I was browsing through the BBC’s Sound of 2010 long list, the ‘next-to-blow’ list compiled by over 160 music critics, bloggers, radio DJs and Music Industry folk. The list contained several note-worthy artists; The Drums, Marina and The Diamonds, Gold Panda, Ellie Goulding and Joy Orbison. None of these artists are unknown, they were all hyped throughout 2009 with Joy Orbison’s Hyph Mngo arguably the best tune from the last year (Owl City was also long listed even though he previously reached US No.1 with Fireflies, and that’s a truly awful song). What surprised me most was the omission of jj from the BBC’s long list.
jj (single case J’s) came to my attention under a wave of hushed excitement. Firstly no one knew if jj was a solo musician or a group, woman, man or beast. There was no press release from their record label, Sweden’s Sincerely Yours to follow their two track EP No.1. All anyone knew at the time was jj probably originated from Gothenburg, Sweden and the music being pumped out was exceptional stuff. No.1, with its ying-yang singles, the blissful ‘My Life, My Swag’ and brooding ‘My Swag, My Life’ featured dream-like vocals over ambient layers. It can be best described as Balearic Pop, that type of music you want to hear on a post-rave comedown. With the release of their debut LP No.2, they proved that their excellent EP was no fluke, they upped the ante and managed to effortlessly mix elements of hip hop and Enya (combined with random video snippets and unedited recording session coughs and giggles) into their brand of Acoustic Guitar-driven Balearic Pop…Trust me, it sounds much better than I let on. After you hear Ecstasy (check the video below), jj’s trippy, codeine-laced take on Lil Wayne’s Lollipop, you’ll be planning that heavy weekend in Miami or Ibiza. No.2 was one of the most euphoric albums of 2009 and was further proof of how good pop music could be without the usual record label parameters.
My sentiments were shared by the U.S. record label Secretly Canadian who started the new year by signing jj, and we can now expect a new album around March 2010. Unsurprisingly the new album will be called No.3. jj were also nice enough to reveal their identity; they are a male-female duo by the names of Elin Katlander and Joakim Benon. So take this from me, Secretly Canadian, Sincerely Yours and multiple other best of 2009 lists, jj is one to watch for 2010, and hopefully beyond. Shame on the BBC.
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