It’s that time again — time to hit the polls for our Artist of the Week!
This is a round-up of five of the best global bands we found this week. You have until Monday night at 11:59 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time to vote for your favorite new artist on MTV Iggy, using the bottom poll!
On Tuesday morning, the crowned artist will be featured on the MTV Iggy homepage marquee along with a tell-all interview.
May the best band walk away with the victory!
Kenneth Bager
Photo Courtesy of the Kenneth Bager Experience
If you’ve never lindy hopped or jitterbugged to electronic music, The Kenneth Bager Experience’s “Sound of Swing (Oh Na Na)” will at least have you making a terrible attempt. Kenneth Bager is more renowned for his music entrepreneurship in Denmark than for his prolific singles. He’s considered responsible for putting house and techno on the Scandinavian map, back before the Internet did everything for them.
Arabyrd
Photo courtesy of AraByrd
AraByrd draws comparisons to M.I.A., no doubt because of her preference for futuristic beats, Day-Glo outfits, and spitting with a certain hard cadence. But in her cute, tomboyish way, the new Malaysian emcee reminds us more of Nicki Minaj. The 23 year-old artist, whose real name is Arafah Edruce, has got pop appeal, party starting energy, and an eccentric sense of style all her own. Having opened for Diplo, she’s making waves as a rapper and as part of Kuala Lumpur DJ duo Twinkies. But she gets a lot of love for the looks she pulls off too.
Alec Lomani
Photo Courtesy of Shako Oteka
It’s hard to believe Alec Lomami’s “Kinshasa” was conceived in an immigrant holding cell. Between the joyous sampling from “Fixed” by Canada’s Stars and the gangsta flow inflection, you’d never guess that Alec’s story is riddled with the cruelties of war and bureaucracy — unless, of course, you speak French. Look out for Lomani’s upcoming EP, Melancholie Joyeuse (“merry meloncholy”).
Niki & The Dove
Photo Courtesy of Nicki & The Dove
Niki & The Dove are singer Malin Dahlstromm and multi-instrumentalist Gustav Karlof. They popped seemingly out of nowhere in 2010 with just one single and a b-side, which the U.K. Guardian called possibly the two greatest alt-pop songs of the year. “DJ, Ease My Mind,” is a noir-pop classic that manages to be be both icy cold and fiery and vulnerable.
Falloch
Photo Courtesy of Falloch
Scottish duo Falloch just emerged onto the metal scene, but they’re already drawing a lot of respect and attention. Their atmospheric post-black metal debut Where Distant Spirits Remain isn’t out until September but reviewers are already glowingly comparing them to shoegaze/black metal heavies Alcest. In addition to taking cues from the raw dirge side of black metal, you can hear a lot of epic post-rock in there, along with folk, and some cold wet wind blowing through heather.
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