New Artists to Watch in 2012

Blind Pilot

The name of the band may leave something to be desired, but the way members of Blind Pilot explained it to me, it has to do with blind faith. It's about doing something crazy like packing up your instruments and taking to the road without a clear plan. Or a car. Yup. They toured twice on bicycle. The bikes were stolen in San Francisco. And even though they live in rainy Portland and wear plaid, the band's sound is sunny, poppy and polished. (Claudia Marshall)

City and Colour

City and Colour is one man: Dallas Green. Not the Dallas Green who once managed the Mets and Yankees, but the guitarist and vocalist from the now defunct Canadian hardcore punk band, Alexisonfire. As City and Colour, Dallas leaves behind the aggressive thrash and taps into his acoustic singer songwriter side, as evidenced by his fourth album, his third studio release, Little Hell. City and Colour may not have the same raging aggression as Alexisonfire, but the songs still pack an emotional punch, just one delivered in a quieter manner! (Darren DeVivo)

Civil Wars

Like Seattle's The Head and The Heart, indie duo The Civil Wars have had an amazing 2011, growing from unknowns to darlings in a matter of months. This year they released their debut to major hype, big sales, and two Grammy nominations. Joy Williams and John Paul White are not newcomers to the music scene, but Barton Hollow is unlike anything either of them has done before. Their precise yet soulful vocals, their mysterious harmonies, and their stripped-down, sexy performances have me curious about what's in store for us from them next year. (Rita Houston)

Gary Clark, Jr.

Gary Clark, Jr. came up in the Austin music scene, singing and playing the blues. In 2010 he caught the ear of Eric Clapton, who chose him to perform at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. A DVD of his performance there led to a recording deal with Warner Bros. Clark's first release for the label was the 2011 four-song EP Bright Lights. We're hoping for a full-length CD from Clark in 2012. (Corny O'Connell)

Deer Tick

Deer Tick is a rock band hitting its stride with the fourth album in its seven year life, Divine Providence. (The title is a pun on the band's hometown.) Lyrically, it's light: "Let's all go to the bar" and "We're grown men who act like kids," for example. Musically, it's eclectic and assured, from the rootsy shuffle of "Miss K" to the thrash of "Funny Word" (reminiscent of their Deervana cover band alter-ego). (Eric Holland)

Everything Everything

With their vivid 2010 debut album, Man Alive, Manchester-based rockers Everything Everything managed to snag nominations for virtually every lofty British music industry award in 2011, including the Mercury Prize. The band's complex, genre-rattling compositions, punctuated by singer Jonathan Higgs' tempestuous falsetto and artillery-fire delivery, have earned the quartet earnest comparisons to XTC, Foals and Radiohead. Although they're still, mysteriously, without a label Stateside, Everything Everything are writing and recording their second album and eyeing a 2012 release date. (Kara Manning)

Field Music

Brothers Peter and David Brewis, who have been making music as Field Music since 2005, released their ambitious, sprawling and majestic double album, Measure, in 2010. They've opted for brevity and a return to a more fragmented aesthetic for their new album, Plumb, out on Valentine's Day. The 15-song album is a flat-out gallop of 35 minutes, a bustling, voluptuously cinematic ride that swoons, barks and soothes with strutting pop ("(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing") and kaleidoscopic reveries ("Choosing Sides"). (Kara Manning)

Craig Finn

Craig Finn, the lead singer and lyricist for the band The Hold Steady, has gone solo -- at least for one album. Craig says he wanted to try something different, and with Clear Heart Full Eyes he has. The voice is familiar, the lyrics still wonderfully intricate, but this new collection feels more personal. The Hold Steady is expected to continue, but till then Craig Finn fans have 11 new songs to explore -- and try to figure out what they mean. (Dennis Elsas)

First Aid Kit

Sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg head the Swedish group First Aid Kit. A few years back, a video of them covering Fleet Foxes caught fire on YouTube and turned many onto their sound. Possessing tremendous harmonies and a keen sense of melody, the duo released their first EP in 2000, when they were still teenagers. A full length CD followed, as well as a single for Jack White's Third Man Records series. Their new one, The Lion's Roar, finds them working with Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame. (Russ Borris)

Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia's solo debut, Laura, is a true-love romance based on winning back his girlfriend. (It worked, by the way.) A New Yorker of Argentinean descent, Garcia fills these songs with South American influence, but, interestingly, it's more bossa nova than tango. You'll also hear a David Bowie/Leonard Cohen touch at times. After graduating from Brown, Garcia came home and founded Elefant, a glam rock band, which lasted a few years. As he said to me in a recent interview, "I guess I'm getting older, and more mellow." Lucky for us. (Rita Houston)

Michael Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka is a 24-year-old, baby-faced Londoner, steeped in the socially-conscious legacy of Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Despite the lost-vinyl feel of Kiwanuka's music, like the wistful entreaty of "Tell Me a Tale," this British son of Ugandan parents, who has toured with Adele and Laura Marling, is no retro-gazing acolyte. Tapping eloquently into today's restless zeitgeist, his songs are serene witnesses to a nascent revolution. Kiwanuka's latest EP, Home Again, offers an enticing preamble to his debut album, expected in March 2012. (Kara Manning)

Nikki Lane

When Nikki Lane's boyfriend broke up with her to go off and record an album, she decided to do the same. That break-up was the inspiration for many of the songs on Lane's 2011 debut, Walk of Shame. Her sound will remind you of country veterans like Bobbie Gentry and Jeannie C. Riley and the more contemporary Neko Case. If things don't work out for her in the music business, Lane also has a vintage boutique in Nashville called High Class Hillbilly. (Corny O'Connell)

Real Estate

Real Estate is a band from New Jersey which came together in 2008. After releasing a handful of singles, Real Estate issued their self-titled debut album in 2009. Two years later came their sophomore full length, Days. Real Estate's songs are delivered through a slightly psychedelic haze of jangling pop guitars, reminiscent of early R.E.M., mixed with 1980s bands like Winter Hours and Translator. After listening to Days, I nominate Real Estate as my top musical discovery of 2011! (Darren DeVivo)

Scars on 45

When Scars on 45 performed an FUV Live show for us last year, they segued from their song "Give Me Something" into Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." It was no gimmick: that melodic, harmony-rich pop is where the band's roots lie. That show -- like the UK quintet's two EPs -- left the audience wanting more, and luckily 2012 looks to be the year people will be talking about the band's full-length debut instead of just asking about their Emmylou Harris-influenced name. (Sarah Wardrop)

Sarah Siskind

Although she has yet to find widespread recognition, Nashville-based Sarah Siskind has been championed by the likes of Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, and Bon Iver (who said, "Sarah's music changed my life"). Her voice, a cross between Beth Orton and k.d. lang, calls out to you. On her fifth CD, Novel, which she recorded entirely on her own, it soars like a violin over chiming guitars and pulsing piano lines. Also a talented jewelry designer, Sarah is clearly the gem. (John Platt)

Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty blows trumpet as well as a bone, and there's been no question about his chops since he was a boy. He exudes New Orleans style and ease while using the trad jazz of his city as a trampoline to myriad styles observant of no taboos. It's danceable and joyful more often than not. For True captures Shorty as a seasoned 25-year-old with pals like Warren Haynes, Jeff Beck, and Lenny Kravitz helping out. (Eric Holland)

Sharon Van Etten

Brooklyn-based Sharon Van Etten writes in a bold and expressive fashion, often exploring dark topics, while managing to sound triumphant. Her unique vocal style adds additional depth to her songs; a lilting whisper might slip into a venomous sneer in a slight change in cadence. Her last album, Epic, was one of my favorite releases of 2010, and from what I've heard of her next one, Tramp (due in February, 2012), the new songs hold even more gravitas, helped by friends, including The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Beirut's Zach Condon. (Alisa Ali)

War On Drugs

Slave Ambient, the sophomore release from the Philadelphia-based band War On Drugs, is worth any music lover's attention, especially those who appreciate a wide variety of musical styles. The arrangements blend acoustic guitars with synthesizers and harmoniums with harmonicas. You'll hear hints of Petty right alongside Pink Floyd. Imagine Dylan and Springsteen joining Radiohead. They'll be touring through Spring of 2012. Catch them if you can! (Alisa Ali)