Parallel Androgyny 

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Grass Cannons – Wendy’s
If hissing noise and warm melodies are your buzz then Auckland four-piece Grass Cannons should be on your radar. They’ve just released their debut EP Vet Dream, containing five darting guitar songs that each take a different path but ultimately lead to the same satisfactory conclusion. While a noisy mess rides heavy throughout their music and kidnaps a bit of their style, within each song there are several minutes of genius song structure that highlights their ability to write amazing pop-influenced punk music. Deerhunter, The Clean and Grooms come to mind when describing their sound, but Grass Cannons seem good enough to leave those influences out of the equation.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
That Ghost – Morning Now
Californian lo-fi bedroom artist That Ghost has been making music since before he could drive a car. His sound has grown and changed as much as he has from tween state to young adulthood. OK, he was never a tween but a pure artist whose latest EP Rosalind is a gem. Check out the slow-burning ‘Morning Now’, like, right now.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Obedient Wives Club – Fragments
The first release by 60s indie-pop distributors Happy Teardrop Music is the debut self-titled EP by Obedient Wives Club, and what a hit it’s been with all physical copies selling out within a month. The band, cheekily named after a controversial Muslim organisation of the same name, plays a delightful blend of girly noise-pop – or what they helpfully term “Spectorgaze”. Fragments indulges its Jesus And Mary Chain obsession with generous doses of saccharine melodies and interstellar fuzz.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Brodsky – Death Note
Brodsky plays beautifully-orchestrated romantic folk with flowery melodies, youthful vocals and sad eyes that might remind you of Beirut or Jens Lekman. Nowadays, it’s truly a blessing to find such an artist in Russia.

FINLAND: Glue
Black Twig – Lake Song
Noise, pop, fuzz, sound experiments. Black Twig is one of the hottest bands in the Finnish indie scene at the moment with their just-released debut album, Paper Trees. In their own words, Black Twig’s sound has echoes of modern fuzzed-out pop experiments as well as of 60s garage-rock gems, sometimes developing a sensibility for hypnotic, repetitive drones.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
John Caroline – Robine
John Caroline is a young six-piece from Baden who make playful, jittery and dreamy indie rock. Their debut EP is released as a free download on February 18.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
MDS – Insomnia
DJ duo MDS released their first album in July last year, full of remixes of songs from some of the best artists in Seoul’s indie scene. In January, they released a digital single with a couple of songs of their own, showing that they’re also capable of crafting great pieces of music themselves. ‘Insomnia’ is a smooth electronica track that lends itself very well as a soundtrack to a walk just about anywhere.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Spring/Summer – Tonight
Spring/Summer come from Bandung and are the freshest breed of (what we Indonesians call) Britpop revivalism. With a twist of The Smiths, Joy Division and Blueboy and a bit of attitude, they make tasty, raw music. They probably won’t be the next big thing, but their music provides enjoyable reminiscing of teenage years spent looking for second-hand Smiths CDs at the local thrift store.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Wild Combination – Great Expectations
Wild Combination’s sound itches and twists in an effort to etch itself across indie’s sonic history. It shouldn’t worry so much. The Essex trio responsible know how to channel the best of recent backbeat melancholia (Foals, The Postal Service) and that’s more than enough. This demo version of ‘Great Expectations’ – mixed specially for MAP – clips along, the addition of a swarth of dreamy synths tying it just to the right side of funky.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Sun Glitters – They Don’t Want To Let You Know (Sumsun Remix)
Victor Ferreira aka Sun Glitters, born to Portuguese parents in Luxembourg, has been praised by The Guardian, FADER and Pitchfork. For this reason, his newest release, High EP, which came out on January 30, was highly anticipated. On it, Victor continues his voyage through a dreamy electronic world. This track is a remix of one of the songs on the EP.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Cracbooms – @soleil
Cracbooms are more than a band. They are a group of friends who sing about how sweet and simple life is when surrounded by your loved ones, when there are pretty girls around and the sun shines above your head. Their lyrics are filled with humor and casualness, and are written with an unsettling easiness. As for their sound, it’s a mix between the guitars of Two Door Cinema Club and pop à la Young Michelin. I think they’ve found the perfect combination.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Squalloscope – Domino
Anna Kohlweis has released three albums as Paper Bird, however these days she prefers her new alias Squalloscope. Goodbyes in bus terminals, long train rides, sitting on planes and bottles of wine have influenced her upcoming album Soft Invasions. Domino is a singer-songwriter take on R’n'B combined with postmodern lyrics: “I’m a copy of a copy of a copy of a woman, you’re the copy of a copy of a copy of a guy.”

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Vigri – Animals
‘Animals’ is from Vigri’s debut album Pink Boats. The band decided to travel around many of the small churches in Iceland’s countryside to record the song, but the end result is from what they recorded in the Flatey island church.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Wooden Constructions – Full Brother
There’s been a buzz brewing for Amsterdam’s Wooden Constructions for a year or two already, their edgy live performances stealing the limelight from a host of international indie wannabes along the way. Well, it’s all set to reach boiling point when they finally unleash their debut album People Now People in spring. A barrage of taut dance grooves, minimalistic riffage and unsettling narratives, they provide a contemporary glimpse of post-punk at its maniacal best. Check out first single ‘Full Brother’ for a taster of their danceable gloom, making the bold promise that the intensity of their live shows will carry over onto tape.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Novedades Carminha – Pesetas
Novedades Carminha are a garage-rock three-piece from Santiago de Compostela, and they’re starting to be the talk of the town. Their songs are energy-packed and irreverent, making fun of everyday topics but vindicating them at the same time. Their lyrics hold true punk spirit. ‘Pesetas’, taken from their first album Jódete y Baila, released in early 2011, is a true jewel of dirty Spanish rock.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Bokomolech – Talk About Fires
Nine years is a long time to wait, but new album Mass Vulture finds Bokomolech embracing and sifting through the finer moments of their past over the course of 10 outstanding songs. The record is once again exceptionally crafted and gorgeously composed, richly textured and potently rhythmic, instilled with instrumental mastery and consistent music ideas, powerfully expressive vocals, remarkable melodic turns, lovely harmonic noises, sleek and slippery riffs. They have created a sparse and thrilling work of strikingly expansive ambition with the arresting delicacy of the quieter, dreamier tunes capable of ripping up your emotions.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Kids – My Sincerest Apologies
Electronic pop duo Kids are shockingly good. Sure there a few cheesy moments in the single ‘My Sincerest Apologies’ but it gives the song a bit of fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Storm The Bastille – Circle Robotics
You never know quite what to expect when listening to a song by Storm The Bastille. Their schizophrenic and mildly cacophonic music is unpredictable, strange and full of surprising twists. The only constant is the great energy the band possess. It’s fast, energetic, melodic and a bit dark with a sense of impending doom that creeps up close.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Cloudy Busey – Up To You (If You Love Me)
Cloudy Busey takes many cues from house music on ‘Up To You (If You Love Me)’, yet this long-burning song never feels exuberant. Rather, the Osaka-based Busey inverts the sounds of a club into something apt for a shadowy alleyway. The beat pounds on relentlessly, but the spacey synths and singing evoke the loneliness of long, solitary walks home early in the morning set against neon lights. If nights out tend to bring you down, here is the jam for you.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Wooden Peak – Pills Start Work
The two guys behind Wooden Peak are getting famous for their gigs where they occupy a whole stage while just sitting on their stools, carefully watching each other. Although their set-up with guitar and drums seems quite like a garage band, their singing and acoustic play triggers very different emotions – calm and dizziness, homeliness and wanderlust. ‘Pills Start Work’ is a great MAP exclusive which slightly resembles early Whitest Boy Alive. The album Lumen has just been released on the lovely label Analogsoul.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
The Ringo Jets – Collar
The Ringo Jets, consisting of two guitarists and a drummer, is a rock ‘n’ roll band inspired by 60s garage music and blues rock. They made a big splash in Istanbul indie circles with their Limited Lunchpack EP, which you can download for free from Bandcamp. After signing with Aisha Records, they’re planning to release their debut album by the end of the year.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Julián Mayorga – ¿Cómo Llorar Al Revés o Regresar Al Asfalto o…?
‘¿Cómo Llorar Al Revés o Regresar Al Asfalto o Espantar Mi Propio Cuerpo Inerte o Desaparecer y Volver a Aparecer?’ – this is the complete title of this piece by singer-songwriter Julián Mayorga, born in Ibagué. It’s an interesting, poetic union between pop and folk that hides, in what he calls La Pequeña Orquesta Sintética (synths and computers), the deep and very personal landscapes that his soft voice creates.

PERU: SoTB
Los Zapping – Cine Mudo
Los Zapping began toying with music when they were still in school, but their garage-rock soon won a place in Lima nights and an authentic touch of freshness was about to be born. Their first EP, released in 2007, was considered the best of that year. ‘Teoría De La Televisión y La Radio’ was released in 2011, an album that reaffirms the strength and talent of this band.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Spleen United – Bright Cities Keep Me Awake
“We are still wild animals,” Spleen United proclaim on ‘Bright Cities Keep Me Awake’, from their long-awaited and impressive third full-length, School Of Euphoria. It’s a sentiment carrying truth and one somewhat defining for principal songwriter and frontman Bjarke Niemann’s lyrical appendage to the dark, synthesized rock reminiscing 90s electro, house and (euro)dance. It makes School Of Euphoria a rather despondent, while immensely awesome, listen.

CHINA: Wooozy
Mr. Graceless – Mr. Li
Mr. Graceless is a Beijing-based indie-rock trio. They try to keep a low profile, moving forward step by step. They are tepid and unassuming, and have a clear-cut stand on what to love and what to hate. The love, pain, fantasy and fervor of youth are the best tags for their music. They prefer beautiful melodies and independent attitude. Mr. Graceless is touring around China with their debut release The Tree Ever Green.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Uvilov – De Tantos Universos Paralelos
“Playing dreampop since 2005,” is the slogan of this pioneering band. ‘De Tantos Universos Paralelos’ is the gigantic overture to their new album El Desprendimiento, which promises to be an overload of feedback and chaos restrained under a structure. Uvilov might be intending to picture a party where the mankind of tomorrow is invited only if its conscience allows it to.

CHILE: Super 45
Survey Team – Valdivia De Viña
A couple of years ago, Survey Team was just a frail bedroom duo with singer Carla Bolgeri adding colorful and sweet melodies to folk-guitar patterns created by her bandmate, Francisco Marín. They’ve certainly changed. Today, they are a powerful quintet with sounds that shock and hit with electric sensuality. ‘Valdivia De Viña’ is a summer première, soon to be included in their debut album Suriname, which validates Survey Team as a pop delicacy from the current Chilean pop wave and a highly versatile band by successfully flirting with reggae.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Cosmo – Cazador
Cosmo is an indie-pop band which features members or former members of other groups that are well-known to the Buenos Aires independent music scene (Pablo de Caro from Mataplantas, Ayar Sava from Interama, Pablo Font from Les Mentettes and Andrés Ravioli from Mompox and Brian Storming, among others). A couple of months ago they released their self-titled first album, with songs that combine vintage synthesized sounds and beats with acoustic instruments and fine arrangements. You can download the whole album for free.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Danjeli – Midnight Carpet Ride
Besides being a maverick club DJ and an accomplished musician in his own right, Danjeli is also a member of the renegade Maltese folk band Brikkuni. This year he released another solo album, KontroNatura, available for free download from Complex Sound Sagacity.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Graveola e o Lixo Polifônico – Insensatez: A Mulher Que Fez
Graveola e o Lixo Polifônico is a creative band that experiments with MPB (mainstream Brazilian pop music) and makes organic mashups, appropriating themes of bands from various genres to create new works. Their new record is available for download from their website.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Mcklopedia – Guardián
Mcklopedia is a young man who, back in 2001, identified with a genre and took it as his philosophy and way of life. He explicitly shows the reality of the world’s great cities, the everyday stories that come to a close in households every night. Superlirical, his debut album, seeks to represent a new concept in urban music, combining soul, reggae, funk and hip hop.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Amity Beach – Jake’s Version Of Paradise
Seeing as Amity Beach a) only have a three-song EP to their name and b) look like they’re probably still in high school, I might be jumping the gun on praising them. Still, listening to this track (along with the other two), it’s hard not to be excited. They’ve got a great ear for catchy pop and I’d be surprised – not to mention a little disappointed – if this doesn’t lead to some great things.

ITALY: Polaroid
Heike Has The Giggles – Breakfast
On their sophomore album, Crowd Surfing, the young Heike Has The Giggles pin down even more precisely the range of their influences – from the lighter Nineties pop-punk full of fun to the stronger Noughties punk funk à la Gossip. And damn, they are very good at mixing these. ‘Breakfast’ is the new album’s first single.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Redahan – Ru In Daejeon
If I could, I would pick the entire Loud Mouth collective as Ireland’s MAP representatives this month. They are a coterie of producers, rappers, musicians and DJs who have released three volumes of freely downloadable new music taking in electronica, rap and post-dubstep. Redahan is one producer at the heart of the collective and his evocative and expansive ‘Ru In Daejeon’ is indicative of the collective’s scope and vision.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Methadone Skies – Vs. Evil
Methadone Skies are a bunch of young guys from Timisoara playing the music they themselves like to listen to – psychedelic, progressive, stoner, post-rock, ambient or just noise – most of the time jamming in the studio with excellent results. Keep your ears opened for them as they’re about to release their new album, Enter The Void.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Craig_FS – Grass Stain (feat. Rachel Tesfaye)
‘Grass Stain’ is a musical head-turner – an 8.5-minute electro/house fusion with an outstanding soulful female guest vocal that takes you on a trip of a lifetime labelled bliss-euphoria-bliss. Craig_FS has been been making and uploading songs to Soundcloud for the past year, and the potential is certainly there for him to follow in the mainstream footsteps of compatriot Calvin Harris.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the whole 36-track compilation here.

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Dance Macabre

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
The Eversons – I’m A Conservative
Fronted by Mark Turner (ex-Little Pictures) and with Chris Young (Insurgents, No Aloha), Tim Shann and Blair Everson, The Eversons have a crisp, clear garage-rock vibe that strongly recalls Art Brut and American college rock with its undeniable catchiness and the immediate satisfaction this brings. With classic guitar riffs and day-in-the-life-style lyrics, their debut five-song EP is instantly likeable. This is one of those bands that doesn’t muck around, delivering a top-class release very early in their career, which makes us excited about future things to come from them.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
3Ball MTY – Ritmo Alterado
The city of Monterrey, in northern Mexico, is struggling in a war against drug-mafias: despite the violent context, a new musical genre is rising thanks to 3Ball MTY. Led by veteran electro-cumbia DJ Toy Selectah and a crew of skilful producers in their early 20s, the collective have created a new sound by merging polka, reggaeton and acid-tribal-techno. But the most peculiar thing about this trend is the style of dancing – like dodging bullets – while wearing ultra-long pointy boots. Curious? Just google ‘Pointy Mexican Boots’.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
The Empire Of The Moon – Transition
The Empire Of The Moon is the new project of Juan Sábato, a former member of Brian Storming, a band that was featured in the first edition of MAP (and, by the way, the grandson of writer Ernesto Sábato). ‘Transition’ is the first single from The Empire Of The Moon’s just-released debut EP, Saturday Children, for which he wrote all the music, lyrics and beautiful pop arrangements.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Love And Hates – Party Trash
Love And Hates is a collaboration between Yuppa and Moe, two of the best indie artists in Japan today, from HNC and Miila And The Geeks respectively. Love And Hates finds them teaming up to make rap music with indie-pop touches, or kindergarten hip-hop as they dubbed it. ‘Party Trash’, with its cutesy chopped-and-screwed intro and solid structure, is not a lame dorm-room joke but rather a fun, appreciative stab at the genre. UGK they are not, but they still feel like a blast.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Gracie – Sisters
Philadelphia’s Gracie is an intriguing project to say the least. There is bedroom pop and garage rock, but the vibes coming from Gracie match more of a bomb shelter banger sound. Haunting, effervescent, glitchy, mesmerizing echoes, and driving beats that propel your ears forward straight through tangles of sonic cobwebs. Can’t wait to snag this unique release via Small Plates soon.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Citizens! – True Romance (Populette remix)
This is an exclusive remix of the debut single, True Romance, by a London-based five-piece who have just signed to French electronic/indie label Kitsuné. Their debut album, due early next year, has been produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. The video to the single was directed by LA’s High5Collective, the team behind shorts for The Weeknd and Odd Future. And they believe that “pop is not a dirty word. It’s a holy one”. For Citizens!, pop is something David Bowie did in the 70s – they conflate glam-era Bowie and Bowie in Berlin with some of the tart arrogance of Suede and louche energy of Franz.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Spoelstra – Pallets
An alternative to the schmaltz of typical Christmas sounds, enjoy a dose of Spoelstra. He’s a collaborator with Dutch experimental label Narrominded, which specialises in all sorts of fantastic non-profitable sounds, from full-on noise rock to electronic warbles. And Spoelstra is a perfect fit, as he’s proven capable of both. His latest album Pallets was released earlier in the year. Packaged as a cassette and a book about everything you can imagine about pallets, it showcases a full rack of effects and a wonky mind. Part chip tune, part drunken country improv, part toy noise, this uneasiness is how Santa feels come Boxing Day.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Nana Rizinni – Nice Figure, Dangerous Heart
It’s almost 2012, but listening to this song from singer/drummer Nana Rizinni can take you back to the ’90s with an awesome “sounds like The Breeders feeling”. ‘Nice Figure, Dangerous Heart’ is from her first album, I Said, which is available to download from her website.

ESTONIA: Popop
Shelton San – Well-Behaved
Noise-rock band Shelton San started rocking the small Estonian indie scene in 2002 and, almost 10 years later, they are stronger than ever, creating massive, raw, hypnotic atmospheres, always polished, but never sterile. In 2006, they received the Estonian Music Award for the best punk/metal artist. Shelton San’s second LP was released on December 12.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Julie & The Carjackers – Mr Williams
One year ago, Julie & The Carjackers released their debut EP. Now the first album by João Correia (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Bruno Pernadas (guitar), with the help of some friends (none of them called Julie), is available. Parasol has been warmly welcomed by Portuguese press and blogs as a surprising and refreshing debut in the local indie scene.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Fevers – Passion Is Dead (Long Live Fashion)
Fevers’ debut full-length (which is currently free via Bandcamp) is a wonderful blend of disco-pop and ambient Stars/Young Galaxy-style space-rock. This song, the title track from the album, falls firmly into the former category. It’s five and a half minutes of a glorious, life-affirming, wave-your-arms-in-the-air anthem, and it sets the stage for one of the best albums of the year.

FINLAND: Glue
Zebra And Snake – Burden
Matti and Tapio, best known as Zebra And Snake, positioned themselves as the next big thing in Finnish electro-pop in 2010 and since then, the duo has been carefully crafting their debut album while playing anywhere from Iceland to Indonesia. ‘Burden’, the first single off Healing Music (out in spring 2012), is an epic pop song with a Blood On The Dance Floor beat, analogue electronic hooks and powerful Bowie-esque vocals.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
The Frown – The National (Yesterday’s Pupil remix)
The Frown makes a curious mixture of folk and electronica. With their song ‘The National’, Yesterday’s Pupil’s remix adds a special touch to it, with a heady mix of soaring strings and orchestration, low tempo colliding beats, dark and menacing basslines and the fragile yet commanding vocals of Eve Rakow. Ethereal and enigmatic, it’s one of the year’s most exciting songs.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Tim Fitz – The Line
Tim Fitz is a 21-year-old producer/instrumentalist/singer from Sydney. He put out his first EP, Infinite Space, in March but his latest release, Beforetime, is definitely a rich picking. Some might hear genre spanning and others will hear indecisiveness, but there’s a great feel to this collection of tracks. The Line is a good example of Fitz’s kaleido-instrumentals. Just as the flouncy percussion gets into the proper swing of things, we get bombarded by drive-high fuzz around the one-minute mark. Fitz’s sound is original, but the way he has put his sounds together is still familiar enough to catch on to.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Arktor – Pier ft. Didjelirium
Just like the original story by Philip K. Dick, Arktor’s album Retreat Syndrome recreates the atmosphere of madness and insanity, combining truth and despair with the skills of his mate, jazz pianist Ilz. Pier is recorded with a special guest, Shanghai rapper Didjelirium.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Come On Live Long – Elephants And Time
Formed last year, Come On Live Long have picked up a steady pace in no time as evident on the release of their latest EP entitled Mender. They make far-reaching alternative songs with considerable melodies, synths and a strong singular sound. Production by Nouveaunoise electronic maestro Conor Gaffney helps too. Ones to watch.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Kraków Loves Adana – Silver Screen
The Black Forest, a myth. Since Kraków Loves Adana come from Freiburg, we can all speculate whether the forest has its influence or not. Hence, the sound of this duo is outstanding. The voice of Deniz Cicek is remarkably dark and complex, the use of the instruments is deliberate, creating deep and slightly ominous songs. ‘Silver Screen’ is a MAP exclusive from their upcoming second album, which will be released in early 2012.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Alejandro Jiménez – Die Fragestellung In Frage Stellen
Alejandro Jiménez is actually more poetry slam than singer-songwriting. He also had the honour of playing in the most famous theater in Switzerland for cabaret artists. On his second record, Nabelschau, he recorded 11 songs which have one thing in common: they’re raw and personal.

CHINA: Wooozy
Mini Train Heart – Just This Feeling
Formed in 2009, Mini Train Heart is a peculiar band based in Wuhan. The band is noted for their unpredictable drumbeats and manic vocals. Also, you can’t easily tell who their influences are. We recommend you just drown in the lo-fi atmosphere and enjoy their uniquely dry humour in how they see this generation.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Let’s Say We Did – Galaxies
If your idea of Swedish music is something exotic like Lykki Li, First Aid Kit, Little Dragon and/or Jens Lekman, the music of Let’s Say We Did might surprise you. On the whole, the new record hews closer to Big Star meets Wilco dad-rock than the drum and bass electronica music coming out of Sweden of late. Sebastian Fors is one of the main men behind the band. He has been contributing to the Swedish music scene for a few years in multiple projects. Let’s Say We Did’s new self-titled album, though, is some of the best stuff I’ve heard from him.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Toz Ve Toz – Kara Mamba
Founded in November 2007, Toz Ve Toz make experimental songs that combine elements of jazz, surf, punk and Turkish classical music. The trio use guitar, synthesizer, drums, harmonica and bağlama – a Turkish instrument with three double strings. They have released two albums – the first featured music for a theatre play called Sahici İnsanlar Plastik Ölümler (“Real People Plastic Deaths”) in 2009; the second is a home recording called Ev/Home. Their third album will be released from their own record label soon.

ITALY: Polaroid
Distanti – Astronomie
Distanti sing in Italian, but even if you don’t speak our old and praiseworthy language, I’m sure you’ll understand – in fact, you will totally feel the way Distanti tear up their post-punk sound. Visceral. Urgent. Clever. They just released a new EP, Mamba Nero, which you can get at To Lose La Track. And try to catch Distanti live, they’re amazing.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Anchorless – A Step Too Steep
Comprising members of bands such as Lack, The River Phoenix and The Fashion, indie-rock six-piece Anchorless are currently finishing their debut album, which I assume will be released early-ish next year. Until then dive in, dig and download ‘A Step Too Steep’ from their six-song eponymous 2010 debut EP, which you can in fact download in full through this link.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Sonicbrat – Bed Of Forty Winks
Sonicbrat is the enduring moniker of sound artist Darren Ng, whose work is characterised by an intricate tapestry of field recordings and found sounds, strung together by subtly processed acoustic instrumentation with a classical bent. Gentle, stirring and complex, Ng’s music is the sort that invites itself into and comfortably inhabits one’s imagination. His latest release, Hana, is his musing on the life of a flowering plant and is available as a free download on the Totokoko label.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Stars And Rabbit – Worth It
Stars And Rabbit are probably one of this country’s most promising indie acts. The duo mix some soul from Joan Baez, the cuteness of Lisa Mitchell and the playful touch of Björk to produce catchy, beautiful pop songs.

CHILE: Super 45
Tio Lucho – Ilusión Rebelde
Even though Tio Lucho had an aggressive, non-conformist punk sound when they started, it has developed into a more danceable and, clearly, more passive format. Produced by Chalo González, their new album Innombrable, released through Cazador, has a strong new wave influence. ‘Ilusión Rebelde’ is its first single.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Low Roar – Friends Make Garbage, Good Friends Take It Out
Low Roar is the personal project of Ryan Karazija who, almost two years ago, moved from San Francisco to Reykjavík to follow the love of his life. His self-titled debut chronicles the challenges of starting anew in a foreign land and the struggles to acclimatize, find work and support his family in the Icelandic winter. ‘Friends Make Garbage, Good Friends Take It Out’, one of the highlights of the album, is a haunting, emotive and slightly melancholic song with a melody that will undoubtedly keep playing in your head long after the song is over.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
nosnow/noalps – Far Into The Night (Without You)
nosnow/noalps began its journey over mountainous terrain in early 2007 with their poppy indie-rock seasoned with punk, reggae and ska. Soon after, the quartet hit the live circuit with an energy and force comparable to an avalanche at a Swiss ski resort. The band’s first EP, Just Rock, came out in 2008 and they released their debut album, Romantikpolitik, this August.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Sunturns – Hallelujah (Christmas Is Here!)
Sunturns can perhaps be labeled an indie supergroup – or not just an indie super group, but a Christmas indie supergroup. It’s something as rare as a full-time Christmas band and is comprised of some of the best musicians from the Oslo indie scene, with members from bands such as mylittlepony, Monzano and The Little Hands of Asphalt. They sing about both the nice and the more melancholic sides of Christmas. Their debut album, cleverly titled Christmas, is out now.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
2L8 – Let It Go
A collective led by K the Clown and comprised of talented Greek musicians, 2L8 is a bold and electrifying project that has come to be categorized by their radical stylistic shifts between albums. New Battles, Without Honor And Humanity is packed with feverous instrumental intensity and florid arrangements based on bursting guitars, pounding drums, subtle and luminous climaxes, dramatic strings and brass, hypnotically simple melodies, inner monologues and trembling, frantically passionate vocals, desperate and bleak lyrics about resistance, equity, freedom, love and equality coupled with a sense of hope.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Café Disco – Terra Nova
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Terra Nova by Glasgow-based newcomers Café Disco. It was on a shaky YouTube clip filmed in June 2011 during one of the band’s earliest gigs. “Contains the peachiest guitar riff I’ve heard in ages” is how I described the song on my blog back then – and that verdict hasn’t changed with this studio recording, which was funded by The Pop Cop for the sole purpose of giving it away through the Music Alliance Pact, together with this rather fun promo video.

PERU: SoTB
Gris Volta – You Go Behind The Truth
Formed at the beginning of 2008, Gris Volta have too many influences to place the band into one genre – you can find anything from indie-rock to jazz themes and experimental music in their songs. Their debut record Monochrome is without doubt one of the best Peruvian albums released this year.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Doble Pletina – Cruzo Los Dedos
Doble Pletina, a five-piece from Barcelona, were born from the ashes of Abrevadero (a one-of-a-kind cover band that would play songs of almost any genre). Thanks to their simple yet carefully crafted melodies and everyday life-inspired emotional lyrics – as in their latest single ‘Cruzo Los Dedos’ – they have broken into the city’s local independent scene. They are, basically, what we would expect from a good indie-pop band.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Kim Mok In – Scene
Kim Mok In started out as the guitarist of playful lo-fi folk quartet Cabinet Singalongs over a decade ago. This month he released his first solo album, Song Of Musician’s-self, with an updated sound and better production that still shouldn’t leave any old fan disappointed. ‘Scene’ is a song about the Korean music scene which finds Kim Mok In’s voice and guitar accompanied by a sturdy piano.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Absurdcus – Puppy Slippers
Absurdcus is the solo project of Transylvanian bass player/multi-instrumentalist Laszlo Demeter. His music has been a continuous work in progress since 2003, when he first started recording bits and pieces under this pseudonym. His music stylistically ranges from alternative rock and funk to electronica and even metal. You can download his debut album here.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Marauders – Galley-Slave
Marauders formed in the late 80s in Strasbourg, and have been making garage rock ever since, before it was cool and re-popularized by The Black Keys. The quartet, who have released two LPs and appeared in various compilations, play short, edgy songs and are pretty awesome live. ‘Galley-Slave’ is a sweet, soft-rock ballad that deserves some attention.


Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 36-track compilation via MediaFire.

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
No Comments

Moustache Collective

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Fabulous/Arabia – The Ballad Of State Highway 1
James Milne (Lawrence Arabia) and Mike Fabulous (The Black Seeds) unveiled their collaboration last month and surprised many fans by presenting an album of nu jazz songs – combining elements of funk, soul and jazz, while quite obviously retaining Lawrence Arabia’s indie-pop influence. Their debut album is a mixed bag, each song exploring a different path. The most obvious reference is British downtempo DJ Mr Scruff, courtesy of Fabulous’ wonderfully unusual instrumental experimentation. Their debut album Unlimited Buffet can be downloaded from Bandcamp.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Polka Wars – Horse Hooves
‘Horse Hooves’ is an echoey, spacey song made by a collective of young boys influenced by the current fuzzed and mopey music scene. You’ll love their simple interpretation of what we call humble music.

ESTONIA: Popop
Ewert And The Two Dragons – Jolene
Ewert And The Two Dragons, consisting of Evert Sundja, Erki Pärnoja, Ivo Etti and Kristjan Kallas, sky-rocketed into the Estonian music scene in autumn 2009 with their debut album The Hills Behind The Hills. 2010 was a busy year for the Dragons: they performed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, including noted festivals such as Tallinn Music Week and Positivus. Their smooth sounds and melodies have been praised both at home and abroad. Their second album, Good Man Down, came out in April and has enjoyed tremendous success.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Lasers – Solar System
Lasers are a cosmic pop three-piece from Barcelona. Influenced by acts such as Animal Collective, Fuck Buttons, locals Delorean and label mates The Suicide Of Western Culture (featured in September’s MAP), Lasers have learnt to create extraterrestrial atmospheres using “samples, tireless cyclic sounds, breeze melodies” in their music, which can be both obscure and optimistic at a time or, as they call it, “noise and poetry”. Lasers will release their first album Juno through Irregular in December, from which ‘Solar System’ is taken.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
First Rate People – Someone Else Can Make A Work Of Art
‘Someone Else Can Make A Work Of Art’ is a dance song, but only in the way that, say, ‘All My Friends’ is a dance song. It’s got incredibly catchy beats and a wonderful vocal performance, but it’s held together by a genuine emotional core. It, and the album it comes from, are currently free for download from Bandcamp, so there’s really no reason not to go get it right now.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Moon & Sun – Hunt (Gavin Russom remix)
Although based in Amsterdam, Moon & Sun is very much an international concept. At its core is artist/musician Monica Tormell, who’s originally from Sweden but who wrote and recorded her debut album, The Wild Things, in Curaçao, the Swedish woods and also back in Amsterdam. That original collection emerged last November, offering bouts of atmospheric and tribal folk. One year on, a number of its tracks have been reworked by a host of international collaborators. This remix by DFA artist and LCD Soundsystem collaborator Gavin Russom draws on the heavily percussive elements to create electronic patterns reminiscent of Swedish peers The Knife and jj.

CHILE: Super 45
Fernando Milagros – Carnaval (feat. Christina Rosenvinge)
San Sebastián, the third album from singer-songwriter Fernando Milagros, is, in simple terms, a masterpiece. Although in his early days as a musician Milagros pointed towards a more contemplative kind of folk (a big reference here would be Nick Drake or the calmer moments of Devendra Banhart), in his newest album he explores South American music, creating denser pieces, darker yet more powerful. ‘Carnaval’, the first single from the album, features guest Spanish musician Christina Rosenvinge.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Valotihkuu – Two Shadows
Valotihkuu’s Flutter EP is made up of 15 tracks which collect memories and emotions of a full year, filled up with nostalgia, old vibes, cassette tapes, weird samples and a unique feel that might remind you of Madlib and Monster Rally.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Cable 35 – Cow Head
Formed in 2006, Cable 35 have become known for their highly energetic performances and are arguably Malta’s tightest band. The three-piece is made up of singer and guitarist Jeffrey Zerafa, bassist Kriz Zahra and drummer Chris Mallia. Following a couple of EPs, the band released their aptly-titled debut album Louder three months ago and are currently touring Europe to promote it. Louder brings back Bleach-era Nirvana to your ears.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Echo Me – Darkest Hour
It’s alternative pop-rock with a folksy touch. It’s Echo Me aka Jesper Madsen. It’s an eponymous debut album. And it’s great.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Antoine Reverb – You As A Fish
The tradition states that Guadalajara is the quintessential land for Machos and Mariachi in Mexico. But Antoine Reverb (actually a quintet, not a person) doesn’t belong to their time and place. On their splendid second album Everything Is A Foreign Language To Me, the band sets their inner clocks backwards on a swirly Victorian time-travel in a quest to reach the land of the Pet Sounds, rabbit-holing on a twee-gaze mood (reminiscent of Broadcast in the 90s), finally sliding on a spiral that leads to confusing atmospheres that resemble the soundtrack for the Czech vampire film Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders. Antoine Reverb are not only strangers in their own land, but in their own dreams.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Feathers – Cat Burgler
‘Cat Burgler’ is a sweet new jam from Brisbane’s Feathers, taken from their forthcoming 12″ Hunter’s Moon, out through Bon Voyage. The song showcases this all-female four-piece’s ability to intertwine whimsy and hooks into irresistible tunes suited for both Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Fútbol – El Asedio De River
El Eternauta is an amazing science fiction comic created by Argentine comic strip writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published from 1957 to 1959. Los Ellos is a tribute compilation to this work and its author, one of 30,000 people who disappeared during the dictatorship that ruled the country between 1976 and 1983. The album contains 18 original tracks written by independent bands from La Plata and Buenos Aires. ‘El Asedio De River’ is one of them, an instrumental track from alternative rock trio Fútbol.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Saskatchewan – Skinny Dipping
Orlando, Florida’s Saskatchewan are masters of slow-built dream pop, lush vocal harmonies and melodies that are damn near impossible to ignore. ‘Skinny Dipping’ is their latest single, available for free on Bandcamp. Look out for an album sometime in early 2012.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Halina Larsson – Puget Sounds
Halina Larsson is an expat from Sweden who has lived in LA and now resides in Brooklyn. She has a diverse sound and a variety of influences including Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Erykah Badu, Feist and Elliott Smith. Halina is a trained jazz vocalist who, on her latest Fires & French Horns EP, falls somewhere between indie folk songstress and new soul chanteuse. It’s an odd combination but on certain songs and in certain styles she can pull it off.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic (Unravelled)
Rarely has the word “timeless” been more appropriate for a record. It took seven years for King Creosote and Jon Hopkins to make their first collaborative album, the Mercury Prize-nominated Diamond Mine, and it handsomely captures delicate snapshots of unhurried, everyday life in rural Fife – literally, with the sound of coffee shop chatter, running streams and chirping seagulls. Here’s an exclusive free MAP download of their reworking of album track ‘Bats In The Attic’, taken from their Honest Words EP.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Sugar Factory – 440
Sugar Factory have unleashed their luminous, lilting, lovely debut single, the double A-side ’440 / Explosions;. It’s an insular instrumental experience, casting intrigue in the minute details, an immersive and inevitably cinematic gem rich in fuzzy memories, nostalgia, melody and atmosphere, with woozy accordion that accentuates the underlying emotions, guitars and samples with an otherworldly quality that lingers with you. Listen to ’440′, a perfect mood piece as the night begins to draw in.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Avec Avec – Kuzuha No Sunday
Avec Avec is one of the most promising young artists to emerge in a burgeoning electronic scene based in the Kansai region. ‘Kuzuha No Sunday’ stands as one of the best tracks from this fledgling movement, a stuttering beat-driven song reminiscent of Bibio or Cornelius that sounds like a perfect sunny Sunday. The sweetest part comes via that glitchy vocal sample, one of the most joyous sounds to come out of Japan this year.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
laFayette – Heavy Rain (feat. Lena Fennel)
Since their launch in 2009, Basel boys Jascha Dormann and Simon Hauswirth have found their place in the Swiss electronica scene. Musically, laFayette boldly go into the deep end of a pool filled with electronica, hip hop and techno music. Their debut EP Sputnik was released in September.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Magus – Riders On Psychedelics
Magus is a new collaboration between Mark Dolmont and Leslie Low, the latter best known for his work with Humpback Oak and The Observatory. Their debut effort is fittingly the first release by Ujikaji Records, a new independent label and distro focusing on experimental music in the region. The album, titled Sun Worshipper, presents a dark and spiritual brew of kraut-inspired psychedelia which makes for an addictively harrowing pilgrimage through the deepest of valleys.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Kassin – Calça De Ginástica
Kassin is a producer who has worked with some of the most creative artists in Brazilian contemporary music. He has also played in some bands and projects and this year he released his first solo album, from which ‘Calça De Ginástica’ is taken. The electronic pop is combined with funny lyrics in which a man tells of his desires with a girl he knows (such as having sex with her in a paraplegic’s bathroom while wearing his gym clothes).

ITALY: Polaroid
Horrible Present – Cloudy Talks
Nicola Donà used to sing in the band Calorifero, now he lives in London and writes music under the moniker Horrible Present. His new songs are more lo-fi, bedroom pop-oriented, ranging from synth-driven experimental tunes to romantic acoustic guitar ballads, but always with a big shining love for melodies. And the love is returned. Expect a debut album in early 2012.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Bendik – Igjen
Bendik is a lush, ambient electro-pop band signed to the great Trondheim-based label Riot Factory alongside the likes of Scarlet Chives, Dråpe, Angelica’s Elegy and Pelbo. It started as Silje Halstensen’s solo project but has now grown into a trio. They have played at some of the biggest festivals throughout Norway, such as Øyafestivalen, Pstereo and Slottsfjell, and their debut album will be released next year.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
East Roots – S.O.S.
East Roots is not a conventional dub/reggae band. As the cardinal points, each member comes with a new direction: drum ‘n’ bass, reggae, ska, dancehall and even trip-hop, you will find it all in their music.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Jolly Goods – If I Were A Woman
When you listen to Jolly Goods’ second album Walrus, released recently on Staatsakt, you should be prepared for some serious disarray. Their songs, especially their lyrics, bear testament to a deep doubt in the world as it appears to these two sisters; they capture emotions like anger, trepidation and a little bit of hope in an extraordinary way.

IRELAND: Nialler9
We Cut Corners – Go Easy
‘Go Easy’ is a fine example of what to expect from Today I Realised I Could Go Backwards, the debut album from Dublin duo We Cut Corners. Restricting themselves to drums, guitar and voice doesn’t hamper John Duignan and Conall O’Breachain in the construction of their direct songs. Rather, they find new ways to create unique songs from a limited palette. They might Go Easy but they will go far.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
WooWoos – Fizzy Lettuce
WooWoos are Nicky, Tasie and Jess, three London girls shaping up to be the new Sugababes – only the Sugababes when they were good, when Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan were in the group, not the three ciphers they’ve got in now. They’re funny, they’re sassy, and their debut single, ‘Fizzy Lettuce’, is 90s trip-hop revisited with a solid chorus that suggests there in a substantial musical base below the fizz and pop. We still don’t know what is a Woo Woo, or indeed what is fizzy lettuce, but at least they’re getting us thinking, these sugar-babes with subversive intent.

FINLAND: Glue
The Saturnettes – Girl Name Sue
The Saturnettes, from Tampere, blend in a refreshing way the 70s glam rock sounds of David Bowie and T. Rex with a touch of new wave and synth-pop. ‘Girl Named Sue’ is the very catchy first single off their debut album.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Rose Blanket – Feel My Way Around
Nothing Ahead Nothing Behind is the third album from Miguel Dias’ project Rose Blanket, recorded between 2008 and 2011. For this double album, he collaborated with several Portuguese musicians and two American vocalists, Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields) and Dana Schechter (Bee And Flower). ‘Feel My Way Around’ features Jennifer Charles.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
1995 – La Source
Ask someone from France if they like French rap and they will most likely answer ‘no’, but ask if they likes old-school rap and the answer is most likely to be ‘yes’. And that’s what this month’s band is all about: old-school rap, with modern lyrics. 1995 (or “un-double-neuf-cinq”/”un-neuf-neuf-cinq”) is a young rap collective (five MCs, one DJ) hailing from Paris who released an extraordinary, well-received EP, La Source, last June. The EP is a work of art for people disappointed and bored by gangsta-like music, and is almost a miracle for the purists as well, thanks to the return to basics, the flow and the instrumentals. You can buy La Source on Amazon or iTunes.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Coedwig – Let Her Go
Street folk artist Neofolk has gotten himself a band member and formed the unit Coedwig. ‘Let Her Go’ is one of the indie rock numbers on the recently self-released first EP, which also contains a couple of acoustic tracks – a sound that is very popular in Korea at the moment.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Laurie Levine – Six Winters
‘Six Winters’ is the lovely first single and title track of the third album by acclaimed Johannesburg singer-songwriter Laurie Levine. Piano and acoustic-driven, twinkling and atmospheric with an electric tinge, it all makes Laurie’s heady blend of folk coupled with her captivating vocals one that has earned her critical acclaim and a growing audience.

PERU: SoTB
Division Mayday – Lugar Seguro
Division Mayday formed in 2008 and their sound ranges from post-punk to electro-pop. A mix of electronic guitars, intimate lyrics, an intense rhythmic base and electronic sequences are the raw materials of their musical proposal.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Carlos Angola – Hasta Mañana
I first saw Carlos Angola at a festival called VirgenFest which was being held in a public square. The atmosphere was magical, it felt like Woodstock. On stage there was this boy with glasses, an acoustic guitar and a great voice. Carlos Angola used to be part of a ska band called Skabiosis, but now he is displaying his talents as a solo artist with his album Rompecabezas which guarantees total relaxation no matter when you listen to it.

CHINA: Wooozy
Tong Dang – Don’t Let Me Cry
Tong Dang formed in 2001 in Chengdu. Their name is derived from the Chinese word meaning “Young Gang”. They started off as a melodic nu-metal band and gradually added elements of pop-punk and emo. Tong Dang are known for their explosive performances which features catchy hooks and melodies. ‘Don’t Let Me Cry’ is taken from their album Far Away, released in 2007.


Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 35-track compilation via MediaFire.

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
No Comments

Evolving Circus

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
St. Rupertsberg – In Albania
Wellington octet St Rupertsberg began in 2009 when Kate Whelen assembled a group of female musicians to start a rather unique band. Now, after gaining rave reviews from critics and audience members at this year’s Campus A Low Hum festival, word of the group’s musical prowess has spread. Performing together like a multi-talented musical circus, the band members take turns playing various instruments, including trumpets, clarinets, trombones, synthesisers and percussion. But the main highlight is an all-inclusive vocal choir. Their debut EP is available now from Bandcamp.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Young Man – Enough
The compositions of Colin Caulfield, playing under the moniker Young Man, have come full circle on his latest LP titled Ideas Of Distance. An achingly beautiful album with more layers than an Arctic explorer, ‘Enough’ is a track that boils up slowly like water left on the stove. Except each rising bubble is a different sonic explosion and instead of bursting on the surface in watery, translucent explosion, you can see the melodic colors dispersing in swirls of steam.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
The Klinton Kings – Rulin’
The Klinton Kings is the project of Lewis M, a recent graduate of Oporto College of Arts and Music. He has just a few songs available online. However, his most promising single, Rulin’, which was recently available on a CD of new Portuguese acts, transmits a maturity and creativity rarely heard in most first singles. A debut album is expected in 2012.

ITALY: Polaroid
A Classic Education – Forever Boy
Produced by Jarvis Taveniere of Woods, Call It Blazing is undoubtedly the most eagerly-awaited indie rock album in Italy this year, but not only in Italy. A Classic Education have released two EPs and a single, traveled the US, Canada and UK, played SXSW and CMJ, and are touring Europe with British Sea Power right now. They are definitely one of the best things to have happened to the music in my country in the past decade. Their sound is magnificent, warm, ambitious and timeless.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
BRNDLS – Start Bleeding
BRNDLS have helped shape today’s Indonesian garage rock scene with their harsh sound, raw attitude and foul-mouthed frontman. Also known as The Brandals, they have just brought out their latest album that stole the XTRMNTR concept and delivered their most well-produced release to date.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Canopies And Drapes – Sleeping Under The Bed
‘Sleeping Under The Bed’ twinkles from the get-go, Tokyo solo artist Canopies And Drapes setting up a glowing dream of a song about hearts melting like ice cream and perfect lovers. Yet this, the highlight off her debut EP, conceals some darkness around the corners. The minimalist structure allows for some chilly synths to stand out, and then she steps back from all the gooey love talk for a frank final line: “Where should I go? I got lost.” It sounds gorgeous from the start, but grows more complicated with time.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Laura Drescher – I Do I Will
I can’t really tell you much about Laura Drescher other than she was born in Spain, raised in Denmark, and that she released both an EP (Polyest) and an album (Hallucinations Of A Good Life) last year. Oh, and she’s not sore on the eyes either. It’s gloomy and groovy electronica – here represented by ‘I Do I Will’ from Hallucinations Of A Good Life – and if you like what you hear, head for SoundCloud where you can download both album and EP for free.

FINLAND: Glue
Koria Kitten Riot – An Anthem From The 80′s
Koria Kitten Riot is the project of singer-songwriter Antti Reikko and it brings well-crafted pop songs, full of detail and ambitious instrumentation. It puts together the intimacy of the songwriter and grandiose arrangements in a manner that reminds us of Bright Eyes. ‘An Anthem From The 80′s’ is a melancholic song about long-gone happy times and is taken from Koria Kitten Riot’s second album, The Lows & The Highs, out this month.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
The You And What Army Faction – I Used A Blade To Carve Me A New Smile
The You And What Army Faction set their distortion pedals on stun and amplify each strummed string to produce a crushing, absorbing and raw wall-of-sound repetition where chaos and beauty ravish each other within the same song. Their artful contrasts and angular arrangements are imbued with instrumental dexterity and coherent ideas and balanced between formlessness and structure, melody and cacophony. Here’s a vibrating preview from their upcoming sophomore album.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
BOY – This Is The Beginning
BOY are a little hyped in Germany right now. Valeska and Sonja just released their debut Mutual Friends via Groenland Records, which features warm and cosy folk-pop songs. They are written and sung so well that you instantly forget summer was awful this year and start enjoying the Indian summer.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Panda Su – I Begin
The title track of Panda Su’s second EP illustrates her appeal: dark, intelligent pop with all sense of vulnerability left intact. Apart from her occasional on-stage face paint, the Panda Su package is never black and white. Her music often draws on experimental sounds, but never at the expense of melody. Her lyrics, both fragile and cryptic, demand attention – ‘I Begin’ finds Su repeating the poignant lines, “I should try to remember/I should try to forget”. It’s apt that Su Shaw named the outlet for her music after an endangered creature – songs of this quality really are rather rare.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Chris Kok – Sounds Of Sirens
Since studying ‘pop’ at the Amsterdam Conservatory, Chris Kok has spent the past couple of years working on songcraft and stepping out to play live at every opportunity – be it contests, open mic nights, festivals or art openings – all while freely distributing his music online. The graft seems to be paying off, and now working with a full band, even his most intimate acoustic troubadour pieces are taking epic turns. ‘Sounds Of Sirens’ is the kind of atmospheric pop Snow Patrol should be making, and that’s merely one template from his sonic arsenal. Look out for a full album from Kok and his band Civil Union later this year, plus listen to his new self-titled acoustic EP (including a version of ‘Sounds Of Sirens’) on Bandcamp.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Mighty Coala – Seoul
Indie-pop band Mighty Coala has been around for many years, but it wasn’t until this month that their first album For Bright And Healthy Mornings, mixed by Yeol Park of August MAP band Pigibit5, was released. With a preference for short songs that are both fun to play and listen to, Mighty Coala offer a rich sound with plenty of curiosities. ‘Seoul’ is an uplifting tune dedicated to the city where they live and the city they love.

CHILE: Super 45
Nuevacosta – Todo Fácil
Four-piece outfit Nuevacosta released their debut offering, Costa Brava EP (available for free at their website) this year under the Casa Joven and Espacio Cellar labels. Through these six songs, the band explores new wave sounds and early 90s Chilean pop, creating dark, lo-fi, atmospheric soundscapes.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Daley – Smoking Gun
A new blue-eyed soul boy from Manchester, Gareth “Daley” Daley looks set to be the first genuinely interesting British artist to operate in that area since David McAlmont or Lewis Taylor. He was a nominee on this year’s BBC Sound of 2011 poll, has already tasted chart success, having sung on ‘Long Way Home’ from Wretch 32′s top-5 debut album as well as on the Gorillaz track ‘Doncamatic’, which he co-wrote with Damon Albarn. Now he’s signed to A&M and working on his own debut album, due out in 2012, with Suede guitarist and Duffy producer Bernard Butler as well as Dre of Dre & Vidal (Alicia Keys, Usher) and Shea Taylor (Ne-Yo, Beyoncé).

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Moonlight Breakfast – Still
Self-characterized as a retro electro band, Moonlight Breakfast is one of the freshest presences on the Romanian alternative music stage. In only a couple of months after getting together for this project, they reached the top position in Romania’s alternative radio charts.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Las Tocayas – Hombres
Las Tocayas, despite their name, are not an all-girl band; they’re actually two girls and a boy who met through an internet forum dedicated to Spanish indie band Los Planetas. If we said that their influences include The Flaming Lips, Surfin’ Bichos, Nacho Vegas and The National, you wouldn’t believe us, but, yes, we mean it. Their music can be described as hedonistic and their lyrics are rather irreverent and joyful. Maybe, as they confess, they’re more inspired by everyday life, television, their gossiping neighbours and Jon Secada. ‘Hombres’ is a hilarious ode to men and what we can and cannot expect from them.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Limpiacabezales – Mérida
Limpiacabezales was formed in 1998 by Claudio Sanchez, Orlando Toro and Carlos Eljuri. After a few shows in several cities across Venezuela, they released their first EP this year, which features five songs that serve as a teaser for their album, expected to come out later this year.

CHINA: Wooozy
Eat Alien’s Brain – Sick Body Dance
Eat Alien’s Brain are an electro duo from Chengdu, who formed in August 2010. Loco and Umar, both in their early 20s, use music to express their attitude towards freedom. Their sound is hard to define – electro/dance with a bit of Nintendocore/chiptune/crunk. They were highly recommended by the NME, who described them as “Crystal Castle bound up with Burial and Sepultura”.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
140 – Say It Better
Meet your new favourite power-pop, tongue-in-cheek, somewhat satirical band. Meet 140. They recently released their debut single ‘Say It Better’, a synth-drenched pop song. But not to be stereotyped or confined, the band’s next single could range from indie-rock to anything they feel their listeners would like. With a unique, zany and out-there approach, 140 is band whose mantra is to do things differently. In fact, it’s experimentation that will keep everyone engaged and interested in this provoking new set of creatives.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Robota – Troqueladora
Dystopian scenarios are inherent to industrial music, with narratives and textures well explored by artists on the Mute roster – from Throbbing Gristle and The Normal, to Suicide and Add (N) to X. Mexico City trio Robota particularly share Add (N) to X’s aesthetic based on a vintage electronic junk sado-fetishism. ‘Troqueladora’ is taken from their “vibrant” second album, Vulgar Display Of Power. No, there’s no relation with Pantera other than pure cyber-punk irony.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Option Command – Break Even
Option Command (who has previously released gorgeous music under the name Broken Chip) hails from the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Where his former project often focused on texture and mood, Option Command is a more beat-oriented project. ‘Break Even’ sounds like playing Atari in a canyon, and is a good blend of the two musical personas. Both are worth checking out.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Tieranniesaur – In The Sargasso
Strutting disco-infused funky indie tunes that recall the experimental new wave pop visions of ESG and Tom Tom Club don’t come by every day. So Tieranniesaur standout. This Irish six-piece revel in fun, old-school danceable thrills and their self-titled debut album is one of the best releases Ireland has to offer this year.

PERU: SoTB
Royalvalet – Escorpio y Rimel
Royalvalet is a project formed by musicians who had their beginnings in other bands. When it comes to composing a song, each member gives his contribution with full freedom, there are no creative limitations. Led by Salim Vera, Royalvalet began in March 2010 and have released three highly creative rock singles to date.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Poor Lifestyle – These Times
Hardcore and punk should be immediate and Poor Lifestyle certainly is. You may argue that this song is breaking no new ground and I’d say you’re right – that’s the beauty of it. This song will be coming out in Sweden on a split 7″ with friends The Wallrides sometime soon.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Beangrowers – The Priest
Beangrowers are a rare and delicate breed of band – managing to be intelligent without being ponderous, fun without being silly, outrageously poppy without being cheesy, and rocking without being clichéd or predictable. This female-fronted three-piece are Malta’s biggest music exports, with a following on both sides of the Atlantic. This track is from their album Dance Dance Baby, which has just been re-released digitally.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Lirinha – Adebayor
Jose de Paes Lira, best known as Lirinha, is the former vocalist of Brazilian group Cordel do Fogo Encantado, who have produced some of the most consistent works in terms of updating regional sounds from Brazil’s northeast. In Lirinha’s first solo album, the results are somewhere between alternative rock and a new take on mangue beat. His excellent CD is available for free download at his website.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Ruddinn – Cover The Distance
Ruddinn is one guy, Bertel Ólafsson from Hafnarfjörður, who has released three albums to date. Ruddinn works primarily alone but receives a helping hand occasionally. He mixes electro pop with indie guitar and a dash of 80s shoegaze. ‘Cover The Distance’, a track from his third album I Need A Vacation, features Heiða Eiríksdóttir of the band Hellvar on vocals.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Etc – Big Girl’s Blouse
Etc is truly one of Singapore’s best-kept secrets. There are no fancy fashions or trends associated with the duo of Ben Harrison and Harvey Chamberlain, just well-written guitar-rock to a steady beat. Harrison’s jangle-raggedy guitar work is exciting and tasteful enough to balance perfectly atop Chamberlain’s near-primal approach to the beat, yet also easy enough for that slacker sway. They have an album in the works, but we’ll make do with their generous online singles in the meantime.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Evelinn Trouble – I’m On Fire
Evelinn Trouble has, in her still very young career, gone through some major changes. The Zurich resident started off as an 18-year-old releasing a very intimate singer-songwriter record, alone in her bedroom. She was soon discovered and heartened by the Swiss indie scene and last month brought out her sophomore record Television Religion, which presents her as a ‘femme fatale’. It’s great pleasure seeing her grow.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Sound Of Lions – Enders
Yes, Sound Of Lions borrow somewhat liberally from 90s trip-hop generally, and Portishead in particular. However, as ‘Enders’ – and the rest of their debut, 11:44 – demonstrates, they’re so good at making the old genre sound fresh and new, it’s easy to overlook a little thievery when the end results are so incredibly listenable.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Flopa/Minimal – Atolondrón
A couple of months ago, the indie supergroup formed by Flopa Lestani, Mariano “Manza” Esaín and Ariel Minimal reunited for several sold-out concerts in Buenos Aires. The experience was so positive that Flopa and Minimal decided to step into the studio to record some songs, and the result is an EP called Reducción de Daños. ‘Atolondrón’ was written by Flopa and is our favorite track from it, but you can download the whole EP for free from their website.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
InWhite – Sea
One of the cutest Russian indie-pop bands, InWhite is looking forward to their upcoming album. Sea is a beautiful piano-driven song that can carry you away from a seaside to the storm.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Autonomia – Steiner Å Stå På
Autonomia are a great and hidden gem from the large underground of Norwegian music, with members from veteran bands such as Freeshine, Dunderhonning and Far From Tellus. Singing in Norwegian, their music is eclectic and it can shift from sweet and rough indie-pop with Hüsker Dü guitars to long, slow and heavy post-rock/post-hardcore anthems reminiscent of bands like Envy and Neurosis.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 34-track compilation via MediaFire.

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Apopalypse Now!

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Jon Lemmon – Exodus I
When asked to make a summery pop song for a compilation, US-born New Zealand-based artist Jon Lemmon set about writing a tune about the end of the world. ‘Exodus I’ is a lush and enigmatic opus, boasting everything from honky-tonk piano to squelchy synth bass and an incredibly catchy wordless vocal singalong. Lemmon shows his breakout potential with this huge song from his forthcoming album that he’s aiming to release by the end of October.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Miila And The Geeks – New Age
Miila And The Geeks grab familiar elements of rock music and contort them into slightly disturbing shapes. ‘New Age’, the title track to their recently released debut, uses simple repetition and jittery drumming to turn what could have been a by-the-numbers garage rock song into a captivating, no-wave-inspired number. Yet it is the saxophone popping up at various moments, seemingly blessed with a mind of its own, which really cements ‘New Age’ as a fascinating listen.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
4instrumental – Não Mais
4instrumental is a band whose sound is influenced by the history of Sabará, a city founded 400 years ago, while permeated by that kind of constant search for renewal typical of rock and roll. They’re prog rockers, but also funky, jazzy and experimental, as you can hear in ‘Não Mais’, from their first EP, released two months ago. The quartet are activists of a way of life that believes culture is a means of social transformation. They travel through the country expanding this idea while making people feel some catharsis with their instrumental music.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
EJ Von Lyrik, Isaac Mutant and Teba – Goldmine (Shockwave Edit)
The sounds of funky Cape Town hip-hop artists EJ Von Lyrik, Isaac Mutant and Teba shine through this month as they combine their talents on ‘Goldmine’ (Shockwave Edit). Each artist brings their own unique South African feel and musical style which reflects the melting pot that is Cape Town. It’s fun, fresh and has a funky feel that is sure to get heads nodding and feet tapping.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
San Marino – Strangers To Ourselves
Since there’s no music blog representing San Marino, we came across a nice substitute in the form of a Swiss band pleading the country’s music case. San Marino hail from Zurich and represent not only the small country in the heart of Italy, but do so as well for Switzerland’s surf-indie-pop conscience. Their debut album was released in May.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Your Hand In Mine – A Boy And The Birds
Your Hand In Mine present a deeply personal sense of chamber music and an emotive, atmospheric dreamworld through intricate arrangements, waltzing rhythms, fluttering accordions, mandolins, delicate glockenspiels, woozy laments and beautiful, melancholic melodies that conjure a cinematic romanticism. Their second album, The Garden Novels, is a testament to the versatility and adventurousness of their sound, where nine sonic novels, nine small stories told in a fictional garden, are transcribed into warm and intimate musical notes.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Jirapah – Crime
Jirapah duo Ken Jenie and Mar Galo are lovers, both Indonesian students who stayed in Brooklyn. But Ken is currently living in Jakarta, partly because of the good reception their music has received in the capital’s indie scene, where he has started playing live with several other musicians. Their music can be described as something dreamy, layered and lo-fi.

FINLAND: Glue
The New Tigers – Pocketful Of Sand
From the west coast of Finland, The New Tigers are a guitar-driven pop band that might remind you of Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth or Galaxie 500. On their debut album, The New Tigers show an austere sound straight from the rehearsal room with no unnecessary embellishments. Loud guitars are all over the album and extend the songs with some good jams, but the band never forgets to include a good pop melody.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Spotlight Kid – Haunting Me
Twenty years ago, there was grunge, and there was shoegazing, and that was pretty much it for the alternative rock scene. Spotlight Kid wonderfully evoke that era when My Bloody Valentine meant more than the Beatles and the Stones combined, and every young band was in thrall to the sound of MBV’s Isn’t Anything album and wanted to be signed to Creation – that is, Creation B.O. (Before Oasis), when it was all radiant guitars and ethereal, billowing, androgynous boy/girl harmonies. Spotlight Kid don’t come from the Thames Valley like their forebears (they’re from Nottingham) but everything else about them screams – or rather, sighs and shimmers – shoegaze.

SPAIN: Musikorner
The Suicide Of Western Culture – The Italian Chapel
The Suicide Of Western Culture have become one of the most successful Spanish electronic bands. They have, so far, supported Animal Collective in their last visit to Barcelona and played at the most important festivals in Spain and even in Berlin’s Popkomm. With a post-rock soul, as epic and ethereal as Explosions In The Sky but as intimate as Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, they have released an eponymous album filled with their thoughts and emotions; the final result is a highly visceral and passionate record.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Alarmist – Giraffe Centre
Intricate melodies intertwine and search for ears in Dublin band Alarmist’s ‘Giraffe Centre’, taken from their brilliant self-titled five-track EP. Like Tortoise and Battles, this band are all about turbo-charged but beautiful instrumentation.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Royal Headache – Down The Lane
After a couple of years of drip-feeding 7″, CD-R and cassette releases, the time has arrived for the release of Royal Headache’s debut album. ‘Down The Lane’ is a great introduction to Royal Headache and shows exactly why people are so excited about them.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Hanging Up The Moon – Water Under The Bridge
Hanging Up The Moon is the self-titled debut album and solo project of Sean Lam, best known for fronting Singaporean band Concave Scream. After an extended hiatus, Sean’s return to songwriting has been welcomed by many, especially for his minimalist and introspective approach. The songs in this album, which you can pay as you wish for at his website, were birthed in the stillness of the night before dawn breaks. You can just imagine the quiet corner where these carefully-crafted songs were committed to recording, without a squeak or whimper; and when each track is done, only a still air lingering.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
We Singing Colors – There When You Sleep
We Singing Colors is the side project of Andrei Hațegan from indie band The Amsterdams. The boy/girl vocals, the exploration of simple sounds and everyday noise, and the melodic themes approached from a different angle create a very intimate pop atmosphere.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Dear Reader – MONKEY (You Can Go Home)
Dear Reader’s debut was subtle in a folky way; the second album, Idealistic Animals, continues this promising cachet in a more janiform way. South African Cherilyn Macneil decided after some soul-searching about conscience and religion that she needed a change and now lives in Berlin, continuing Dear Reader as a solo project. Although her lyrics are very intense and profound, the music seems breezy and effortless, which makes a great and lasting combination.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Samaris – Hljóma Þú
Samaris consist of singer Jófríður Ákadóttir, computer programmer Þórður Kári Steinþórsson and clarinet player Áslaug Rún Magnúsdóttir, three students from Reykjavík aged 17-18 who came together in January 2011. The trio plays a mixture of trip-hop, dubstep and downtempo beats. This year they won the Icelandic battle-of-the-bands competition Músíktilraunir. ‘Hljóma Þú’ is the title track of their first EP.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
THE-DRUM – Omar
Much like their Chicago brethren Supreme Cuts and How To Dress Well, THE-DRUM are catalysts for precognitive future-music, hybridizing molasses-slow R&B vocals against shockwaves of percussion and echoing synth melodies. The results are as vibrant and unique as they are compelling, and ‘Omar’, released just two weeks ago, is perhaps their best experiment yet.

ESTONIA: Popop
Taavi Peterson & Üdi – Tibet Ocean
Singer Taavi Peterson got his first taste of fame in 2007 from the first series of the Estonian version of Pop Idol, coming third, but he decided to turn his back on the shiny pop world. The band Üdi (“bone marrow”) was formed in 2008 and their plan is to keep their hearts in the 60s but minds in the present day and make helluva good music. Is it possible for one band to change something? That’s what they are trying to find out.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Pendentif – Riviera
These days you see “pop” in every review you read and, over time, it even had bad connotations, as if it was the simplest music you can create. In fact, we forgot we could be surprised by it, and Pendentif are here to remind us of how great pop is, not by reinventing it, but by offering highly enjoyable pop songs, using the best the genre has to offer. Signed to the same label as previous MAP band Young Michelin, Bulle Sonore Records, they are just as great and sing in French as well.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
houses – Walk Away
This young Amsterdam-based quintet share in an unashamed love of North American indie guitar pop, spending the past decade absorbing the melodies and atmospherics of bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Stars and Broken Social Scene. It’s most noticeable in how their guitarist and keyboardist duel over shimmering riffs, while their choruses naturally soar as Ella van der Woude’s sweet and airy Feist-esque voice is lifted by the urgency of the rhythm section. Following plenty of local gigging and a self-released EP in 2010 that perked up the ears of local radio, their debut album Clean Life is released on September 19.

PERU: SoTB
Moldes – Trés Malade
Among the noise, psychedelia and experimentation, Moldes, a quartet formed by two boys and two girls in 2008, released their first album in August 2010 to good reviews. ‘Trés Malade’ is a song that comes from a French poem written by Katia De la Cruz.

ITALY: Polaroid
Three In One Gentleman Suit – Green Riots
Pure is the fourth album by Three In One Gentleman Suit, a band that keeps getting better and better. Moving from post-rock and math beginnings, TIOGS developed their own style – a kind of Modest Mouse epicness with more synth and samples, and with an incredibly strong live impact. You can download Pure for free from the band’s website.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Juan Cirerol – Corrido Chicalor
Storytelling and improvisation are two qualities rarely seen among musicians nowadays, since abstract compositions and studio over-productions rule the landscape. Enter Juan Cirerol, a twenty-something guitar-yielding cantina troubadour from the desertic Mexico-U.S. frontier city of Mexicali, all-stereotyped with pointy boots, worn-out cowboy shirt and a Johnny Cash square-jawed grin. With a carefree, nomadic take on the music business, Juan is kind of an outlaw riding a black horse into the shy, dusty streets of the Mexican indie scene. Nobody saw him coming and now everybody is talking about this charming youngster. If you feel attracted to this stranger, download his debut from the Vale Vergas Discos site.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Synecdoche Montauk – Infinitely Many Primes
Summer is almost gone and now it’s time for calm and beautiful melodies, so I guess ‘Infinitely Many Primes’ suits the weather perfectly. Acoustic guitar, violin and abstract lyrics create a complicated mood that mixes calmness, nervous, sweetness and melancholy. Synecdoche Montauk say their album is nearly finished so hopefully it will be available before the end of the year.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Zoo Legacy – Shockwave
Is it hip-hop? Rock? R&B? I don’t know. What I do know, though, is that Zoo Legacy create music that’s a genre-bending mish-mash, and they do it extremely well.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Los Expresidentes – Te Rodeo En El Rodeo
It is impossible to listen to this band and not think of a film about the Old West and imagine American cowboys on their horses. Los Expresidentes make an interesting, enjoyable fusion of punk rock, country and rockabilly. Their debut album, Lanzados Al Rodeo, has fun lyrics and a really contagious rhythm.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Ninesin – Arena
Although competition is tough, Ninesin is one of the best hardcore acts Korea has to offer. Following the remarkable The Death, We Will Face from 2009, their second full-length album comes out this month. ‘Arena’ is the first track revealed from the self-titled release. It has a shotgun beat and shows Ninesin’s characteristic grasp of good melody.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Siamese Fighting Fish – A Liar Cried Wolf
In early 2011, alternative metal six-piece Siamese Fighting Fish released their grand debut album We Are The Sound, which this site’s metalhead, Thomas Brunstrøm, suggested you check out if you’d like to know “what it would sound like if Muse, System Of A Down and Incubus went on stage in a metal club in Sarajevo and tried to out-weird each other. Featuring a guy playing the violin.” At the end of August, the gang released epic new single ‘A Liar Cried Wolf’, which is a MAP download exclusive.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Mikhael Paskalev – I Spy
Mikhael Paskalev is an astonishing young talent from deep within the fjords of Norway. He makes joyful folk pop that sometimes resembles Port O’Brien, Slow Club and other indie folk acts, yet also with a certain regard for the old ones, like The Everly Brothers. We can’t wait for his debut album due out next year.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Hunters Palace – Tal-Metall
Hunters Palace was initially an indie-folk outfit with a tendency to lay on some psychedelic improvisational grooves, but has recently evolved into a power trio playing abrasive free rock. Its core membership has always comprised two people, Peter Sant and Alex Vella Gera, but over the years others have contributed to the band’s sound including Adolf Formosa and Vinicius Duarte. The track on offer, ‘Tal-Metall’, is a krautrock-ish assault meaning to be a dance anthem.

CHILE: Super 45
Fakuta – Aeropuerto
Fakuta is one of the best bets in the current Chilean musical scene. Behind that moniker, architect Pamela Sepúlveda builds introspective synth-pop songs filled with detailed soundscapes and warm textures. ‘Aeropuerto’ (“Airport”) is the second single from her debut album Al Vuelo, available for free at her website.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Iconoclasts – Stranger In A Strange Land
Iconoclasts first appeared on MAP in 2009 and they keep on rocking. At last, the band’s debut album, Mt. Erikson, is released this month. ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’ shows just why they are one of the most promising acts from Lisbon. Pump up the volume.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Pearl And The Puppets – Little Diamonds
We join Pearl And The Puppets at a career crossroads, with Katie Sutherland having split from her record label this summer before she had the chance to release a debut album. While the Glasgow-based singer is better known for her radio-pleasing acoustic pop, ‘Little Diamonds’ takes an altogether more refined approach, with Katie whispering her lyrics over gentle piano notes and subtle string work. The best is yet to come from this lass.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Hernán Martínez y Las Estrellas – Revolución En Verano
Hernán Martínez was the man behind Voltura, a magnificent but rather unkown indie-pop band from Buenos Aires’s underground music scene (they only recorded two EPs, which are free to download from here and here). Revolución De Verano is Martínez’s first solo album, released by Perinola Discos and recorded with his band Las Estrellas. As with previous EPs by Martinez and Voltura, his songs are both catchy and melancholic. ‘Revolución En Verano’ is the first single from the album.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Vampyramiden – Pyromanens Dotter
Vampyramiden are still serving up strangely appealing Swedish-language indie pop. The band’s new EP (which has a fantastic cover) is called Teenage Destiny and I can only guess the lyrics are some sort of combination of teenage angst, wizarding mythology and, of course, vampires.

To download all 35 songs in one file click here

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Look Up Through The Clouds

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
@Peace – @Peace
@Peace is a collaboration between Auckland hip-hop artists Lui Tuiasau, Tom Scott, Christoph El Truento, Hayden Dick and Brandon Haru. The group have been getting praise for their discerning take on life in New Zealand’s largest metropolis, delivering a realist’s viewpoint referencing pop culture, politics and poverty and the challenges facing an ageing Generation Y. The group’s debut self-titled album was released in July and can be downloaded from Bandcamp.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
The Psalms – Johnny Mnemonic
Fiercely upfront and dizzyingly discordant, The Psalms have been shaking things up in the music scene here, with growing expectations on their upcoming debut album. The band’s Ishmael’s Wishlist EP offers a raw glimpse of things to come, with its arresting spiral of chaotic rock delivered at breakneck speeds. All donations through the EP’s digital download on Bandcamp will benefit Acres, a Singaporean organization promoting active community involvement in animal protection.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Last Days Of 1984 – River’s Edge
▲L▲ST D∆YS OF 1984▲▲ (to give Darren Moloney and Brian Rice’s band its full name) are only on debut single status but a slot at the Berlin Festival is already lined up. It’s easy to hear why. ‘River’s Edge’ is an Animal Collective-esque romp down the beach, conjuring up sunny climes and good vibes with a sound described by the band themselves as “beach house”.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
The Areola Treat – Nothing There
Formed in 2006, The Areola Treat are inspired by cult classics, 70s horror movies and awkward Japanese bands. With screeching guitars, resounding feedback, feisty punk beats and definite munchy punk vocals, they are almost reminiscent of X-Ray Spex. ‘Nothing There’ is from their debut album Pleasure Machines, released earlier this year.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Plastic Flowers – White Walls Painted Black
Plastic Flowers builds levees of emotion with subtle sonic shifts, washed-out electronic textures and layers of instrumentation that blur together sublimely and turns hushed beats and lightly scratched guitars into overwhelmingly lush sound offerings. The single, ‘White Walls Painted Black’, off his forthcoming debut album, flows with some artful embroidery and shines exquisitely.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Tomi Lebrero y El Puchero Misterioso – Noche En La Pampa (feat. Lisandro Aristimuño)
This song is from singer, songwriter and bandoneónist player Tomi Lebrero’s third album, Me Arrepiento De Todo. The first time we listened to it, we were amazed by the melancholy of some of his songs, moving away a little bit from the parodic tone that was present in previous albums and soundtracks. ‘Noche En La Pampa’ features the great Lisandro Aristimuño as a guest vocalist.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Holiday Shores – Spells
IGIF has loved on Holiday Shores for a long time and nothing makes our love swell like a new release. The band are preparing to bring out their sophomore album New Masses For Squaw Peak and lead single ‘Spells’ is a track I haven’t stopped spinning since first hearing it in June. It slowly pulls you in with a driving bass line and fetching guitar riff before exploding in a flurry of keys and percussion.

ESTONIA: Popop
Possimiste – Behind The Seas
Possimiste is an 18-year-old “uber-experimentalist”-bluebird-singer/songwriter from the wonderland, who likes to destroy the borders of music genres, believing in music and its existence in everything. A mysterious creature, an almost fictional character, who lives in a forest, has bat wings and is always wearing imaginary tinklers in her hair.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Klak Tik – With Ernest & George
A UK resident for the past 10 years, Søren Bonke released Must We Find A Winner – his excellent debut album as Klak Tik – in Britain in 2010, which earlier this year earned him a worldwide release on Danish labels Slow Shark Records and VME. Exclusively for MAP, here’s ‘With Ernest & George’, just one marvelous example of Bonke’s orchestral alternative folk.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Oh Minnows – Another Volunteer
Londoner Chris Steele-Nicholson used to be in indie trio Semifinalists. Now he makes music as Oh Minnows, with an album of synth/guitar pop called For Shadows just released on the Young And Lost Club label. The album opener, ‘Another Volunteer’, is the kind of plangent affair that gives 80s-referencing indie rock a good name, with its gently insistent drums, lush bed of synths, and vocal pitched nicely. As a recent Guardian New Band of the Day article put it: “Between optimism and despair, between the hope that a loved-one has moved on and a fear that they one day will.”

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Motorama – Ghost
Motorama is a new-wave, twee-pop band from Rostov inspired by Scandinavian music and romance of the 80s. Their musical mood is closely related to the visual part, full of northern nature, military aesthetics and clippings from 50-year-old magazines.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Möscow Çlub – Bikinikill
The name implies ties to chilly Russia, but Möscow Çlub hails from Tokyo and they love the summer sun. ‘Bikinikill’ finds the indie-pop quartet at their most seasonally appropriate, all jaunty guitars and warm bells while the vocals melt into the surrounding sounds. Like similarly ocean-centric artists Best Coast and Beach Fossils, Möscow Çlub turns simple melodies into irresistible beach-blanket pop. Thank goodness there is a little summer left to savour.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Dear Telephone – The Door Was White
Dear Telephone, named after Peter Greenaway’s Dear Phone, are a quartet. One of their members is also in Peixe:Avião (featured in August 2010′s MAP) and both bands belong to a new indie label called PAD. Dear Telephone create an electro-acoustic sound and last month released their debut six-track EP, Birth of A Robot.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Lenticular Clouds – Hermanos Humanos
Lenticular Clouds is more than a just project, it’s a trip through the biggest secrets of modern physics as Albert Zaragoza Gas, the man behind the music, defines it. Listening to the album as a whole certainly is almost a magical experience, but we’re pretty sure there are scientific explanations for all those ethereal sounds that navigate through the deep yet bright seas of aether pop and chillwave. ‘Hermanos Humanos’, the second song on the album, is the perfect tune for chilling outdoors, thinking of what we are and where we come from.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Klezmerson – Zuntik
For the past decade, Klezmerson have been fusing traditional Jewish culture sounds with some Mexican roots like charanga and huapango dressed up with rock and jazz. Their third album, Siete, was recently released by John Zorn’s label Tzadik. ‘Zuntik’ (“Sunday” in Yiddish) is a clever and saucy piece that portrays pretty much what this seven-piece ensemble is all about. Among Klezmer-based melodies, gypsy scales and garbled guitar episodes with heavy drums, it features the voice of Hazan Moshe Mendelson, a cantor who leads the prayers in almost all the ceremonies of the Ashkenazi community in Mexico City.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Jiyeon Kim – Dear May
Jiyeon Kim may be one of the most interesting artists in Korea right now. She records sounds from her environment, mixes them with synthetic sounds on the computer and uses her own voice to explore the musical spectrum further. Still on a journey to find her musical direction, once she’s found her style she’ll look into releasing an EP, but has yet to decide whether to do it by herself or through a label. ‘Dear May’ started out as a short memo on a friend’s blog but turned into beautiful, tranquil and very captivating song.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Tim Neuhaus – As Life Found You
Tim Neuhaus sounds fresh and ageless despite having already released six albums. His smart pop songs are driven by elaborated rhythms and his soft but catchy voice, which create a very warm feeling of melancholia. A trained percussionist, he was part of the famous Blue Man Group and accompanied rapper Clueso for several years. Meanwhile, he always wrote and recorded his own songs, with ‘As Life Found You’ being maybe the best from his latest release, The Cabinet.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
MacGyver Knife – Stumble
Stemming from a high school band and after almost a decade of jamming in a garage, MacGyver Knife was born in 2008. They recently released their debut album Sewing Legends, with ‘Stumble’ as their first single. It is a song that changed their sound as a band, establishing their more edgy indie approach, one that is evident throughout their debut offering and is a refreshing take on the local music scene.

ITALY: Polaroid
Gazebo Penguins – Il Tram Delle 6
Gazebo Penguins are one of the best punk hardcore bands you will find in this country, on stage and on record. Their new album is named Legna, which in Italian could mean “wood” and also “bashing”, but in a groovy way, or something like that. They’re heavy and uplifting. The album is available for free download.

FINLAND: Glue
Revival Hymns – Path Of Grace
Formed in the so-called Manchester of Finland that is the city of Tampere, Revival Hymns have worked hard in the past year to write and record their debut album, Feathers, which is already available to download on the band’s website. Although clocking at 40 minutes, you will find just seven post-rock songs that go from slow psychedelic notes to big momentums of distortion, noise and epic choruses.

CHINA: Wooozy
48V – Long Men Zhen
48V is an instrumental post-rock project from Chengdu. The band consists of four members and so far they have released two full-length albums. Their first, South, came out back in 2006 and it was followed this year by South II on 1724 Records. It’s a good start if you want to try Chinese post-rock.

CHILE: Super 45
Mowat – Librando A La Mañana
Mowat is a Chilean musician/producer living in Berlin. After his first work, EP#1 (2008), Mowat is now preparing his debut LP, Anglia, to be released on Cápsula Discos. Experimenting with traditional Chilean folk, the album’s first single, ‘Librando A La Mañana’, stands out for its orchestrated arrangements and warm vocals.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Octanone – None
Lucien Montandon, known for his drum skills with ALT F4, takes his first steps as an electro live act under the name of Octanone. He is a born beat junkie who plays with a drum pad, Loop Station and Kaoss effects. ‘None’ (which comes with a superb video) is available as a free appetizer. We’re looking forward to his debut EP which will be released in September.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
La Mort De Darius – T.E.U.F
La Mort De Darius come from Strasbourg and are into electro/house. Violence is a keyword to describe their sound, and you can’t do anything but dance to it (at the very least, you’ll shake your hand in the air while listening). Each of their songs could have appeared on Don Rimini’s The Perfect Prescription because of that same “turbine sound” that characterizes the compilation. La Mort De Darius show how good France still is at making electronic music. Listen to their remix of Katy Perry’s E.T. in this brilliant video shot at Dour Festival.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Cupumanik – Grunge Harga Mati
Grunge Harga Mati is roughly translated as “you can’t take grunge from me without killing me”. You might grin but the band won’t stop making music and will embark on their first Canadian tour later this year, spreading their rock music.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
The MOOoD – Stay Right
“Spread The MOOoD!” is their motto and you will understand why after listening to one of their songs. With an electric and infectious Brit/indie sound enriched by the unique timbre of the voice, The MOOoD makes you wanna hear more of their music with every song you listen to. After five years of making themselves known on the Romanian indie scene, the guys released their very-much-awaited-by-the-fans debut album, which starts like this.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Arches – Like Fireworks (radio edit)
If a band’s ambition is related to the epicness of the music then Arches’ goals must be stadium-sized. ‘Like Fireworks’ is the sort of song someone with the pedigree and studio budget of Doves or Elbow would release as the first single from a new album, not the first offering from an unsigned Glasgow group. Immerse yourself in its colossal choruses here and on the promo video.

PERU: SoTB
Las Amigas De Nadie – Clones De Pan
Rock was not invented only for men. Las Amigas De Nadie are a band of five girls aged between 23 and 26. They’re nice, but they aren’t going to be smiling at the world looking for sympathy. Their only mission is to create music as they go, sometimes mixing up punk rock with hip-hop. Capsula is their first LP and is available for free from their website – listen to ‘Clones De Pan’ and soak up its essence.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Coral – The Underwhelmer
Rock band Coral have been playing together since 2000, effectively starting their career in 2002 with the release of their nameless low-budget EP commonly referred to as The Yellow Album by listeners. Since then Coral have been unleashing their raw brand of rock ‘n’ roll on audiences, experimenting with classical, jazz and rock influences within a rock-quartet format. Last month they released their second album, Leopard Songs, on the Record Records label, from which ‘The Underwhelmer’ is taken.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Brew Army – Down To Hell
Army Brew is one of the leading exponents of hard rock in Venezuela. With just one listen to their music you can hear right away influences from bands like Pantera and Ozzy Osbourne. They are about to finish their first album, which includes ‘Down To Hell’ as the first single.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
The Baggios – Oh Cigana
The Baggios could be described as the Brazilian version of The White Stripes. It’s the fusion of blues/garage rock from the Detroit duo transposed to the arid feel of Brazil’s hot north-west and its 70s rock. Their debut album is available to download for free via their website.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Cowlick – Can Neu Do It
With a name like Cowlick, you’d expect something twangy. If there’s one thing their newest album, Wires, isn’t, however, it’s country. They bring together everything from drone-pop to hip-hop and, as this track shows, they do it well.


To download all 32 songs in one file click here

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Dance All Around The World

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Sleepy Age – Décor
In 2009, Christchurch’s Sleepy Age began their life as a guitar band, reworking the finer points of Britpop and ’90s American indie rock. But in 2011, they’ve completely upended their sound, releasing the synth-heavy, European disco-inspired single ‘Décor’ (see video). It’s a bold move, and at a time when they would be excused for making gloomy rock music, Sleepy Age has turned misery into delicious synth-pop. The band is currently escaping a string of crippling earthquakes in their home town and touring Europe and the UK – dates are available on their website.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
The Black Atlantic – Walked On Wood
The Black Atlantic is a folk-pop band based in Groningen, but they undeniably have international ambitions – no wonder given how easily their heavily melodic and lulling acoustic tracks fit in alongside the new Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes albums. The core of the project is singer-songwriter Geert van der Velde, who formed the band back in 2008 to record debut album Reverence For Fallen Trees. It has been freely available online for the past two years, although this spring it was also given a physical release in more European territories with added bonus tracks, one of which you can hear here. The band rarely takes itself off the road long enough to record new material, but a new single then EP are on the way.

ITALY: Polaroid
Giorgio Tuma – New Fabled Stories
Sometimes, in the middle of the summer, a sweet melody that brings back memories of Brian Wilson, Stereolab and flamboyant Italian soundtracks from the 60s (think Piccioni, Rota, Umiliani) is really all you need. Add a touch of bossa nova and a smoke of jazz and you’ll have In The Morning We’ll Meet, the brilliant new album by Giorgio Tuma, out now on the legendary Spanish label Elefant Records.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Gross Magic – We’re Awake Tonight
Sam McGarrigle is Gross Magic, a one-man band from Brighton who comes across like a UK Ariel Pink, all static-drenched pop with echoes of everything from glam to grunge, delivered in a fabulously fey, high, camp voice. ‘We’re Awake Tonight’ manages to condense 35 years of rock and pop into three glorious minutes: T.Rex’s iridescent boogie, ELO’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’ – it’s all here. As a recent Guardian New Band of the Day column put it: “It’s really hard to find actual precedents for the sound blend he’s achieved here: ELO meets glam, then fed through a hypnagogic filter. Not so much shock of the new as shock of the ‘ooh!’.”

CHILE: Super 45
MKRNI – Humedad
Hailing from completely different backgrounds, ranging from experimental folk music to visual arts, the three members of MKRNI (pronounced “makaroni”) come together to produce a distinctive sound that combines Latin American rhythms and post-punk influences, whose roots can be traced back to bands like ESG. Formed in 2008, the trio released an album through independent label Madhaus Records and are currently touring America, Europe and Brazil. Their latest single, ‘Humedad’, is a sample of their forthcoming and long-awaited second album.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
In Each Hand A Cutlass – A Universe Made Of Strings
Outlaws, stargazers and free riders – that’s the sense of freedom apparent in the debut album of In Each Hand A Cutlass. The masterpiece is called ‘A Universe Made Of Strings’, and while allusions to string theory and parallel dimensions are in order, no-one can deny the sprawling ambition that the group have laboured to achieve. Swirling with different time signatures, musical styles and rapturous energy, In Each Hand A Cutlass prove that genres are for the common man and that genius lies in the outliers.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
A Victim Of Society – You’re Gonna Hate Me
A Victim Of Society delves into the darker side of human nature and delivers eerie, uncannily alluring melodies with raspy vocals buried beneath noise and distortion-drenched filters. His music is a plaintive, lo-fi mixture of nostalgia wrapped up in deeply ingrained noir sensibilities. ‘You’re Gonna Hate Me’s rough and tumble groove coated in sheets of echo and shadow will leave you bewildered and enthralled in equal measures.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
SiwaRainbow – We Are All Alone
Siwa is a female singer-songwriter, Rainbow99 is a guitarist and electronica producer. Together they have formed the unit SiwaRainbow, creating a mellow sound where Rainbow99 provides the atmosphere and Siwa adds melody and lyrics. The duo’s second album We Are All Alone, was released in June. The title track opens with an epic synth-heavy intro that extends into total bliss.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
CSLSX – Keep Shining On
This band, by way of Philadelphia, are plenty young with plenty of talent. CSLSX have released a handful of tracks in the past few months, slowly showcasing their music abilities. ‘Keep Shining On’ is the best yet, a perfect summer jam with stunning production value.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Guerre – Millenium Blues
Guerre is the best thing to happen to Oz music since the Australian cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. If you’ve not heard his ghostly take on lo-fi R&B then now is the perfect time to get into it because his official debut EP, Darker My Love, and a remix companion are available for free on his label’s Bandcamp page. A good point of comparison would be blog sensation How To Dress Well, although there’s enough uniqueness and authenticity here to keep you hitting repeat (plus I actually heard of Guerre first, so points for that). Highly recommended.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Criolo – Mariô
Criolo is a rapper who released an acclaimed album this year, Nó Na Orelha. In this song he pushes African beats above his rhymes and shows why he is part of a new scene of creative MCs in Brazil, such as Emicida, Renegado and RAPadura.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Burgerkill – House Of Greed
Burgerkill are one of the biggest and longest running metal bands in Indonesia. They have just released a new album, Venomous, which is heavy as hell.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Valdimar – Undraland
Valdimar is a fresh force within the Icelandic music scene. The band’s music spans the whole emotional spectrum, from intimate ballads to powerful, energetic rock. Valdimar colours its music with heavy brass, guitar and keyboard textures. They were nominated in the brightest hope category at the Icelandic Music Awards. ‘Undraland’ is the title track of their debut album, released at the end of 2010 on the Geimsteinn label.

FINLAND: Glue
Astrid Swan – Box Elder (Pavement cover)
Astrid Swan was meant to be the princess of Finnish pop but she always seemed to be too stubborn to accept the impositions of the music biz. With her third album, Better Than Wages, she fully embraced the indie sounds with a full album of straightforward guitar-pop. Astrid has taken another turn in her career and in August she will release a Pavement covers album with the attractive title of Hits (Pavement For Girls).

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Candy – El Entierro
Coffin kids, you know them. Gloomy faces, an obscure way to dress and a strange glow of life that strains to endure all their gray and decaying surroundings. But wait a minute? Are we describing a slow and pitiful goth band? Maybe this approach to Mexico City’s Candy is erroneous and stereotypical. Candy have all the bittersweetness, frenzy and pomp that a power-goth trio could ask for. Produced by the experienced Joselo Rangel (from Mexican super-band Café Tacvba), ‘El Entierro’ (“The Burial”) is the ravenous radio-friendly single that heralds a great sophomore album for Candy.

CHINA: Wooozy
Fan Shiqi – Dreamland
Fan Shiqi is an emerging, talented singer-songwriter. Professionally trained in classical piano and influenced by jazz, Fan exhibits the peaceful urban scene with her refreshing voice and showcases the delicacy and confidence of this modern female with her smooth lyrics. Fan’s debut album Dreamland, released on the Peaceful Music label, is a collection of her jazz-flavored songs spanning four years.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Algebra – Moloz
Algebra come from Bucharest and just released their first album – a mix of post-rock, post-punk, noise and influences from several other genres translated into short instrumental tracks. You can find their entire album as a free download on Bandcamp.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Patrick Canning & The Suffering Mothers – The Howl
The first influences listed on Patrick Canning’s MySpace are Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave, so it should come as no surprise that his music is dark and gloomy. Still, as a song like ‘The Howl’ shows, just like his influences Canning has a way of making even dark and gloomy sound surprisingly engaging.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Hammercult – Stealer Of Souls
Hammercult is an extreme thrash metal band formed in late 2010 by alumni of Israel’s finest metal bands. Following their debut show in December, Hammercult stormed stages all across Israel, smashing into the local scene and garnering a tremendous amount of fans in a minimal amount of time. They also won the right to represent Israel in the 2011 international Wacken Metal Battle competition to be held this August in Germany. Late July will mark the release of their debut EP, Rise Of The Hammer, and their first full-length release is in the works.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown – Over The Sun, Under The Water
They are six, most of them from Lisbon, who have/had other projects, such as David Santos (Noiserv), a previous MAP pick. Their debut album, Chromatic, released in May, prompted influential French magazine Les Inrocks to call their music “sublime”. If you are a fan of Fleet Foxes and Animal Collective, you will love You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown too.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Hold Your Horses! – We Dear Are A Desert
Hold Your Horses! come from Paris and, like many others acts from the capital, they are into acoustic folk-pop. They may already be known to you thanks to an original video in which they reinterpret the history of art. Their first EP, Sorry! Household, (an anagram of Hold Your Horses!), released in May, can be bought on iTunes.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
The Barents Sea – O’ Brother Of Mine
Every once in a while you come across a band like The Barents Sea who have an indefinable essence that makes your ears prick up. One spin of ‘O’ Brother Of Mine’ will confirm how capable the Perth band are when it comes to constructing punch-the-air, epic guitar riffs… but you’ll probably play it over and over again just to make sure. Feel free to discover how they sounded before they developed into a harmonious blend of indie and post-rock by downloading their charming bedroom-recorded 2009 mini-album Bear Island for free here.

SPAIN: Musikorner
EdredóN – Bautismo
EdredóN is a five-piece formed in the working class district of Carabanchel, Madrid. Their unique sound can be described as a cosmic mixture of psychedelia and several other genres not so easily found in Spanish indie music, such as Kraut, ambient, house or pop noir. Bizarre as it seems, this risky blend is present throughout their self-titled debut album released in 2010. ‘Bautismo’, with lyrics in French, is their particular approach to Serge Gainsbourg’s élégance.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Laika – Corazón
Laika is a soft-rock band featuring Leticia Monge (vocals, guitar), Micaela Hattori (guitar), Leonardo Fucci (bass) and Roberto Fighetti (drums). They’ve just released their self-titled debut album and we think it’s great, with really funny lyrics written in an almost scientific poetry. ‘Corazón’ is one of our favourite songs and it was included in the soundtrack of Plan V, a web sitcom about the lesbian scene of Buenos Aires that we also recommend.

ESTONIA: Popop
Laulan Sinule – Masina Sees
Laulan Sinule is a tongue-in-cheek project by Taavi Tulev, who here leaves behind his usual deep electronics and makes pure Estonian electro-pop with analog synths. For months he managed to stay anonymous with this new project, but is now gigging around Estonia – in concerts this music really comes alive even more.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
The Patience – Space Farewell
Novosibirsk-based trio The Patience have been searching for their proper sound since 2007. They released debut EP Sun Is Always Pt.1 this year, offering a massive wall of sound based on traditions of shoegaze and pop music. ‘Space Farewell’ mixes the energy of live performance with the lead singer’s beautiful voice to make it one of the best Russian tracks you’ll hear these days.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
soft.nerd – Always The Good Times
soft.nerd really are into analogue synths. In their ’80s-driven tracks and remixes it is the driving force which makes room for the guitar sounds and Christian Bachmann’s catchy vocals to float free in subtropical spheres. After rebuilding as a three-piece, soft.nerd recently released the album Sound Sound Sound, available via Bandcamp, from which ‘Always The Good Times’ is taken.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Vel France – Galaxia
Vel France is one of the newest talents to come out of eastern Venezuela, a region characterized by alternative rock bands, but this time bringing a more melodious voice than has been heard in recent years. Since debuting at a festival called VirgenFest, Vel France has captivated audiences with syrupy lyrics and nice guitar riffs. ‘Galaxia’, her first single, contains a lot of that and has been played on radio nationwide.

PERU: SoTB
José Arbulú – Salta
José Arbulú, a member of the well-known band Cementerio Club and considered by many people in his native country to be one of its most talented contemporary composers, returns to the music scene with his new solo production, Salta: Espíritu Azul, the first of a trilogy of records called SALTA. In this new stage, Arbulú tries to capture thoughts and feelings about all that happens to us and affects us in our tired routine of life.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Dead Bunny – I Don’t Know You
Dead Bunny don’t invent the wheel anew, but from time to time that’s bracing news, with hipster bands popping up all over the place. They play sweaty rock ‘n’ roll right from the heart, without frills and straight to the point.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Little Green Cars – My Love Took Me Down To The River (To Silence Me)
Having first been impressed by Little Green Cars in 2008, it’s with great pleasure that a mere three years later, the band consisting of 18-year olds have come good on that spark of promise they initially showed. Now a tight, talented and focused unit, their sound falls between Local Natives-style folk and Arcade Fire-style rock. Their debut single ‘The John Wayne’ is out this month through UK label Young And Lost Club, and this separate new track showcases another impressive side to them.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Highway Child – Love Love Love (I’m Gonna Take It Out On You)
Fueled on a combo of Fernet Branca and a profound love for rock as it was cut 40-50 years ago, Highway Child have been personal favorites since I first caught one of their always awesome live performances a few years back. Three albums in, they keep impressing with their ability to make the musical heritage their own instead of just robbing the historical cradle. Their 2011 album Highway Child, from which this track is taken, expertly fuses their classic hard rock debut On The Old Kings Road (2008) and 60s psychedelia sophomore effort Sanctuary Come (2009).


To download all 32 songs in one file click here

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Pastel Paradise

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Cool Cult – Skulls
New Zealand’s best young exponents of shoegaze styled no-wave. Described by UK music blog Sonic Masala as “beautifully formed nuggets of sound that are brimming with exuberance and ebullience”, Cool Cult’s noisy rhetoric is a mixture of early Deerhunter and discordant Canadian punk wizards Women. Their debut album Try Crunch is full of carcinogenic guitar hooks and elegant vocal melodies, with a refreshingly mature approach to constructing traditional pop music. ‘Skulls’ is the band’s first single, featuring an observantly sleepy vocal melody overwhelmed by a crushing wave of distorted guitar.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Polyester Embassy – Space Travel Rock N Roll
Polyester Embassy have a deep affection for noises, sounds and a vintage synthesizer. After years of experimenting, they’re bringing out a second album which sounds like Pink Floyd/Flaming Lips/Mogwai/Ride/Spiritualized mixed raw into their own characteristic.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Socalled – Work With What You Got
Hip-hop? Klezmer? Folk? Pop? Gospel? Some insane, wonderful combination of all of that (and then some)? There’s so much going on on Socalled’s newest album, Sleepover, that I have no idea how I’d classify it. Oh wait, I do: as a simply great album. ‘Work With What You Got’ captures the album’s sense of fun, but only shows a fraction of the wide range of genres it displays.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Morning Thought
The Detroit duo released their full-length debut, It’s A Corporate World, earlier this month, just in time for summer. It’s the perfect season for this record too, full of catchy guitar riffs, melodious vocal harmonies and an added layer of production missing from their earlier works. ‘Morning Thought’ hops along with glitchy effects, handclaps and enough thoughtful xylophone to keep wandering ears at bay.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
BitRobot – She’s An Android
I’m always on the lookout for 8bit pop or C64 stuff. I’ve heard a lot over the years but still don’t consider myself an expert. Still, from my perspective this new record from BitRobot called Nebula, which ‘She’s An Android’ is taken from, does something I haven’t yet heard. He personalizes the music, taking a completely computer-based sub-genre and gives it a touch of humanity.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Kubik – Shina-Kak
Victor Afonso, a musician, music teacher and cinephile, had his first release as Kubik in 1999. Since then he has had a steady flow of releases and collaborations. His great love for cinema and music for films shows in his work. His talent has been recognized by artists such as Mike Patton, who invited him to open for Fantômas. ‘Shina-Kak’ is an exclusive download for MAP, taken from Psicotic Jazz Hall, which has just been released.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Leopard Of Honour – Teenage Fantod
David Roocroft is a Manchester boy who calls himself Leopard Of Honour and, like Oxford’s Chad Valley, counts himself as one of the British musicians doing similar things with synths and samplers to America’s chillwave artists such as Washed Out and Toro Y Moi. His instrumental ‘Teenage Fantod’, named after a “an archaic phrase for quivery anxiety used a lot by David Foster Wallace”, was described as “effortlessly lovely and languid” in a recent New Band of the Day column, adding that it was “pop music with experimental urges and precious little retro intent”.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Song Of Return – Trajectory
Trajectory simmers menacingly in a premeditated assault to the senses for two minutes before the drums crash in like a lightning strike and you very quickly realise your Facebook ‘like’ button just isn’t going to suffice. The Glasgow-based alternative dance band (who will appeal to fans of Delphic) is fronted by Craig Grant, formerly of Union Of Knives, and also features Louis Abbott, singer of Admiral Fallow, one of this country’s best new bands.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Skip & Die – La Cumbia Dictadura
Skip & Die is a Netherlands-based outfit that began as a globally-infused collaboration between South African vocalist/visual artist Cata.Pirata and producer Jori Collignon (also of Dutch electronic experimentalists C-Mon & Kypski and Nobody Beats The Drum), although these days they’re a fully-fledged live band. Via their travels through the towns and cities of South Africa, they’ve forged a contemporary and vibrant wall of sound that mixes electro, hip hop, Afrobeat and South American grooves. While specialising in sexy party bass hits that remind at times of Diplo’s Major Lazer, there’s always a more considered side to their art than simply noise and dance as Music Alliance Pact exclusive ‘La Cumbia Dictadura’ shows.

FINLAND: Glue
Satellite Stories – Family
These four young lads from the Arctic city of Oulu play music to bring you nostalgia from events you never really experienced, like the 60s, the first kiss from your elementary school crush and the time you and your best friend bought that awesome 45 single and listened it on your parents’ record player. Satellite Stories bring all these feelings with cheerful and fast-paced indie music influenced by Vampire Weekend and The Wombats.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Petula – Wives
Where have they been all these years, playful electro-inspired German artists writing and reinterpreting great songs? Berlin-based Petula definitely is one of those with a wide and emphatic spectrum of styles. ‘Wives’ is a wary, slightly more uptempo, more electronic cover of a Savoy Grand song. It has just been released on a split EP with all-girl band Candelilla.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Simfonika Island – African Sunset
Simfonika Island is a project made up of two very talented individuals, Gianni Capri and Donny Halo. Both have diverse musical backgrounds, one from a very DJ-orientated world and one from a band. With ‘African Sunset’ comes a song that crosses South African house with the influences of house music from New York City and Europe, all accompanied with some stirring piano and a dash of deep groove. It’s magical.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Mildlife – Milk & Wool
‘Milk & Wool’ is a sweet jam and the first we’ve heard from Mildlife – a new loose, electronic outfit from Melbourne. It’s a good sign from a band that manages to mix light and dark with interesting production and a strong pop sensibility.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Pellejos – Abuelita
Take some inspiration from Jack Kerouac’s Mexico City Blues and recite it on a cantina filled with the country’s intellectual crème de la crème, then leave them dumbfounded with the evocation of images of decay, corruption and nihilism. Pellejos started in 2005 when some refusing-to-age contemporary art-farts took a late chance to form a band led by visual artist (now bassist) Daniel Guzmán. What seemed to be just some art-wank has endured six years of sporadic gigs that led to bear a (rotten) fruit with a debut LP – a fetid collection of ethylic spoken word from the hoarse mouth of vocalist Ignacio Perales, backed by what sounds like Tindersticks from the Third World. ‘Abuelita’ is just a random nonsense collection of excuses to fall back into old patterns of drinking. Cheers!

SPAIN: Musikorner
Fur Voice – Wimp
Fur Voice is the stage name of David Gracia, an actor and singer born in Murcia and living in Barcelona since 2006. Inspired by electronic and psychedelic acts such as Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective, Fur Voice builds a dark extraterrestrial atmosphere in his debut album, Onto Endo (self-produced and self-released). The first single off Onto Endo, ‘Wimp’, takes the best from noise, post-rock and psychedelia and turns it into a dreamy, catchy, epic tune with an ending that leaves you wanting more.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Ghost Estates – Paris
The members of the newly-formed Ghost Estates were previously of two pretty different bands SickBoy and 8Ball. Their new band may be named “after the thousands of abandoned housing estates built in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger boom years” but there’s plenty going on in their music, from 80s guitar to processed beats to a spoken word interludes and, I kid you not, a treated saxophone solo.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Gravitysays_i – The Urge Of Identity / The Figures Of Enormous Grey
It’s hard not to stare in open-mouthed amazement at the sheer brilliance of Gravitysays_i’s superbly executed, intensely creative and nearly flawless sophomore album, The Figures Of Enormous Grey And The Patterns Of Fraud. They bring together experimental, dark, atmospheric elements along with Greek and Eastern traditional music and examine social values, institutions and morality as an extension of individual, as well as collective, conscience with an emotional clarity and narrative acuity that makes it an undeniable triumph.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Pigibit5 – Y.O.N.H.A
Sweet indie-pop act Pigibit5 claims kitsch to be the best description of its music, which is heavily based around a twee-pop and chamber-pop sound, also citing influences from folk and hard rock. The band is what remains of Pirigwa – where Ireland’s So Cow on occasion could be found playing an instrument or two – and the members have returned to their former label, Beatball, with the release of first full-length album Cherryboy Revolution a few weeks ago. ‘Y.O.N.H.A’ is a cheerful tune with a retro pop sound.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Toulouse Lautrec – Yesman
With a name that recalls the famous French painter, the Bucharest trio started in 2009 as an alternative rock band with post-punk flavours. Although their image in the Romanian media is promoted through neo-Dadaist elements, there is nothing absurd in their music. The prominent basslines and the upfront beats remind me of Editors but without those dark guitar riffs. Whimsical and witty, Toulouse Lautrec is what you need now to give your day a push.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Mondrian – Or Unicorn
Mondrian are a young Parisian pop band formed in 2007. After releasing their first EP last year, Popshop, they dropped another one, Whippersnapper, just a month ago. Catchy beats, fresh voices and a talent for writing will surely bring them some success. They take everything that’s good in pop to make the best out of it, creating addictive and lovely songs with a high repeat listen potential.

PERU: SoTB
Iván Fajardo – Calma
Iván Fajardo is a constant in the musical innovation of Lima. In the first edition of MAP in October 2008, we had ERA, his band at that time. More recently Ivan has been working alone. ‘Calma’ is the first preview of his new direction and is accompanied by a video that combines well the relaxed mood of the song. Iván Fajardo is recording a video for his next single, which is worth keeping an eye out for.

CHINA: Wooozy
AM444 – Eye Wonder
AM444 is the Shanghai-based project of singer ChaCha (Kode9, Clive Chin, Jimi Tenor, Desto, etc) and Dutch producer/DJ Jay.Soul (Mr. Windmill & Jay.Soul, Sole Profit, Cecilia Stalin, etc). After years of thoughts, discussions and drunken promises, the pair have finally been in the studio for the past few months and the result is their eight-song debut release Eye Wonder. It’s a jazzy, funked up, dubbed out Chinese language sonic assault and some of the most exciting music to come out of Shanghai in a while, already receiving radio play in London, LA, Europe and around Asia. Eye Wonder is a landmark release for Chinese underground music.

CHILE: Super 45
Adrianigual – Arde Santiago
After a four-year break, Adrianigual is back. Big time. Their new album, Éxito Mundial (released on Sello Cazador), is a punk-hearted but dancefloor-driven collection of feverish songs. ‘Arde Santiago’ is their second single.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Morning After Youth – Lived
Morning After Youth is a four-piece band with a smooth and artsy sound to their music. They are working on their first album which will hopefully be ready this summer. ‘Lived’ was recorded in the famous Studio Sýrland with Adda 800 and Börkur.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Humming Kitten – Monochrome
Little is known of Humming Kitten, and we get the impression they’d like to keep it that way. It is a little disconcerting at first, approaching this musical project without any preconceived ideas of who or what the band members are, and appreciating their musical ideas purely at face value and on first impressions. However, once you soak it all in, you might feel that they’ve been there all along, lurking at your blogs or gigs. Revealing the chief conspirator as an entity known as Keyboard Cat, and that they favour a lo-fi noise-pop approach to their pieces, Humming Kitten ultimately sound so lonely with solitude as their ally.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Sumo Elevator – Pedal Horse
Sumo Elevator is a group of five ex-metalheads with short hair mixing prog-rock/metal, electronica jazz and breakbeat into intense atmospheric electro-fusion pop-rock. Their eclectic line-up consists of traditional rock/jazz instruments (electric guitar, bass guitar and acoustic drums) and turntables, noise boxes, samplers and modern synthesizers. With two years of live performance and studio experience under their belts, Sumo Elevator is about to release a full-length album in 2011 called Breakfast, which ‘Pedal Horse’ is taken from.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Eskimo – Cavalo De Fogo
It’s hard to define ‘Cavalo De Fogo’, the first single from Eskimo’s debut album. The breadth of genres covered, including pop and alternative, results in some intriguing music. One of the highlights of the current Brazilian indie scene.

ITALY: Polaroid
Karibean – We Need The Sun
First day at the sea, the sun is shining, friends all around, Beach Boys playing on the jukebox, see The Housemartins on a surf, meet Vampire Weekend at the bar. It’s all just perfect. One last thing: go here and download Karibean’s free debut EP. It would be the icing on the cake.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Marcelo Ezquiaga – El Gaucho Vive y Muere En Su Ley
Although Hombre Golpe is his second album as a solo artist, Marcelo Ezquiaga’s career started with a musical project called Mi Tortuga Montreaux, which gave us three amazing records between 2003 and 2006. ‘El Gaucho Vive y Muere En Su Ley’ is one of our favorite songs from this new work, which comprises his acoustic-pop signature with strong melodies and fine arrangements. As he likes to say: rock without guitars.

ESTONIA: Popop
Barthol Lo Mejor – Pick Up Track
You’ve partied but not this wild! Barthol Lo Mejor jumpstarts your night with trash electro. It sounds fresh, upbeat and raw like Justice, MSTRKRFT and Huoratron. His performance drives you further, guiding you with his signature sound and bouncing around in a flashy outfit to provide vanity, energy and edge. Don’t just listen, but enjoy it all.

INDIA: Indiecision
Goddess Gagged – Visionary
Goddess Gagged is a metal band from Mumbai. The band channel melodic post-hardcore in the vein of acts like Architects and Alexisonfire, a foundation given legs by frontman Siddharth Basrur’s almost effervescent vocal delivery. ‘Visionary’ is a new track, presumably from the band’s upcoming debut album. We suggest you keep your eyes and ears open for that.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Why Don’t We Love Lucy – With You
In March, Danish/Norwegian quartet Why Don’t We Love Lucy released their debut EP, CPH-OSL, which serves up foot-moving club-funk-pop (slap bass included) with a light ring of the 80s and 90s to the five catchy tracks. A new EP is in the works, with a release planned for this autumn, but here’s the excellent ‘With You’ from the debut for you to enjoy.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Marita – Pequeña
Marita has been writing lyrics since she was a little girl, although she never knew where they would end up. The single ‘Pequeña’ (“Little Girl”) is a resume of her own history and a good illustration of her electro-rock sound.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Elefreak feat. El Prieto – RockMafia
In Venezuela, not many rock and rap bands interact. But a couple of months ago, one of the most iconic rock bands, Elefreak, coupled with one of the great exponents of hip hop in the country and created ‘RockMafia’, a song loaded with great strength and lyrics that leave a message of reflection. Elefreak’s nine-track record can be downloaded for free from their website.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Ihab – Æ Må Fær
Who would have thought that Bodø, a small city in northern Norway, would harbor so much good indie. So far there’s Cold Mailman, Kollwitz, Kråkesølv and now Gabriel and Ihab, both on newly started Beyond Records. Ihab make quirky indie-rock reminiscent of 90s heroes like Pavement and Built To Spill as well as newer bands like Cymbal Eat Guitars and Algernon Cadwallader.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Huck Finn – Sofia
Huck Finn is the moniker of two singer-songwriters who teamed up for a project. Four years ago they won a few music prizes in Switzerland but they struggled to deliver a proper record. On the second attempt they succeeded. Breaking In, their debut album, is bombastic and emotional at the same time. ‘Sofia’, their first radio single, will make you weep like a dog.

To download all 36 songs in one file click here

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Underwater Life

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Sheep,Dog&Wolf – Not Aquatic
A MAP premiere – former Bandicoot drummer Daniel McBride presents his solo project Sheep,Dog&Wolf, leaving behind his punk roots to weave a complex fusion of Motown, jazz and pop music. After months recording in his bedroom, the 17-year-old multi-instrumentalist’s music resembles a young Sufjan Stevens, layered with strings, horns and percussion, while curious time signatures and his beautifully incandescent voice balance an unusual amalgamation of whimsically flirtatious styles. Sheep,Dog&Wolf’s debut EP can be downloaded for free from his bandcamp page.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Masquer – Happiness
Super lo-fi indie-rock that reminds one of 1/3 Cure, 1/3 Siouxsie Sioux and 1/3 Madonna. Count me in! Masquer is the new side-project of Kiki from Lowood/Idora and Pelle of Idora. The new song is called ‘Happiness’ and continues to play to the band’s strengths – mainly its 80s retro indie-rock sound and the spellbinding vocals of Kiki. Lyrically, its anti-establishment lyrics and chorus of “I’ll never conform” would be a perfect addition to the soundtracks of any John Hughes films from that period.

INDIA: Indiecision
Peter Cat Recording Co – Love Demons
Peter Cat Recording Co is one of the newest, freshest young talents to emerge out of the growing Indian indie music scene. The quartet from New Delhi create orchestral soundscapes that throw Neutral Milk Hotel and disco Bollywood in a washing machine with cabaret Tide. ‘Love Demons’ represents this musical laundry cycle perfectly. The song, one of the highlights of the band’s wholly refreshing debut album Sinema, channels Quincy Jones and Bappi Lahiri for five minutes of an exciting car chase through the crowded streets of Delhi.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
The Guest Bedroom – Tough Luck
Buzzing guitars, thundering drums, impassioned female vocals… Sleater-Kinney and their grrrl-y ilk may be gone, but The Guest Bedroom show they’re not forgotten. For three albums now – up to their most recent, A Year’s Supply Of Rabbit’s Feet – TGB have shown that there’s plenty of life in a genre too many people thought died at the turn of the century and, as songs like ‘Tough Luck’ show, they know how to make that old music sound as fresh and as vital as ever.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Norton – Two Points
Norton is band from a city in the center of Portugal with a considerable fanbase and three albums to their name. Their latest one, Layers Of Love United, is a turning point for the band after their lead singer left and was replaced by one of the members who used to be on backing vocals. They have toured Europe and have had quite favorable international reviews.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Le Galaxie – Midnight Midnight
Dublin-based mischievous visualists Le Galaxie release their debut album Laserdisc Nights II on June 10 after a few years honing their astral night-time music. ‘Midnight Midnight’ is a perfect indicator of the four-piece band thus far: thumping electro, sci-fi synths, big 80s drum drops and vocals that make you go “woooooooo”. TUNE.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Aeiou – Vivimos In L.A.
Aeiou’s album Space Hymn is the unexpected joint venture between elfin vocalist Juan Son and Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead’s drummer), with some surprising collaborations with Kelley Deal (The Breeders) and an unnamed, mysterious character. Vivimos In L.A. (“We Live In L.A.”), reflects the city-hopping lifestyle experienced by the members: Simone has lived in Milan, Montreal, Boston and New York; while Juan, born in Guadalajara, has also had L.A. and the Big Apple as homes. Irrespective of the passports, the song and album show touches of ethereal, androgynous space-beauty.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Spawn Of Evil – First Stone
Spawn Of Evil is an iconic death metal band that’s been on the Israeli scene for 13 years. Guitarist Miko Haronian describes First Stone as not “so political as it looks – more reality. Some leaders say ‘Destroy Israel’ all day long and the world is silent… so this is our answer to this – come on, try!” Spawn Of Evil mixes rambunctious gleeful energy release with quality meat and potatoes death metal. They are seeking a label for their latest album, Ecstatic Aggressive Behavior. Check them out.

ITALY: Polaroid
Quakers And Mormons – New York Town
Maolo and Mancho are from the band My Awesome Mixtape, which was featured in the June 2009 edition of MAP. Now they’ve started a new project, more hip-hop oriented. Think of a sound influenced by Anticon and Antipop Consortium, and mixed with some of the sumptuous TV On The Radio arrangements. Add dark lyrics delivered with an apocalyptical strain and, bang, you have this killer debut album, aptly named Evolvotron.

SPAIN: Musikorner
El Estudiante Larry – Mejor Que Yo
Formed in Murcia, a city renowned for its hot indie music scene, El Estudiante Larry is frontman Larry Sandoval and fellow musicians VÌctor, Seka and Porras. After releasing three CD-Rs (available for free download), they collaborated with #Fo – side-project of Klaus & Kinski’s ¡lex MartÌnez – to release a split EP, Gulag Split, which can be downloaded for free on Bandcamp. El Estudiante Larry songs can be made from psychedelic beats, a classic indie sound or even a Nashville rock taste, which is the case with ‘Mejor Que Yo’, the last but not least track on the EP.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Nolo – Pretty Face
Nolo is a young, very promising band from Reykjavik. They are two 18-year-old guys, Nonnji Lorange and Ivˆr Bjˆrnsson, who had already played together in different bands for some years before they decided to work together as Nolo. They record all their music with lo-fi equipment in Ivˆr’s basement, using two guitars (electric and acoustic) and an organ.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
May Roosevelt – Dark The Night
May Roosevelt’s sophomore, self-released album harnesses a spectrum of emotions unveiling a dark and reclusive universe defined by motion and dance. Rhythms rich with contemporary elements weaved on theremin sounds, electronic beats and synthesizers coalesce with evocative melodies drawing on Greek traditional musical heritage. Every note is considered and played with care and a sense of craft. The more you listen to it, the more it falls into place and traps you under its spell.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Chet Faker – No Diggity
Chet Faker is a new electronic artist on the Melbourne scene. His tie-dye facial hair + wifebeater singlet + smoooooooth cover of a bangin’ 90s anthem has definitely brought him some attention. TOP THIS. No, this isn’t a (total) joke – it’s a sweet 2011 treatment for a song that many people probably didn’t think was worth a revisit.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Aux Raus – Oh No, It’s Them!
You can technically get away with calling this Amsterdam duo’s music ‘electro punk’, but whereas most bands courting such a label want to fuse those two elements, Aux Raus come across like a drunken punch-up between them – the wiry punk riffs and roars virtually taunting the techno and gabba-spewing drum machines. And that’s just the start of a series of contrasts which include: songs channelling equal measures of political fury and silliness; that they’re part anonymous anarcho-freaks and part leaders of style cool; and that they’re at their best wreaking havoc in a club with 300 moshing kids but can easily transfer such energy to headlining festivals. This track is from their newly released third album, All Creeping Things Stopped Creeping.

FINLAND: Glue
Mummypowder – A House
After a few years struggling with the precarious stability of an indie band, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Janne Lehtinen got his mummies together and this month he is finally publishing Mummypowder’s long-awaited fourth album. The first single, ‘A House’, is a melodic power-pop ballad with Janne’s vocals upfront accompanied by layers of guitars to build up an intense momentum.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Swimming Elephants – Sarah
Swimming Elephants are a collective of young people who write complex arrangements of pop music pieces using simple chords. They are one of the best newcomers in the Indonesian indie scene.

CHILE: Super 45
Megajoy – Rainbow Drama
“Techno sudaka sci-fi from the information age” – that’s how Megajoy (alias for Hector LlanquÌn) defines his peculiar musical view. Nervous beats, insane samples and a million pop references per second are the raw materials which Megajoy works with. His debut album Avidya (self-released, 2011), available for free download on his website, is a collection of twisted dance songs with a strong sense of humor and a subversive spirit, making this record one of this year’s essentials.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Angela Aux – Smells Like Screen Spirit
Angela Aux is the solo project of Heiner Hendrix aka Flo from last year’s MAP featured L’egojazz. He calls the style of his recently released debut, Whatever You Guess It’s Not, weird Kraut-folk. ‘Smells Like Screen Spirit’ is a fine mÈlange of groovy, catchy bass, scratchy sound effects and melancholic vocals. It will fit perfectly with a summer sunset at your local lake when you’re cheerful as well as blue.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Pablo Krantz – Et C’est Ainsi Que Tu T’en Vas
Pablo Krantz is a well-established musician and writer born in Buenos Aires. After making a name for himself in the local alternative scene with two great albums, he moved to Paris for several years, where he released an album in which he sings entirely in French. DÈmonos Cita En Una Autopista (Para Volvernos A Estrellar) is his fifth record, and the first one since he returned to Argentina. A mix between these two stages in Krantz’s career, ‘Et C’est Ainsi Que Tu T’en Vas’ is a great song to start digging into his work.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Ben Howard – Empty Corridors (Live)
Male British singer-songwriters are hardly thin on the ground and yet, even given the crowded market, Ben Howard stands out. A 24-year-old Devon boy with a penchant for surfing, he’s just released an EP on the Mumford-affiliated Communion label and has signed thereafter to Island – he apparently inked the deal because of their history with Nick Drake and John Martyn. And that’s Howard all over: folk-pop with substance and class. On this, a live version of ‘Empty Corridors’, he showcases, as a recent New Band of the Day article put it, a “guitar sound that recalls Drake’s complex tunings, while every so often you expect his gently gruff tones to start warbling Martyn’s Bless The Weather”. Marvellous.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Burning God Little – Notes On Being Snowblind
Martin Hartgren aka Burning God Little has been played quite a lot on Norwegian radio lately. Call it chillwave, call it dreampop, bedroom electronic, samplertronica, even shoegaze – whatever it is, it’s great. You can easily hear inspiration from Neon Indian, Washed Out, Panda Bear and Gold Panda, but he’s never a dull copy. He has his own way of mixing heavy backbeat drumbeats, samples and sometimes hauntingly beautiful harmonies and melodies.

PERU: SoTB
Pilotocopiloto – Infante
Pilotocopiloto is an instrumental rock duo consisting of Carlos Freyre and Juan Pablo Aragon. Their music can be described as a powerful fusion of guitar and drums, with their interest in experimentation allowing them to dabble in minimalist ambient sounds and psychedelic effects. This mixture fills their instrumental songs with freshness. They recently released their self-titled debut album which is just as well because ‘Infante’ definitely makes you want more.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Mescalin, Baby – She’s Near, She’s Near, She’s Here
Mescalin, Baby release their full-length debut, Air Air, on May 23, following up on 2009′s debut EP, No Time For The Old In-Out Love, which earned the quintet both praise and airplay. The retro-orientated rock with splashes of folk on the forthcoming album stands a good chance of repeating the success, and I’m happy to be able to share ‘She’s Near, She’s Near, She’s Here’ with you as a MAP exclusive.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Lise – Parece Constantina
Parece Constantina is a preview off Qualquer Fr·gil Fio de Fantasia, the new album from Lise, which is the side-project of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Nunes (drummer of the band Constantina, who played at this year’s SXSW). The name of the song means “sounds like Constantina”, in reference to his main band. Despite being a very experimental post-rock/electronic project, this track dialogues with hip hop through the vocals from members of Zimun and increases the musical spectrum of the genre.

ESTONIA: Popop
Kali Briis – Home Alone
After releasing some EPs, two of them available for free here, Kali Briis is finally bringing out his full-length debut album Homewrecker on May 16. Kali doesn’t care much about borders of genres, feeling equally comfortable in R’n'B, electro, hip-hop or any other style he feels like trying. MAP exclusive ‘Home Alone’ from the new album is a full-on handmade electro track featuring synths, guitars, bass and drums all played by Kali himself.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
We See Lights – My Oh My Oh My
Let’s see if you can guess what We See Lights sound like before you listen to them. The group hosted an event this month called The Twee Jamboree in their native Edinburgh with live music and home baking, while their new Twee Love Pop EP features a song entitled’ I Hope You Like The Smiths’. I think you get the picture. ‘My Oh My Oh My’ is by far their finest moment to date – it’s an utterly adorable anthem for the lovestruck and has some delightful banjo playing. Check out Bandcamp or iTunes for more of their music.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Auditorium – Sunday
Auditorium (formerly Field) is the work of Spencer Berger, whose debut album Be Brave was released in January. Berger specializes in ‘glam-folk’, whereby theatrical, multi-layered vocal harmonies shine throughout the album, telling stories of love, nature, cities and people in a remarkably engaging way. Auditorium is beginning to make waves in LA and beyond – get on board now before your friends are barking at you about it in a few months.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
The Pretty Blue Guns – Shed Your Skin
The Pretty Blue Guns are four best friends who love making a noise. With their second album, Shed Your Skin, they abandoned any expectations people might have had and the result is a record that is deeply personal and shows the band’s growth. The first single, ‘Shed Your Skin’, is an introspective look at life and people around them aptly showing off their self-described sound – a mix of “blues, rock ‘n’ roll, country, soul – all put together in a little wooden box, doused in gasoline, set alight”.

CHINA: Wooozy
Shanren – Thirty Years
Yunnan folk-rock phenomenon Shanren fuse Yunnan/Guizhou indigenous music with various modern styles to produce a fresh sound as accessible as it is unique. They aim to promote and preserve the combined and diverse heritage of Yunnan and Guizhou’s many ethnic minority groups through their own original compositions and reworkings of local folk melodies.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Paryumchiakdan – A Night Of Wine
Paryumchiakdan, which translates as “The Infamous Orchestra”, was formed three years ago with the vision of making music based on 70s punk-rock with an East Asian pop sound, playing it as if they were a 60s garage rock band. The sound has changed a bit since, but the members still cite GO!GO!7188 and Korean psychedelic musicians of the 70s such as Kim Jung Mi as influences. The band recently self-released their first EP, A Night Of Wine, and the title track has an awesome modern retro sound that invites foot-tapping.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Katamaran – Ella No Es Como Tu
Katamaran is a ska band from Bucaramanga. Their most recent album, Imparable, mixes horns with others styles including rap. This single, ‘Ella No Es Como Tu’, is in the Colombian indie chart.

VENEZUELA: M˙sica y M·s
La Abuela Disco – 4.30
La Abuela Disco is an alternative rock, post-grunge and electronic-influenced band formed in Acarigua (Portuguesa) in mid-2009. In late April, they finally released their first studio album Polvo Lunar, a name that fits perfectly with its sound. It can be downloaded for free at the band’s website.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Monster Cat – Mannequins
It intertwines like a ball of yarn unraveling as feline claws playfully pounce upon their five-track debut EP Mannequins. The guilty party is collectively known as Monster Cat, who at first mention do not hint at their psycho-folk-rock tendencies. Yet, as you sink deeper into their depravity, it starts to make perfect sense. Mannequins is a bold debut that bares all and holds nothing back, along with all the vulnerability of a gentle kitten. You can download their EP for free via their website during the month of May and pledge your allegiance.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Porco Rosso – 10.000 Lieues ¿ La Ronde
Singing pop in French is not easy, and not every band gives it a try, but some brilliantly succeed, as Porco Rosso show. Formed in 2002, the three members have found their own style – a balance between their influences and their personality. After releasing two EPs (2004, 2006), they dropped their LP, La Vie Sans Moi (“Life Without Me”), last year. You might not understand the lyrics of ’10.000 Lieues ¿ La Ronde’, but you don’t have to – the rhythm and the vocals are too catchy not to appreciate.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Blue Nipple Boy – Bear Comes Naked
Blue Nipple Boy are actually four boys from Bucharest, ready to conquer the music scene with an indie/alternative approach. Although new to it, they are rapidly increasing their fanbase with each single. And how could people not like the smooth rhythms, catchy lyrics and good vibes their songs have? The guys are working on their first album, but till then, I give you their freshly released third single, ‘Bear Comes Naked’, which will soon have a video as well.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
We Love Machines – Carpentizer (feat. Orlando Menthol)
The two Swiss guys from We Love Machines nailed our attention a year ago. They caused a big stir with Ed Banger-influenced sounds that totally hit it. Now they’ve released their debut, which is actually full of hits and some surprises. One of them is the Balkan-esque electro tune ‘Carpentizer’ which features another Swiss electronic genius, Orlando Menthol, and some Swiss-German singing parts.

To download all 36 songs in one file click here 

Posted by Nick Fulton under Music Alliance Pact
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Merry-Go-Round

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Ghost Wave – Sunsetter
Ghost Wave hits you like a motorik wall of noise, with its hypnotic waves of reverb guitar, mechanical drums and atmospherics. Matt Paul’s project started after his solo electronic act Street Beat gave way to this united front, with drummer Eammon Logan, guitarist Rikki Sutton and bassist Alex Grant. Live they’re enigmatic with tightly wound, ravaged Clean-style hooks and perfectly warped pop songs. Their debut EP will be released April 18 on Arch Hill.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
2L8 – Don’t Follow Me
2L8′s music lurches deftly between emotional intimacy, ambition and experimentation. Their two well-received previous releases (download them for free here) proved they are one of the most creative and compelling acts in the musical underground. They are running a campaign on Pledge Music to help them unleash their forthcoming double album, New Battles, Without Honor And Humanity. The magnificent ‘Don’t Follow Me’, a Music Alliance Pact exclusive, drips with melancholy. It blends warmth and brooding, existential contemplation with a repetitive but mesmerizing acoustic guitar melody full of subtlety and distinct sonic accents, and swims in gorgeous sheets of trembling, passionate vocals.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Frederik Teige – You Always Tried To Pull Us Down
He’s been touring with Efterklang since 2007, but thankfully singer, songwriter and guitarist Frederik Teige has also found time to write and record material of his own. The climax so far is his self-released full-length debut Body God – nine songs worth of awesome alternative pop – which you can get for as much as you feel like paying (free is even an option) on Bandcamp.

CHILE: Super 45
DeMentira – Post-Tbc
Ariel Altamirano, the DJ and producer better known as DeMentira, is the founder of Chilean netlabel Discos Pegaos, specializing in electronic music and abstract beats. The label was responsible for debut albums by Vaskular and Motivado as well the release of Chinpancé EP, first solo effort from DeMentira since his introduction as producer and rapper for the trio Iris in 2006. ‘Post-Tbc’ is the first single from Chinpancé EP where we find mysterious beats, not dissimilar to dubstep, as well the experimental nature of the wonky sound.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
DJ Koflow – Make Your Hands Clap, Toes Clap
DJ Koflow is one of Singapore’s most celebrated DJs. His claim to fame started when he won the national DMC Championship in 2003, and he continued to skyrocket by receiving many honourable mentions in local and international media. He dropped his debut album The Turntable Instrumentalist despite a heavy production and performance schedule, with the record speaking volumes of his myriad influences. Jazz, hip hop, funk and soul all seamlessly flow together in the hands of one of the country’s brightest mix masters.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Holy Other – Touch
A nameless character who works variously in Berlin, Gothenburg and Manchester, Holy Other is a British musician who, like his US counterpart How To Dress Well, has a penchant for taking contemporary R&B and draining it of all passion and all its sexual signifiers. What you’re left with is music like ‘Touch’: slow, drifting electronica, marked by glitches, with an almost church-like atmosphere that has led some to describe it as “ambient goth”, an affecting mix of spectral sonics and ghostly vocals, as un-earthy as it is unearthly.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Joasihno – Von
Joasihno’s songs benefit a lot from his percussionist skills and his open-mindedness for playful but cautious arrangements. His wanderlust is almost tangible as he sings, although he is deeply rooted in Bavaria. ‘Von’ is taken from his forthcoming debut We Say: Oh Well which is being released on Kyr Records.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Toy Selectah – No Pasma feat. Isa GT
In the last decade, Cumbia has become the ‘lingua franca’ to fill Latin-oriented dancefloors worldwide. Its saucy rhythms and nasty grooves easily adapt to many other musical forms: from techno to reggae, passing through favela-funk or dubstep. With a career spanning 15 years (and dreadlocks nearly that long), Toy Selectah has earned respect as a Cumbia-lord, trading the genre and cross-pollinating it with his constant travels and after-hours gigs. His Mex Machine EP out on Diplo’s Mad Decent label is an infectious state of affairs. On ‘No Pasma’, the Colombia-born, London-dwelling singer Isa GT throws some cocksure chants on a perfect groundshaking Cumbia.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Khancoban – Until It Takes You Over
Sure there are big drums and meandering atmospherics that do tab out a few pages of Neon Bible, but Khancoban manage to verge on ‘epic’ without coming out too overtly pomp. For what it lacks in lyrical diversity, it makes up for in delivery – a steady build that abruptly cuts off after only three minutes. New album Arches Over The Sun drops in July. Until then, this one will be a good excuse to wake up early and mull over my cereal to.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Summer Heart – Please Stay
It’s almost spring which means summer is still a while away. But we can dream, can’t we? That’s where this song from Malmö-based band Summer Heart comes in. It’s called ‘Please Stay’, but with its Beach Boys harmonies, groovy beat and summer feeling, it may as well be the band’s coup d’état.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Violeta Castillo – La Batalla Del Movimiento
Violeta is a young and promising singer-songwriter from Buenos Aires who just released her first recordings in the form of two EPs, Uno and Otro. ‘La Batalla Del Movimiento’ is a sweet pop ballad with great arrangements, thanks to her collaboration with a great band called Monoambiente. You can listen to both EPs and buy the MP3s from her Bandcamp page.

IRELAND: Nialler9
SertOne – Past Present Future
Reminscent of RJD2, J Dilla and all those fine beat maestros that no doubt inspired him, Liverpool via Portadown’s SertOne aka 21-year-old Gareth McAlinden is certainly a producer to watch. This tune contains a unique Belfast sample, twisted brass and a head-nodding beat that makes you sit up and take notice. You can find it on the recent seven-track The View From Above EP through Melted Music.

CHINA: Wooozy
Friend Or Foe – Snorting Clorox
Friend Or Foe are a secretive, occasionally masked rock trio who have been tearing up the Shanghai scene lately with their brand of fun-filled, balls-out rock. Preferring to keep their identities a secret, the band promulgate the myth that they are in fact three illegitimate demons, raised in Heaven: guitarist and vocalist Rabshakeh and often topless drummer Mahanehdan are joined by bassist Bill.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Parachute Pulse – Hopscptch
Parachute Pulse is the brand new project of Ana Roman. Her debut album, Kingdom, is a collection of cinematic sounds, moods and emotions. The album is available for free download on her label’s page, Asiluum. ‘Hopscptch’ is a collaboration with Res Es of Semiosis, who were featured in the Music Alliance Pact back in May 2009.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Luísa Maita – Lero-Lero
Lero-Lero is the minimalist samba that opens the debut album from singer Luísa Maita. It’s a song that calmly grows, almost without you noticing – her soft voice takes you to a special place in your head and suddenly you’re just dancing and singing along with her. This track is also available for free download on Bandcamp.

FINLAND: Glue
NT’s White Trash – Whistle
The most recognizable Brit in Finnish indie, Nick Triani, put together NT’s White Trash with the aim of making some noise, which is captured in the band’s debut Mourning Becomes Electric due in May. ‘Whistle’ is a catchy two-and-a-half minute guitar-pop song, with an uplifting… well, whistling. It is a smooth exception on an album that promises some edgier sounds.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Jiggy Drama – Me Vale
Jiggy Drama is a musical phenomenon in Latin America. His ‘Nerdside’ style has the total attention of radio stations and nightclubs, generating an internet boom with his urban alternative music. His most recent single, ‘Me Vale’, is a Cumbia fusion with some Caribbean sounds.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Battle Beyond The Stars – The Desert
Philip Kramer, aka Battle Beyond The Stars, is a Cape Town-based DJ and producer. He is best known for his unique blend of electro, French house and unusual tracks that no DJ in their right mind would play in public. He recently released an EP entitled Memory which gave his awaiting fans a concrete collection of songs. With his new offering ‘The Desert’, he injects his signature sound to create a shimmering, synth-infused song that shows off his immense talent with its subtly.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Gevolt – Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn
Yiddish metal pioneers Gevolt took this 1932 Yiddish musical track (that incidentally was a big hit in Nazi Germany until they figured out it was Yiddish) and made glorious metal out of it. Their sound resembles a happy-go-lucky Rammstein/Linkin Park hybrid with violins. But since a lot of their songs are versions of the old ones my grandmothers sing, they have an unmatched nostalgic beauty. Download their second album Alef Base for free while you still can at their site.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Skálmöld – Kvaðning
Skálmöld is a metal band formed in August 2009. The six members had been formerly active in other bands, not all metal. Their music can be described as powerful, melodic and epic Viking metal, along with various folk influences. The lyrics follow the strict rules of traditional Icelandic poetry. ‘Kvaðning’ is featured on last year’s debut record Baldur, a concept album telling the epic and dramatic tale of the viking Baldur.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Beatbully – Bølleboogie
Beatbully is an offspring of the Norwegian skweee label Dødpop. Skweee is a genre of Nordic heritage, based on classic hip hop beats with heavy influence of modern electronica. Although mainly composed for a live audience, Beatbully invites skweee to your living room as well. This winter, he released Kosmisk Regn (“Cosmic Rain”), the first solo album in Dødpop’s history. ‘Bølleboogie’ has an irresistible beat that leaves no one behind on the dancefloor, and the juicy melody won’t release you till its over. It’s a three-minute piece of bliss that will make even your grandmother dance.

ESTONIA: Popop
Mimicry – Godspeed
Aggressive and arrogant, otherworldly and expressive, Mimicry fuses electroclash with psychedelic techno, ethnic beats and garage rock. Their aim: to produce perfectly mindblowing party music and provoke emotions never felt before.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Thomas Kieffer – Summertime
Thomas Kieffer is a talented songwriter, offspring of the Strasbourg rock scene. At 15 years old, he was hugely impressed by bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and started playing in different bands. Today, at 35, his resumé is very impressive: he has opened for legendary artists such as Canned Heat, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Gary Moore, NOFX and Scorpions. He started a solo career two years ago, giving up on hard rock and metal, and should succeed with it and his album Beautiful Hands.

INDIA: Indiecision
Pentagram – Tomorrow’s Decided
Pentagram is one of India’s biggest acts. The band has been around for the better part of the past two decades, creating music that’s always been a contemporary, cutting edge reflection of the generation it is part of. The band recently released its fourth studio album Bloodywood, arguably its most evolved work yet. ‘Tomorrow’s Decided’ uses a traditional, folk-based drum beat and surrounds it with quintessential, soaring Pentagram electro-rock goodness to create four of the most intensely exciting minutes you’re going to have today.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
They’re Heading West – My Case Is A Different One
They’re Heading West are three singers/composers (João Correia, Francisca Cortesão, Mariana Ricardo) and a drummer (Sérgio Nascimento) who decided to get together and play songs from their bands and solo projects. They only have one set of songs, recorded live at a national radio station, which is not yet available commercially. The song featured this month is, therefore, a MAP exclusive as a free download.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Supreme Cuts – Amnesia
Chicago’s Supreme Cuts describe their sound as “future R&B” – a perfect name for the sample and bass-heavy slow grooves they weave into their songs. ‘Amnesia’ is perhaps their most supreme cut, a ridiculously addictive head trip that could soundtrack a nightclub as easily as it could an R Kelly video from the 90s.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Sebastian Dangerfield – You Played Your Part, Singer!
Sebastian Dangerfield are a four-piece from Edinburgh who are little-known even in their home city. But that shouldn’t be the case for much longer if the band continue to show such an accomplished grasp of Americana-tinged folk-rock amplified with a healthy dose of scuzzy-pop zest and various stringed instruments. The wonderfully-named ‘You Played Your Part, Singer!’ is taken from their new EP, The Sound Of The Old Machines, which you can find on Bandcamp.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Disco Las Palmeras! – La Casa Cuartel
Disco Las Palmeras! are a three-piece band from Galicia, hometown of related acts such as Franc3s, Mequetrefe or Triángulo de Amor Bizarro and cradle of the new Spanish noise wave. ‘La Casa Cuartel’ opens their debut album, Nihil Obstat, released earlier this year. The song is about a terrorist strike on a police station and features hypnotic drums and suffocating guitar riffs that recall exactly the same feelings the lyrics talk about: fear and anxiety.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Gugun Blues Shelter – White Dog
Gugun Blues Shelter is probably one of Indonesia’s best exports, with recognition from the blues community in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. The band have played at international events such as the Belfast Big River Blues and Jazz Festival and Great British R&B Festival. And no big festival in Indonesia would be complete without them.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Death Letters – Your Heart Is Upside Down
It’s nice to see a bit of international buzz building for a young Dutch band. This duo aren’t even legal to enjoy a good piss-up in Texas, which is where they headed last year to record an album with Chris ‘Frenchie’ Smith (Jet, The Dandy Warhols, Smog) and where they returned to for SXSW last month. The resulting album, Post-Historic, isn’t the band’s first effort but it’s markedly different from their self-titled debut. Here they leave behind their original blues-rock trappings and fire through Glassjaw post-hardcore, Biffy Clyro post-grunge and …Trail Of Dead post-rock ‘n’ roll. That may be a lot of ‘posts’ but they make an incredibly energetic yet refined racket on stage.

ITALY: Polaroid
Love Boat – You Know I Really Want You
These guys from Sardinia are probably more known around Europe than in Italy. That’s how bad this country has gotten. Anyway, they have a new album on the German label Alien Snatch and a 7″ EP on Shit Music For Shit People. This song comes from the latter’s B-side. Grab everything and start to dance a wild garage party – this is good rock ‘n’ roll.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Dora Alexander – Travelers
Yes, Dora Alexander sound just like a version of Radiohead that ceased to exist somewhere between The Bends and OK Computer. But you know what? It’s been about a decade and a half since then, so it’s probably safe for someone else to claim that sound. And, as ‘Travelers’ – both this song and their debut EP of the same name – demonstrates, Dora Alexander are ready to pick up that mantle. Here’s hoping they stick with it a little longer than the originators.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Pamela Méndez – Bubble Bubble
Bubble Bubble is the first single from Pamela Ménedez’s critically-acclaimed debut album I Will Be Loved, released in February. The Bern resident, whose father is Mexican, belongs to a new breed of female singer-songwriters popping up in nearly every Swiss town. Heidi Happy, Sophie Hunger, Lena Fennell and Lea Lu are others to check out.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Neon Bunny – Long-D
Yoojin Lim is the sole member of Neon Bunny, who debuted with an album called Seoulight in late March. Having been a session keyboardist for successful power-pop act The Black Skirts – the very first South Korean MAP contribution – her own sound is on the electro side, influenced by Ladyhawke and Phoenix. Long-D is a semi-catchy track with something of a retro sound.

PERU: SoTB
Kuraka – Fuego Negro
Kuraka is a rock group that spawned from the collaboration of renowned musicians of local bands such as Emergency Blanket, Zen, M.A.S.A.C.R.E. and Inyectores. The diversity of styles seemed an obstacle to assemble their ideas, but the bonds of friendship led to them making something interesting. In 2009, they released a few singles that whetted the appetite for their debut album Fuego Negro, which came out in August 2010 on Mundane Records. Take a listen to the great song that gives the album its name.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Unos Infames – Pagando Es Que Se Puede
You could say that Unos Infames is just another rock band. But no. To hear and see them live you will realize that their strength on stage belongs to a mega band. Unos Infames, who formed in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, is made up of experienced musicians who fuse some blues influences with controversial lyrics. They are currently recording their debut album.


To download all 36 songs in one file click here

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Music Alliance Pact
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