toy boy, middle-aged woman!’ Maybe it’s the beard?”
Wale
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Album: The Mixtape About Nothing
Why Hes Worth Watching: This young MC has rapped over Justice (on “W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.”), created a mixtape inspired by Seinfeld (called The Mixtape About Nothing, natch), sold out shows in multiple U.S. cities and signed a production deal with Mark Ronson’s Allido Records. Though he hasn’t yet released a proper LP, his future is already looking bright.
For Fans Of: Kanye West, Rhymefest, Common
Acceptance Speech: “I’d like to thank Allido Records for taking a chance on a knucklehead from DC. I’d also like to thank Con Ed for shutting off my power while I was out of town thus forcing me to write this acceptance speech from my Blackberry rather than my Mac Book Pro. Oh and thanks to PinkBerry for providing me with a cold, tasty sanctuary in this awful July heat in NYC. If they don’t have a PinkBerry in your area yet, I suggest opening a franchise. It’s dairy gold.”
The Everybodyfields
Hometown: Johnson City and Knoxville, Tenn.
Album: Nothing Is Okay
Why Theyre Worth Watching: Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews form the core of one of today’s greatest young country bands. Like the South itself, The Everybodyfields deftly straddle old and new, bitter and sweet, desperation and transcendence with an arresting command. And no contrast is more stark—or beautiful—than the two voices: Andrews’ smooth, clear alto and Quinn’s ambling croon.
For Fans Of: Gillian Welch David Rawlings, Emmylou Harris, The Band
Acceptance Speech: “Hot dog. If you had told me a year ago that living in an irrepressible coma of self-loathing and depression would in turn give an otherwise legitimate publication an inkling that this band would be something to watch—man, I would have been surprised. Hot dog.”
Islands
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Album: Arm’s Way
Why Theyre Worth Watching: Sprung from the loins of hipster-beloved band The Unicorns, Islands cut to the chase, opening for Beck at one of their first shows. Taking near-theatrical turns, the band’s sprawling indie pop skips from genre to genre, trying on arena rock and neo-psychedelia while following ringleader Nick Thorburn’s whims.
For Fans Of: The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, The Apples in Stereo
Acceptance Speech: “On behalf of Nick and his messy men, I (the boil on his forehead) would like to acknowledge the aforementioned acknowledgment of Paste magazine bestowed upon a gracefully willful and potently potential ensemble. I’ll be lanced and long forgotten, but Islands is forever, and getting better.”
Dent May His Magnificent Ukulele
Hometown: Taylor, Miss.
Album: Meet Me In The Garden 7-inch EP
Why Hes Worth Watching: Magnificent or not, this combination could easily prove more gimmicky than the sum of its parts, but somehow the strange brew works. Part backwoods lounge singer, part town troubadour and part spurned John Hughes nerd, Dent May is joined at just the right times by a hand-clapping, “ooh wah wah”-ing band and a dose of synthesizer that’d wilt Tiny Tim’s tulips. After two EPs, a proper full-length is in the works.
For Fans Of: Jens Lekman, Beirut, Caetano Veloso 

Acceptance Speech: “Thanks, Paste magazine, for including me in your list of the 25 Hottest Ukulele Hunks of the New Millenium. Finally, the hundreds, nay, thousands of hours I poured into my craft as a young lad have paid off. And to the ladies along the way who opted instead for the muscled rockers with bad goatees, look at me now!”
Johnny Flynn
Hometown: London
Album: A Larum
Why Hes Worth Watching: At 25, Johnny Flynn is already contemplating the benefits of death, but when he sings, “Pray for the people inside your head / They won’t be there when you’re dead” on “Tickle Me Pink,” there’s a bit of disappointment mixed with his relief. His debut A Larum—with its spry guitar, healthy sighs of accordion and fiddle, and rollicking drumlines—would be a lovely way to shuffle off this mortal coil, but here’s hoping he lingers for a while.
For Fans Of: Fionn Regan, John Fahey, The Chieftains
Acceptance Speech: “Well, thank you for this honorable mention, Mr. Paste. It’s been quite a year and this has really capped it off, or, as we say here in Britain, ‘Put the turkey on the Christmas table.’ And what a turkey. What a Christmas table. You might think the two are synonymous, but without a turkey, a Christmas table is nothing. You have given me that turkey.”
Right Away, Great Captain!
Hometown: Atlanta
Album: The Eventually Home
Why Theyre Worth Watching: Drawing lyrics from diary entries of a fictitious 17th-century sailor, Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and his collaborators carve themselves a poignant hole between the worlds of music and literature, where the solitude of the sea proves beautiful, haunting and human. Imagine if Hemingway had created The Old Man and the Sea as a three-album musical project set to an acoustic guitar, and you’ll get the idea.
For Fans Of: Page France, The Mountain Goats, The Weakerthans
Acceptance Speech: “I guess I can’t say I was ‘surprised’ when I got the news—after several chart-topping hits and selling thousands of records in Manchester Orchestra, I figured it was just a matter of time before this project skyrocketed straight to the top as well. But, sincerely—thank you, Paste, for all you do for me and my friends.”
Brooke Waggoner
Hometown: Nashville
Album: Fresh Pair of Eyes EP
Why Shes Worth Watching: In a music world overpopulated with acoustic guitars, warbling voices and tinkling piano keys, Brooke Waggoner and her cache of mesmerizing tunes stand out. With her serenely sweet voice, she plays the piano like a Little Richard/Rachmaninov hybrid and can arrange the bejesus out of a seemingly simple melody. We dare you to think of her as just another girl with a piano.
For Fans Of: Regina Spektor, Tender Forever, Ben Folds
Acceptance Speech: “They’re in my sleep. My dreams. My midnights. My mornings and afternoons. My weekends. My errands. Songs. They’re now in the world and no longer contained in the privacy of my living room. I feel a sense of responsibility with that. Don’t wanna waste people’s time. What used to be written strictly for me is now meant for others and that’s not a cop out. I’m grateful for your attention and time.”
Alela Diane
Hometown: Portland, Ore. (via Nevada City, Calif.)
Album: Pirate’s Gospel
Why Shes Worth Watching: Two years ago, 23-year-old Alela Diane Menig and her debut album of simple, aching tunes slipped nearly unnoticed from the dusty bowels of Nevada City. Though often compared to Devendra Banhart, the freakiest part of Menig’s folk is how it emerged so fully-formed, as startling as a sudden glint of gold in a miner’s sieve. A rumored late-2008 follow-up should showcase the further ripening of this beautiful old soul.
For Fans Of: Cat Power, Nick Drake, Karen Dalton
Acceptance Speech: “I kindly thank you folks for thinking I am promising and all, but how did you find me? I have been hiding out in the cool waters of the emerald river, tucked away in the pines, far away from the lands where magazines are written. You must have a little spy that rides a trout or something!”
Los Campesinos!
Hometown: Cardiff, Wales
Album: Hold On Now, Youngster…
Why Theyre Worth Watching: The seven lads and lasses of this enthusiastically punctuated twee-punk outfit bounce with giddy abandon from xylophone-tinkled confessionals to sugar-rushed choruses about coffee breath, the Dewey Decimal system and translating goosebumps into Braille—all in brilliant defiance of their debut LP’s titular admonishment.
For Fans Of: Belle Sebastian, The Go! Team, Broken Social Scene
Acceptance Speech: “We’re less the next big thing and more like the last old thing. In fact, we are like sooooo 2006 it’s ridiculous. We are much like a pair of well-worn pink cycling shorts; pretty cool to like if you are 11 but just a passing fancy before you move on to more fashionable tastes.”
Black Kids
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Album: Partie Traumatic
Why Theyre Worth Watching: The last rock star to emerge from Jacksonville—Actionville, to those of us who know it well—was a certain gaffe-prone rap-metal frontman with a backwards baseball cap. So, hurrah for Black Kids! They make super-fun dance rock with an endearingly nostalgic edge, they have one of the best-named tracks of 2008 (“I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”) and, as far as we know, they’re not doing it all for the nookie.

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