Anyone out there looking for the next big thing (or any struggling musician hoping to scope out the competition) should take note of PureVolume’s top twenty unsigned bands of 2009. Not only can you listen to each of the carefully curated bands, but if you like what you hear, you can download the songs for free.
Some quick observations about the field: In spite of mediocre names (Boys Will Be Boys and Hello Hollywood, really?), there’s a lot of heartfelt crooning on top of infectious power chords (at least five of the tunes could qualify for next summer’s fist-pump anthem). But there’s also the spare, wailing guitar on Gabriel the Marine’s “On and On,” which makes small-town angst sound fresh, and the chick-rock thrash metal of Picture Me Broken’s “Dearest (I’m So Sorry),” played with a refreshing lack of irony. Our favorite? “Light a Way” by He Is We, an acoustic ballad whose clear vocals and lightly plucked guitars seems destined to be on the radio sooner rather than later.
 to a friend
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PureVolume’s Top Twenty Unsigned Bands of 2009 
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