There isn't really all that much for music writers to be doing in January, aside from jetsetting to the clutch of European industry conferences/booze ups and trying on all those new socks. That's probably why we spend most of the year's maiden month tipping new bands. Magazines, websites, blogs, all of them are packed to bursting at the moment with hot, fresh talent for you to listen to on Myspace/Last.FM for twenty seconds and then forget ever existed immediately afterwards.

We're trying to make DiS' New Music Week - which begins now, by the way - a little bit different. We'll be cherry-picking only those acts who linger longer in the memory (say, at least a minute); ones whose noises suggest we might still be remembering - nay, spinning - their debut albums come January 2010. Let's face it, there's a lot of pretty average stuff getting signed up by pretty desperate labels right now and, frankly, we think you deserve better than to have to subject yourselves to it! That's why we'll also be having a look at other people's 2009 hotlists and seeing how sharp we think their tips are. And from the acts we like we'll have early doors assessments of the records, track-by-track guides from the artists themselves and insights from the labels who've put out our favourite past DiScoveries.

To kick things off, later today we'll be introducing a couple of the top acts our core contributors think you should be falling in love with over the next twelve months. We've gone for three each (good things etc...), and would wholeheartedly recommend you add them to your playlists immediately. As always, let us know what you think of them - and, of course, which bands you're currently enjoying. The rest of the content will be spread out evenly over the next four days.

Welcome to New Music Week!

Rob Webb
DiScover Editor // www.DrownedinSound.com

PS. Here's an exclusive live video featuring one of our tips from last year, Lovvers, in action courtesy of our friends over at FabChannel.com. The full gig will be available on their site soon. Enjoy!