs make the kind of breathtakingly ferocious, intensely schziophrenic grunge-punk noise that gave Sonic Youth their edge circa 'Death Valley '69'. Only louder. And a thousand times more sinister. Check them out on the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, coming to an Academy 2 near you in February.

THISFAMILIARSMILE



Glasgow's best kept secret for years, Thisfamiliarsmile sit somewhere between The Get Up Kids and Flood of Red, amalgamating a quintessentially Scottish brand of scattershot punk rock with a more introspective and, dare we say it, emo(tive) palatte. Once the kids tire of the sugar sweet pop punk that currently dominates the alternative scene - and they soon will, - this is where they'll turn to next.

FATHERSON

Where The Water Meets The Land EP Promo - Fatherson from Joshua Porter on Vimeo.

Another Scottish three piece, Kilmarnock's Fatherson are currently making some considerable waves as a result of a series of high profile support slots, opening for such luminaries as The Xcerts, Feeder and, most recently, the superlative Idlewild. The attention is well deserved: the band's sound is both intricate and epic, marrying the stop-start sporadicisms of Twin Atlantic and Biffy Clyro with the soaring sonic intensity of Manchester Orchestra's 'Mean Everything to Nothing' and 'Devil and God'-era Brand New. Spend your pocket money on their 'Where The Water Meets The Land' EP now and prepare for the inevitable debut masterpiece later in the year.

THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY



It is a truth universally acknowledged that Scotland produces some of the most interesting, diverse and downright amazing bands that this crazy old beast called the music industry has to offer. This Glaswegian five piece sound quite unlike anything currently worming its way through the Zeitgeist, with the possible exception of British Sea Power, and therein lies their strength: the mournful trombones, melancholic violins, colossal vocals and unique harmonics create something captivatingly ethereal and breathtakingly cathartic. And they bloody rock live, too.

EVER SINCE THE LAKE CAUGHT FIRE



Circling the edges of Newcastle's alternative scene for some time now, Ever Since The Lake Caught Fire seem to have finally caught the attention of the all-important industry bigwigs - resulting in their single 'The Sea' being playlisted on BBC Introducing - and with the right promo and marketing, could skyrocket to superstardom in 2011. Or at the very least, get themselves a record deal. This is spiky, post-punk indie topped off with a healthy dose of eccentricity and it's bloody marvellous. Check out 'Warden Rock' on Spotify and subject your subconscious to one of the hooks of the year.

LANTERNS ON THE LAKE



Fellow BBC Introducing stalwarts Lanterns on the Lake are a somewhat more subdued listening experience than Ever Since The Lake Caught Fire but that does not make their music any less powerful. The North Eastern six piece are the masters of sonic crescendo, building from delicate beginnings to epic, soaring highs courtesy of guitars played with violin bows and, um, violins played with, er, violin bows. Yeah. If you like The Arcade Fire - and you should - then you won't be able to resist being swept along for the ride.

Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks (w/The Seventeenth Century), Glasgow QMU, 18/12/10

Come one, come all, to the We Were Promised Jetpacks Christmas party, brought to you by M&S crackers, ear-shatteringly noisy guitars and one absolutely cracking bill that features, as its most pleasant surprise, the utterly wonderful The Seventeenth Century who tonight manage to almost upstage the main attraction. The band's sound is quite unlike anything currently worming its way through the Zeitgeist, with the possible exception of British Sea Power, but even then, arguably, the Century have a stranglehold over the Brighton boys by virtue of the sheer intensity of their performance.

Mournful trombone and melancholic violin are married to the unquestionably unique harmonics of lead singer Mark Brendan Farmer, whose mouth contorts into shapes previously thought inconceivable in order to deliver a truly outstanding vocal range, sounding fascinatingly unearthly. And as if this wasn't enough, the cataclysmically epic sounds that come tumbling from the stage, that build and build and build before launching themselves from the toppermost high and soaring over all our heads, are created with such intense fervor by the band members that their instruments very nearly meet a decidedly sticky end (Mark's violin, in particular, suffers badly at his hand). It all makes for riveting viewing and raises the bar another twenty notches for the Jetpacks to surpass.

Thankfully, WWPJ bring their A-game this evening, unleashing an unforgiving torrent of calamitous noise on the 300 strong Queen Margaret's Union, an impressive capacity for a band with as little commercial success. The boys find the time for a few heartfelt thank yous - well deserved given the roaring singalongs that accompany EVERY track from last year's superb debut 'These Four Walls', not simply the singles - and to pull the odd Christmas cracker (bassist Sean dons the paper hat but refuses to tell the rubbish joke), but the focus is primarily on showering us all in abrasive guitar chops, ear-shattering feedback and the kind of cathartic 'build to release' formula that even the Karma Sutra can't perfect. For such a refined, pint-sized band, the Jetpacks make one hell of a noise; the cacophony emanating from Adam and Michael's combined Telecaster thrashings is a force to be reckoned with and gives the group their edge, lending serious weight to the band's sound.

Wisely, the Edinburghians choose not to deviate from their winning formula; if anything, the new material aired tonight, making up approximately half of the set, amps everything up to 100. The guitars on suitably intense opener 'Circles' are even louder, the choruses still more massive, the spits and snarls through which Adam's delivers his impenetrable vocals even more ferocious. It all bodes extremely well for the forthcoming second record, giving us all something delicious to look forward to in 2011. Inevitably, though, it's the familiar material that hits the most home runs: the 'Ships', the 'Sleeves', the 'Short Bursts'. These are the beauties that the knowledgeable among us have come to know and love, the stupendously sporadic stabs of indie-rock brilliance that the punters have taken to their hearts, and that tonight, send voices soaring, arms in the air and bodies flying stagewards. It's an endearing sight and one that, with a smidgeon of luck and a healthy helping of hard work, should continue apace into the new year.

If tonight is any indication, and there's any justice left in this crazy old thing we call the music business, 2011 belongs to We Were Promised Jetpacks. And The Seventeenth Century. You read it here first, kids. Now make it happen.