Wavves, In Case of Fire and more

Wavves: the slacker's slacker

Noise never goes out of fashion. We’re talking proper scuzzy noise here, with all the trashy interference, buzzy discordance and fuzzy clatter that you hear when someone truly goes for broke with a barrage of instruments are on their last legs. As Times New Viking and No Age found out in 2008, there’s a lot of love out there for people who want to take it to the limit every time.

This year’s contender for that crown may be Wavves, the one-man beach-punk band straight off the sunny streets of San Diego. That one-man Wavve is Nathan Williams, a dude who probably comes across as the slacker’s slacker.

That image, though, is not quite right. For a start, he has been hugely prolific on the releases and gigs front, which is more than you can say for most layabouts. For another, he has some blogging experience under his belt. Ain’t no slacking when you have a blog, folks. Crime doesn’t crack itself and all of that.

Such has been Williams’s work-rate that it is difficult to keep track of it. There’s an avalanche of singles for a start, including ones that have appeared – or are about to appear – on such micro-labels as Tic Tac Totally, Post Present Medium and Young Turks.

Then there’s an absolute peach of a self-titled album which turned up on the Woodsist label and a new album, confusingly called Wavvves, which will be released on the Fat Possum label in March.

Just what that label, which honed its bones on the back of old southern blues geezers, is doing with Williams is another day’s work. Maybe crunchy psych-punk surf tunes are the new blues? More likely, Fat Possum see the 22-year-old Williams as someone who is going to making music for a long time to come. After all, there are some hugely impressive pop hooks and melodies submerged deep within his fuzzy tones.

While his music is a far cry from the more processed autotuned melodies that dominate the charts, Williams undoubtedly has a suss on pop’s more rugged side, which will remind you of what Beck was all about when he was starting out.

For now, Williams is just getting on with the job in hand and he’s happy with where things are going. “Once I had recorded a couple of songs and I thought I had found my ‘niche’, I became more confident writing the songs because I had a real idea of how I wanted it to sound,” he says.

“I didn’t know beach punk was what people were going to label it, but I don’t really care. I’m glad people enjoy the music, so whatever.”

Wavves plays Lavery's, Belfast on Februry 10th and Whelan's, Dublin on February 11th www.myspace.com/wavves

In Case of Fire: northern by nature

As BBC's Stuart Bailie put it in our tips for 2009 feature a few weeks ago, this year will be Nordie by nature. A huge number of acts from Northern Ireland who have spent the last few years following the Malcolm Gladwell credo about 10,000 hours of practice are now ready to head further afield with their wares.

In the midst of such a strong bunch of contenders (certainly, a far more export-ready scene than anything down south), Portadown's In Case Of Fire will be one of those to keep an eye on.

Since forming in 2005, they've perfected a tough, melodic, hugely impressive progressive metal sound, through slogging it out on the gig circuit with 30 Seconds To Mars, Queens of the Stone Age, Biffy Clyro and Enter Shikari. The band have just finished a Kerrang tour too, cementing an ongoing relationship with that audience.

Aside from a growing live fanbase and a clever management and label set-up it's their debut album Align the Planets that will see them step up to the next level. Produced by Gil Norton (who previously worked with Pixies and Foo Fighters), it's ambitious, powerful, muscular music. That album is released in May, but you can check out new single The Cleansing now for a taste of what to expect.

www.incaseoffire.co.uk 

Three more to try

Micachu The Shapes

First decent signing to Rough Trade in an age, the spiky, inventive Jewellery album from Mica Levi (right) is going to be one of the year's stunners. www.myspace.com/micayomusic

Jay Electronica

Enigmatic New Orleans rapper with Nas as his mentor, getting better and bolder with every new cut. www.myspace.com/ jayelect and www.myspace.com/ jayelectronica

Sounds of System Breakdown

Superior electropop beeps and bleeps from Dublin-based Rob Costello, Adam Jensen and Conan Wynne. www.myspace.com/ soundsofsystembreakdown