ITP: 10 Boston bands to watch in 2010

This ran on New Year's Day in le Herald, but it's still quite relevant. Here are my indie-centric picks of ten Boston-based bands who should have a sweet 2010.

10 bands for 2010

Keep your eyes and ears on these Boston up-and-comers
By Michael Marotta
Friday, January 1, 2010 - Updated 4d 17h ago

Boston exports made a sonic racket nationally and abroad in 2009. Led by the synth-pop wizardry of Passion Pit, bands such as Drug Rug, Bodega Girls, Wild Light and Yes Giantess brought a fresh, fun, genre-hopping buzz to a city built on garage rock and street punk attitude.

Who is poised to break out in 2010? Here are the local acts we predict will rep Boston within - and beyond - the 617 area code in 2010.

1. Mystery Roar
Taking a cue from Bodega Girls’ electro-funk boogie, Mystery Roar is a local supergroup featuring members of Cassette, Information, the Bon Savants and the Westward Trail. Yet it sounds like none of those bands. Music to pour a glass of red and lay naked on a bear-skin rug to, this Roar screams next big thing.

2. Magic Magic
The UK press has already fallen in love. It’s time the rest of us to do, too. Smart, sweeping indie rock in the name of Arcade Fire and the Shins, Magic Magic opens for Passion Pit at the House of Blues on Jan. 6. Get to know “Sleepy Lion” and the French Horn Rebellion remix before the gig at

3. Quilt
This Allston psychedelic trio adds layers of quirky darkness over folk-fed whimsy, then turns all punk and drone-rock. Also, the band releases its material on cassette.

4. You Can Be a Wesley
No stranger to the local scene, this indie-pop quartet seems ready for features in glossy magazines and appearances on your aunt’s iPod playlist. Just when their bubblegum bounce gets too sweet, traces of Pavement and the Pixies slap you to attention.

5. Endless Wave
With just one gig under its belt, Endless Wave is starting to swell. The brainchild of electronic music whiz Andre Obin of Matters & Dunaway, Endless Wave pierces the shoegazing wall of sound of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Ride with a keen alt-rock/pop needle.

6. Bad Rabbits
Rising from the ashes of Eclectic Collective, Bad Rabbits continue the trend of fusing jazz, hip-hop, soul and pretty much everything else into one tidy, urban, pop package. Bringing mainstream authenticity to a flailing hip-hop industry (much like OutKast did in the early 2000s), Bad Rabbits’ live shows spell instant party. myspace.com/badrabbitsband

7. Roguewaves
This Allston DJ duo is already a fixture on the underground electro dance scene. Now they’re releasing original material that offers more than just club bangers. “Ruins,” the first track off their upcoming EP, is a sparkly, synth-pop gem with a female vocal harmony that caresses as gently as the beat hits hard.

8. Girlfriends
Boston loves garage rock jangle. Fast, agile and all sorts of gritty, Girlfriends dirty up ’60s melodies with brash buzzsaw guitars and already appears destined to be the band that breaks up way before its time.

9. Mellow Bravo
Boston should soon get hip to Mellow Bravo’s bluesy roadhouse rock ’n’ roll, which echoes everyone from the Doors to Van Halen to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (sans horns). If there ever was a late-night bar fight with bottles flying through the air and dudes getting sucker-punched left and right, Mellow Bravo would likely be onstage providing the soundtrack.

10. Bearstronaut
Lowell’s Bearstronaut shares some dreamy synthpop DNA with Passion Pit, but rocks just a tad harder. The band also follows Passion Pit’s model for turning synthesized visions into sturdy songs, rather than mere dance floor fodder. It’s fun listening to the keyboards and guitars fight for supremacy.

- mmarotta@bostonherald.com