Vincent Frank (aka Frankmusik)

Frankmusik's debut album Complete Me hit stores this past summer-- and even though he made a moderate splash over in the UK and Ireland, we haven't really felt the ripples here. Frankmusik, whose real name is Vincent Frank, is an electro-pop musician from England who has opened for such acts as Keane and Pet Shop Boys. If you had to compare to him to the two headliners he opened for, he's certainly more like Keane in terms of his smoother vocals (he uses much fewer vocal effects than Pet Shop Boys); but musically he clearly favors Pet Shop Boys, since he remains rooted in the electronica/electropop genre.

If you've been a reader of bip-bip, you might also remember that he has collaborated with Ellie Goulding. Here's one of his tracks off Complete Me. If you like his stuff, also be sure to check out his debut EP, Frankisum, which was released on Apparent Records in 2007.

A Name to Know -- Ellie Goulding

One of most talked about artists this past year or so has been Ellie Goulding. Even though she hasn't released a full length album or EP yet, she is clearly on the brink. She has recently been signed by Polydor Records (UK), and is set to have her first single "Under the Sheets" released in the next few weeks. If you haven't heard of Polydor Records, they have signed the Pussycat Dolls, Jonas Brothers, Gavin Rossdale, the Cure, Snow Patrol, etc...

Ellie's sound might best be described as folk meets electronic-- thanks to her collaboration with Starsmith and Frankmusik. Her unique covers of Bon Iver's Wolves and Passion Pit's Sleepyhead are arguably as good as the originals, and her cover of Sam Sparro's Black + Gold is unquestionably. Her original material is even better... thanks to her smooth vocals and wide range. Don't take my word for it. Take a listen.

Ellie Goulding - Guns + Horses (link removed)
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (link removed)
To listen to some of her tunes check out her myspace page here.

I would say "buy the cd here" -- but she hasnt released one yet. No worries. I'm sure its coming soon.

Here is a clip of a new song, "The Writer," that Ellie is working on with Starsmith.