Welcome to the weekend! That’s right, it’s time to choose MTV Iggy’s Artist of the Week!
This is a round-up 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 band with the most votes will be featured on the MTV Iggy homepage marquee along with a tell-all interview.
Good luck!
Pony Pony Run Run
Photo Credit: Victor Picon
Made up of two brothers and their art school pal, Pony Pony Run Run started out with a van and an EU passport, playing shows without a record, record label, or booking agent. They paid their dues and came up with the pointed debut You Need Pony Pony Run Run, and on the strength of single “Hey You” made it to the hallowed stages of Glastonbury. For the second album, they’ve taken their Indie Electro in a tighter direction. Recorded in the idyll of a Basque studio, but mixed by a Hip-Hop producer, the eponymous LP has both dreamy and in-your-face elements.
Sigh
Photo Courtesy of Sigh
In addition to making the best case in decades for the saxophone as a rock instrument, Japanese experimentalists Sigh can boast respect in the metal scene and a worldwide cult following despite their penchant for throwing honky tonk piano into the middle of a perfectly good prog rock inferno and then chasing it with Merzbow-style noise. Switching or blending genres mid-song is hallmark of Japanese underground music, but no one does it with as much aggression and fearlessness as Sigh. Yes, there’s something for everyone with this crew, but especially for people who like to have their minds warped.
Wizkid
Photo Courtesy of Wizkid
It’s hard to believe, but rising Nigerian Hip-Hop star Wizkid got his start singing inspirational gospel music. Nowadays, the twenty-two year old’s Dancehall and R&B-influenced tracks are mainly tooled to inspire saucy dance floor behavior. Though he debuted to massive radio love in 2010, 2011 was the biggest year for the Empire Mates Entertainment artist. His first full-length Super Star was released to wide acclaim, he won a MOBO award for “Best African Act,” and signed to Akon’s Konvict Records as a representative of the label in Africa. When people say “Africa is the future,” this is exactly the kind of thing they are talking about.
Neon Hitch
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images
You already know Neon Hitch as the fiery redhead singing the catchy hook on Gym Class Heroes’ “Ass Back Home.” Neon — which is her real, God-given name — has the most interesting life story in pop today. She bounced around the music industry for awhile, networking with the likes of Neneh Cherry and opening for 50 Cent. But it wasn’t until 2010 –when she dropped backup vocals for Ke$ha, 3OH!3, and Friday Night Lights — that people started to know her name. She was signed to Warner, and the rest, including the Gym Class stint, was history.
Bam Bam
Photo Courtesy of Bam Bam
Watch Bam Bam’s music videos, and one thing is instantly apparent: these five dudes from Monterrey, Mexico like to get weird. They stick to a psychedelic tone, whether taking us on a kaleidoscope journey or re-imagining scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Their vintage sound and trippy aesthetics have earned a lot of critical acclaim in Mexico, where their album Futuro Via recently won a nod as “Best Rock Album” from IMAS, the country’s indie music awards. They just did SXSW for the third time, and are fast becoming a favorite on Mexican festival lineups.
Voting Booth!