BBC Sounds of 2008: looking back

Since I've been writing so much about the new artists touted in this year's BBC Sounds of poll, I thought I'd look back at last year's list and see how well they did. Here's my ranking, along with how the BBC poll ranked them.

1. Duffy (BBC ranking: 2)

Could you ask for a better launch than Duffy got last year? Rockferry was a UK #1 album (#4 in the US) and the UK's biggest selling album of the year. "Mercy" was a massive #1 hit, followed by the beautiful #3 hit "Warwick Avenue." She received three Grammy Award nominations, for best new artist, female pop vocal performance and pop album. I'm sure she'll be a top contender at the Brit Awards this year (the nominees are announced January 20).

2. Adele (BBC ranking: 1)

Adele's "Chasing Pavements" was kept from #1 by the more popular "Now You're Gone" by Basshunter, but that didn't stop it from becoming a fairly notable song, picking up a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. That's one of four nominations Adele has at the Grammys this year, along with best new artist, song (again for "Chasing Pavements") and female pop vocal performance. Adele's album, 19, debuted at #1 on the UK albums chart, and just missed the top 10 in the US, peaking at #11. The album was also nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize, the only artist on this list who can claim that accomplishment.

3. Vampire Weekend (BBC ranking: 6)

While they weren't big hitmakers ("Oxford Comma" was a minor hit, landing at #38 on the UK singles chart), they certainly racked up the accolades. You'd be hard pressed to find a music critic's year-end list that didn't include their album. While I'm not a big fan, there are certainly many of them.

4. The Ting Tings (BBC ranking: 3)

Apart from Duffy and Adele, The Ting Tings are the only other act on this list to hit #1 on either the UK albums or singles charts. They did both, hitting #1 on the singles chart with "That's Not My Name" and on the albums chart with We Started Nothing. Another single, "Shut Up and Let Me Go," was a top 10 hit in the UK and a minor hit in the US, owing to its heavy exposure in iTunes advertising.

5. MGMT (BBC ranking: 9)

Like Black Kids just below on my list, MGMT was one of the year's most successful indie/pop/synth 80s-leaning bands that were just irresistibly fun. Their popularity appears to still be growing--their third single "Kids," which has been on the UK singles chart for 15 weeks, looks set to break into the top 20 this week, which would be a first for the group.

6. Black Kids (BBC ranking: 8)

This band's debut, Partie Traumatic, was one of my favorite albums of the year. It peaked at #5 on the UK albums chart and gave them two top 40 hits. They didn't make much impact in the states, although I have heard their songs on TV (90210) and in a film (American Teen)

7. Glasvegas (BBC ranking: 4)

Glasvegas saw their debut album hit #2 on the UK albums chart and landed two singles in the top 20 ("Geraldine" and "Daddy's Gone"). I really liked their debut, and I expect great things for album #2.

8. Santogold (BBC ranking: 10)

Like Vampire Weekend, Santogold hasn't been a chart force (yet), but she did receive a lot of acclaim for her debut album.

9. Foals (BBC ranking: 5)

Their album made it into the UK top 10, but the band didn't have any hits to speak of. Not much impact compared to all the above artists.

10. Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong (BBC ranking: 7)

Still no album and no top 40 hit singles. How did they make it on this list? Virtually no impact from where I'm sitting.