Today, we focus on three Cockney artists with bizarre hairdos – Esser, Micachu and Josh Weller. Do your best not to judge these books by their covers – they may look like twits, but they sound like modern-day pop prodigies. And the new sound they’re pushing forward – let’s just call it experimental pop for now – is all the rage over in the land of rain and tea.
Combining the vocal attitude of Blur’s Damien Albarn with unpredictable vocal harmonies creates the all-together unique new Cockney singer called Esser. Most original is the eclectic sound of each of his songs – with styles ranging from electro-pop to thrash-rock. If this weird-looking little chap doesn’t make it big in the pop scene, Ben Esser will be sure to have an impact behind the decks in 2010.
This group of smarmy-looking barely-post-teens might look like they’re in the midst of skipping history class, but they can certainly throw together some crafty beats. Frontlady Mica Levi is quite the production prodigy, sewing together unexpected sounds into a patchwork of catchy music. Thankfully, it’s a case of experimentation leading to great pop music rather than pretentious bullcrap. While the video below doesn’t do Levi’s crazy hair justice, you can see her using a vacuum cleaner as an instrument at Toronto’s El Mocambo on Sept. 29.
Weller’s line “She suffers from a bit of a complex where she wants to look good” nicely sums up the problem that smokers over the world face every day. Taking vaguely nostalgic melodies and jumbling them up with a mind-warping musical style, Weller follows the pattern of his compatriots by sampling every taster at the table – proving that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is actually quite a useful trait for musicians.
