11. Best Family Band
If there was ever a 2014 edgier version of The Partridge Family, Echosmith is it. The four siblings that make up the band are as charming and invigorating as their indie-pop hit "Cool Kids." Plus, we've never seen a young band so earnestly excited about the music that they're making, and for that you should be as equally obsessed with them as we are.
10. Most Likely To Make You A Believer
The Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES combine sugary pop sweetness with sniper-like precision. Their lyrics are universal and exact. Their hooks are big and well-deployed. Their sound is warm and electronic. The band's perfectly calibrated,The Bones Of What You Believe, is a debut worth worshipping.
9. Most Likely To Lift Your Spirit
Aloe Blacc is a musical shapeshifter. He’s as comfortable rapping inspirational verses as he is belting the hook of a folky EDM banger. His voice is too big, too soulful to be contained to a single genre. You can go ahead and tell everybody: Aloe is the man.
8. Best '80s Throwback
Want to feel like the star of a John Hughes movie? Put on the Bleachers' debut Strange Desire and crank the volume. It's pure '80s pop bliss. The album's soaring synths and anthemic choruses evoke the Decade of Decadence so perfectly that when Taylor Swift wanted to travel back to 1989, she enlisted the help of Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff.
7. Most Likely To Tackle The Big Issues
It’s rare for a singer-songwriter to breakthrough as the hook girl on a rap song, but Mary Lambert is a rare talent. Her contributions to Macklemore’s 2012 hit “Same Love” not only helped land him a Song of the Year Grammy nomination but also inspired her debut single, “She Keeps Me Warm.” Her unique ability to incorporate issues like sexuality, mental illness, and body image into radio-friendly pop songs is what makes her one of the most exciting artists working today.
6. Most Likely To Make You Want To Get Out A Pint of Ben & Jerry's
Sam Smith is this year's You Oughta Know Artist of the Year and he will make you constantly question how a voice of a thousand angels can actually come from a human. His goosebump-inducing tracks will break your heart, bring actual tears to your eyes, and make you feel things you didn't even know were possible to feel. Which is why his debut album In The Lonely Hour needs to be in your music rotation immediately.
5. Most Likely To Help You Kick Your Bad Habits
Tove Lo's hit song "Habits" is addictive for more than one reason. Not only does the track have highly catchy beats that will force their way into your head for hours on end, it's also super relatable, highlighting those bad habits that we all have and forcing you to confront them. This 26-year-old Swedish pop star is one that you're definitely going to want to keep on your radar.
4. Most Likely To Tell You How They Feel
The men of A Great Big World don’t do ironic detachment. They feel their feelings and they feel them fully. Their punchy, piano-driven sound combines the best of Broadway and pop radio to create something wholly original. Their disarming earnestness attracted the attention of collaborator Christina Aguilera and helped their debut single, “Say Something,” reach No. 16 on the Billboard charts.
3. Most Likely To Change Your Opinion Of The Accordion
While the KONGOS have only recently found success in America, the South African band of brothers have been popular in their home country for years. They’ve got the unique distinction of being an accordion-friendly rock band; their charging single “Come With Me Now” has an accordion breakdown where you’d expect a guitar solo. It’s exactly that kind of eclectic flourish that makes KONGOS a band worth watching.
2. Most Likely To Brighten Your Day
The great American novel may have a reputation for pessimism, but New York-based band American Authors do not. The quartet’s breakthrough single “Best Day Of My Life” is joyful without being cloying and hopeful without being naive. Their infectiously optimistic sound is the perfect antidote for the bad day blues.
1. Mostly Likely To Make You Want To Pick Up A Ukulele
Vance Joy's sweet, intimate, stripped-down tunes are the perfect remedy for relaxation. His indie-folk addictive tracks, like "Riptide," will leave you absentmindedly reciting the lyrics over and over again in your head, and pretty soon you'll be seeing his face everywhere, thanks to his upcoming stint on Taylor Swift's North American 1989 world tour, which is music to our ears.
