6 pop acts ready to break out in '07
Now that 2006 and its flurry of year-end wrap-ups are behind us, it's time to roll out the predictions for 2007. Of course we realize there's no way to anticipate who's going to make it in this madhouse commonly known as the music business. We most definitely understand that merit often isn't rewarded, and that talent can't be measured by the size of an artist's fan base. But hope springs eternal, even among us jaded critics, gazing clear-eyed and market-minded into pop's crystal ball. Here are our picks for performers we predict will make it big in 2007 -- some buoyed by the benevolent winds of fate, others launched by the well-greased wheels of commerce.
THE LOVE ME NOTS
Foursome's '60s sound is quite a kick
The sound of an organ swirling around driving drums and speedy guitar licks is something of a Boston garage-rock 'n' roll tradition that dates all the way back through the Charms, the Lyres, and Barry and the Remains. But Farfisas in Arizona? It all makes sense, however, when you discover that the Phoenix-based Love Me Nots -- a brand new go-go booted combo (well, the two women, anyway; the guys wear sensible suits) with a clutch of sassy songs about broken hearts (not to mention aching ones, lusty ones, and even a few on chains) -- are managed by none other than Charms honcho Steev Riccardo. A Boston-to-LA transplant, Riccardo has a knack for getting garage-rock impresario Little Steven's ear, and excavating groups who sound as if they've been stashed in a time capsule since the swinging '60s. The foursome is fronted by Farfisa-slinging, single-monikered singer Nicole; its debut CD, "In Black & White" (out Tuesday on its own Atomic Go Go label), features high-profile production by White Stripes/Von Bondies engineer Jim Diamond, who does a great job capturing the band's old-school hooks and libidinous energy. Even better, Diamond leaves ample room in the mix for guitarist Michael Johnny Walker's sizzling six-string workouts. From the Animals-esque riffage of "Alley" to the Greenhornes-ish "Break My Heart," the Love Me Nots are intent on shaking a tail feather in 2007, and betting you won't be able to stop yourself from doing the same when you hear them.
JONATHAN PERRY
PETER BJORN AND JOHN
You'll whistle while they work
Take this with a grain of salt: 2006 was already a big year for Peter Bjorn and John . Not on the order of UK breakout Lily Allen , but the Swedish indie rockers were still quite a sensation in Europe and with pockets of Pitchfork readers and H&M shoppers in this country.
But this could be an even bigger year for the band with the US release of its latest album, "Writer's Block ," set for Feb. 6 on Almost Gold Recordings . Bye bye, $20 imports.
PB&J (groan) is an obvious contender for the US market. For every Arcade Fire fan who has longed to wear out her Chuck Taylors on the dance floor, this is the band that'll do the trick.
For latecomers, "Young Folks " is the essential starting point. An irresistible hit single that hinges on an infectious whistle solo, it has spawned a cute animated video (get thee to YouTube.com ), and as one snarky friend pointed out, it sounds perfect for a Volvo commercial.
Once you've got the whistle down, move on to "Objects of My Affection," which roars out of the gate like a tidal wave, all distorted guitars and pummeling percussion. "Amsterdam" shimmies and shakes to a simple refrain ("Baby went to Amsterdam / She put a little money into traveling") that's not so simple to forget.
The same could be said of every song from this trio. Start practicing your whistle. You're going to need it.
JAMES REED
DR. DOG
There's a brilliance to the mess these eclectic musicians make
At first glance, the influences listed on Dr. Dog's MySpace page sound ridiculous: R. Stevie Moore, Benjamin Franklin, and Andy Kaufman . Listen to the music, though, and this seemingly bizarre trio becomes a brilliant distillation of the Philadelphia band's aesthetic. Like the fringe musician, the founding father, and the comedian, the members of Dr. Dog are true eclectics with prodigious range. Their tunes defy categorization. Classic pop hooks, hard riffs, and hollering, sweet harmonies, tricky time shifts, and tape hiss pile up in joyful, amusing heaps. Top 40 it's not. I'm still trying to figure out how music can sound so messy and elegant at the same time.
It's hard to say exactly when Dr. Dog formed. Guitarist Toby Leaman and drummer Scott McMicken , who met in a band called Raccoon , recorded a 35-track concept album, "The Psychedelic Swamp ," in a basement as a duo over the course of several years, self-releasing it as Dr. Dog in 2001. Despite its sprawling size and scope, Dr. Dog's was a low-key debut on the pop scene. With the addition of three more players (McMicken switched to guitar, Leaman to bass), the group released the rather more focused but widely unavailable "Toothbrush " in 2004. That disc caught the ear of at least one rabid fan: My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James , who invited Dr. Dog to tour with his band.
"Easy Beat " followed in 2005, as did a deal with the indie label Park the Van . The 2006 EP "Takers and Leavers " made it to this critic's Top 10 list of last year, and two of those tracks are included on the forthcoming album, "We All Belong ," which marks Dr. Dog's leap from its basement eight-track to a 24-track, 2-inch tape machine. The album, out Feb. 27, follows a slew of dates opening for the Raconteurs, the Black Keys, and the Strokes. The stars are aligning. Woof.
JOAN ANDERMAN
PAOLO NUTINI
Young man in a hurry is on his way to the US
Already a sensation in the United Kingdom, the Scottish singer-songwriter with the Italian name has gone platinum and opened for the Rolling Stones. Paolo Nutini touches down stateside with his debut, "These Streets ," on Jan. 30.
The 20-year-old is a gentle acoustic soul singer who grew up listening to his parents' Bill Withers and John Martyn records. His songs subsequently fall somewhere between sweet seductions and pastoral folk ballads.
He was signed to Atlantic Records at 18, and "These Streets" has the earmarks of youth in some of its single-minded lyrics -- there is much coaxing to "lie down with me" on several songs. But his gift for melody, and warm production courtesy of Ken Nelson (Coldplay , Badly Drawn Boy ) -- as well as an agreeably craggy voice -- should hit the sweet spot for fans of everyone from Ben Harper to James Blunt to early Rod Stewart.
Paolo Nutini plays the Paradise on Feb. 3.
SARAH RODMAN
THE BLOW
A perfect case of mix and mash
The Blow's Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt spent much of last year hunkered down in their corner of the Northwest, perfecting a 30-minute pop masterpiece called "Paper Television." So when Maricich finally emerged for a tour in the fall -- Bechtolt was busy with his other band, YACHT -- it was like a giant breath being exhaled onstage.
There were anthems about love in the deli aisle of the supermarket, and love as a fortress, a nation, the Louvre, an engine; there were also songs about hearing a beating heart somewhere between the sheets of an unmade bed. Through it all, Maricich, with only a stack of synths as accompaniment, danced and swayed and shimmied, her eyes often half-closed.
The Blow was conceived half a decade ago as a vehicle for Maricich's off-kilter mash-ups. Then, in 2004, Bechtolt, a friend, was invited on board to record a limited-edition EP called "Poor Aim: Love Songs." The marriage was so perfect, Maricich says, that the duo decided to write a second album, concentrating on a radio-friendly sound.
"Paper Television," which will be a focal point for another Blow tour this spring, is the product of two complementary talents: Bechtolt's kaleidoscopic samples and spare, unflinching beats carry Maricich's soaring confessionals. It's also an indicator -- at a time when mash-up masters like the Neptunes and Gnarls Barkley are driving the pop agenda -- that electro can have weight, depth, and a razor-sharp edge.
"When the book is written about me, I want it to be as an artist," Maricich said recently. "Because that means you can always be thinking about the big picture."
MATTHEW SHAER
J*DAVEY
Electronica in the service of soul
"They sound like Prince!" is a common response when new listeners are introduced to the woozy, funky, gritty soul of Los Angeles indie duo J*Davey. The comparison with the Purple One is appropriate. Like Prince in his heyday, Jack Davey (the girl, on vocals) and Brook D'Leau (the boy, on laptop and keyboards) make not just music but a whole aesthetic: They usher you into their world with the confidence that you will get it, and their refusal to second-guess themselves or spoon-feed the audience is part of what makes them so damn sexy. They put electronica in the service of soul, and their songs possess a deep sensuality that's erotic with no need for nudity, and gender-bending in the most offhand, non-ideological way.
The future J*Davey divines is one free of nostalgia but not of historical awareness, geared toward technology but never ruled by it. In short, it's realistic -- in an exciting, refreshing way. As with many indie groups, it's the nearer future that's more of a problem, specifically releasing the duo's first album, which has been delayed several times. But thanks to their MySpace page and a so-called "official bootleg" CD they sell at their shows, their sound need not be a secret limited to the electronic/soul underground, where their buzz is approaching saturation levels. Though they're not the only act coming out of the fertile LA indie soul scene, J*Davey is the one that, assuming the album finally drops this year, stands to set the standard for progressive soul music on the global stage.
SIDDHARTHA MITTER 
