What's now my third year participating in the annual Blog Sound poll I've come to realise choosing my nominations really does never get easier, this year proving the most difficult of all. And that wasn't because I've had a lot of choice to mull over but more so due to lack of variety. Maybe I've just hit a wall in my love for new music but I've definitely found myself mass deleting way more emails than ever before, becoming fussier than I ever though I'd be. When I cast my eyes on this year's BBC Sound Of list I really wasn't that surprised with a shoulder shrug and a tut as I scrolled over the most mundane of lists I've seen. Aside from one, possibly two acts that I really enjoy listening to, I couldn't think of a more accurate accumulation of artist's I'll be avoiding well in to the new year. It's always a nice welcome then to read the if you will 'alternative' Blog Sound list (even more so when I see all 3 of my chosen acts on the final cut) which I feel serves as a much broader representation of my musical tastes, at least from the BBC's offering chosen by 'top critics'. Whilst we await the winner's announcement in January you can now see a full run down of the longlist below along with a playlist featuring all the acts.

"For the 2016 poll 58 music blogs each voted for their 3 favourite acts and the top 15 of those acts form the Blog Sound of 2015 longlist. To qualify for a vote any act chosen must not have had a UK top 20 single or album, either in their own right or as a named collaborator prior to 6th November 2015".

AQUILO - Calm sounding electronic pop duo from Silverdale, Lancashire.
AURORA - Norwegian singer who covered  Oasis for the John Lewis Christmas advert.
BILLIE MARTEN - Yorkshire based acoustic singer songwriter.
GEORGE COSBY - London based singer songwriter with a deep voice and brooding songs.
HAELOS - A band who describe their music as dark euphoria
LISS - Four piece from Aarhus, Denmark who make slick sounding pop.
LOYLE CARNER - A spoken word artist with his own unique confessional style.
MABEL - The daughter of Neneh Cherry who is producing her own brand of soulful pop
MURA MASA - An electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Guernsey
MT WOLF - A reformed band who also featured on the Blog Sound of 2014 longlist.
NAO - Solo singer who mixes funk, soul and electronic sounds in her work.
PLEASURE BEACH - Indie rockers from Northern Ireland
THE BIG MOON - London based four piece alt rock / indie band
THE JAPANESE HOUSE - Amber Bain's solo project of electronic ambient songs
YAK - Energetic rock group with elements of punk, garage indie and psychedelic blues

The most voted for and top 5 acts on this longlist will be revealed on the 5th January 2016



The blogs that voted in this years poll:   A Pocket Full Of Seeds, A World Of Music And Madness, Across The Kitchen Table, Alphabet Bands, Beat Surrender, Bratfaced LDN, Breaking More Waves, Brighton Music Blog, Buzz Unlimited, Cruel Rhythm, Chord Blossom, Daisy Digital, Dive, Details Of My Life, Dots And Dashes, Drunken Werewolf, Digital Shuffle, Echoes And Dust, Electronic Rumors, Encore Northern Island, Even The Stars, Faded Glamour, Get Into This, Get Some, God Is In The TV, I Love Pie, Just Music I Like, Kemptation, Killing Moon, Little Indie Blogs, Love Music: Love Life, Metaphorical Boat, Monkey Boxing, Music Liberation, Music Like Dirt, Music Umpire, Neon Filler, Not Many Experts, Popped Music, Pursuit Of Sound, Rave Child, Record Rewind Play, Scientists Of Sound, Some Of It Is True, Spectral Nights, Sweeping The Nation, Synth Glasgow, The Blue Walrus, The Devil Has The Best Tuna, The Electricity Club, The Evening's Empire, The Mad Mackerel, The VPME, This Must Be Pop, Thoughts On Music, Too Many Blogs, What If I Had A Music Blog, When The Gramophone Rings