19 Artists to Watch for in 2013

Elliphant is like the perfect storm of different in-style things. The singer fell in love with urban music in London during her time in the U.K., and it brings an interesting twist to the slightly more refined pop that usually comes from her homeland of Sweden. She's got a heavy dose of the Santigold and M.I.A. type of energy, and in only a few songs she's proved that she can pull off both brash, in-your-face style ("TeKKno Scene") as well as a more radio-friendly, welcoming sound ("Down On Life"). We could see it taking off in Europe before America, but if she does make it over here, we could see her making it very big.

In an interview we did with FIDLAR's Brandon Schwartzel, we asked him about the term "slacker rock," lyrics, and the band's sound. His reply was, "I don't know, we just make the music we want." One listen to their music and it makes sense. Garage/punk/rock with catchy melodies and lyrics about getting stoned, drinking cheap beer, and awkward relationships, the California band is a much-needed break from music that's doing too much thinking. FIDLAR drops their self-titled debut on January 22nd.

Everything Carnage does is massive. We've known this from day one. We heard him for the first time in August of 2011, and by October we were already speaking hyperbolically about Carnage the legend. Calling this producer we barely knew a legend was a half-joke, but it was rooted in truth, because the second you get to know anything about Carnage is the second you realize that this is a person who is going to succeed—by brute force if necessary.

He started with hip-hop (see: A$AP Rocky & Theophilus London's "Big Spender") but he's moved on to focus more on EDM, creativing a massive sound that he calls "Festival Trap" and recently teaming up with Fool's Gold for a single ("Bang"). Along the way, he's crafted a personality that makes him a potential star—a personality often lacking in the world of guys who hold the job title of producer. We might have been half-kidding when we called Carnage a legend, but just wait until he makes us look like geniuses by actually living up to it.

Brother-sister duo Wild Belle haven't disappointed yet, but their full potential really hit us when we saw the "Keep You" video. They make reggae-tinged pop music polished enough to get them signed by Columbia, but their steady growth so far has felt natural and unforced. Their debut album comes out in March, and if their work to date is any indication, this will be a record in heavy rotation come summer 2013.

Making music is about more than being a skilled musician. As far as developing as an artist, Dominic Lord is still in the early stages, but he's got a vision and an understanding of style and aesthetics that go way beyond even some of the most seasoned veterans. He's young, connected, and if he can hone his creative perspective, he'll undoubtedly be making major moves very soon. We can see him being one of the go-to newcomers in 2013.

We've tossed a lot of praise at AlunaGeorge. We're sold. We're fans. The singles the duo dropped in 2012, in particular the icily anthemic "Just A Touch" and the anxiously inviting electro-soul of "Your Drums, Your Love," pointed to an aesthetic and sound sharply defined and a blueprint for selling cool without selling out or feeling unnatural. The sonic space singer Aluna Francis and George Reid inhabit certainly fits in with the moodier, synthier corners of the indie R n' B movement, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them break serious ground in the U.S. as 2013 goes on.

There is something very special about pop music coming out of Scandinavia these days. It's this combination of a clean, professional sound and a wildly creative force that flows through it all. Denmark's Karen Marie Ørsted, known as MØ, makes weird, intelligent, polished pop that focuses on the artistic value as much as the entertainment value. It's one thing the Scandinavian people seem to be very good at, and if MØ can recreate the magic of "Pilgrim" and "Maiden," she will be a very welcome addition to our growing list of adored Scandinavian pop musicians.

Haim has an unfair advantage: They are three sisters who look like they'd fit perfectly into an Urban Outfitters catalog. You can pretend all you want that image in indie music doesn't matter, but it does, and almost more than in mainstream culture, because it's not as easy to construct. Try to fool a bunch of cool, indie-loving hipsters and you'll see just how hard it is. They are a skeptical bunch just looking to sniff out the posers, knock them down, stand on their backs, and look down. But Haim succeeds because they aren't just three cool-looking sisters—they're three cool-looking sisters who care deeply about music and do it well. Just look at their faces when they play. It's hard to say whether or not a sense of music is genetic, but Haim provides a good piece of evidence that it is.

So far, they haven't missed the mark, and with their debut album coming out in 2013, Haim could realize the success that happens when image and sincerity collide.

Since forming in 2010 this British duo have slowly but surely been honing their icy, haunting brand of darkness tinged electronic pop. Singer Catherine Pockson sounds like a less robotic La Roux or a more operatic Natasha Khan (of Bat For Lashes), with soaring vocals that are the perfect foil for producer Bob Matthews often sparse backdrops. The end of 2012 saw a superb EP followed by a collaboration with Sub Focus, and if Alpines can carry that momentum into 2013 they are all set for a big year.

These four young men from Birmingham, England showed with their DeliciousEP that they were a versatile and talented bunch. There was the Foals-like, math-rock leaning "Bloodshake" with its bright melodies and catchy chorus, the slower, beach-side anthem "California Daze" and even a ten minute wall-of-noise album closer "1998." With an album on the way in 2013 it will be interesting to see whether Peace settle on a single sound, or continue to very successfully experiment with a number of different styles.

With a production style that pays homage to London post-dub and traditional house, British brothers Disclosure blazed an exciting path to web-prominence across remixes and originals that showcased their distinct ability to breathe soul into the modern dance machine. After embarking on an American club tour to end 2012, it seems that the duo is poised to keep their transatlantic invasion rolling in the new year. Hopefully they'll be able to score some serious production credits and excite the festival circuit with their potent combination of warm synths and big bass.

Timing is everything, and Inc. is coming along at the perfect moment. The brotherly duo makes smooth, hushed R&B, and it's taking traditional R&B and flipping it on its head, creating another interesting take on a genre that has seemed somewhat stale over the past decade. Just within the last few years, artists like Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, How To Dress Well, and Miguel have all made R&B exciting again, and inc. is set to be another act who has a unique, updated style that fits the genre's continued transformation. Their debut, No World drops on 4AD in February.

Though Azealia Banks may have grabbed headlines early in 2012, Angel Haze emerged as the year's female emcee to watch, an exciting spitfire with a flow to rival any peer, male or female. Though she's yet to release a definitive original statement, her Classick EP evokes the best of mixtapes past, rethinking existing, often popular songs as well-considered expressions of self. Though it's unclear how a major label deal will effect the sound and skill that have made Haze so exciting, it is reassuring to see another talented female emcee insert herself into music's landscape at a high level.

You follow lots of cool blogs. You have tons of electro-pop to choose from. Your desktop, harddrive, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iBalls--everything is filled so far to the brim with buzzworthy artists that you can't possibly fit one more, right? Ireland's Young Wonder might have something to say about that. Combining the sort of bright, big beat-production that made darlings of groups like Purity Ring with earthy, occasionally effected vocals, Young Wonder has laid out an enjoyable blueprint for future success.

With a sound reminiscent of turn of the century underground hip-hop and an experimental energy that far outsrips some of their more classically concerned peers, New York crew Ratking managed a considerable buzz and released an EP, Wiki93, that highlighted potential and skill in 2012. Led by young spitfire Wiki (whose "Wikispeaks" remains the crew's unofficial anthem and anchor, an introduction to their aesthetic and central figure), Ratking incorporates a gamut of New York threads into its musical fabric, nodding as often to Def Jux era hip-hop as 90s jungle. It's a mix both lively and grim that positions the group atop a precarious, exciting slope; the onus is on Wiki and co. to continue their historically minded innovation, and it seems like they'll have plenty of opportunity with XL in their corner.

At 15 and 16, Japanese producers Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe (collectively BenZel) were barely ideas being tossed around by their parents when groups like SWV and Total populated the airwaves. Even if they didn't hear the sweet sounds of mid-90s R n' B in the womb, Takahashi and Watanabe have synthesized the lessons of the era's seductive sounds with a modern edge, mixing warm touches with big, clean, radio-ready beats. They broke through with a remix of a Jessie Ware song, but it wouldn't be surprising to hear BenZel on the next Jessie Ware album.

Solange isn't precisely a new kid on the block, but a hot end to 2012 has us feeling like 2013 could finally be the year that breaks her on a larger scale. A quirky, undeniable cool and a knack for song selection have garnered the younger Knowles sister praise by the bundle in past years, but recent EP True hints at continued artistic progression and the potential for commercial breakthrough in the new year.

Even with their first few songs, The Neighbourhood sounded like a band that was ready for the spotlight. The Cali group exudes West Coast style, and with their genre-blending, breezy pop, they've accomplished an accessible blend of catchiness and solid songwriting. Their debut album drops next year, and then they'll be hitting the road. Singer Jesse Rutherford told us, "The album will be out in the first few months of '13 and we'll be touring around the release. We're gonna try to tour in a bit of a different way though... You'll see." Should be interesting, and whatever they have planned, we could see it catching on.