meio desligado = indie rock and alternative music made in brazil

Rodrigo Campos at Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 23:49:00 +0000

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 full 18-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Fabiana Cantilo y Fer Isella - Viernes 3 AM
In 2009 the Argentine goverment published several declassified official documents produced during the dictatorships that ruled the country from 1962-1982. One of these documents is titled "Songs whose lyrics are considered not fit to be played by broadcast services" and it includes compositions by all kinds of Argentine and foreign artists. Canciones Prohibidas is a compilation with 16 versions of these censured songs. For MAP we selected Viernes 3 AM, originally by Argentine rock living legend Charly Garcia, here recorded by (also legendary singer) Fabiana Cantilo on vocals and producer Fer Isella on piano.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Fresh Kills - The People
At The Drive-In is the first association any rock connoisseur will make with this 90-second post-punk melodrama. It's all energy and emotion without the slightest hint of pretension. The song is chaotic and at times confusing without a single comprehensible lyric (go on, try to figure out what the hell they're saying) but that's exactly the charm of this south Australian band.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Rodrigo Campos - Katsumi
Rodrigo Campos, a prolific name in São Paulo's contemporary music scene, has just released his third solo album, Conversas Com Toshiro, which is influenced by Japanese culture. "Katsumi" is a good opening gate to his work.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Harrison - Sorry
Toronto producer Harrison beeps and blips his way into a sweet apology with his latest track, Sorry.

CHILE: Super 45
Breaking Forms - Folie A Deux
Breaking Forms is a duo formed by Nicole L'Huillier and Juan Necochea. Although they currently live in the United States, their journey began in Chile under the wings of two emblematic bands, Cóndor Jet and Picnic Kibun. While in the first one, L'Huillier developed a penchant for psychedelia and post-rock; in Picnic Kibun, Necochea explored the multiple facets of dance music. Breaking Forms is, in its own way, the meeting point for both genres. Proof of this is their first single Folie A Deux, a power-pop song spiced up by electronic sequences and noisy synths.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Electric Sasquatch - Hunting Season
The legend of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, acts as inspiration for this stoner rock band from Cali. They feed on forest myths, adding elements of theater and visuals to their presentations. From their brilliant self-titled album, whose CD version comes in a beautiful wooden box, we present Hunting Season, in which the Sasquatchs show us a more violent and dehumanized side.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Slaughter Beach - ClearInsight
Slaughter Beach are very much a Scandinavian proposition. Hailing from Denmark, they played their debut concert in Gothenburg, Sweden and are signed to Norwegian label Brilliance. MAP exclusive download ClearInsight is taken from their debut EP, Love/Venice, released this month.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Radio Invasor - Magnolia
Radio Invasor is an electronic project blending digital sounds with organic elements of rock, funk, dub and hip hop. From their first EP, released this September, we present Magnolia. It's an epic, experimental track that offers a taste of Radio Invasor's potential.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Littlelute - Berlibur Ke Poznan
Littlelute is an indie-pop outfit from Bandung. Their ukulele player recently visited Poznan and the beauty of the Polish city inspired him to write this cute pop composition (see video).

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Owensie - Dramamine
After more than three years tucked away from the eyes of the Irish music scene, dream-pop artist Owensie returns with Dramamine, a trippy ode to a motion sickness drug. The track features Conor O'Brien of Villagers and comes ahead of a third album of the same title that's seemed an extremely long time in the making. One for watching the world drift by outside your window.

ITALY: Polaroid
Port-Royal - Death Of A Manifesto
Port-Royal is a trio from Genova that fuses elements of ambient techno, shoegaze, melodic IDM and post-rock into a dreamy, evocative sound. Active since 2001, they have toured Europe and the United States, and released several records, compilations and remixes. Where Are You Now is their fourth proper album, out on Oakland-based label n5MD. Port-Royal are expanding their palette, and the gorgeous Death Of A Manifesto is one of their more pop-oriented compositions.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Boogie Idol - Seiteki Na Mimi
The recently released Schau Essen 2 compilation features many talented artists who pull from the glitzy sounds of 1980s Japan, when the economy was roaring and decadence dominated. Producer Boogie Idol offers up one of the best contributions to that set, a shimmering number full of bright synths, sticky bass lines and a slightly uncomfortable growling noise lurking beneath it all.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Juno And The Wolf - Dambrose
Born out of the merging of different projects in late 2011, Juno And The Wolf is the culmination of the myriad of influences that inspire its four members - James Azzopardi, Kristian Schembri, Samwel Mallia and Corey Farrugia. The band have developed an experimental ethos, an aim to create a duality with emotion and sound, flowing from heavy, raw numbers to quieter, more introspective ones rather than simply settling for one set genre. Their debut home-recorded self-titled EP was released in September 2014.

MEXICO: RBMA Radio Panamérika
El Muertho TJ - Malandro
El Muertho - a street musician playing romantic delusions with only a Yamaha keyboard, wearing black robes and Kiss wannabe make-up - has emerged from the Tijuana slums to raise a few eyebrows among critics and audiences. But, hey, the best works come from outsiders: Syd Barrett, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits... add in a little bit of Suicide industrial tremolo and you'll get the perfect treat for Halloween or the Mexican Day of the Dead.

PERU: SoTB
Nave Ascensor - Ciudad Reacción
Ciudad Reacción is the first single from Nave Ascensor's debut album, Hartistas. The Lima trio come with a strong proposal - listen as they rail against the system through rock songs loaded with critical social and visual exercises to help you free your mind.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Benjamim - Tarrafal
Benjamim is an artist formerly known as Walter Benjamin, who had a song on the Music Alliance Pact's April 2012 edition. Tarrafal is a single from his new album, Auto-Rádio, which has won over the Portuguese public and critics. In contrast to his previous guise, Benjamim opts for Portuguese lyrics instead of English. The music continues to be sophisticated pop that will get your feet tapping. Belle & Sebastian fans will love him.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
JR Green - Nigerian Princess
With a modern spin on traditional folk music (accordion and mandolin feature heavily) and a healthy dose of lyrical intrigue, JR Green sound like the happy marriage of Frightened Rabbit and King Creosote. Made up of young brothers Jacob and Rory Green, their debut EP, Bring The Witch Doctor, is being released by Hits The Fan Records - the same label that released Frightened Rabbit's first album. Sign up to JR Green's mailing list for updates and freebies.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Silica Gel - Hrm
Silica Gel is most definitely a band to look out for. They describe their music as neo-psychedelic, experimental, progressive, dream and shoegaze - and they manage to deliver on all counts. A great track to dream away to, Hrm starts out plainly with just a simple guitar loop and some toned-down drums, gradually adds more and more to the mix, before unleashing total bliss a few minutes in.

Pequeno Céu at August's Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 22:45:00 +0000

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 full 17-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Julieta y Los Espíritus - El Látigo (Modex remix)
This is a song from the new project of Julieta Brotsky (aka July Sky). It's not the original version from the album, but a great remix released a couple of weeks ago by post-punk band Modex. Julieta's beautiful voice can also be heard on several tracks by indie-pop band Entre Ríos, and in Varias Artistas, the female ensemble put together by singer-songwriter Lucas Marti.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
These Guy - Coming Around
Brisbane trio These Guy was originally the solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Saxby. Latest track Coming Around combines the lofty vocals and downer lyrics of Saxby's earlier work. Along with buoyant pop production, the result is a track that's interesting at every turn. The absence of any kind of rhythm guitar leaves Saxby's vocals and synth-fiddling to carry the melodic weight of the track. Coming Around is a testament to Saxby's ear for off-kilter production and hopefully points to a more experimental/avant-pop future for These Guy.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Pequeno Céu - Quatro
Post-rock six-piece Pequeno Céu started as a solo project some years ago before releasing their first album as a band in 2014. Pequeno Céu differs from other math/post-rock ensembles because of the Brazilian influences and simplicity of their short instrumental songs, such as Quatro. For fans of BADBADNOTGOOD, Hurtmold and Tortoise.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Mauno - Reeling
Experimental shapeshifters Mauno (pronounced mao-no) reel you in with their off-kilter pop tunes. The Halifax group is unafraid to test you with their strange sounds.

CHILE: Super 45
AYEAYE - A Medianoche Me Llevaré Tu Alma
After the dissolution of the duo Mostro, and following the many collaborations with Chilean/German DJ Matias Aguayo, the producer and illustrator Carlos Reinoso decided to embark on AYEAYE, a project influenced by dance music as rhythmic experimentation. A Medianoche Me Llevaré Tu Alma ("At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul) is his first single.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Danicattack - Perdónate
A feeling of being home defines Danicattack. This Bogota quintet, led by Daniel Lopez, is always exploring new ideas through lyrics and sounds. Their song Perdónate recalls a world of dreams intermingled with the material reality of bodies, as we can see it in the video.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
ONBC - White Trash
Risen from the ashes of Oliver North Boy Choir and comprising members who have been and still are part of Superheroes, Private, The Boombox Hearts and epo-555, ONBC released their dreamy and melancholic indie-pop debut Crash, Burn & Cry back in May. Here's first single White Trash as a MAP exclusive download.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Pastizales - La Casa y La Nada
Pastizales is the solo project of Bernardo Arevalo, who brings us a refreshing lo-fi folk sound. From his debut six-track EP we proudly present La Casa y La Nada, a single that takes the listener into a deeply relaxing, wonderful environment.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Sajama Cut - Fatamorgana
Fatamorgana is taken from Hobgoblin, the latest album by Jakarta indie-rock outfit Sajama Cut. This song is for every father who never gives up raising their kids with love and compassion in the big city of evil.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Bitch Falcon - TMJ
TMJ is the third single from highly-rated, grungy Dublin trio Bitch Falcon, who are taking the Irish capital's sticky-floored corners by storm. Named after the temporomandibular joint (which joins the jaw to the rest of the skull), it's poppy and melodic by this particular act's standards, but nevertheless appropriately face-melting. One to pump up the bass on and let their rhythms pummel the base of your soles. Bitch Falcon are one of the most promising rock acts that Ireland has produced this decade.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Clone - Follow Me
The bulk of Follow Me, from Tokyo bedroom track maker Clone, draws sounds from the Nintendo video game Pikmin. The plant people players guide around to collect treasure are the primary source, the sound of them being thrown and generally squeaking being the go-to for Clone. Yet this is not merely a bit of video game nostalgia, as Clone constructs it all into a fast-paced dance number that blooms into something quite madcap.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Xtruppaw - Iċ-Ċawl Iċul
Five-piece Xtruppaw play a concoction of styles such as punk-rock, ska, 80s metal, 70s disco, Maltese ghana and country and western. The truly distinguishing feature of the band's music is the lyrics. Xtruppaw songs are all, without exception, sung in Maltese about the Maltese lifestyle, zooming into the raw and crude perspective of the mundane, pointing out the absurdities that we all take for granted with a tongue-in-cheek and often irreverent approach. Xtruppaw have recorded and released two full-length albums to date.

MEXICO: RBMA Radio Panamérika
Turning Torso - Up
Through his landscapist and often acidic compositions, David Sánchez - a young artist from Querétaro creating clever, stirring electronic music under the Turning Torso moniker - is capable of exploring and transmitting a wide variety of complex emotions with his superbly arranged productions. On Up, Turning Torso densely weaves an uplifting yet murky atmosphere whose shape acquires a crooked appearance as the piece progresses. Throwing in some IDM beats that bring to mind the textures of Autechre and his characteristic jazz guitar work which serves as a sort of guide in the middle of the track, Sánchez manifests a robust framework nurtured by a vast intellect.

PERU: SoTB
Diorama - Travelling
Diorama is a Lima-based instrumental rock band. They released their first EP in 2013, which was met with critical acclaim. Travelling is a song filled with moments of beauty and elegance.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Joana Barra Vaz - Tanto Faz
Tanto Faz is the first single from the new Joana Barra Vaz album, Mergulho Em Loba, due out later this year. Mergulho Em Loba is part of a trilogy started in 2012 with Passeio Pelo Trilho. Joana's music will please fans of the kind of indie-pop started by Leslie Feist.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
The Insomniac Project - In And Out (Of My Head)
This debut single by The Insomniac Project wears its 80s disco influences loud and proud and has all the ingredients of a synth-pop dancefloor classic. With the Glasgow six-piece having teased with a few SoundCloud demo uploads over the past year, it's a privilege to offer In And Out (Of My Head) exclusively via the Music Alliance Pact ahead of its official release on August 31.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Floating Island - Parade
Electronica quartet Floating Island released third single Parade this month. The festive pop number is produced by Floating Island member Flash Flood Darlings (our March 2015 MAP artist) together with main songwriter NoohNooh.

Passo Torto at Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 14:18:00 +0000

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 full 21-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Panda Elliot - Guerrero (AlexPatri remix)
Panda Elliot is three in one: woman, band and producer. A fresh new face in the music scene, she recently launched her second album Forastera, which shows a more confident Panda Elliot, well established in her own style. After the eclectic single Ligerita, she released Guerrero, a rockin' feminine song that forces you to move your head. The track is potent and full of energy on its own, so this remix by AlexPatri extends into the realm of fun, uptempo electronic dance.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Kučka - Divinity
A continuation of Kučka's future R&B leanings hinted at in her previous work, Divinity is a lush, surreal affair. Undulating rhythms sync perfectly with the swirling, cough-syrupy synths and Laura Jane Lowther's vocals, which sound at once sultry and innocent. Think an antipodean Purity Ring.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Passo Torto - Isaurinha
Passo Torto is a quartet formed by renowned musicians from Sao Paulo's contemporary music scene. Isaurinha is taken from their second album, Passo Elétrico, in which they explore guitars and effects on acoustic bass and cavaquinho (sort of a small guitar often associated with samba), with the lack of percussion elements leaving space for harmonic and melodic experiments.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Munroe - Bloodlet
Fans of Lykke Li may enjoy newcomer Kathleen Munroe, who simply goes by Munroe. She makes chilling folk tunes like this one with a tinge of Americana (though I guess this would be Canadiana?). Production-wise, Bloodlet doesn't have too much but it's perfect just the way it is. Her lovely voice is all you need.

CHILE: Super 45
Patio Solar - Pintura
Guitars are back in Chilean pop and Patio Solar proves this. After a couple of self-produced releases (Patio Solar and Driminsún), these youngsters from a little corner of Santiago offer dreamy lo-fi melodies, sometimes close to shoegaze and psychedelia, on their 2015 debut album Temporada. The single Pintura is taken from the record, released through Piloto.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Okraa - Healing
Juan Carlos Torres, the frontman of Bogotá's Globos de Aire, also goes by the pseudonym Okraa, and with this solo alias he makes deeper, more personal work within electronica. Okraa, who has done remixes for Scottish artist Turtle, shows the well-woven sounds that lead us to take a walk in our minds on Healing, from his debut Dreamachine EP.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Virgin Suicide - Virgin Suicide
The quintet Virgin Suicide will release their eponymous debut album on May 18, co-produced and mixed by Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes). Here is first single Virgin Suicide as a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Behind The Tigers - Behind The Tigers
Behind The Tigers is a new, mysterious project from Santo Domingo. Their name is a literal translation of a colloquial Dominican way of referring to fun-loving guys as "tigres". Their first song, Behind The Tigers, is a breezy electro-pop tune, but as simple as it sounds, the duo claims there's more than meets the eye in their lyrics and wordplay.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
La Orden Del Baile Atrevido - Se Fue El Sistema
Se Fue El Sistema is the first single on the new EP by La Orden Del Baile Atrevido (L.O.B.A.), an electro-rock band with a euphoric style dubbed "rotten glamor". This song mocks the nightmare of Ecuador's paperwork, but it's also a criticism of the system in which we live. L.OB.A.'s debut album, Musica Del Cosmos, will be released this year.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Zebra Tracks - Waves
There's something totally irresistible about Zebra Tracks’ intoxicating third album, Waves. They make thoroughly exciting, perfectly executed music that brims with fresh ideas, shimmery guitars and thundering rhythms, sharp and moving melodies, bleak, brooding but hopeful arrangements. They have wisely retained the elements that worked previously, yet there is a depth of emotion here they have never accessed before. Zebra Tracks have made an impressive stride forward and you'd be mad not to follow them.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Nic Fit - Mimpi Pergi
If you watched a lot of MTV and crowdsurfed at gigs during the 1990s, then you may have the era forever in your heart as one awesome memory where lots of weird-sounding bands emerged and you love them. Nic Fit will bring back those happy feelings.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
No Monster Club - I've Retired
No Monster Club is the solo guise of Bobby Aherne, an ever-present at the heart of some of Dublin indie's more eccentric and memorable moments. I've Retired sees colorfully upbeat verses and bouncing choruses adorned with contrary lyrics: it's themed around a departure from the scene that's clearly not about to happen. What's bound to happen eventually, though, is one of Aherne's acts make a major, major impact. A space worth watching.

ITALY: Polaroid
Go Dugong - Imagine Me And You
A Love Explosion is the new album by Go Dugong. Spring is approaching here in Italy, so a record full of love and sensuality seems appropriate. There are mellow beats and psychedelic melodies influenced by 60s and 70s Italian soundtracks plus samples from old school Northern Soul hits. The album is free to download via Bandcamp.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Caro Kissa - Saturday Morning
Indie-pop shall truly never fade out of style. As long as there are young people out there with access to some instruments and a computer to record with, the twee stuff will keep on coming. Caro Kissa have released one of the first great indie-pop EPs of the year in Japan with Perfect Dream, and Saturday Morning is an easy-going highlight, showcasing their skippy tempo and solid singing.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Animación Suspendida II - Creepy Groovy Hell
Vapor and sine waves are certainly bubbling under the skin of Animación Suspendida II, a duo comprised of Beto Ben and Mou (formerly of Bam Bam, the space-rock band that delivered Red Bull Panamérika's 2011 album of the year). With an amazing recording process, the pair improvise on iPad music apps, record to tape and then edit the final track. So, no Ableton Live here, just pure Monterrey psy-fi-phuture juice. The video is a must-see.

PERU: SoTB
The Deep Sea Monster - Like A God
The Deep Sea Monster, who formed in 2012, have emerged from Lima's independent music circuit with a sound encompassing psychedelia and garage rock. Their new self-titled album is a perfect match of experimentation and euphoria. Their challenge is to not limit their music in any way and their full discography is available for free on Bandcamp.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Tape Junk - Thumb Sucking Generation
The Tape Junk, who first appeared on the Music Alliance Pact in October 2013, release their eponymous second album in April. It was produced by another talented Portuguese musician, Luís Nunes (Walter Benjamin), and recorded in a makeshift studio in Alvito, Alentejo. The calmness of the place comes across on the recording and its sound.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Tongues. - Anymore
Tongues. is the electro project of Kill The Waves frontman Tim Kwant, who is wildly succeeding in his mission to create inspiring pop songs that combine raw energy with a delicate touch. Bold synths, deep subs and soaring vocoders have justifiably drawn comparisons to Alt-J, Hot Chip and fellow Glaswegians Chvrches. With around 50,000 plays so far, Colours In The Dark sparked an online stir after being "accidentally" left public on SoundCloud earlier this year. However, MAP exclusive download Anymore is an even more impressive offering, a perfect union of uplifting and emotive.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Flash Flood Darlings - In The City
Seoul-based Flash Flood Darlings, who was raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, describes his music as romantic synth-pop. Debut album Vorab And Tesoro was released in February and is filled with a dreamy blend of genres. In The City has been well chosen as one of the album's two lead tracks, offering a synth line that makes it the perfect soundtrack for a night drive through any city.

SPAIN: Musikorner
MIWA* - Space Invad*r
MIWA* is the moniker under which Barcelona-based DJ and producer Sergi Miwa releases tracks inspired by avant-garde Japanese pop. His music is an open invitation to a galactic getaway, or a one-way ticket to wherever your imagination takes you.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Hip Hatchet - Coward's Luck
There are thousands upon thousands of singer-songwriters in the world - and not a single one of them is like Hip Hatchet. His music is highly personal yet also universal. Every lyric packs a punch and every play reminds you just how powerful sound can be.

First 2015's Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 16:59:00 +0000

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 full 18-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Mariana Päraway - Sirena
Somewhere between Mendoza and the Andes, Mariana Päraway becomes a mountain siren who sings about entangled fates in her latest album, Hilario. Mariana's music navigates through pop, folk and electronic landscapes resulting in a deep, refined sound exploration.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
AFXJIM - Distant
Sydneysider Travis Baird is a multi-instrumentalist who earns a living scoring video installations, playing as a session musician and performing on tour with the likes of Melodie Nelson and Sounds Like Sunset. AFXJIM is Baird's solo project, which consists of home recordings pieced together from loops, drum machines and field recordings of everything from kindergarten classroom chatter to police radio transmissions. It's a subtle fusion of experimental electronica and acoustic songwriting, falling somewhere between Tortoise-inspired post-rock and the folktronica of early Four Tet. Distant is the title track of AFXJIM's second LP. Carried on a bed of slide guitar and rumbling percussion, the track's centrepiece sample features singing "recorded to MiniDisc in a bus-top karaoke bar in the Costa Rican backwoods".

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Duani - Aproveita
"Aproveita" is the first single from Duani's debut solo album, which will be released this year. He became famous in Brazil in the 90s, playing forró (a very danceable rhythm strongly related to the Northeast culture of the country) with the band Forroçacana. In this single, he plays all instruments and sings. The lyrics are a manifest about comprehension in love and its different ways of desire, packaged with black music and soul.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Morning Show - I'm Listening
Alt-folk trio Morning Show features members of Bed Of Stars and The Archers. The multi-instrumentalists show a pallet that is heavily influenced by Canadian peers such as Dan Mangan, Hey Rosetta! and Wintersleep. I'm Listening is a beautiful, balanced single you will have on repeat.

CHILE: Super 45
Tus Amigos Nuevos - Paraná
If we have to blame someone for why Chilean rock has been overshadowed by the pop scene, all darts would point to the extreme seriousness with which most of bands go on stage. Luckily, Tus Amigos Nuevos have been refreshing the idea that rock can be cathartic, danceable and, above all, very funny. This year they promise to be even more so thanks to their second album, from which Paraná is the first single.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Diamante Eléctrico - Todo Va A Arder
Bogotá power trio Diamante Eléctrico have a lot of blues influences in their DNA. Juan Galeano, the lead singer, bassist and producer, worked with Gavin Lurssen (Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters) to master their latest EP, called B. Todo Va A Arder is a good example of what Diamente Eléctrico can do, and will do on stage when they open for Foo Fighters in Bogotá this month.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian MOMO - Lemon
MOMO is what happens when a Faroese singer (Dánjal á Neystabø) and a Danish noise-guitarist (Stephan Sieben) clash in music. It also means "peach" in Japanese and the theme for the duo's first electro-pop album is fruit. The first single is Lemon and it's here as a MAP exclusive download.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
La Máquina Camaleön - Hoy (Más Allá Que El Mar)
La Máquina Camaleön is one of the most original bands in Quito's indie music scene. Debut album Roja evenly blends folk, psychedelic rock, reverb guitars and organic sounds. Their song Hoy (Más Allá Que El Mar) is a clear example of the sonic versatility of this group led by Felipe Andrés María.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Vincent Vega - Recreational Suicide
Vincent Vega is a rock band formed in 2005. Inspired by At The Drive-In, The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Tool and Queens Of The Stone Age, they released the album Always Hard To Make A Change, Just Like How To Stay The Same in 2008. They recently emerged from a two-year hiatus, and Recreational Suicide is one of the new songs that marks their comeback with a darker, heavier sound.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Axis Of - Munro Bagger
Having dropped their metal edge in favour of a rough-around-the-edges melodic punk-rock buzz, north-coast Northern Irish act Axis Of look set to explode in 2015. Famed for their vibrant live show, the three-piece were described by UK magazine Rock Sound as "the most exciting act to come out of Northern Ireland, possibly ever". Second album The Mid Brae Inn, out this month, features this vicious, craggy melody and plenty more worth getting your teeth stuck into.

ITALY: Polaroid
Peter Kernel - High Fever
Peter Kernel are Barbara and Aris. They want to play pop-rock music "in a primitive and sexy manner", and they can really do it. Thrill Addict is their third album and it is full of dark percussion and loud guitars, screams and whispers. Their sound is wild, unpredictable and, ultimately, beautifully seductive.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
X-Files - Cleanfight
Yes, yes, this Tokyo-area project fronted by Sho Takeuchi has the same name as a certain sci-fi show from the 1990s. Yet his music is far more serious than that moniker implies. Cleanfight unfolds slowly, backed by a clattering beat and dashes of distant piano. Yet, as the song lumbers on, X-Files introduces guitar, which cuts through everything else. It is serious and ultimately focused.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Francisco Martínez - Nichim
Nichim means "flower" in Tzotzil, an ethnic tongue spoken in the south-eastern state of Chiapas (yes, where the Zapatistas rose a decade ago, bringing attention to the conditions of the indigenous inhabitants all over Mexico). Francisco Martínez, multi-instrumentalist with alt-roots band Centavrvs, has this spin-off project filled with sensuous folkloric rhythms and the unique feature of rapper Slajem Kop making rhymes in Tzotzil. Truly beautiful.

PERU: SoTB
Astronaut Project - Night
Formed in 2014, Astronaut Project sees Alberto Zegarra explore new musical sensibilities through alternative pop, in contrast to the style of his previous bands. In February, he will release an EP. Astronaut Project's first single is Night and it's great.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Imploding Stars - Earthquake
Imploding Stars are a quintet who began playing in 2011. They classify their sound as post-rock and we are sure people who like Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai or God Is An Astronaut will become instant fans. Earthquake, taken from their new record A Mountain & A Tree, comes with this video.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
KLOË - Grip
The hype around Glasgow electro-pop singer KLOË (aka 18-year-old Chloé Latimer) is at feverish levels - and for good reason. She has justifiably drawn comparisons with CHVRCHES and Ellie Goulding and, just like those two acts, her debut song was premiered on the website of New York label Neon Gold. The track in question, Grip, is both brooding and blissful, having been shaped into contemporary sublimity by super-producer/drummer Lewis Gardiner (Prides). The first live outing from KLOË in February is sure to be buzzing.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Kim Sawol X Kim Haewon - Go To Hell
Both members of singer-songwriter duo Kim Sawol X Kim Haewon have been making fine music on their own, but in 2014 they teamed up for a joint EP called {Secret}. It stunned everyone with its dreamy sound and seductive atmosphere, inspiring comparisons with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Go To Hell is an attractive duet with a simple yet stylish arrangement.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Spirit Animal - Party In The Back
It's always an all out funk-rock party with Spirit Animal, and they'll never apologize for fusing their amazing talent with overflowing fun. Party In The Back is the perfect upbeat song to melt away the winter blues and get the body moving.

Castello Branco represents Brasil in December's Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 09:10:00 +0000

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 full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Cam Beszkin - Cucharita De Manual

We came across Cam Beszkin's music when she was a member of Las Bailarinas Anarquistas, Mariana Bianchini's solo band. This song is from Cam's sophomore album Este Amor Ya No Es Para Tanto, in which her potent vocals adds up to a solid guitar and drum rock duet.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

House Of Laurence - Just Don't Move Me

Let's be real - if the industry was a caste system, psychedelic/prog music would sit on the lower rung. Thankfully, we don't fear throwback in this country. We embrace it with open arms and wild, flailing John the Baptist hair. Just Don't Move Me is the brand new track from Melbourne band House Of Laurence. If the image of Tame Impala's Kevin Parker in a white pressed suit, struttin' (barefoot) down the Fremantle boardwalk makes your insides feel like goo then this is dedicated to you.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Hella Comet - Tinker Boat

The post-punk sound of four-piece Hella Comet calls for Sonic Youth comparisons, although their freshly-released second album Wild Honey, from which Tinker Boat is taken, is not afraid of pop either. Hella Comet were selected as one of 18 bands to represent this year's focus country Austria at Europe's most important music festival/conference Eurosonic.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Castello Branco - Necessidade

Necessidade is taken from Castello Branco's first album Serviço. It's typical of the easygoing feeling he generates to make songs that speak directly to our souls.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Rebekah Higgs - Loneliness

Rebekah Higgs' new release Sha La La is shot through with the spirit of 60s girl groups minus the innocence and politeness of those times. Higgs gets down and dirty climbing Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. She throws classic doo-wop pop down an echo chamber and what comes out the other end is a gauzy, hazy doo-wop/drone-rock hybrid that's utterly compelling. Loneliness has never sounded better.

CHILE: Super 45

Ali B & The Mayan Warrior - World Class Bouncing

Ali B is the latest winner of Nuevos Sonidos, a demo contest Super 45 has hosted since 1997. She is a rapper who sings in three languages and mixes rhythms from all over the world. Her songs are homemade, built around an MPC and samples taken directly from vinyl. The jury of Super 45 was mesmerized by her infectious flow. Past winners of the Nuevos Sonidos contest include Gepe, Protistas and Fernando Milagros.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Laura y La Máquina De Escribir - Laberinto

La Máquina De Escribir ("The Typewriter") is the project of Laura Torres, who has been involved in the world of music for more than two decades (since she was a little girl, obviously). From her piano, she recreates a world that reflects her feelings, which are evident in Laberinto, the track that gives its name to her 2013 album.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

Sylvester Larsen - The End Of Dancing

In October, Sylvester Larsen released his fifth album (his second in English) The End Of Dancing, and here's a MAP exclusive download of its great title track, which is reminiscent of soul and funk giants Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone. Also, check out the video for first single and album opener Stand Up.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera

Whitest Taino Alive - Piel De Leather

We've chosen the newest sensation of Santo Domingo, just to see how the rest of the world reacts to its message. That is, if you can handle it. Full of non sequiturs only true Dominicans understand (or so we think), Whitest Taino Alive emerges as a futuristic hip-hop act that combines trap, trill, minimal electronic and naughtiness. Their debut EP Chopería Fina is out now and available for free.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria

Ricardo Pita - Canción Para El Resto De Los Días

Modern, hopeful and nostalgic bohemianism - that sums up the single Canción Para El Resto De Los Días by Ricardo Pita, a songwriter born in the heart of Guayaquil's independent music scene. A musician with a great album and a promising career, Ricardo Pita is a must-listen if you want a vision of contemporary Latin folk music.

ENGLAND: Drowned In Sound

Lanterns On The Lake - Green And Gold (Generator Session)

From Sting and Prefab Sprout to Maxïmo Park and The Futureheads, the north-east of England has built a reputation for excellence, but it's rare to uncover an act there, or anywhere, that's as precious and heart-kickingly gorgeous as Lanterns On The Lake. They have elements of post-rock which make their tear-duct bothering sadness soar - not unlike the way Low construct epic melancholy. Their second album was recently released by Bella Union and it's gorgeous. Watch the video of this live session track here.

FINLAND: Glue

Robin Pahlman - Ghosts

After relocating to Vienna via Seattle, Finnish songwriter Robin Pahlman has been working on a series of heartfelt acoustic folk home recordings that form his debut self-titled EP, recently released via Berlin-based label Monkey Records. Here is the inspiring single Ghosts.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

The Callas - East Beat

Noisepop minimalism, raw garage melodies and kraut psychedelic elements meet to create the kaleidoscopic universe of The Callas' album Am I Vertical? The group mix their experimental art and film background with an addiction to pop tunes to present a witty, truly impressive record that balances darkness and light, innocence and sin, joy and lust.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Andrew Naratama - Putar Haluanmu

Putar Haluanmu is a retrospective song about memories and all the beautiful moments the singer had during his childhood with friends. Andrew Naratama is also a member of KarnaTra, a rock band from Jakarta.

ITALY: Polaroid

Tempelhof - Change

There's no easy way to describe electronic music, especially when the sound explores multiple paths and you are constantly finding yourself in new territory. Tempelhof is an electronic duo from the town of Mantova and I think they are true explorers more than simple musicians. IDM, shoegaze, house, ambient - everything comes to build the striking sound that you will find in their new album Frozen Dancers, out now on Hell Yeah Recordings.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

Coffee And TV - Guess What? Summer's Arrived

It is one of the most factually incorrect song titles of the month, but Tokyo producer Coffee And TV conjures up the warm vibes of the summer on this track. He does so simply. With little manipulation, he finds a snippet of Hey Manhattan! by Prefab Sprout, loops it and milks it for all it's worth. From this basic sonic material he manages to make an easy breezy song that's good for any time of the year.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Chico Sonido - Niñas Fresas feat. Camila Sodi

Los Angeles-based Mexican producer Chico Sonido has just released his debut album Nalga Bass, which is quite a gamechanger for electropical music. In a market overcrowded with underdeveloped SoundCloud tracks, Chico delivers a coherently mixed record that transmutes and pushes forward genres such as nu-cumbia, trap, tribal and reggaeton, with a twist of humour and naughtiness. They're good for headphones (and twerking too!).

PERU: SoTB

Daniel & The Dead End - My Valentine

Daniel & The Dead End is the new project of Daniel Ruiz, the former Space Bee drummer. Having been abandoned by his band before recording, disillusioned and ready to rock, Daniel decided to do all the work himself, giving life to the first EP.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog

Armando Suzette - Advent Mists

Armando Suzette is a Kraków-based band led by Mateusz Tondera. Their music, which combines a variety of genres and influences, is something unique in Poland and it's impossible to describe it in one word. If you feel lost, Advent Mists is for you. As they sing: "Hope you have a real Christmas this time."

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

The Weatherman feat. Emmy Curl - It Took Me So Long

Alexandre Monteiro's The Weatherman project has a new version of the single It Took Me So Long, taken from the latest album which will be released in Holland and Belgium in January. Emmy Curl, who was featured in the November 2010 edition of MAP, was invited to sing with Alexandre in the newer version of this track. Once again Alexandre confirms his high credentials as a composer, singer and creator of great pop songs. Mariana Lopes directed this great video.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Buscabulla - Tu Loco Loco Y Yo Tranquilo

Buscabulla is one of Puerto Rico's most promising emerging acts, a breath of fresh air in a musical climate that often struggles to bridge pop smarts with heartfelt and engaging music. Singer Raquel Berríos and her band conjure an intoxicating mix of classic cool with more forward-thinking flourishes on the group's first single Tu Loco Loco Y Yo Tranquilo, a cover of master composer Tite Curet Alonso's song made popular in 1969 by salsa legends Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound. Buscabulla's debut EP is due in 2014 - it's going to be a good year.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

After What - Who

After What is the side-project of the frontmen of two Romanian indie bands, The Amsterdams and The MOOod, both of whose influences are apparent - the music inherits the creativity of the former and the energy of the latter.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Medals - Disguises

JP Reid is a familiar name in rock circles through his band Sucioperro as well as Marmaduke Duke, the side-project he shares with Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil. JP Reid's new venture Medals, however, is arguably his most appealing. Debut album Disguises is an honest, pop-focused body of work and its title track stands out as a refreshingly unapologetic crowd-pleaser that you'll likely play again and again.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

Glen Check - Pacific

Glen Check have been around since 2011 and already made quite a name for themselves at home. With a fanbase growing abroad, the duo is taking their rock and electronica sound to SXSW in 2014. The infectious electro-pop tune Pacific is the lead track off the band's recently-released second album Youth!

SPAIN: Musikorner

Tiger Menja Zebra - Com Començar Una Guerra

Tiger Menja Zebra was born from the ashes of Camping, a Catalan post-rock band that achieved great success in the past decade. With this new project, while sticking to the post-rock genre, they haven't given up on pushing their boundaries.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You

Está Vivo - How Strange feat. Steffaloo

Está Vivo perfectly titled his newest offering, How Strange. It certainly is strange, yet extremely alluring due to a fascinating mixture of robot-esque male vocals and whimsical female vocals that take turns floating above churning electronics. Let the track simmer and it will certainly take hold as one of the more hypnotic listens of the year.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

Aspen - Ahora Ya

Aspen developed from the creative union between members of different bands. Influenced by the classic sound of British artists such as Badfinger and Oasis, their debut single boasts a slight psychedelic tinge. Aspen are one of the first bands on the roster of Macca Records, who also represent Los Paranoias.

Marcelo Jeneci at November´s Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:25:00 +0000

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 full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Onda Vaga - Tataralí
Since their inception in 2008, Onda Vaga have avoided the steps that independent artists usually take in order to be a part of the music industry. It was a wise call. Thanks to word of mouth from a public that follows them whenever they perform, this folk-rock band have become a huge success, both locally and internationally (they made quite an impression at last year's Fuji Rock Festival in Japan). Tataralí is the first single from their recently released third album, Magma Elemental.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
La Mancha Negra - Belango Twist
It's easy to imagine that Belango Twist might have been found inside a dusty shoebox containing a mix of rhythm and blues cassettes somewhere in the Deep South. Surprisingly that's far from the case. Sydney swamp-rockers La Mancha Negra (which loosely translates from Spanish to "The Black Stain") recently delivered their second album. Packed with blues ooze and reverberated hollers, Belango Twist is a tune that's ideal for cruising... and smashing out a few letterboxes on the way.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Robotra - Morninglight 2 Don't let the noisy, distorted lo-fi shell of Robotra songs trick you. This three-piece band from Graz and their pop melodies will catch your attention and make you want to sing along immediately. Morninglight 2 is taken from their full-length debut Tinker, which was mixed and mastered by Wolfgang Möstl (Mile Me Deaf, Sex Jams, Killed By 9V Batteries).

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Marcelo Jeneci - De Graça
In Marcelo Jeneci's new psychedelic/pop-influenced album, the single De Graça is one of the weirdest and greatest songs. Strong influences of the earliest works of Caetano Veloso and Arnaldo Antunes (with whom Jeneci still plays keyboard) can be easily heard, as well as Jeneci's talent for making catchy melodies that create the kind of feeling when everything is just fine and you don't worry about anything.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
The Dirty Nil - Nicotine
The Dirty Nil want to be your dealer, and Nicotine is their gateway drug of choice. Their brand of rock and roll knows no fear, takes no prisoners and shows no mercy. They're brash, they're crass and they're gonna make you love them or die trying.

CHILE: Super 45
Fármacos - Despegarte De Mí
Among the new breed of bands helping to renew the Chilean music scene, Fármacos stand out just as much for the many nuances of their sound - in which nods to electronica and pop are present - as their innate ability to create dramatic melodies that are hard to get out of your head. Despegarte De Mí is taken from their 2013 debut album Los Días Más Largos, released through Beast Discos.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Liquid - Hang On, To You. Stop!
A lauded and prize-winning poet, Nicolaj Stochholm chose poetry over punk back in the 1980s. In 2002 he again acquired a guitar, in 2010 he formed The Liquid, and on November 27 the trio debuts with the great post-punk album Atlas Interplan. It opens with Hang On, To You. Stop!, coming to you here as a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Charles Lavaigne - The Endless Traveller Song
What happens when a folk singer makes a merengue song? The answer can be heard on The Endless Traveller Song, extracted from Charles Lavaigne's latest album The Birdfish. Amidst all the psychedelia and freak folk, this fun, melodious tune stands because it reaffirms Charles' Dominican roots, often lost in translation and his own peculiar identity. Dance off, then hear the rest of the album if you're into crazy musical rides.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Mundos - Gorriones
The joining of two leading voices of two important local bands (Mamá Vudú and Can Can) gives life to this project that combines music and illustration. Mundos is the epicenter of talented musicians who bring their creativity and imagination into an album of 12 songs. Núcleos Activos Imaginarios is a good example of the evolution of Ecuadorian independent music, with Gorriones closing the album in a sublime way.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee
Kali Briis - Wolfman
Kali Briis released new album Say Whaat? this month via the Eesti Pops label. From soul, funk and hip hop to blues, electro and pop, this 24-year-old producer feels comfortable in a wide range of genres and masters his instruments, all recorded in his own home. His 2012 album The Moon Ghost can be downloaded for free on Bandcamp.

FINLAND: Glue
Ritual Smoker - Wars (single edit)
Guided by blasting bass lines and rock-solid drumming, Helsinki-based band Ritual Smoker experiment with abrasive soundscapes of hypnotic effect. Wars is included in the band's debut album Not To Dominate, But To Serve, out this month.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired
Belle Arché Lou - Lumières Du Littoral
Belle Arché Lou is one of those bands that surprises you while digging through vinyl crates in a record store. An unknown but pretty name, an almost poetic feel running through your body while staring at the artwork, and the assurance that this record can be nothing but great. A three-man band hailing from Paris and Geneva, Belle Arché Lou write almost orchestral pieces with unusual instruments: a vibraphone, chimes and a glockenspiel, paired most of the time with an acoustic guitar. Their songs are gorgeous, delicate, happiness-inducing instrumentals.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Michalis Moschoutis - ActI
Primarily concerned with contrast, Michalis Moschoutis creates works that lie on the fringes of several genres: heavy processing and live electronics; restrained, unadorned improvisation that brings out the inherent primitivism and ritualism of music; cathartic dark metal; the plainness and intimacy of 16th-17th century lute works; and the subtle fluctuations of minimal drone music. His latest single was recorded inside old churches. Listen to the repetitive yet haunting acoustic melody of ActI and sink away into a dreamy cloud of harmonic beauty.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Tamankota - Cerita Pagi Hari Ini
Tamankota (which means "City Park") is a band from Bandung influenced by the British indie-pop scenes of the 80s and 90s. Cerita Pagi Hari Ini ("Story From This Morning") is filled with raw sunshine power.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise
Crayonsmith - Chrysalis
Chrysalis was released with a video ahead of Crayonsmith's new album Milk Teeth and the title was a hint at the changes in sound. Previously a solo artist working with synths, samples and guitar, Crayonsmith are now a three-piece band. Simple in construction, it's pinned to a driving, purposeful rhythm, as Ciaran Smith's vocal beseeches the listener with endearing fragility. The pattern of melody that colours the wings as this track pulls itself free and beats away is mesmerising; light yet pensive, its transformative powers hint at the unfolding darkness still to come.

ITALY: Polaroid
Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! - Golden Age
A gigantic electric shock: this is the music of Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! on their second album Forever Young. Fast songs, loud noises, dramatic melodies. You could easily point out names like Sonic Youth or Wavves or Male Bonding or No Age. It doesn't matter. It's the sound of electricity that becomes art and poetry. Read the titles in the playlist: Forever Young, Golden Age, Whirlwind Weekend, Fearless Youth, Rage... this is all we need right now.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Boe Oakner - Cherenkov
In a very short amount of time, Nagano-based Boe Oakner has been making great strides in her musical development. The 17-year-old started this year making lovely instrumentals and now she is working her voice into her songs as well. Cherenkov is an ennui-tinged waltz, featuring kitchen-sink percussion, pretty bell chimes and natural sounds like a rainstorm.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Aarón Bautista - Iguana
Aarón Bautista has enjoyed a long career as a musician in some important bands from Mexico City's underground scene. Now he's going his own way with a solo project. His album doesn't sound very similar to stuff we are used to hearing from Mexico City nowadays. Or maybe it does, but in a very twisted and personal way. The record has a precious, yet punk, attitude, filled with psychedelia, gloomy folk and beautiful production. It almost sounds like something to sing along to while feeling drunk and declining in the middle of whatever scene you might find sophisticated.

PERU: SoTB
Piettro - Confesiones
Arequipa is a small town in southern Peru, a place where fate strove to unite Gabriel Alvarez, Saul Piettro and Juan Arce, friends who then became Piettro. Their style is a coalescence of trova and crossover rock, and with each of their songs they want to convey a message of love, peace and respect. Piettro is preparing its first album to be released as soon as possible.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
XXANAXX - Got U Under
XXANAXX is a good example of how to bring together ambitious tunes and not-so-far-away-from-mainstream recognition. Although the band only formed in 2012, this year they have supported Austra and Hurts and played the Selector Festival, amassing a large number of fans in the process. No matter how you describe their music - nu beats or future chillout - one thing is certain, Got U Under is one of the greatest Polish tracks of 2013.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
The Glockenwise - Leeches
One of the coolest new Portuguese rock bands, The Glockenwise released their second album in May, which has the same name as this month's track (check out this fun video for it). They won't disappoint those looking for energy and lots of jumping around, and you can tell they have listened to the fathers of this sound, from The Stooges to the Ramones.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
AJ Dávila y Terror Amor - Ohhh (No Te Encantes)
Puerto Rico's best-known garage-rock export Dávila 666 called it quits last year after touring the world in support of their second full-length. Founding member AJ Dávila spent little time mourning the band, instead focusing on his solo debut. The project's guest list quickly ballooned to Supernatural-era Santana levels, and Terror Amor became a who's who of Latin American indie-pop. The album, out in January on Nacional Records, will include collaborations with Mexico's Juan Cirerol and Chile's Alex Anwandter among many others. Ohhh (No Te Encantes) features one of Puerto Rico's most beloved singers and fellow MAP alumni Fofé Abreu on backing vocals, as well as Mexico's Jinmy Vitte (of Los Negretes fame) on acoustic guitar.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Tony Baboon - Pinecones River
Tony Baboon is a tropical one man pop band, with jazz and trip hop influences. The music is made up of a diverse spectrum of carefully thought-out sounds and word combinations that deal with themes such as nature, animals, plants, philosophy, surrealism and utopia.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Call To Mind - A Family Sketch
Call To Mind are based in Glasgow but originally from Ardersier, a former fishing village near Inverness with a population of barely 1,000. The influence of the group's upbringing is keenly felt in their music - song titles are sprinkled with Highland reference points, while their lush, smartly-crafted ambient pop paints truly idyllic imagery. At their majestic best, such as A Family Sketch, they give French darlings M83 a run for their money when it comes to atmospheric euphoria. Debut album The Winter Is White is due out in early 2014 through Olive Grove Records.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Vassline - Overture To Recomposition
Vassline has been one of the finest acts in Korea's hardcore scene since it started. Six years after their third full-length, the band finally returned with Black Silence. It was well worth the wait, showing everyone that Vassline is still at the very top. The instrumental piece Overture To Recomposition features MAP alumni Jambinai with their unique use of traditional Korean instruments in part 1, before Vassline bring out the heavy guns in part 2.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Astro One Deep - Sinapsis
Astro One Deep is a young Galician, now resident in Barcelona. Taking in influences from hip hop and electronic music, he has spent a long time shut away in his bedroom preparing new offerings. Like the emotions he portrays, his style is dynamic and varied; it draws on multiple genres such as funk, jazz, urban and electronica.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
KO - Golden Gal
KO is the brainchild of Indianapolis singer/guitarist Kristin Newborn. She made a splash in early 2011 as frontwoman on the lone, underappreciated LP from indie-pop outfit Slothpop. Golden Gal finds her working within KO's minimalist, two-piece framework, adding depth through layers of vocal loops. Newborn's vocal prowess has earned her opportunities alongside professional symphonies, but the singular intimacy of KO proves equally intoxicating.

Music Alliance Pact with Band Uó representing Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 20:13:00 +0000

Download all the songs.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
San Dimas - Generación Espontánea
San Dimas is an instrumental indie-rock band from Rosario, one of Argentina's largest and most cultural cities. Generación Espontánea is one of the best tracks from their latest album, La Música y Las Cosas, and it was also part of a compilation released in 2012 by Planeta X, their label.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Kins - Aimless
Originally a solo project for frontman Thom Savage, Kins made the move from Melbourne to Brighton in the UK two years ago and have been working hard at their craft since. Kin's new track Aimless is just that - it's both a dreamy saunter and an angular dance. Thom's distinct voice remains the subtle hero of this track. While this shares the unconvention of Local Natives, Alt-J, perhaps even Dappled Cities at their synth-tuned best, comparisons don't apply to Kins. One of Australia's best exports and most underrated bands.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
DAWA - Some Things Are Different
Singer John Dawa and the band that formed around him stand for honest and unpretentious folk music. Two voices, a cello, a cajón and an acoustic guitar are all the ingredients they need. Their frequent live performances with a hippie touch (flower garlands on mic stands, that sort of thing) have earned them a constantly growing fanbase. Some Things Are Different is the opener of their full-length debut This Should Work.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Banda Uó - O Gosto Amargo Do Perfume
Banda Uó are like a big kitsch joke, a sense of fun that is manifest through their fearless use of pop references with Brazilian technobrega (which can be translated as something like "cheesy techno"). In this song, they use Two Door Cinema Club's Something Good Can Work as 'inspiration' for messing up.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Air Marshal Landing - Move With You
Air Marshal Landing are three friends who make music that sounds greater than the sum of its parts. Together since 2009, they've recently put the finishing touches on their first long-player, You Used To Be Me, which is ballsy enough to mix genres and is unapologetic in its catchiness.

CHILE: Super 45
Kinética - Halo
Emiliana Araya is Kinética and she's returning this year with II, her second album, this time helped by Milton Mahan and Pablo Muñoz (De Janeiros) in the production side. In addition to her usual electronic beats, Kinética explores pop and soul from an experimental prism, adding new elements to her intimate songs. Halo is a MAP exclusive download and a preview of her new record, which features collaborations from Marcos Meza and Fakuta.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
El Ombligo - Trinidadla El Ombligo has gone largely unnoticed in the Colombian music scene. So that's why we want to emphasize this union of many musicians, local and abroad, from Germany to Mexico, under the command of Colombian bass player Santiago Botero. They are doing what they call a new folklore, starting from Andrés Landeros' cumbia to 60s free jazz. The fascinating Trinidadla is taken from their 2012 album Canción Psicotropica y Jaleo.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Bodebrixen - The Wave
Following up on 2012's acclaimed third full-length, Out Of Options, Bodebrixen aka Andreas Brixen and Aske Bode have released a great first synthpop taste of an as-yet-untitled EP which will be released later this year. The Wave is a summery MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
El Trio - Canterbule Pt. III
El Trio is a progressive rock band from Santiago who recently released their third album Las Manos. One minute is all it takes to really appreciate the magic of Canterbule Pt. III in which jazz and rock combine beautifully. You can hear and download their genre-bending songs on Bandcamp.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Los Pescados - T-Rex
The sound of Los Pescados is a mix of garage-rock, blues and grunge. The duo, Nelson Coral (guitar, vocals) and Juan Fernando Andrade (drums), from Manabí are like their albums - powerful and groundbreaking.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee
Barthol Lo Mejor - Patrol The Block
Barthol Lo Mejor jumpstarts your night with trash electro. This young dance god is upbeat and raw like Justice, Soulwax and Huoratron. Patrol The Block is taken from his new EP CitYearning, available from Bandcamp.

FINLAND: Glue
Matti Jasu And The Close Encounters - The New Year
Just a few months after his excellent debut as a solo artist, singer-songwriter Matti Jasu gathered the band again and recorded a follow-up album, laying down seven songs in an intense one-day session. The New Year is the first single off Pin On The Map and is fun, guitar-based Americana with sweet pop melody and harmonies. You can listen to the album online or buy the CD for a very affordable price on Bandcamp.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Jim Ver - Until Dawn
Jim Ver is a classically trained musician and songwriter who works on solo instrumental projects, film scores and movie scripts. His second EP, Pictures, works as a collection of ambient, soothing sound poems. It's clear that words are not needed to tell a story, and his tales are told in chords and cadences. For the most part, he minimally relies on piano but the effect, both subdued and majestic, creates a much more overwhelming setting and, as a result, it's difficult not to be dragged into it.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Helmproyek - Vendetta
Inspired by Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Rob Zombie, Helmproyek sound like a demo by an obscure industrial band that has been locked and buried for a couple of decades and just recently found by an unlucky soul.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise
Major Grave - You Cannot Break My Heart (Major Grave Remix)
At the forefront of grime production in Ireland, Major Grave is a bright spot, having built a solid rep from scratch in the under-represented genre, recently releasing a track on the UK's esteemed Big Dada compilation. Here he takes up'n'comer Ms Hazel's pop ditty You Cannot Break My Heart and with her vocal pristine, transforms its dance vibe into a bass-heavy baller with a sweet electronic motif.

ITALY: Polaroid
Wolther Goes Stranger - Sixteen
Wolther Goes Stranger was originally the solo project of guitarist Luca Mazzieri, from the band A Classic Education, but has now become a trio. The title of their debut album is Love Can't Talk. Maybe love can't, but Wolther Goes Stranger definitely do, and their speech is full of sex and synths, buried under obssessive beats. Music to get naked to. This summer is going to be very hot.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
k■nie - Papapa
Vocaloid, a singing synthesizer software most popularly associated with the green-haired character Hatsune Miku, has been put to more and more experimental usage over the past few months. Here's one of the best examples yet, in which the digi voice of character Sekka Yufu sings only syllables and become smothered in the synth blanket conjured by Tokyo producer k■nie. Would still be gorgeous without the Vocaloid, but becomes more intriguing with it.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Peklectrick - Lamppost Boogie
Peklectrick is the studio-based solo project of former Dripht guitarist Patrick Galea. It is an eclectic mix of guitar-driven music with abundant doses of reggae, some blues and a little funk. The music comes wrapped in socially conscious lyrics, a punk rock ethos and a tongue that is firmly stuck in cheek. Surreally speaking, it is the sound of The Clash meeting Beck in Jamaica to discuss the blues over some Scotch. The music is what award-winning producer David Vella referred to as "so cool it's almost illegal". Peklectrick is currently on an indefinite hiatus taking care of other business, contemplating his next move and drinking tea.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Apache O'Raspi - Tarde Oscilante
Apache O'Rapsi, from the northern region of Mexico, is the bass player of an important local band called Suave As Hell. With his very mature solo project, he released a couple of singles in 2012, and now he has delivered Remedios Varios, an album that includes all those songs. The powerful music and naive lyrics emotionally encompass our deep Mexican roots, landscapes and flavours. Tarde Oscilante is one of those arid, nostalgic melodies.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!
Those Foreign Kids - Get Eaten
You only have to listen to Those Foreign Kids to know there's more to Haarlem than pretty tulip fields; their avant-garde noise pop is not only a ferocious aural assault but a welcomed one. The just-released track Get Eaten from debut album Zero Gravity Somersaulting Craze features vocals from Merinde Verbeek of Mineral Beings. Jump into their noisy universe.

PERU: SoTB
Gaia - Sobrepeso
Ten years of experience and four records confirm Gaia as one of the best rock bands in the country. Giroscopios, Coordenadas y La Fábrica De Nubes is the name of their most recent album, available for free download on their website. It displays a musical evolution as well as the professional maturity of each of its members. Latest single Sobrepeso boasts typically strong melodies.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
Crab Invasion - Dart
When you live in a country where rockism is still strong it's hard to find a band like Crab Invasion. Ironically, they started from (indie) rock origins and still use guitars, but in a different way. Sophisticated chord progressions, catchy melodies, vocal harmonies - it's all in the songs of this young group led by 22-year-old Jakub Sikora. And it will be much more when their upcoming debut album is released.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Noiserv - Today Is The Same As Yesterday, But Yesterday Is Not Today
David Santos' solo project Noiserv first appeared on MAP in 2009. Since then, Noiserv has conquered his place in the Portuguese music scene and is recognized as one of the most innovative young artists in the country. So much so that in 2010 he was asked to create the soundtrack for a documentary about José Saramago, the Nobel Prize winner. Noiserv will release his new album in October and Today Is The Same As Yesterday, But Yesterday Is Not Today (see video) will be on it.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Suturee - Skulls
When Julian Brau and Rebecca Adorno met in 2007, their lives took a turn that led directly to Suturee. Now a four-piece trying their luck in New York City, Suturee still works with delicate orchestral pop arrangements that playfully oppose Brau's and Adorno's voices. The band turned to crowdfunding last year in order to finance their sophomore effort, Skim The Surface. One of the rewards offered through their successful Indiegogo campaign involved recording a cover chosen by the backer, and that is how today you can hear Suturee's unique take on The Misfits classic Skulls.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Environments - Fathom, Movement, Field
Environments are an experimental act from Bucharest. Their songs are inspired by beautiful things such as childhood memories, books and peaceful places. Stefan Panea comes up with the core arrangements, which are then disfigured, enhanced and re-recorded live with Alex 'Para' Ghita (drums) and Marius Costache (effects and noise). You can step into their world through Bandcamp.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Eilidh Hadden - Close To Home
Close To Home is very much the sound of now - cut 'n' paste vocals carried on waves of brooding electronic pop and tribal drums. It's the colossal production that lifts Eilidh Hadden from teenage singer-songwriter hopeful to the realms of genuine contender. Comparisons to Ellie Goulding are inevitable, and apt. It's still early days for Eilidh but if she remains on this path then her future could be dazzling.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Telefly - Meddle
Rock trio Telefly has been wowing live audiences in Seoul for a number of years. Two years after their first full-length, the band returned with the EP Avalokiteśvara earlier this month showcasing their own brand of psychedelic music. Lead track Meddle has a tough sound with great drive and energy.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Monki Valley - Tanzania
Monki Valley doesn't like to be labeled, but we can say he's originally from the Canary Islands and he's got Red Bull Music Academy's eyes on him. He's more than just tropical electronica, and he is currently exploring, musically, the landscapes of remote countries such as Brazil and Peru.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Trails And Ways - Como Te Vas
Oakland's Trails And Ways feels less Oakland and more Bilbao, Barcelona or Barranquilla, depending on how their first EP, aptly named Trilingual, falls. The highlight of the record for me is Como Te Vas, an infectious summer anthem guaranteed to play well in Ibiza or on the BART.

May's Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:39:00 +0000

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 full 36-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Paula y Los Besos - Bailar

Paula y Los Besos is the new musical adventure of singer, songwriter and poet Paula Trama. The band just released eight songs in the form of two EPs that range from acoustic-punk upbeat tunes to tender folk ballads. Bailar is a cover of T. Rex's Cosmic Dancer, with Spanish lyrics adapted by Paula herself. You can hear and download both EPs from their Bandcamp page.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Swimming - Triplebrie

Adelaide's Swimming are sisters Katie and Angie Schilling and friend Sam Reynolds. Triplebrie is the first single from their new record Yes, Tonight. There are plenty of layered vocals and looped sounds on the album, but Swimming's simple outlook on a capella really does its best in an acoustic setting. The trio also sell tea towels as merchandise, so we can't really say anything bad about this band right now.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig Fijuka - Behave (From Now On)

First a drum machine, then a Billie Jean-style bassline and finally synthscapes that embed the voice of Fijuka's Ankathie singing one of the weirdest declarations of love we have ever heard. Fijuka stands for DIY pop with an art school touch. Watch the music video for some Rhönrad wheel action.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado FAROFF - Brazilian Star Wars

Can you imagine the Star Wars troopers having fun in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, listening to funk carioca in the summer and surrounded by girls? This is not a new track, but Brazilian Star Wars shows one of the best moments of DJ FAROFF, the name used by Leo Bursztyn, PHD in economics and former guitarist of Brazilian band Móveis Coloniais de Acaju.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts Program - Waiting

Program's wall of sound is not insurmountable but it's far from an easy climb. It will challenge you to find a familiar foothold (Is it shoegaze? Is it drone-rock? Is it disco or dance?) but ultimately leaves you breathless with its brilliant audacity. It is a mountain you'll climb over and over again, never once following the same sonic route to its summit.

CHILE: Super 45 Lainus - Montañitas

Lainus is the solo project of Alfredo Ibarra who, after returning from New Zealand, has devoted himself to writing music and rediscovering his country. The Andes is the source of inspiration for his single Montañitas ("Little Mountains"), a catchy electronic pop breeze that links him telepathically to the new pop wave (Passion Pit, Phoenix), the Chilean psychedelic tradition and the now very trendy world music. It's a taster of his next album, due for release in the second half of the year.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo Lina Patiño - Plena Luz

With roots in classical singing, Lina Patiño has been experimenting with jazz, ballads, R&B and classical music. Proof of this is the endless number of projects of different genres she has participated in. But now, in her solo guise, her range takes her a step further than usual. We invite you to listen to Plena Luz ("Full Light"), produced by Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers), in which Lina's vocals are confused and intermingled between bambuco and dark experimental pop.

CUBA: suenacubano.com Adrian Berazaín y Mauricio Figueiral - Por Una Camarera

This month we cover the association of two young artists: Adrián Berazaín and Mauricio Figueiral. Por Una Camarera ("For A Waitress") is a song in which Cuban rhythms are fused with extraordinary results and will be included in the upcoming releases of both artists separately. Follow these two songwriters closely as they are sure to surprise us with their future output.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian Lulu Rouge - Grey Heron Man

Five years on from their awesome debut Bless You, electronica legends Lulu Rouge (aka DJs and producers Buda and T.O.M.) released their second full-length, The Song Is In The Drum, at the end of April. If you're into deep, dark and excellently melancholic dub this is one not to miss. Grey Heron Man, one of three instrumentals, is a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Nelson García - La Bomba

Veteran singer-songwriter Nelson García (formerly known as Nelson Poket) went solo and is now making music under his real name. La Bomba is a rock song with a classic attitude that ticks with new energy and prepares us for his new album release on June 15.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Guanaco - Crónico

After 15 years on the road, Guanaco, one of the most important independent music icons in Ecuador, presents his most ambitious and mature album, Raíz. The record has 16 versatile tracks that blend hip hop with a wide range of urban and Latin sounds. The lyrics of Crónico provide a deep reflection on the use of drugs.

ENGLAND: Drowned In Sound Ghosting Season - Time Without Question (alternate version)

Ghosting Season are a techno-loving duo from northern England. Until recently, their music was a marriage of glacial post-rock and warm late-night electronica as Worriedaboutsatan. Under their new guise, Gavin Miller and Tom Ragsdale are already readying a second LP of brooding bloops that spiral into something you could call evil party music. This track was featured on our DiS community podcast.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee Kannabinõid - Karistus

Kannabinõid are a deafening stoner/doom band from Tallinn. Obviously there are plenty of (Nordic) metal/rock bands but these guys are particularly good. They just received some really good feedback from the international music industry delegates of showcase festival Tallinn Music Week.

FINLAND: Glue Phenomenal Creature - Perfect Impression

Phenomenal Creature play (mostly) acoustic folk with an intense bluesy feeling, creating songs that are beautifully arranged and decorated with a myriad of little instruments and harmonies. Perfect Impression is the opener of the band's recently released debut album.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired FAUVE - Kané

FAUVE appeared from nowhere in the French music scene at the end of 2011, and after only a few months and four songs, offered for free, they became what many French critics called "the voice of our generation". With beautifully crafted instrumentals, marvellous choirs and words that touch and speak to our feelings and soul directly - putting a finger on our many life problems and crises - they deserve to be known all over the world, even if only using spoken word in Molière's language. Their first EP, Blizzard, is released on May 20.

GERMANY: Coltran HELMUT - The Tribe

Voice, guitar, loops. More and more artists focus on these instruments to make versatile songs to dream, cry or dance to. HELMUT has the talent to build up a song layer by layer, motif by motif, and then slowly start to variate and deconstruct everything. The live experience of this guy is simply amazing.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda No Clear Mind - Morning Rain In June

No Clear Mind is an unconventional musical experiment that has been evolving constantly from 2004 till now, an open platform of expression, bringing together people who tint everyday inertia, cancelling its discreet yet lingering nature. Borrowing its name from the old neighbourhood of Athens where it was created, Mets, their second album, is a magnificent set awash with texture, atmosphere, strong autobiographical elements, past memories and emotions that provide a hypnotic, surreal soundscape suitable for both day and night dreaming.

INDIA: NH7 Big City Harmonics - Ennio

A former alt-rock band guitarist, Big City Harmonics is Rohan Hastak, a soul-infused, downtempo electronic music producer. Sampling a variety of instruments and vocals, Big City Harmonics offers a fresh take on electronica.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Muchos Libre - Romusa

On Muchos Libre's press release they declare: "In surf we trash! In stage we wrestle! Give us one show, so we'll give you the beast!" They've perhaps watched too much Mexican wrestling as the two vocalists often grapple on stage during their ferocious live shows.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise Rachael Boyd - Aim Too High

From playing in side-project math rock and pop bands to her own contemporary, improvised solo efforts, the broad strokes of Rachael Boyd's taste in music have gifted the Belfast multi-instrumentalist with a keen grasp of melody and timing. Aim Too High is the title track of a new EP, alternative neo-classical pop with enchanting, urgent piano and strings. Freely flowing with ambition, the slight underlying jitter is calmed by a reassuring vocal intercession. It feeds the need for pop sweetness yet still sounds like substantial brainfood.

ITALY: Polaroid Wildmen - Zero Generation

Wildmen are a garage rock duo from Rome. Guitar, drums and a lot of raw energy. More than a lot. Their debut album is called Haters Gonna Hate and someone wrote that it sounds like a grungier version of Black Lips. Uhm, well, OK. What if we stop talking and just dance to these marvellous and mighty songs? You will have fun, trust me.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Metoronori - v_v

The boom in bedroom-based music makers in Japan over the past few years has produced a lot of great artists operating on a very DIY level. Tokyo-based Metoronori is one of the latest in this tradition. She makes discombobulated lo-fi pop where every element falls just into place. Her song v_v demonstrates this well - the sounds she makes seemingly out of step with one another, but the whole thing comes together to create an inviting track.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta Bletchley Park - Calendars

Bletchley Park is an indie/alternative band who draw influences from post-punk and fuse them with dark rhythms and lyrics. In 2010, they released From Bletchley, With Love, a collection of their first works. Last year's debut album, My Body Fighting, resulted in three nominations at the 2013 Malta Music Awards - Best Album, Best Song for Tight Red Dress and Best Band.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Apocalipsis - Jihad

It's easy to behave in a nihilistic way when you are a Mexico City dweller. With no frills other than being raw as reality can get, Apocalipsis delivers a hybrid that borderlines on the ridge of post-rock, math-rock, hardcore and neocrust, without being too loyal to any of those. Grip zealously to the soundtrack of riots, burning flags and a society on the fringe of collapse... it's not the Arab spring, nor the Mexican spring. Actually, it's nothing but part of the Apocalypse.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha! Spilt Milk - Funeral Blues

For an album which boasts death as its central theme, Spilt Milk's Funeral Blues is not as morbid a listen as you may think. You may recognise the lyrics as a W.H. Auden poem, used in that harrowing funeral scene from Four Weddings And A Funeral that I'm still getting over. But thanks largely to Brenda Bosma's beautiful vocals, the Amsterdam quintet does an impressive job of giving a soft yet jangly, folkish spin to what must be some of the saddest lyrics bouncing around.

PERU: SoTB La Tornado Lost Band - Wake Up

La Tornado Lost Band is a folk/rock/country duo formed by Gabriel De La Piedra and Rodrigo Melgar. Their warm voices and nostalgic guitar sounds create an atmosphere of loneliness and calm. If you like Wilco, Bon Iver or The Replacements, you will love this duo. Wake Up is taken from their debut EP, Pastores On Strike, a collection of six beautiful songs available for free download from Bandcamp.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog How How - Pinkery The Knight

No, this isn't Animal Collective and we aren't in 2004. How How is a four-piece from Warsaw who play experimental music. Or, as they describe it, "electroacoustic free pop". Pinkery The Knight is taken from their latest EP, Knick-Knack.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Dear Telephone - That Violin Lesson Sucks

Dear Telephone, whose band name was inspired by a Peter Greenway movie, appeared on MAP in August 2011 with their song Providence, from their first EP. This month they released their debut album Taxi Ballad which continues their path through mildly electronic music ripe for reasoning and wonder, which will please fans of bands like The xx. Dear Telephone is releasing videos for each track on their album, such as this one for That Violin Lesson Sucks.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Ikol Santiago - Tampoco Tanto

Having spent his teenage years and part of his adult life living in the United States, Ikol Santiago returned to Puerto Rico in 2004 and quickly became part of the island's underground hip hop scene. His commanding vocal style - cool yet stern, clear and precise - developed through numerous collaborations with many of the island's greats. Ikol's solo debut, Iguacas, named after the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, is a deeply personal journey through the MC's experience growing up and trying to find his footing in life. Tampoco Tanto takes a look at our increasingly desperate society, turning anger and anxiety into something closer to wisdom - and perhaps a bit of hope.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Quantum Drive - Echoes (redone)

Quantum Drive, a project from Cluj, started with two guys who found that a shoegaze/indie/60s-revival approach to music fit them very well. Later on, other friends joined them in this journey. They draw their inspiration from bands such as Deerhunter, The Horrors and Tame Impala, and are definitely an act we'll keep our ears on.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Prides - Out Of The Blue

Prides are probably the most talked-about new band in Scotland since CHVRCHES. In fact, one listen to the fiendishly addictive Out Of The Blue - a staggering piece of dynamic pop that proclaims the arrival of a hit-ready proposition - proves the two groups share common ground, with Prides' debut single informed by current trends for 80s-leaning electro. It is also reminiscent of MGMT hit Kids, with its distorted, organy synth sound.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker! Beast - Smoke Swig Swear

New supergroup Beast consists of some of the most well-known members from various bands in South Africa. The band's raw, organic sound has captivated audiences and their 'no boundaries' ethos is reflected in their honest rock 'n' roll that is best played at high volume.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie Gage - Your Night

Gage is a band featuring members from heavy rock MAP alumni Apollo 18 and The Quip. A complete contrast to the music of those two groups, however, this quintet has a much more acoustic orientation, playing on current trends in Korean music while still creating an original sound. Your Night is taken from Gage's recent self-released and self-titled EP and is a new take on the sort of melodies Apollo 18's Kim Daeinn would create under the alias Jelly Boy.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT The Free Licks - Hang On

The Free Licks are getting ready to share their Exit Plan EP, which is inspired by the best variations of rock music since the 70s. Although The Free Licks could be categorised as an alt-rock band, its members' varied styles and influences make it much more than that.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You Carousel Beach - Ayahuasca

Carousel Beach's impressive self-titled debut runs the gambit of genres as folk bleeds into a 90s rock sensibility, which moves into piano ballads and then makes a turn with grandiose harmonies that bounce around tribal percussion lines. A satisfying listen for anyone and everyone.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más Andreazulado - Alto

Andreazulado is one of the most prominent rock bands in the Venezuelan indie scene. The trio have toured Argentina, Spain, Colombia and the United States and now they are preparing for the release of their fourth album, Apolo, from which first single Alto is taken.

Sambanzo at the new Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:03:00 +0000

New Music Alliance Pact with new members from India (NH7) and Estonia (Rada7). Listen it on Soundcloud or download it.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
The Omelettes - Perfect Wave
The Omelettes' sophomore album seeks to part from the 60s British sound of their first work and the result is something much more psychedelic and introspective. Perfect Wave is one of our favorite tracks from the new record, The Drawing & The Traveller. You can also watch a video of their song Mondays here.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Them Swoops - Too Fast For Love
Never trust a happy song, right? While Tame Impala are still trumping the globe with Lonerism and Gotye's break-up song is STILL unfortunately stalking us everywhere, we do make mood-lifting songs here in Australia. Indie-pop ain't a dirty word, especially when bands like Them Swoops make tracks like this. Too Fast For Love will probably sound like the first time you heard The Shins. Felt good, hey? We're not such a sombre bunch after all.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Sex Jams - Shark Vs Apple
The alternate girl/boy singing on Shark Vs Apple and its saucy, playful lyrics make it an instant favourite. Basically, the first single from the new Sex Jams album Trouble, Honey is what Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta would have sounded like had Grease been a noise-rock musical. Half of Sex Jams also play in May 2012's MAP band and this year's Eurosonic favourites Mile Me Deaf.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Sambanzo - Xangô
Sambanzo is one of the projects of saxophonist Thiago França, also a member of Metá Metá and collaborator of artists such as Gui Amabis and Romulo Froes. Xangô is taken from the album Etiópia, which features some experimental music with strong influences of jazz, Candomblé, Afrobeat and rock.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Barbarosa - Sinking West
The title track of Barbarosa's debut EP calls up images of the Wild West - rugged, romantic, ruthless and without rules. Sinking West's menacing undertone is brightened by modern pop sensibilities, and the playing is fast and fierce. The full EP is available now on the band's website.

CHILE: Super 45
Perrosky - A Mil Millas
Perrosky, a duet formed by brothers Álvaro and Alejandro Gómez, offer a local interpretation of the music styles that gave birth to rock 'n' roll in the USA. Their fifth album Vivos is swarmed by distorted guitars, vocal effects and, of course, a great set of songs. Our highlight is the touching blues ballad A Mil Millas ("A Thousand Miles Away"), which depicts a man searching for himself but whose possibilities seem blocked to him.

CHINA: Wooozy
Tengger Cavalry - War Horse
Deeply influenced by the nomadic culture of north Asia, Tengger Cavalry's music evokes ancient times when wandering warriors, steeds and wolves danced across the great grasslands. The melody of horse-head fiddle, the rhythm of heavy drum, the echo of Mongolian throat singing and the distortion of guitar all create an expressive scene of pagan culture.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
La Pulpafonic - Camelia
Jam for the ears, that's how we can describe the sound of La Pulpafonic. A project born in Bogotá, it aims to present Colombian folklore within a new context and a new flavor: the taste of the fruit pulp. Electronic sounds literally extracted from fruits, mixed with an eclectic explosion of dance rhythms from this century. From their first work released in 2012, we squeeze out the song Camelia.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian Freja Loeb - W.O.M.D. Earlier this month Freja Loeb followed up her 2011 debut album Odyssey with the release of a new EP titled W.O.M.D. Where the album stood on the shoulders of the 1980s pop scene, the EP finds its sources of inspiration in the same decade's rock scenes. Here's the title track as a MAP exclusive.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Las Acevedo - Cena En La Terraza
Love is still in the air, after a Valentine's Day full of fresh romantic tunes brought by several Ibero-American bands. Las Acevedo, the hippie twin sisters of folk, present this breezy love song about dining in terraces, chasing fireflies and packing away your significant other inside a trunk with flowers in their hair.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Marley Muerto - Dorado Salmon Violeta (featuring Frances Possieri)
Marley Muerto is led by Daniel Pasquel, a musician and producer who was born on the same day that Bob Marley died. This project sees him play with a range of electronic sounds and collaborate with some important local artists. Pararmar is his debut album released while his band, Can Can, takes a break.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
GNOD - Visions Of Load
Taken from GNOD's forthcoming album Chaudelande (released on February 25 by Rocket Recordings), Visions Of Load captures neatly - that is to say, powerfully and sprawlingly - the krautrockin', shoegazin', prog-metallic sludginess of this Salford band at their most freakily magnificent. "It recalls Can's ga-ga go-go music while the singer yelps like Alan Vega doused in even more echo," said our New Band of the Day writer, who nevertheless promised that, notwithstanding the far-out sonics and instrumental melee, you could still dance to it. He just didn't specify what type of shoes you might need.

ESTONIA: Rada7
Candy Empire - Lucky
Candy Empire is a new band founded late 2011 by restless multi-instrumentalist Ervin Trofimov of acclaimed experimental rock band Opium Flirt. Trofimov has previously recorded in various genres such as instrumental prog-rock, acoustic folk and electronic pop, but Candy Empire's sound can be described as a futuristic version of Blondie with Neil Young on guitar. They have unveiled their new single Lucky with a colorful animated video.

FINLAND: Glue

Hexvessel - Woods To Conjure

Inspired by the mysticism of Finnish nature, Hexvessel mixes an acoustic folk vibe with psychedelic and electric doom sounds, creating dense, spaced-out atmospherics. Woods To Conjure is included in the band's second album No Holier Temple. Hexvessel will be heading to the SXSW festival in Texas in March.

GERMANY: Coltran
Pollyester - Concierge D'Amour
The most advanced band in Munich's music scene is Pollyester. Although Polly Lapkovskaja and Manuel da Coll play in several other groups, the duo found a unique and remarkable style on their latest record Earthly Powers. Relying heavily on a groovy rhythm section with drums and bass, the rediscovered synths and Polly's vocals add up to something between disco and New Wave, and has been met with critical acclaim.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Morgan Kane - Nine
Nine is a song about a guy trying to get to a girl to tell her that she was right and strong, when he was wrong. Morgan Kane's songwriting is influenced by Serge Gainsbourg.

INDIA: NH7
Apu And The Dentist - No Messages For Rumi
Apu And The Dentist is the experimental rock project of Mumbai-based duo Saurabh Roy and Achint Thakkar. With this track, which also features local musicians Suraj Manik, Jeremy D'Souza and Krishna Jhaveri, they have created a psychedelic rock soundscape. A debut EP is slated for release in 2013.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Backwood Sun - Seven Shadows
Backwood Sun is one of the most promising indie acts in Jakarta. The band are often described as an Indonesian version of Fleet Foxes, but even if they are heavily influenced by them, it doesn't stop Backwood Sun making humble, honest music.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise
Girl Band - Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage
Few could predict a post-punk version of a techno track that took its vocal sample from a hip hop song. This cover version, however, was recorded for the third and final Quompilation album of Irish bands' favourite songs. Blawan's original Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage is a psychotic, six-minute stamp through disturbia and the four males of Dublin's Girl Band managed to eke out almost two extra minutes, using that time and their canny production values to flesh out and reanimate bare bones, breathing life through a spirited reiteration of the vocal hook.

ITALY: Polaroid
Brothers In Law - (Shadow II) Leave Me
Brothers In Law is a young three-piece band from Pesaro, on the always surprising Italian east coast. The dirt of the sea has sneaked dirty sounds into their songs. File under: dream-pop bandits, C86 catchers, Captured Tracks lovers. Brothers In Law just released their debut album Hard Times For Dreamers and they have been invited to play at next month's SXSW. A dream coming true.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Hotel Mexico - A.I. In Dreams
Hotel Mexico, hailing from the historic city of Kyoto, have been one of the most chirped about bands in the Japanese indie scene for several years now. Many cite them as the first chillwave group in Japan, but that label does them a disservice. A.I. In Dreams, taken from new album Her Decorated Post Love, is laid-back but never lazy, the guitars creating a lush sound while voices dart by in the back. It is a song rich in detail, something this outfit excels at.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
The Suburbanite - Blow My Mind
The Suburbanite is the project of Maltese-Canadian Robert Pisani, backed by a floating collective involving a number of other local band members who have helped shape their sound. A Field Guide To The Suburbanite is a seven-song collection which embraces the spirit and naivety of the past; a frolic on the beach, the first love, Saturday nights indoors... all with hummable melodies. Listening to that debut EP is like taking a walk through Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, without the Oompa-Loompas chanting those annoying moralising ditties.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
60 Tigres - Picoso
One of the country's best live acts, 60 Tigres started as a six-piece in 2005 in the northern city of Monterrey and has had many member variations since then. They mix Latin grooves with great melody lines, sparkling keyboards and the heritage of early-90s strident indie guitars. Take a chance with their anthemic, danceable new single Picoso.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!
APRIL - The Rise And Fall Of A Beautiful Bird
Last year I had the privilege to witness APRIL's first ever gig. Amidst the seedy rock 'n' roll crowd this enigmatic duo generated plenty of attention - both frontwoman and man rockin' high heels while channelling Bowie-esque vibes like it was nobody's business. On stage it soon became clear that their originality did not stop at their taste in fashion, combining drum computers with reverberant guitar melodies, groovy basslines and intricate, contrasting vocals. With their new single, due to be released on February 23 via Subroutine Records, APRIL has replaced their drum machine for a real drummer and their melodramatic side for a sound that embodies the same confidence they project in a live setting.

PERU: SoTB
Rafo Ráez - Los Regalos Del Viento
Rafo Ráez has been creating songs since high school, with his catchy compositions making him one of the most beloved musicians in Peru. With eight albums under his belt, Rafo's music has gone through rock, trova, punk and Peruvian folklore. And with a penchant for poetry, they have also been part of theater plays.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
Południce vs. Liquid Molly - Dolina, Dolinuszka
Południce are a female vocal group who sing traditional, folklore, Polish and Ukrainian (sometimes Belarusian) songs. On their album Południce / Elektronice, they couple these with modern electronic productions from guest musicians - Dolina, Dolinuszka features heavy bass beats from Liquid Molly. If you think about it logically it should result in disaster, but it is in fact majestic.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Little Friend - Sunken Low
John Almeida is not a freshman as a musician or a composer. Before this first solo single, he played with some major Portuguese indie artists (The Weatherman, We Trust) who, as a sign of friendship, have returned their gratitude by appearing on his first solo record. The video for Sunken Low was directed by Lewis Arnold and has Jo Hartley (This Is England, Dead Man's Shoes, The Young Victoria) as the protagonist.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Los Pepiniyoz - Entre Las Paredes
Los Pepiniyoz have been making their brand of high-energy, melodic punk for more than a decade now - writing songs that reach for the heart without losing any attitude. Throughout the years the band has served as a sort of workshop for a lot of local rockers and now, after a long hiatus, have returned to the boricua scene with a new line-up and a solid three-song EP. Entre Las Paredes is the catchiest tune of the bunch and will probably make you lust for new material from Los Pepiniyoz.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Subumbra - Good People Are Rainbows
Subumbra started like an art audio-video project, a punk band made up of three brothers who recorded their lo-fi songs in a poor home studio. Recently, the project took a new direction as they began to use more electronic instruments and sampling. Subumbra is about taking the core of punk music and merging it with contemporary influences such as chillstep, dubstep and hip hop.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Dasha Shults - Kite
Dasha Shults, a 16-year-old wonder from Saint-Petersburg, has taken her first steps from covering her favorites by Ellie Goulding and Laura Marling to making her own simple, beautiful songs. She sings about kites, nightmares and, of course, love.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Kevin Harper - Kingdom Of Wires
Influenced by warm, fuzzy guitar bands of the American West Coast, Kevin Harper first appeared in the Music Alliance Pact in March 2011 under the guise of Little Eskimos, a solo project that evolved into a group. He's back on his own again, not that you could tell from this talented multi-instrumentalist's canny knack of sounding like a full band is at work. Mr Harper is probably one of the most accomplished pop songwriters in Scotland, yet he's still little-known in his native land. If there's any justice, his forthcoming debut solo album Kingdom Of Wires should change all that.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Halcyon - Building With Sticks
One of the artists we've got on our radar this year is Halcyon (Zhong Ren Koh), who's managed to come out just a little more broken in Singapore's cookie cutter society. We love the singer-songwriter, and we love even more that Halcyon has broken out from that particular mould to become an emerging multi-instrumentalist. His arrangements are delicate and achingly heartfelt - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but it's more real than most of the crap out there.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
From The Airport - Colors
Electro rock duo From The Airport formed in 2012 and they're not afraid to throw other genres in the mix. Second single Everyone's Alright was released last month but here we get to hear them as they first came out with electro-pop debut single Colors, which brought the two producers plenty of positive attention when it was unleashed in October.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Megaafonía - Señor Gutiérrez
Formed in 2005, Megaafonía have been active until this month, when they decided to split due to creative differences, although they will remain friends. They released two albums, Despechado and Tutto, and we will certainly miss their fresh pop (influenced by the likes of ELO, Xavier Cugat and Bom Bom Chip) and their irreverent and highly ironic lyrics.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja
Dödens Dal - Bakom Stjärnor, Bakom Tiden
Dödens Dal is a duo with a fingertip feel and fondness for gloomy, instrumental and really rather mind-boggling electronica. They first came to our attention last year with their brilliantly dark debut single Det Står Skrivet, and now they're back with the pitch-black follow-up Bakom Stjärnor, Bakom Tiden. Both tracks come from the album Gå Ensam Förbi Horisonten, released this month via Flora & Fauna.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Last Leaf Down - Fake Lights In The Sky
Last Leaf Down is a shoegaze outfit from Solothurn. Heavenly, ethereal sounds and distinct, dreamy vocals make them deserving of your attention. Here's their new track Fake Lights In The Sky.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Baykuş - Gel Yeter
Baykuş (once known as Kaotik) comes from the grey city of Ankara where our grunge acts always sprout fertile. Anatolian tunes bound up with post-grunge styling are common but Baykuş succeed in making their sound more solid and more garage-like. Gel Yeter is catchy enough to start a pogo party on its own.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
The Long Wives - The Hollow Fin
The Long Wives' standout track The Hollow Fin is deceivingly gentle. The softly-plucked guitar and the eased restraint of the vocals invite the listener to get close to the speaker and its warm, wispy, radiant sounds. But there's more to this track than meets the ear. Like most great pieces of art that explore the juxtaposition between surface appearances and the evils that can lurk below, the power comes from an unidentifiable element onto which the listener just can't seem to put their finger.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Los Paranoias - No Hace Falta
After almost two years of absence, Los Paranoias return to the scene with No Hace Falta, a single released last month and the first cut of their next studio album Que Se Activen Las Alarmas, scheduled to come out in the coming months.

Music Alliance Pact!

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:19:00 +0000

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Plástico - Cinicos

For the 50th edition of MAP we have chosen a brand new band from a western suburb of Buenos Aires. Plástico's sound is a mixture of trip-rock with some electronic and acoustic elements that caught the attention of famous producer Raphael Gordon (The Strokes). Together they recorded a couple of tracks. One is Subir Al Tren, which was used on their first video. The other is Cinicos, previously unreleased, which is a great preview of their upcoming debut album.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Courtney Barnett - History Eraser

It's hard to pin down what exactly defines that distinct 'Australian' sound. For all the ringing guitar riffs and choruses sung in unison etched into our collective memory, there's something about Australian music that still flails an antipodean flag. We isolate ourselves on the coast; we recycle stories about strangers, lovers and backyard melancholia; we make poetry championing the suburbs. Melbourne singer Courtney Barnett is certainly at home on her track History Eraser. A colloquial ode to The Triffids, ticket inspectors and nights with good company, this track is a perfect summary of the earnest freewheelin' and rambling wit that makes music from this end of the world just so great.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Mauracher - Outer Space Dancer

Outer Space Dancer is the first single from the new, fourth Mauracher album Super Seven, out now on Fabrique Records. For this album, Tyrolean electronic musician Hubert Mauracher has teamed up with singer Sonia Sawoff (of Sawoff Shotgun). Together, they create synth-filled dream-pop with ethereal lyrics such as, "When I close my eyes, I stop thinking".

BRASIL: Meio Desligado

Sexy Fi - Pequeno Dicionário Das Ruas

From our capital Brasília comes Sexy Fi, a band that knows how to make a good first impression. Their debut album was produced by John McEntire (Tortoise) and received great reviews in Brazilian alternative blogs. "Pequeno Dicionário Das Ruas" is the song that opens the album and sees them experiment with indie-rock, resulting in a tropical, alternative sound.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Some Minor Noise - Tape Experiments

Toronto duo Some Minor Noise's Tape Experiment gets its name from the fact that every sound used, except the kick, snare and vocal, was recorded through a 13-year-old cassette deck, an Optimus CTR-117 (Google it), to a very worn cassette tape that's at least 10 years old. The end result has a richness and humanity that's very often missing from electro-pop, and a perfect example of Some Minor Noise's refreshing take on a familiar genre.

CHILE: Super 45

Nader Cabezas - Doble En El Espejo

Synthesizer layers, guitars with heavy feedback and a lo-fi sound are the attributes of duo Nader Cabezas. On their new album, El Hijo Del Mounstruo, released through LeRockPsicophonique, their music goes deeper into this direction, resulting in dense and obscure rock but without losing focus on what matters - the songs. Doble En El Espejo is taken from this album.

CHINA: Wooozy

Chui Wan - Berber

Chui Wan is a four-piece experimental psychedelic rock band from Beijing. Their lush arrangements of guitar, keyboard, viola, other assorted instruments and random sound samples often eschew reliable melodies and vocal harmonies in favor of occasional passages of minimal drone or maximal sonic layerings. They will have their debut release tour with Brooklyn-based band Psychic Ills in China this month.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Alfonso Espriella - Cielo Adentro
Alfonso Espriella is a tireless and dedicated musician who has been making alternative rock for more than 10 years. Joel Hamilton produced his most recent EP, Anima, from which Cielo Adentro ("Heaven Inside") is taken. It evokes marked influences of acts such as Caifanes from Mexico or Robi Draco Rosa from Puerto Rico, with deep lyrics and an emotive sound.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Savage Rose - Soldier On The Run
On Love And Freedom, The Savage Rose's 21st album since their eponymous debut in 1968, the legendary rock outfit stage love and politics on an amazing backdrop of hauntingly soulful rock - just as they did when they were a young band - taken to magical heights by frontwoman Annisette's breathtaking vocal and a performance I could never do justice to in words. Because it's anniversary time on MAP, here's a mindbogglingly exclusive download of Soldier On The Run.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Janio Lora - Mi Nueva Edad
For this MAP special edition, singer-songwriter and dreamer Janio Lora has recorded a new demo. Produced by Argentinian composer Pablo Dacal, Mi Nueva Edad blends elegant tango melodies with poignant lyrics as a preview of what to expect from Janio's upcoming album.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Da Pawn - Casi Siempre
A band's music lasts over time when its songs become part of a generation's culture. Da Pawn, one of the revelations of this year, reworks a popular single by the important electronic indie-pop band Can Can into a beautiful folk-rock song. This track is taken from the free download album Malas Influencias (Remixes y Reversiones), which celebrates the 10th anniversary of Can Can.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Dan Croll - From Nowhere (Ben Gomori's Staring You In The Eye Remix)
Dan Croll is a Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts graduate who doesn't like The Beatles, a folkie who's gone electronic, and a bespectacled boffin who is no softie - in fact, he could have played rugby for England until an accident waylaid his plans. Instead he's the new golden boy of indie Afro-tinged synth'n'b. From Nowhere is his debut single, a catchy slice of electro-pop with a breezy vocal about losing control and a hook designed to lodge in your skull.

FINLAND: Glue
Statues Made Of Matchsticks - If I Didn't Comb My Hair
Folk trio Statues Made Of Matchsticks joins the 50th MAP post celebration with an exclusive song recorded at their rehearsal room this month. If I Didn't Comb My Hair features the band's signature laid-back acoustic sounds and a sweet pop melody to create a perfect sunset-on-front-porch kind of song.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired
Colours In The Street - Paper Child
Colours In The Street's members are still in high school but have acquired a big following with only two years behind them thanks to delightful pop songs with strong English influences and a very thorough sense of composition. Having won several contests with only the few songs from their first EP, Euphory, they decided to push further and have been recording a second EP, Paper Child, due out on December 15, from which this song is taken. Watch them playing an acoustic set in a bathroom here .

GERMANY: Coltran
Touchy Mob - Seven Hills (Afternoon Touchymap version)
I'm very proud to present an exclusive recording by my favourite German artist Ludwig Plath aka Touchy Mob, who was first featured on MAP in February 2011. He has reworked his song Seven Hills with guitar, bass and rattle - resulting in something he calls 'fuzzybuzzy'. I love his velvet voice and how his attention to detail and songwriting skills make my hair stand on end.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Le Page - Ileana
Le Page is a secret worth knowing about. They are clearly ready to step out from the shadows and play timeless music intended for dreamers and romantics. Their new digital single feels like the product of careful, thoughtful growth, bringing in new influences while maintaining the group's core sound. It makes an indelible mark. Shimmering, beguiling and evocative, Ileana is a song that boldly merges the subtle and the overt. It will haunt you for many days to come.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Biggi Hilmars - War Hero
War Hero is the second single from Biggi's upcoming solo album All We Can Be. It is a rearrangement of Ponds, one of Biggi's most sought-after compositions, which has been featured on numerous films, TV series and commercials around the globe. Biggi wrote the lyrics and dedicated the song to his sister Agusta, who had been fighting cancer for years. She is the War Hero.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Harlan Boer - Kiri Kanan
Harlan Boer is a humble singer who writes simple yet sophisticated lyrics and infuses them in melodic, acoustic arrangements. Kiri Kanan is a glorious indie-pop tune.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Owensie - Distance Of Her Love
Distance Of Her Love is possibly the first song that could be called an Irish bossa nova tune, but that description doesn't tell the whole story. Lilting bright guitar with a Brazilian slant and Michael Owens' threadbare falsetto lead the way on a song about a mother's faraway son, while the mournful brass underscores the lyrical sentiment. It's taken from Owensie's confident second album Citizens.

ITALY: Polaroid
Crimea X - Essential
Crimea X is the project of Jukka Reverberi, from cult indie band Giardini Di Mirò, and DJ Rocca (Maffia Soundsystem). They play cosmic disco with krautrock and Marxist influences. If space stations have radios, they'll definitely be playing some Crimea X on repeat. In February 2013, Crimea X will release their second album, Another, produced by Bjørn Torske (Smalltown Supersound), and Essential is a MAP exclusive preview.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
For Tracy Hyde - Shady Lane Sherbert
Over the past year, Japan has been experiencing a boom in indie-pop music, with artists from every corner of the country embracing twee sounds. New Tokyo trio For Tracy Hyde are similarly enchanted, but unlike a lot of their peers they incorporate more experimental touches into their music. Shady Lane Sherbert brings in a sprinkling of chillwave, but does so in a way that keeps the song bouncy.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Beangrowers - Ranchero
For more than a decade, Beangrowers have been Malta's indie ambassadors, having released albums and played tours on both sides of the Atlantic. The female-fronted trio can always be counted on to deliver quirky, off-the-wall but nonetheless catchy numbers. With all three members living in different countries for the past couple of years, the good news is that they have now regrouped and a new EP is in the works.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Niñovan - Pequeño Folk
Apparently the beautiful Baja California landscapes are inspiring enough to write and record simple, innocent folk songs. At least that's what we imagine while listening to Niñovan, a boy/girl duo from the coastal city of Ensenada. Karina Niño and Efraín de la Rocha released their first album, Pequeño Folk, this year and won a place in this month's MAP through an open announcement we recently made at Panamérika. Their song Pequeño Folk (translated as "Little Folk") puts the emphasis on the infantile aura of this project, projected even in their own name ("niño" means "child" in Spanish), and perfectly sums up their ideas and imagination.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!
Vox Von Braun - Dig A Hole
Vox Von Braun are the undisputed chroniclers of the seedier aspects of Dutch provincial life. Habitual stoners, gonzo wannabes and possibly the laziest and unluckiest of outfits, you're more likely to see them mooching about all-night bars in Groningen than performing anywhere near you. But there's strength in adversity: this most charming of bands harness their kitchen sink romance to one of the most beautiful, crystalline walls of sound you'll encounter. And for such a horizontal bunch they have influential fans: the new LP was mixed by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and recorded in Brighton by Matt Thwaites from The Electric Soft Parade. MAP exclusive track Dig A Hole features Brenda of bozo poets Spilt Milk, with their second LP, Rich & On Wheels, out in December.

PERU: SoTB
Francois Peglau - Life Is Indefinable
This month the Music Alliance Pact turns 50 and, to celebrate, we bring you an unreleased song recorded by Francois Peglau especially for the landmark. Life Is Indefinable is dedicated to his newborn son and has a beautiful acoustic warmth and much tenderness. The London-based Peruvian is working on his second album. You can watch the video for his latest single Everybody Loves Me, filmed in New York, here.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
Plug&Play - Cities I'll Never Go To
Plug&Play is changing. Having been on the Polish alternative scene for about six years, they're moving from post-punk/dance-punk origins to more sophisticated song structures, a good example of which is Cities I'll Never Go To. The lyrics of this track are a metaphorical journey through different cities all over the world. Since we're on MAP check if your hometown is one of them.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Balla - A Casa (Wall Of Sound Mix)
For this very special 50th post/month, multi-instrumentalist and producer Armando Teixeira, one of the most talented Portuguese composers, offers MAP and its followers an exclusive new mix for A Casa, one of his tracks from Balla's new album, Canções. The original version as well as the full album are available for free from his website.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Los Niños Estelares - Satya Yuga Está Por Comenzar (Sesión Archipiélago)
Clearly the product of an internet age, Los Niños Estelares unleashed their brand of heartfelt and biting satire on an unsuspecting Puerto Rican populace four years ago via YouTube. Half a million views later, the duo is back with Satya Yuga Está Por Comenzar, a direct sequel to their most popular song. Fernando Castro-Álvarez barely catches his breath as he lays out the path to righteousness through internal struggle, while Darío Constaín keeps things simple on the guitar, allowing the lyrics to take center stage. This special live take, a preview of the band's upcoming fourth album, was recorded for Puerto Rico Indie's Archipiélago video series and is available exclusively for download here.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
We Singing Colors - Cantec De Seara
As a special gift for the MAP anniversary, our friends from We Singing Colors have prepared a simple but intense song in their familiar acoustic/electronic style. Their intimate set-up combines vocals, guitar, handmade instruments and beautiful lyrics in Romanian.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
DZA - I Love U
After the successful launch of his Surrender EP, DZA drops a new tune, I Love U, on his SoundCloud. The famous Russian beatmaker twists the classic chiptune-style sound into the house playground. Big up, Sasha!

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire - Queenstown
When I launched the Music Alliance Pact with a dozen blogs in October 2008, I never imagined it would be going as strong as it is today, with 40 countries around the world now part of the project. For this, the 50th consecutive month of MAP, I'm returning to where it all started with my first ever Scottish pick, Roddy Hart, albeit in his full-band guise. The Glaswegian has vacated the singer-songwriter path and is aiming for a Springsteen meets The National vibe with Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire's self-titled album, due out in spring 2013 and produced by Danton Supple (Coldplay). From it, savour the compelling Queenstown, a MAP exclusive download.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Gema - Before
Gema's debut EP Before is a sprawling canvas of sounds, textures, layers, beats and samples that come together to form a cohesive theme of soulful disturbia. I'm somewhat afraid of what I might find inside Gema's head. Every sound seems to have a sort of nascent meaning, which is scary because such premeditated behaviour has no place in the hands of a musician capable of carving another world straight into your skull. He's one of the newest additions to the Syndicate stable, and we hope the marriage of the two will equal three.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Diamond Thug - Lipstick Stains
A smattering of synths, piercing vocals and some cutting lyrics turn Diamond Thug's Lipstick Stains into instantly addictive listening. The trio is made up of Danilo, Dylan and Chantel, and while the project is in its infancy, given the quality of work they are producing they'll soon be making waves.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Hugh Keice - We Are Islands (acoustic)
Originally from Seoul, London-based singer-songwriter Hugh Keice counts both John Mayer and Jamiroquai as influences, owning to a sound that ranges from acoustic pop to neo soul. His third EP, Slow Tree, is scheduled for release in January. He has recorded an acoustic version of his new song, We Are Islands, exclusively for MAP.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Ceremoney - Morning Body
We are always pleased to hear new tracks we can dance to, and that's exactly what Ceremoney has delivered with Morning Body. They describe their sound as post-tropipunk, probably influenced by the crossbreeding of Hispanic and British cultures you find in the Balearic Islands, where they're from. They craft post-punk with tropical, danceable roots, which is fresh to listen to and perfect to move your body to.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja
Last Lynx - Killing Switch
Last Lynx is a Stockholm-based band inspired by the organic 60s, howling wolves and modern electro-pop. When those worlds collide and become one, magic happens. The young quartet mixes slick guitar grooves with well thought-out electronic elements and wonderful vocals, with amazing and highly addictive results. Killing Switch is the first single off their as-yet-untitled sophomore EP, due out in early 2013 via SoFo Records.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
The Monofones - Drop Dead
The Monofones hail from Berne and play straight-edge garage rock right in your face and heart. They've just released their third album Super Hits. For the 50th edition of the Music Alliance Pact they have made an exclusive recording of Drop Dead, which is straightforward, raw and dirty.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Seni Görmem İmkansız - Tarçın Gezegeni
Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, always boasts Turkey's most interesting new acts. The two young women who make up Seni Görmem İmkansız are BFFs who down doubles of rakı, our national drink, on stage. It actually fits when you consider their band name means "impossible to see you", a line from an unnecessarily depressing Arabesque song from the 80s that goes instinctively well with rakı. In Tarçın Gezegeni, synths and drums take us back to that decade, with the sultanic melody of a toy melodica creating a weirdly elegant and hard-drinking piece of work.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
The Pass - Real Summer
For MAP's 50th month of posting, electro-rock outfit The Pass have allowed us to post a web exclusive track off their new album Melt. Real Summer is a tornado of sound that builds and builds with each note. Have your ears perked from the three-minute mark to close - it's one of the best stretches of music this year.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Audrey Holder - Cuando No Sé De Ti
Audrey Holder is a young woman from Caracas whose melodious voice is part of the Cantoría José Antonio Anzoátegui, one of Venezuela's leading choirs. She's preparing her first album, but here we can hear an acoustic track she recorded earlier this year.

50th Music Alliance Pact edition

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:20:00 +0000

Download the whole compilation or listen above.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Trebian - Modernidad

Trebian is a folk trio from Buenos Aires. Their songs are acoustic-driven with wood percussion and, above it all, the beautiful voice of lead singer Sofía Galarce. Modernidad is a preview from their upcoming second album, which will be released later this year.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Mansion, Alaska - Steps

If a 'best of' compilation was made featuring the top American indie tunes of the last four years or so, this track would probably sum them all up. Mansion, Alaska may be channelling a sound similar to Local Natives, Grizzly Bear or even Volcano Choir's debut at times, but comparisons aside - what an impressive track from this young Melbourne band. Steps is seamless: beautiful harmonies, flowing piano arpeggios, sharp percussion and some dreamy guitar work gravitating around stratosphere level.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

B. Fleischmann - I'm Not Ready For The Grave Yet

Working in a bookshop and on various musical projects as well as composing scores for TV series, electronica veteran Bernhard Fleischmann is a busy bee. On his new album I'm Not Ready For The Grave Yet, he uses his own voice for the first time instead of inviting guest singers. Occasionally he also adds film snippets, such as in the album's title track.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra - Afrodisíaco

Afrobeat is the sound of the moment in Brazil. Bands such as Bixiga70 and Iconili are presenting the genre to a new generation and in Rio de Janeiro the main representative of this trend is the Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra. Afrodisíaco is an example of the band's trippy music.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

The Wilderness Of Manitoba - White Woods

Like their namesake, The Wilderness Of Manitoba is a Canadian national treasure, and one of our best kept secrets. Their lush harmonies, delicate melodies and sparkling arrangements seem to always be attuned to their environment, creating music that sounds like it's sprung from fertile patches in the Canadian Shield, blooming against all odds. White Woods is taken from their new album, Island Of Echoes, which introduces electric guitars to give their music a whole new pulse and feel.

CHILE: Super 45

Shogún - Unciónextrema

Cristián Heyne, a producer whose output ranges from mainstream (Enrique Iglesias, La Ley) to indie (Javiera Mena, Gepe), has always kept his own musical project, Shogún, under a discrete, hermetic cover. With only a few limited edition records and a handful of shows, he has attained a faithful cult following that has endured the last 15 years. His complete recordings were recently released via iTunes, giving a new life to his previously hard-to-find and unavailable works. Unciónextrema is El Brujo's opening track.

CHINA: Wooozy

The Gar - Love Will Lost Your Love

One of China's most beloved cult indie bands, The Gar is without equal in both substance and acclaim. Wholly unconcerned with the trappings of stardom, they arrive, play their hearts out and exit stage left, blending seamlessly back into the crowds. On stage, however, the band transports audience members to a sonic wonderland coloured with soaring harmonies and unforgettable lyrics. The Gar just released their new EP, The City Of Burning Identities.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Ondatrópica - 3 Reyes De La Terapia

This is what we call a supergroup. The union between Colombian musician Mario Galeano, from Frente Cumbiero, and English producer Will Holland, aka Quantic, resulted in Ondatrópica - a musical research project through Colombian tropical sounds. Both Galeano and Quantic, scholars of Colombian and electronic rhythms, were given the task of recreating traditional sounds with vintage equipment and old recording techniques, but searching for its contemporaneity. Proof of this is 3 Reyes de la Terapia ("3 Kings Of Therapy"), featuring Juan Carlos Puello, which was made using a marimba, accordion and beatbox.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

Kjartan Bue - Rosen And Danny

Half Norwegian, half Danish and raised in Denmark, Kjartan Bue debuts his five-track alt-country EP Man Riding Backwards on November 15 (I've heard it and it's great). Here's Rosen And Danny as a MAP exclusive download, and do make sure you also check out the title track and closing ballad Old Woman here - the latter is also up for free download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera

El Gran Poder De Diosa - Moriviví

A Moriviví is a minuscule tropical plant that has an unusual reaction when touched: it folds up and "dies" then "comes back to life" after several minutes. This song by reggae/Caribbean-influenced band El Gran Poder De Diosa reflects that internal debate between life and death, good and evil, through soothing tunes and clever wordplay.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria

Clo Sismico - Cassette Pirata

Clo Sismico is a renowned musician, producer and MC. He is founder of two important bands in the local independent music scene, 38 Que No Juega (hip hop) and Punto De Encaje (hardcore). This year Clo Sismico released his second album, Cassette Pirata, which blends rap, funk and Latin music with explosive, direct lyrics.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Nadine Shah - Aching Bones

Straight out of Whitburn comes this singer and pianist-guitarist of Norwegian and Pakistani parentage who actually sounds more like the love child of Nick Cave and Polly Harvey. Shah's tales of lust and loss, revenge and regret are female takes on Trent Reznor's industrial blues, her voice redolent of the battle-worn Marianne Faithfull circa Broken English. The title track of her EP is vengefully dark business as usual for Shah as she roars over an insistent clang that provides the rhythm for the song. Her debut album Love Your Dumb And Mad, due early next year, should be a fiery, passionate hoot.

FINLAND: Glue

Paperfangs - Everyday

Paperfangs is a dream-pop trio that draws inspiration from old movies, visual arts, geometric shapes, late-night biking trips, vintage girl groups, chamber pop and shoegaze as well as the latest indie gems. A debut album will not be ready until next year, but in the meantime we can enjoy the band's take on one of the greatest melody makers ever as the trio covers Buddy Holly's Everyday.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired

Total Warr - xxx Hate xxx

Total Warr are not complete unknowns in the blogosphere, having been widely praised for their sweet electro-pop. Stereogum premiered xxx HATE xxx back in May and now that the Corbay EP is out, you don't have any more excuses not to listen to it.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

VIMES - UpStairs

It's getting cold really fast these days so let's turn to some music which may give us comfort. Cologne newcomers VIMES is a duo with a penchant for vibrant electronic music. The voice of Azhar Syed gives the electronics of Julian Stetter a melancholic and yearning touch, thereby making VIMES recognisable. Live they are accompanied by VJ Till Beutling for a complete audiovisual experience. They are currently recording their debut album.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

Circassian - Eastern Patterns

Circassian is a quartet formed in Athens in 2008. Their music demonstrates their traditions and habits, while their philosophy is based on bringing together experimental, neo-psychedelic patterns and forms of atonality along with ethnic melodies drawn from parts of Asia and Northern Africa. They create an eerie yet intimate atmosphere with a distinctive sound. Their second EP, Procrastinational, is available on Bandcamp.

ICELAND: Rjóminn

Borko - Born To Be Free

Born To Be Free is Borko's first single from his long-awaited sophomore album, also named Born To Be Free, released in Iceland this month through Kimi Records and on November 2 through Sound Of A Handshake for the rest of the world. Borko's first LP, Celebrating Life, was released to rave reviews.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Rock N Roll Mafia - Never Give Up

Indonesia's finest electro band is back with their new album Prodigal, produced by Widi Puradiredja. Their sound is so fresh, optimistic and definitely danceable.

IRELAND: Nialler9

Lar Kaye - Effector

While his main band Adebisi Shank are between things, guitarist Lar Kaye has been at his musical toy box and that bout of activity has resulted in a dizzying five-track solo EP. Effector is a hyperactive child of a song featuring pounding drum crashes, 8-bit melodies, cartoon samples, R&B female vocals and spiralling guitar notes. The sound of one man having a lot of fun and dishing it out for free. Infectious.

ITALY: Polaroid

Montgomery - Refrigerator

It was very hard to choose just one song from the split EP by Montgomery and ED (available for free download on Bandcamp). Every track captures a perfect moment of acoustic pop, both light and moving, so my advice is to check out both acts. I picked Refrigerator by Montgomery because it's the best 'goodnight' song I've heard in a long time. Montgomery is a promising new group from Verona with members from the bands Canadians and Le Man Avec Les Lunettes.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

mus.hiba - Magical Fizzy Drink

Magical Fizzy Drink features vocals courtesy of Yufu Sekka. Thing is, Yufu Sekka is not a real person but rather a character tied to something called Vocaloid software, a singing synthesizer program. Tokyo-based artist mus.hiba uses this program in a way few in Japan have - instead of using the digital singing as a diva stand-in, Yufu Sekka gets turned into an electronic ghost haunting the background of this gorgeous, heady production.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Brikkuni - Fil-Gallinar Tas-Sultan

Torn between their arty pretensions and a morbid fascination with kitsch, Brikkuni ("scoundrels") try to have a stab at both. With Fil-Gallinar Tas-Sultan, the band leaves no stone unturned in its determined quest to marry reluctant bedfellows. The lyrics, sung in Maltese, recount a particularly tense day in a chicken coop owned by the titular Sultan. Riffs rise and ebb and rise again, leading to an an epic conclusion underscored by horns, strings and a pulsating bass line, all strung together by an insistent keyboard motif and... a purple chicken struggling to take flight. The song is taken from Brikkuni's sophomore album Trabokk.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Los Macuanos - Sangre, Bandera, Cruz

Like a reveille amidst times of war against drug trafficking, Tijuana's Los Macuanos have released what may well be the curfew at the sunset of president Felipe Calderón's administration, with his six years of futile strategies having left more than 70,000 human losses. Sangre, Bandera, Cruz (translated as "Blood, Flag, Cross", written with witchcraft-associated symbols) is an ironic testimony that pictures the zeitgeist of Mexico during 2006-2012.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!

WOLVON - Unicorny

This summer, Dutch bands WOLVON and Neon Rainbows set off on tour through the Balkans, playing in four countries of the former Yugoslavia. Whilst battling the blistering heat, bored/corrupt border police, broken vehicles, stray dogs and their own preconceptions about Southeastern Europe, it was decided they'd release a split 7" to commemorate the experience. Unicorny is WOLVON's side of the record, launched during the independent culture festival Incubate last month. This noisy dream-pop trio has made a name for itself while touring the Dutch underground, thanks in part to their maniacal live antics. They're currently recording their debut full-length, which will be released through Subroutine Records in spring 2013.

PERU: SoTB

Pamela Rodríguez - Re-conozco

Pamela Rodríguez is one of the best female voices in Peru, and recently received a Latin Grammy nomination for her third album Reconocer, which is both fresh and intense with a lot of pop inclination. The truth is that when her music starts to play, something magical happens in the ears of the listener. No matter what style she chooses, the true protagonist of her songs will always be her voice - sweet, free, sincere and perfect. Re-conozco is a beautiful and exciting piano song like few others.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog

KAMP! - Cairo

It's no exaggeration to say that KAMP! is the most popular band in Poland without an album to their name (although their debut record is due in November). Their elegant pop songs and fantastic live shows, which has included SXSW in Texas, have created a great buzz around this trio. Cairo was originally released as a single on Portuguese label Discotexas.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

The Weatherman - Proper Goodbye

Alexandre Monteiro (aka The Weatherman), after his presence on MAP in January 2009, is back with a new single which opens the way for his new album, Weatherman. A more intimate and autobiographical set of pure pop songs than his previous two albums, it's a sort of trip to outer space with plenty of time to think about life, where one can be viewed but can't view the observers.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Fantasmes - Redness Moon

Mario Negron and Dario Morales have been working together in psychedelic ensemble Fantasmes since 2007. For their third release, Redness Moon, Fantasmes required a space where they could compose, rehearse and record at their own pace, free from external pressures. And so a house in Santurce - San Juan's vibrant arts mecca - became Casa Fantasmes, where the duo worked tirelessly for months. The outstanding result of these sessions is their first release for New York indie label Last Bummer Records - a trippy, sci-fi, end-of-days dystopian video for first single Redness Moon was directed by Danilo Parra and is well worth your time.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Manfellow - Why

Manfellow are an alternative rock band founded in Bucharest in 2011. They are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances and their fusion of many genres, including post-rock, progressive rock, alternative rock and electronic music. In December, they will represent Romania at The Global Battle Of Bands world final in London.

RUSSIA: Big Echo

Anton Malinen - Rain Song

After his successful debut Cape Of Good Hope, Anton Malinen from Saint Petersburg has released several songs through social networks. His impressive guitar and piano-based folk music continues to charm an online audience, but if Anton wants nothing more than some nice green tea for his songs, let it be the best supply for a few years at least!

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Kitty The Lion - Duck!

There's cute and then there's Kitty The Lion cute, and the promo video for Duck! really does take this Glasgow band to unsurpassable levels of adorability. Frontwoman Anna Meldrum seems to set herself a personal challenge of writing songs about subject matters that are as mundane as possible, but first impressions can be deceiving. Closer inspection of her lyrics reveals exceptionally clever wordplay and crafty double entendres. What isn't ambiguous is Kitty The Lion's pop heart, with a near-flawless grasp of melody flowing through their indie-folk veins.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

Galactica - Saul's Tighs

In a little-known recess in Singapore's music scene, there existed a group of science fiction aficionados with a common love for the space odyssey Battlestar Galactica. They went on to write some dreamily-inspired shoegaze with titles such as Saul's Tighs and Gaius Is Crying... Again, referencing series characters Colonel Saul Tigh and Dr Gaius Baltar. While the concept is an inside joke, the music is anything but. Their songcraft and taste in melodies evoke an immense sense of loss in the immeasurable vastness of space. It takes you back to the heyday of science fiction when the music was sprawling and searching, as opposed to present-day equivalents of over-budgeted pyrotechnics.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

404 - Water

Two-piece band 404 comes from the most interesting part of Korea's indie music scene. Not looking to put a label to their music, they say it's simply "what a guitar/drum two-piece band would sound like in Korea in the year 2012". They recently released their first album, aptly titled 1, featuring their take on post-punk, modern rock, noise, folk-pop and a hint of blues in a surprisingly coherent mix. Water progresses playfully in a way that makes it impossible to sit entirely still while listening.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Wilhelm & The Dancing Animals - Elephant

Wilhelm & The Dancing Animals are from Pamplona, home town of a new wave of indie bands. Their sound can be described as folk with punk/rock influences and the animal kingdom is a feature that is often repeated in their work. They're certainly a band to follow, as we can tell from listening to their first album.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja

Thus:Owls - White Night

Thus:Owls is a Swedish/Canadian five-piece led by singer and composer Erika Angell. Together they craft carefully arranged, moving and melancholic pop with cinematic elements that's just simply beautiful. Their widely and rightfully praised sophomore album Harbours is out now via Avalanche (North America) and Hoob Records (Sweden), and will be released in the rest of Europe next year on  Kytopia.

SWITZERLAND: 78s

Monotales - It's Alright

Velvet Underground, country, Americana, college-indie-rock, hair metal... you name it, Monotales have got it. They've just released their sophomore album Hidden Thrills. Anything other than a lot of fun would have been a disappointment. And we looked anything other than disappointed after hearing it for the first time.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT

Surrender! - Conflicted

Surrender! is one of the newest, emerging electronic music producers in the Turkish dance scene. Conflicted is one of his older tracks, but we are already excited about the upcoming album which will definitely be worth checking out.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You

The Cairo Gang - Everybody Knows

The Cairo Gang make drifting seem like the only way to go about life. Their music hovers slightly above, moving at its own pace and coming down in a soft swoop at all the right moments. Hailing from Kentucky, The Cairo Gang bring warmth and introspection to the harshest country winters.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

Sincrónica - EsCupido

Sincrónica is a power trio formed in Caracas in 2001 when they participated in a college rock festival. Between 2002 and 2010 they recorded several EPs, before finally releasing their first album, Todo Lo Que No Sabes, in 2011. From this, we present the simple song EsCupido, which is also being included in the video game Rock Band.

Dibigode at Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 04:59:00 +0000

38 tracks at this month's Music Alliance Pact, with brazilian band Dibigode. Download the whole compilation or listen to the tracks above.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Dibigode - Mariposa (A Lagartixa E O Urubu)
Dibigode is a creative band formed by five young multi-instrumentists who make post-rock music full of melodic lines and dynamic sounds. This version of "Mariposa (a lagartixa e o urubu)" is part of the new remastered version of their debut album, "Naturais e idênticos ao natural de pimentas da Jamaica e preta", available for free download at the band's website.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Sobrenadar - 1859

Born in Chaco, Paula García relocated to Buenos Aires for the first time in 2006 to study music production. Since then, coming and going between Chaco and the capital, she adopted the Sobrenadar identity, developing it through two LPs and three EPs, self-released digitally. 1859 is her latest album, and the highest point of that constant evolution. Released through Bandcamp during the first half of this year, it has already obtained several reviews that name her as one of the most promising new local electronica artists. The song 1859 is a bonus track from a special reissue by Mamushka Dogs Records.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Bad Dreems - Too Old

Any of our overseas friends who are fans of The Twerps, do tune in. Sydney via Adelaide four-piece Bad Dreems are one of the best Australian bands at the moment (in our humble opinion). Too Old is about a fizzling relationship, with a nod to the humdrum routine somewhere in between. Its delivery is anything but boring, though. Loose treble riffs, vocalist Ben Marwe's casual drone and arguably the catchiest hook being passed around all make this track so great. If only everyone else took a cue from these guys and stopped trying so hard to sound good. Downer-pop at its best.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Dust Covered Carpet - Fragile Soul / Heavy Heart

"A rooftop above concrete or a cliff above the shore or an accident on the street." The first lines of Fragile Soul / Heavy Heart set the tone for the rest of this strangely calm, reduced and peaceful song that is, after all, about suicide. It is no surprise, then, that Dust Covered Carpet are based in a city with a well-known affinity for all things morbid: Vienna.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Evening Hymns - Arrows

On his second album as Evening Hymns, Jonas Bonnetta has made public his very private and personal response to his father's passing. There are moments of sentimentality and sweetness, and there are times when raw nerves are exposed, stinging with pain and heartache. Arrows is a touching, haunting song about the ghosts that linger long after a loved one has passed away.

CHILE: Super 45

Ases Falsos - La Sinceridad Del Cosmos

Ases Falsos present their debut album Juventud Americana (Arca Discos), a collection of songs that refer to the Latin American ideology yet manage to sound contemporary at the same time. The classy use of synthesizers, the meticulous vocal harmonies and the melodic wrapping are, along with irony-filled lyrics but with a strong political and social meaning, the highlights of this work. Our pick is La Sinceridad Del Cosmos ("The sincerity of the cosmos"), a song that questions police brutality... from an animal's point of view.

CHINA: Wooozy

Baby Formula - Warm Song

Baby Formula, currently the only shoegaze band in Beijing who plays dream pop live, are formed by an artist who dedicates himself to being a loser, a senior who doesn't know where to get a master's degree and a writer who hasn't sold any piece of work yet. Their music is influenced by a wide range of bands from Slowdive to The Radio Dept.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Bomba Estéreo - Pa' Respirar

After four years of waiting, electro-cumbia group Bomba Estéreo returns with a more reflective album in which they explore their essence, but without forgetting their Caribbean power. Pa' Respirar means "to breathe", a theme that reflects the band's new vibe, where you can feel the world they inhabit.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

Indianna Dawn - I Always Miss You

There's been a new wave of Americana and country music sweeping Denmark in the past few years (I say 'new' - I don't really think there ever was one before) and one representative of this is the quintet Indianna Dawn, centered around singer and songwriter Dianna Dønns. MAP exclusive download I Always Miss You is from their great debut album Somebody's Dead.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera

Duluc - La Mano Partía

From the depths of rural laments, La Casetera's first MAP submission is all about Dominican folklore. José Duluc is part of our musical history, playing alongside iconic rock star Luis "Terror" Días for many years. His nostalgic approach to peasant work on his latest song, La Mano Partía, makes us contemplate the aspirations of the less fortunate and their longing to be generously rewarded someday.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Woodpecker Wooliams - Crow

Woodpecker Wooliams aka Brighton girl Gemma Williams is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and for once that term is true: the former midwife plays harp, kora, omnichord, keyboard, harmonium, electric organ, accordion, penny whistle, clarinet, bells, glockenspiel, electric shruti box, recorder and drums. She's also more Björk than Beyoncé, a kookstress with a high chirrup of a voice and a back-story involving a bird obsession and a bee fetish. Don't expect wall-to-wall cute, though. On Crow, one of several avian-related titles on her The Bird School Of Being Human album, she sings about building "a great funeral pyre" as the music becomes increasingly clanging and industrial. Prepare to be haunted long after it ends.

FINLAND: Glue

Skip Zone - Leaving Planet Boredom

Skip Zone is a six-piece folk-rock band from Helsinki that performs mid-tempo cosmic Americana songs with some outstanding vocal harmonies and catchy pop melodies. A little bit early Wilco here and a little bit Ryan Adams there create well-crafted songs. Skip Zone's debut EP can be heard on SoundCloud in its entirety.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired

Aud - Violets

Aud is a folk-pop duet hailing from Nancy, heavily influenced by Patrick Watson, Sufjan Stevens, Beirut and other indie acts. Their first EP, Origami, released in 2010, brought them much success and Violets is taken from their second one, The Death Of The Stag God, released on September 14. Not only are they brilliant lyricists, but also exceptional multi-instrumentists who use guitars, drums, pianos, glockenspiel and harmonica to create a diverse spectrum of sounds and feelings.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Stabil Elite - Hydravion

Let's conclude our series on new Kraut with this fine trio from Duesseldorf, whose debut Douze Pouze had quite an impact on German music scene. They combine the charm of monotony and repetitive patterns with distinctive lyrics reminiscent of Neue Deutsche Welle. But Stabil Elite is not just one of those retro bands - it's mature, handmade music with a great range of originality.

ICELAND: Rjóminn

Monotown - Can Deny

Monotown just finished their debut album in a collaboration with four-time Grammy-winning mixing engineer Michael Brauer. While the album's narrative may have roots in their motherland, its sound will be equal parts American western film score and Beatles psychedelia, flavored with haunting textures reminiscent of contemporary indie-rock bands.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Brilliant At Breakfast - Gundala Putra Petir

Brilliant At Breakfast are one of this country's finest indie-pop/twee-pop bands. Hailing from Yogyakarta, they already enjoy a global reach, distributing their records around the world via Apple Crumble (Japan), Hands And Arms (France), Susy Records and many more. Enjoy their heartfelt tune Gundala Putra Petir.

IRELAND: Nialler9

Forrests - Tarifa

The duo of Paul O' Reilly and Owen O' Mahony only have two Forrests tracks available online but form from their other band Channel One and a couple of super live shows have confirmed them as a vital prospect. Their music reaches for the night sky, à la M83 or Fuck Buttons with a crisp digital sheen and warm breaths. Tarifa is a beauty.

ITALY: Polaroid

Go Dugong - White Sun (feat. Welcome Back Sailors)

Listening to this song in September may be painful: the level of nostalgia for the summer that just faded away (at least on this side of the globe) can become dangerously high. In any case, the music Go Dugong makes is so good it's worth it - sunny synths, samples lost in the echoes and lots of beats. Go Dugong is the solo project of Giulio Fonseca (from the brilliant band København Store) and he just released his first EP on the Czech label AMDISCS.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

Fancy Books - Sister Carry Stars

Saitama duo Fancy Books takes a lot of cues from groups currently generating buzz in Tokyo, especially blog-approved outfits Jesse Ruins and Sapphire Slows, whose sounds swirl dance music with unsettling ambient touches. Sister Carry Stars, though, leans closer to pop, with a jaunty melody and sweet vocals that sound inviting. Still, Fancy Books take an otherwise summer-friendly number and turn it woozy with their synths.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Tollens - Beautiful Day

Tollens (real name Ryan Formosa) bought his first guitar at age 13, but it was only recently that he started recording proper songs. He came up with the name as a nod to Bernhard Tollens, the German chemist. After unleashing his first EP on SoundCloud to good feedback from friends and even people he'd never met, he decided to take it further. Beautiful Day is taken from the EP Drowning In A Dream - a proverbial bedroom-pop rollercoaster, available as a free download from Bandcamp.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Eddie Mercury - In Mexico

September 15 marks Mexico's National Day, and to set the mood for a chauvinistic party we've brought in local Electrique Music genius Eddie Mercury. On this eight-minute bouncing trance, a digitally bloated voice emphasises he wasn't born in New York, Chicago or Detroit - he was born "In Mexico". So let's dress in red, white and green and insanely dance to this new national (house) anthem.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!

Spilt Milk - Our Despised Decay

During the dark days of December 2011, Amsterdam-based quintet Spilt Milk found comfort in the first eight published poems by American modernist poet Wallace Stevens (1879-1955). Gathered under the title Carnet De Voyage ("Travel Notebook"), these songs are full of stars, sunsets, landscapes and rivers. Although Stevens' poetry may not be the easiest or permeable, listening to Spilt Milk's drone-folk adaptations makes entering his Buddhist-like, abstract view of the world a rewarding experience.

PERU: SoTB

The Cocainers - Let's Dance

Although The Cocainers' career is very new - they formed only five months ago in Lima - it looks very promising. They are in the process of making their first album, but already we can find songs at the level of Let's Dance. With its old school rock, vibrating vocals, electro touches and an inherent indie flavor, it's a powerful song which will make your muscles move without you noticing.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog

Muzyka Końca Lata - Dokąd

OK, so this track might be from 2011 and the name of the band means "music of the end of the summer", but Dokąd is earning international fame, having been voted Song of the Summer 2012 in a contest run by popular Seattle-based podcast Too Beautiful To Live. Muzyka Końca Lata is influenced by bigbit - a popular genre in Poland in the 60s - and you can check out the beautiful lyrics of Dokąd here.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

Minta & The Brook Trout - Falcon

Minta & The Brook Trout are one of the most interesting Portuguese bands around. They were first in MAP in December 2010; Now they are back with their new album, Olympia, out on September 17. To celebrate the release, here's the first single, Falcon.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Dandy And The Walkers - Video Ho

Out of the blue, Dandy And The Walkers broke into the Puerto Rican independent scene late this summer with this single, Video Ho. A shared love of The Shirleys and The Ronettes brought Michelle Fernández, Melissa Collazo and Enrique Olivares together, while their sonic exploration led them to recruit Laira Díaz, César Jiménez and Juanto Arrroyo. Mario Negrón (of psych-rockers, Fantasmes) got them to record at Casa Fantasmes, producing this track which showcases the raw talent and contagiously fun vibe the ensemble is able to create. Dandy And The Walkers are currently recording their first album.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Popa Sapka - Stinky Bastards

The music of Popa Sapka, heavily influenced by Balkanic melodies and rhythms, is a mix of ska, pop, punk, gypsy, reggae, folk and the traditional music of 'mother Russia'. Their lyrics, originating from the band's multicultural background, present a twisted mix of English, Russian, Romanian and Gagauzian languages. The light-heartedness and sincerity of their songs are what makes Popa Sapka so appealing.

RUSSIA: Big Echo

FPRF - Crystallization Point

Novosibirsk-based shoegaze band FPRF prepares for its next full-length release with Crystallization Point, a calm and beautiful slow-burning jam backed with remixes by beats producer Ta-ku and future garage from Nocow.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Siobhan Wilson - All Dressed Up

Siobhan Wilson's music pursuits have taken the 24-year-old from her native Scotland to a surprise pop career in France, back to Scotland and now London, where she finds herself charming all-comers with her folky, jazzy bilingual storytelling and cartoon-like glamour. Unrequited love is the dish of the day in All Dressed Up, the captivating standout track of her just-released mini-album Glorified Demons.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

FAUXE - Be My Love

A mysterious force has been brewing in Singapore, bubbling beneath the shiny veneer of saturated city lights. The glitchy imperfections of static haunt the corridors of abandoned buildings, a sign of life from androids realising self-awareness. FAUXE leads a charge into this unknown realm, stirring up quite the storm with his debut EP Ubuntu and letting his music trickle down your window panes on a rain-sodden day.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!

Al Bairre - Youth De Freitas

Symphonic indie-rock band Al Bairre was formed at the begining of 2011, drawing influences from bands such as Arcade Fire, Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. The five-piece have seemingly perfected the indie-dance genre, combining cello, violin, keys, Fender guitars and ukulele to produce an exciting sound that has seen them scale the local scene.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

Big Baby Driver - My Goodbye

After many years of crafting lovely music, singer-songwriter Big Baby Driver recently rose to fame after having a few songs featured in Korean television drama series A Gentleman's Dignity. Last month she released a collaboration single with former MAP artist Kim Mokin. My Goodbye, with its bossa rhythms, is Big Baby Driver's contribution to the release.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Naturalesa Salvatge - Sota L'aigua

Naturalesa Salvatge are a five-piece from Barcelona who make melancholic but dreamy melodies. Their main influences are The Smiths, Teenage Fanclub and The Radio Dept. Formed during a national lo-fi explosion, Naturalesa Salvatge have shown they're not as ephemeral as similar acts, most of them now defunct.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja

Caviare Days - You'll Qualify

Swedish sisters Lina and Maja Westin formed Caviare Days in New York, which isn't at all surprising since one could easily compare them to a couple of other female-fronted garage bands linked to the city's scene. This is a good thing, of course. Their 60s-inspired psychedelic rock is as refreshing as it is really, really good. The duo's self-titled debut LP is out now in Sweden and will be released in North America on October 9.

SWITZERLAND: 78s Fai Baba - Peach Orchard Mama The first time Fai Baba was on a stage he had just come back from a spiritual journey through India. Then he picked up his guitar, wrote a few songs and played his ass off in cellars, whisky bars and squatted houses. His psychedelic blues-rock is best enjoyed during live shows, they tend to get ecstatic. His debut album Snake Snake was released in August.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT

On Your Horizon - Untitled #1

On Your Horizon is a four-piece experimental post-rock gathering from Eskisehir and Istanbul. Their album Home is a DIY production released for free in 2010 via Bandcamp. Having made a tremendous impact, the band's self-confident has increased and their new track Untitled #1 is an ironclad song which builds splendidly.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You

Seamonster - Normandy Landscape

The music of Seamonster is a slow-moving invasion of simple yet powerful movements of sonic exploration that ultimately transports the listener to another world. Every layer upon layer reveals itself slowly until every instrument is swirling and floating above. Melt into this track, let itself wrap around you and take over.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

HolySexyBastards - Getting Over You

When we decided to include HolySexyBastards in this month's MAP, they were just another competitor in Festival Nuevas Bandas, one of the biggest new music festivals in Venezuela. Today, this power trio formed in Valencia are the winners (along with Okills, who were on MAP in January 2012). HolySexyBastards offer us the track Getting Over You, included on their self-titled album released in May.

Brazilian afrobeat on the new Music Alliance Pact edition

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:13:00 +0000

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 here.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Iconili - O Rei De Tupanga
The fusion of jazz, experimentalism and African beats is the guideline for Iconili, formed by eight young musicians from Minas Gerais. "O Rei de Tupanga" is their new single, taken from their forthcoming album.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Liza Casullo - Rojo Lojojo

After alt-rock band Doris broke up in 2007, most of its members started their own musical projects (Onda Vaga and Valeu!, among others). Singer and guitarist Liza Casullo decided to go solo, but she took some time off to develop her acting career. A couple of months ago she released her first official album, Velvetbonzo. It's a great record in which a minimalistic acoustic sound blends with psychedelia, garage and folk. Rojo Lojojo is our favorite song, which we also managed to capture on video during one of her shows.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Cogel - Felusine

It's a guarantee that tidy string sections and pulsating drums will typically heighten melodramatic feelings of bad love and melancholy, but you can't pass over this glorious track from Sydney's Cogel. Those violins and cascading treble guitars which duck and weave out of the chorus provide a nice backdrop to the band's quieter moments and slight Arcade Fire stylings that mesh together so well. If Felusine is a pitch into the musical void, someone needs to sign these guys real soon.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Plaided - Freaks And Geeks

"Would you run run run run run run run to my place and watch Freaks and Geeks all night long?" We totally would! Plaided is an acronym that was inspired by a Girls Rock Camp participant's band and thus matches the feminist background of Veronika Eberhart and Julia Mitterbauer. The duo will go on a US tour with Grass Widow in September and also record a 7" record there. Freaks And Geeks is taken from their debut album Playdate, recorded by Wolfgang Möstl (of previous MAP act Mile Me Deaf).

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Expwy - Warm And Stricken By Lashes

With Little Hand Fighter, Expwy's fifth album in two years, one-man band Matt LeGroulx sets his sights on the oft-neglected genre of bossa nova, imagining how it might have sounded if, instead of originating in the 50s and 60s, it was borne out of late century indie-rock sensibilities and lo-fi production values.

CHILE: Super 45

The Paintings - Sunrise

Eija-Lynn and Hieronymus are The Paintings. Besides being a couple in real life, the duo revisit the vigor of 70s garage, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and the apathetic rage of The Jesus And Mary Chain. The music speak for itself, though, and this song Sunrise is their newest single.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Planes (Estudios Universales) - Lonelii

Within the new movement of pop/rock bands in Colombia, Planes (Estudios Universales) feels like a blast of fresh air. The quintet have no borders or limits in their search for folk and electronic sounds. As we wait for their first studio album, enjoy Lonelii.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

Alcoholic Faith Mission - Running With Insanity

Released in 2011 in Denmark, Alcoholic Faith Mission's fourth full-length, Ask Me This, is now available worldwide and thus there are no good reasons not to check out the outfit's alternative pop. Begin here with the excellent Running With Insanity.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Stealing Sheep - Shut Eye

This all-girl Liverpool trio's debut album Into The Diamond Sun is more Staves/Warpaint than Atomic Kitten. The fact that one of the members hails from an area with a rich folk tradition seems to have seeped into their music, which has a pagan-ish, medieval quality to it. Elsewhere it is possible to detect influences as varied as The Go-Go's and The Monkees, The Doors and Talking Heads, and there is a blend of good old-fashioned "played" instruments and electronic drones and effects, but always the folk elements shine through.

FINLAND: Glue

Satellite Stories - Anti-Lover

Indie quartet Satellite Stories have delivered several party songs over the last couple of years to become one of Finland's most promising acts. Anti-Lover is the first single from their debut album Phrases To Break The Ice which will be released this autumn. It is three minutes of energetic guitar-based, dance-oriented indie-pop.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired

The Aerial - Clarity

The Aerial are one of France's top up-and-coming bands. Hailing from Nancy, they released their first EP in April, in which each of their songs show a different influence, all while staying very danceable. In just four songs, they manage to sound like The Rapture, Foals and Foster The People. Clarity is their most electro-pop oriented song and is supported by a killer beat and an impeccable production. Don't miss unreleased single Running on YouTube.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Camera - Ausland

Let's continue our little series of new Kraut with Berlin trio Camera. Although they connect to the old Kraut by playing with Michael Rother and Dieter Moebius, their music sounds refreshing. First single Ausland keeps the typical meandering melodies and synths but brings back rock to Krautrock. Their debut album, due out this month, incorporates many more influences and will, of course, be released on Bureau B.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

The Last Drive - Child Of The Sky

The Last Drive are regarded as one of the most important and influential bands of the Greek underground music scene. They were formed 30 years ago and, through their explosive live performances and unique sound, became rapidly popular. After their dynamic comeback in 2007 (they split up in 1995), they released Heavy Liquid, a crafted mix of intense, raw rock 'n' roll songs, blurred melodies, addictive fuzz guitar riffs and almost primitive drums that unites disparate musical elements into blasts of noisy cohesion and howling passion. Right before the recording of their new LP, they have just unleashed News From Nowhere, an imprint of the difficult times we're living.

ICELAND: Rjóminn

Jónas Sigurðsson - Þyrnigerðið

This is the first single from Jónas Sigurðsson's upcoming third album, Þar Sem Himinn Ber Við Haf ("Where The Sky Touches The Sea"). Jónas, who is widely considered one of the most inventive musicians in Iceland, reinvents himself yet again by introducing electronic influences to his otherwise soulful, folksy and rhythmic sound. If you like what you hear you should really check out his first two albums.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Awl - Albertine

Awl is Joan Lumanauw (The Wispy Hummers) and Mickey (Tenderpaw) creating noises and melodies for the world to dance to. You might think of The Raveonettes or Best Coast but if you listen carefully you'll find something of their own.

IRELAND: Nialler9

Orquesta - Kokomo (feat. Jape, Kathi Burke & Katie Kim)

His recent acceptance into the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy is yet another reason to pay attention to Dublin producer Orquesta. Previously, he shot to attention with this gorgeous cover of The Beach Boys holiday anthem Kokomo. Featuring the vocal talents of Irish stalwarts Jape and Katie Kim, the song is a modern tropical uplift.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

Greeen Linez - Palm Coast Freeway

Greeen Linez take a lot of inspiration from City Pop, a style of music that was popular in Japan during the late 80s and early 90s. Palm Coast Freeway captures this luxurious sound quite well, the elegant synths and bass suitable for both a dance club and a bank lobby. Palm Coast Freeway is on the album Things That Fade, which features even more modern takes on the City Pop sound.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Hey Sus! - The Press

Mike and Andrew write tunes under the name Hey Sus! They try to create surfy indie-pop-folk with hip hop beats, provided by Thom. They recently released a split EP on cassette with Clandestines, titled Summer Camp For Pale Young Boys, from which The Press is taken.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Soul Compas - Por Insurgentes

Soul Compas is a rap group formed by Eric El Niño, Konceptos and Milio Boogie, three well-known MCs from the Mexican rap scene. With the influence of Native Tongues, G-funk and post-Dilla movements, they have created Al Compás Del Soul, a humorous and fresh album that can be downloaded for free on their website. Por Insurgentes is one of their most interesting tracks. Aside from those swell samples, they've pictured an imaginary trip on one of the most important avenues of Mexico City, Insurgentes, which happens to be the longest road that crosses the city north to south, and shows most of its contradictions and emblematic places.

PERU: SoTB

Herzchenschmerzchen - Tic Tac

Herzchenschmerzchen, a word written in German and difficult to pronounce, is the name of Maria Jose Jordan's solo project. This young woman reveals her indie-folk interests in her self-titled debut EP. Get ready to open a Pandora's Box of musical gems such as the sweet Tic Tac.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog

Fair Weather Friends - Fortune Player

As MAP's first ambassador for Poland, I bring you some catchy electro-pop from Fair Weather Friends. Fortune Player was used in an official commercial for this summer's Heineken Open'er Festival (and Coke Live Festival) and caused some internet buzz thanks to its goofy video. You may have heard dozens of pop songs based on synth hooks on MAP but what you might not realise is that this singer is white, with Michał Maślak originally from guitar band Searching For Calm.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

PAPERCUTZ - Where Beasts Die

PAPERCUTZ returns to MAP with an exclusive track. Where Beasts Die is from their new album, The Blur Between Us. Bruno Miguel's impressive project has paved its way with hard work, gathering a considerable fanbase outside Portugal. They were recently selected for the Red Bull Music Academy, which will take place in New York next year.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Pasajero - En La Playa

Daniel Vicente brings a delicate blend of pop, rock and electronic flourishes to his art and music project, Pasajero. His most recent EP boasts three layered tracks that highlight this idiosyncratic mix of influences, ranging from local acts like Superaquello to international names such as The Postal Service. En La Playa is a powerful tune featuring guest vocals by Carolina Martinez. With a dreamy pop quality that reminds us of waves slowly crashing at the beach at dusk, the song also addresses Puerto Rico's current state of affairs and the alarming apathy that seems to have taken over its inhabitants. A great lead-off track for a "political dream-pop" playlist.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Changing Skins - Perfect Foes

Changing Skins is an eclectic Bucharest-based band who rock the thin line between alternative and electronic music. They plan to release their debut album in October. NME recently posted a live video of their song Baby on their website.

RUSSIA: Big Echo

Cream Child - With The Wind

School Skulls is not just another sweet summer record with soft beats - it's a great balance of good and evil, happy and melancholy, that results in tunes inspired by Russian folklore, candy, death and marvelous melodies like With The Wind.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Quickbeam - Seven Hundred Birds

Quickbeam play at a volume that requires pin-drop silence from the audience and they've got the talent to write songs that demand such reverential obedience. Harmonium and strings shepherd Seven Hundred Birds into beautifully fragile and exquisitely precise spaces, marrying the raw intensity of Low with the melodic emotiveness of Sigur Rós. Cinematic stimulation is provided by the song's staggeringly ethereal promo video.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

MUON - Aqua Assault

The muon is an elementary particle similar to an electron. MUON is also a musical entity that exists in Singapore, whether as one person (Nick Chan) or more (currently, Jordan, Ren and Adam). Despite its varying states of existence, MUON's music is rather akin to its sub-atomic namesake with its deconstruction of pedantic structures, but also as intelligent, intense and cryptic aural and visual forms. Always exciting and always new, MUON has been forged in its singularity, and their craft emerges through parallel universes.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

Lang Lee - Hahaha

Lang Lee could be likened to a Korean Daniel Johnston, but with her own crazy and quirky, sometimes delightfully whimsical, storytelling ranging from teaching Yoda enough Japanese to be able to order green tea to love stories inspired by Kurt Vonnegut. Hahaha is an example of the latter and comes fresh off her just-released first album Yon Yonson.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Pajarita - Animals (ASIMO Remix)

Pajarita began in March 2012 as the musical project of Norah Alexandra Vega and her ukelele and, a few months on, she's already about to release her first album via Discosdelrollo. Pajarita's style can be described as lo-fi pop, dreamy and awesomely catchy for its simpleness and discretion. Animals (ASIMO Remix), though, might be the exception that confirms the rule about her music.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja

Picture - True

Picture, aka David Kyhlberg from the enigmatic duo Sail A Whale, makes elusive, trance-inducing electronic pop that's nothing short of amazing. True, the title track and first single from his debut EP, is no exception. This is probably as close to The Tough Alliance as you can get in 2012. The EP is out now on one of our favourite labels, Cascine.

SWITZERLAND: 78s

Biggles - Let A New World Begin

Sven Rüf aka Biggles from Zurich is a singer-songwriter with a special talent for making music that sounds simultaneously humorous and fragile. His songs always come with a decent dose of mischief, which is why we love him so much. His fifth long-player Cloudspeaker is released this month, guaranteeing pop music without boundaries.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT

Adult Monkey - Supermarket Adult Monkey is one of the cutest groups in Istanbul. They nestle all kinds of genres, especially chillwave, ambient lo-fi stuff. Besides being a band, Adult Monkey also contains illustrations and animations. In fact, Adult Monkey is a whole life portfolio for the two cartoonists who put together the band. Supermarket, their newest release, is a knockout track for the hot hot HOT summer.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You

Houndmouth - Penitentiary

Louisville, Kentucky's Houndmouth writes music that I like to call "recession rock". Their music echoes the dirt roads of back-country counties during the night, the discarded bar stools in the back lot of an abandoned whisky joint, or the overall beauty that can sometimes be found in despair. Houndmouth, while young, bring the similar sounds of The Band back into contemporary rotation.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

Los Polaroid - El Blues De Sus Piernas (Chicago Blues)

Los Polaroid formed in Maracaibo in 2010 with the idea of creating a musical proposal inspired by genres like jazz and blues. So far they have released two EPs and are currently on a tour that will take them around the country.

Music Alliance Pact: June

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 19:33:00 +0000

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 through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Valle De Muñecas - Dos

Dos is our favorite track from Valle De Muñecas' third album, La Autopista Corre Del Océano Hasta El Amanecer. This is their best work to date, with 10 songs that leave behind the folk-rock vibe of their 2007 effort, Folk, and return to their original rock and ballad-driven sound. You can listen to and download the whole album for free from Bandcamp.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Seven Year Itch - Ern Champion

This young Melbourne quartet have their obvious musical heroes done right up to the top polo button. Ern Champion takes the popular concept of four white guys making calypso and throws in some restless treble guitars, counter-beat drums and echoed vocals, all in the Surfer Blood/Vampire Weekend vein. Clean, twee surf pop at its best. If you're in the northern hemisphere, make sure you drop this on your summer playlist.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Likewise - Hope Upon My Heels

There must be something in the water in Upper Austria's Kremstal region. Part of a collective of remarkably talented young bands, five-piece Likewise released their full-length debut Prometheus Run earlier this month. Covering topics ranging from Greek mythology to wanderlust to romance (obviously), the 12 songs on the album oscillate between folk and Americana.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado

Os Skrotes - Estupro dos Cisnes

They look like three surfers from the city of Florianópolis, south Brazil, but when you listen to the sound of Skrotes (a deliberate wordplay on Strokes) you could get a real surprise. Their music goes through influences of progressive rock, 70s funk, dub, jazz, classical music and even punk rock. Estupro Dos Cisnes shows their progressive rock approach and some virtuosity in the use of synths.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

PS I Love You - Sentimental Dishes The thing that sets PS I Love You apart from other guitar-and-drum-based duos is the combination of Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson. There is an instinctive interchange between Saulnier's fretwork and Nelson's taut rhythms that doesn't come from drill and practice. Theirs is a natural partnership that works to serve the song. And they play with such fervency on Sentimental Dishes that I'm overcome with the desire to air-drum every time I hear it.

CHILE: Super 45

La Golden Acapulco - Da La Beleza Dab

Ervalizer, Poli Jah and Dr Leinad make up the trio La Golden Acapulco. Through the use of machines and sound effects, the band have been experimenting with dub and Jamaican music, starting with the sonic expansion of reggae and its processed and remixed forms. Da La Beleza Dab is taken from their album Encuentra Las Joias Del Dub, available for free download here.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Resina Lala - Mi Salto Mortal

When you hear the sound of Resina Lala there is little option but to move your feet and feel this contagious, addictive music. Their first release is called Influjos Plásticos, a six-track journey through experimentation in a genre they call post-nuclear visual punk. But better than their music is the live show, where lead singer Cristina is quite the performer.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

Penny Police - As Long As You Watch My Heart

The purchase of an electric autoharp in 2009 was the beginning of what was to become Penny Police - the alias of singer and songwriter Marie Fjeldsted - and a lauded first album titled The Broken, The Beggar, The Thief (released in Denmark earlier this year), from which the excellent As Long As You Watch My Heart is offered here as a MAP exclusive download.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Alt-J - Fitzpleasure

This Cambridge four-piece have just released a debut album called An Awesome Wave that has received an awesome wave of glowing reviews for the band's superb musicianship, excellent quirky songwriting and generally off-kilter approach to pop. Fitzpleasure - based on a chapter from Hubert Selby Jr's book Last Exit To Brooklyn, so you already know this is going to be a notch or two above standard indie fare - is a typical example of what they do, in that it's utterly unclassifiable, seemingly belonging as much to the world of dubstep as it does to folk.

FINLAND: Glue

Big Wave Riders - Waiting In The Wings

There's no better summer song than this one. Big Wave Riders will deliver their long-awaited debut album at the end of the summer, but before that we can enjoy the refreshing first taste of it. Waiting In The Wings is two-and-a-half minutes of modern-day surf pop.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired

sHEPARD electrosoft in public garden - A Tribute

sHEPARD electrosoft in public garden studied classical music and played organ before he decided to break free from classical rules while making his first album, Chroma, to compose electronic tunes. Influenced by the likes of Air, The Chemical Brothers, Björk and Aphex Twin, sHEPARD makes dark, ambient tracks that slowly build up to a peak that makes you eager to hear the sequel, like a movement in a piece of classical music would do. A Tribute is an excerpt from his latest album of the same name, released this month.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Ursprung - Kalte Eiche

German artists are finding nature again. Lots of bands have started to include organic sounds and noises in their acoustic or electronic music - you may call this 'new kraut', pun intended. The newest and perhaps most elaborate piece comes from Ursprung. The self-titled debut of Hendrik Weber, aka Pantha du Prince, and Stephan Abry, a member of Workshop, was released in May via Dial Records.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

Psychedelic Trips To Death - Within My Head

With moments of breathing room and stripped melodies, Psychedelic Trips To Death delve into their psychedelic wall-of-sound identity and explore the conflict between noise and harmony. For all its familiarity and formula, debut single Within My Head sounds great. Here's hoping they carve their own unique sound out more in the future. Their upcoming release, Malibou, is definitely something to mark on your calendar.

ICELAND: Rjóminn

Múgsefjun - Sendlingur Og Sandlóa

Sendlingur Og Sandlóa is a song about relationships in which one partner spends long periods of time away from home. The lyrics paint a fairytale picture of a sedentary bird (the sendlingur) who's in love with a migratory bird (the sandlóa) and the cyclic shift of emotions he goes through each year as the couple is reunited and then separated again. This song is from the highly-anticipated sophomore album from Reykjavík-based Múgsefjun.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Semakbelukar - Be(ren)cana

Palembang-based Semakbelukar add some attitude to this local, melancholy Malayan tune and push the boundaries of folk music. The title of this song about fate is a wordplay of Berencana ('planning') and Bencana ('disaster').

IRELAND: Nialler9

Faws - Whitney

Another to add to the growing ranks of talented Irish electronic producers, Faws has wisely chosen to remain anonymous so that the local scene would judge his music on its own merit first. But the wider world has also noticed and sites like XLR8R, Truants and Disco Naïveté have posted about his music since appearing with the downtempo Antonym EP in December 2011. New track Whitney seals the deal, slowing down Whitney Houston's It's Not Right But It's Okay and shrouding the R&B track in an industrial cloud.

ITALY: Polaroid

The Tunas - The Autumn Stoned

The Tunas started as a garage rock band, and a damn good one. With their self-titled third album, out now on the excellent Wild Honey Records, their songwriting has become more open to psychedelia, 60s beat and folk. But they still sound as powerful as ever. Rock in its purest form.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

LLLL - Because Of My Eyes

Tokyo project LLLL exists in a Japanese scene crawling with bedroom-based acts making shadowy electronic music. What makes LLLL stand out, though, is their refusal to shy away from pop sounds. Because Of My Eyes features skittery drum programming and swirling electronics, but also puts pop-worthy singing high up in the mix, making this inward-looking song very accessible.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Monobrow MP - William

After relative success as guitarist and vocalist in now-disbanded local band The Imagery, Lukas Grech and Jorje Bosios continued writing together. Having invested in some home studio equipment, they recorded the songs that had been written up to that point and released them individually - each with a video - over the course of a few months (2010-2011). This is the project that became Monobrow Musical Produce (MMP). The band has just released their debut album, Carpet Clown.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Mexican Institute Of Sound - Es-toy

Mexico is living election-time turmoil. On July 1, a new president will be elected for a six-year term. Students have risen to stop an imposed candidate, from the party that ruled a smooth dictatorship from 1929-2000, and now has plans to strike back. The so called 'Mexican Spring' couldn't be a better time for Camilo Lara's Mexican Institute Of Sound to release his fourth studio album, appropriately titled Político. It's a work full of ironic cumbia, rockabilly and tropical-tronica tunes, with a straightforward commentary on the zeitgeist of our beautiful but convulsive country.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!

Nouveau Vélo - What To Do

"I wanna be like Marvin Gaye, sexual healing every day." The words of What To Do don't just call out some of this band's more and less obvious influences (Morrissey, Josef K), they might also give you some clue as to why these boys from Helmond describe their sound as 'healing pop'. One thing you can be sure of, though, is that you're bound to feel better after hearing Nouveau Vélo's sunny, reverb-heavy tunes.

PERU: SoTB

The Basurers - La Desdicha Del Perro Salchicha

It's time to show off one of 2012's best new bands, The Basurers, a quartet who define their music as rock-blues, although this doesn't do justice to the energy of their songs and their exceptional lyrics. La Desdicha Del Perro Salchicha is taken from debut EP, Váyanse Al Tacho, which you can download for free here.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

Wraygunn - Don't You Wanna Dance?

Wraygunn (named after legendary guitarist Link Wray and the Blake Edwards character Peter Gunn) are a band formed in Coimbra who mix rock 'n' roll, blues and soul. MAP exclusive download Don't You Wanna Dance? is taken from their just-released fourth album, L'Art Brut.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Tachdé - Lotus Eaters

Tachdé is an experimental ensemble that delights in exploring the juxtaposition of psychedelic sounds with ambient and noise. Formed in 2006, the group has earned a reputation as one of the best sounding live groups in Puerto Rico. Lotus Eaters is a track from their sophomore effort, Deluge. This track showcases their ability to create a strong sense of beautiful longing.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Cycler - Broken Mirror

Cycler's Polymath is an outstanding example of the glitch genre: beautifully layered, glitching and clicking in all the right places, flowing well and topped off with some very crisp production. There's chaos and structure, chill and energy.

RUSSIA: Big Echo

Everything Is Made In China - Brittle Crystal

Being one of the most popular indietronica bands in Russia, Everything Is Made In China never stops looking for new sounds. Brittle Crystal is a broad musical canvas with complex patterns and contrasts, and has a surprisingly good video which makes fun of Pitchfork, Stereogum and Gorilla vs. Bear, showing the usual path of a consumer from iBorn to Cool Cool Death.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Olympic Swimmers - Father Said

Olympic Swimmers' debut album No Flags Will Fly triumphs in every path it treads, pushing exquisite, dreamy melodies through genres not typically associated with pop accessibility such as slowcore and post-rock. Star of the show is frontwoman Susie Smillie, who makes every lyric feel indispensable in her thick Scottish brogue. Here's an exclusive free download of album opener Father Said - let it seep into your soul as it bubbles to the surface in a procession of searing crescendos.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

Basement In My Loft - Just Desserts

Basement In My Loft's second album, Subject To Change, features some of the most heartfelt and emotive rock music we've heard in a while. Maybe it's got something to do with frontman Adrian Jones leaving Singapore and returning to Wales, or that urgency from recording and producing the entire album in five days. The band sounds exceptionally tight, with guitar lines and intense riffing shearing through the mixes with white-hot clarity, and Jones providing the purest and most painfully honest of vocal deliveries.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!

Tristan Waterkeyn - To The Hills

Tristan Waterkeyn has been around. He was born in Tanzania, moved to Kenya, then on to Zimbabwe and finally South Africa. It was here that he learned to play guitar, resulting in his debut solo album, Hay Day. His music has been described as "a combination of languid lyrics, effortless acoustic guitar, jazzy rhythms and gentle vocals", which perfectly sums up To The Hills. This mellow song makes for easy listening.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

MukimukiManmansu - Andromeda

MukimukiManmansu is one of the most interesting acts in Korea right now. The two young girls dub their unique acoustic sound "supranational intelligent punk" and they scream and shout according to temper. Their debut album, 2012, came out recently and it opens with Andromeda, a perfect introduction to the awesomeness of MukimukiManmansu. The title is Korean slang for something weird, crazy or stupid - and that's exactly what this song is in the very best way possible.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Reina Republicana - Que Cunda El Pánico

Reina Republicana are a a five-piece band from Pamplona and, together with Kokoshca (with whom they even used to share a member, Maite), they are Navarran noise-pop flagship bands. Formed in 2009 by Israel Medina, Reina Republicana are taking off in Spain's indie scene, playing all around the country and becoming the talk of the town. Clearly influenced by noise acts such as The Jesus And Mary Chain, their lyrics can be romantic as well as melancholic and very dark. Que Cunda El Pánico is a love song set at when the world comes to an end.

SWITZERLAND: 78s

The Drops - Eleanor

Up-and-coming indie act The Drops, from Basle, are a safe bet when it comes to a Swiss contribution to a playlist with summer hits. Their first single Fire On Your Feet (see video) was already a catchy tune, and now they drop their second haunting melody with Eleanor.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT

She Past Away - Sanrı

She Past Away is a new wave / post-punk band from Bursa, the opposite shore of Istanbul. Gothic lyrics with buzzsaw guitars, allegedly broken vocals and sensory drum effects, the band evokes the cavernous experiments of the darkwave era with the likes of The Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus and Suicide. The band recently released their debut album, Belirdi Gece.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating

Tropic Of Pisces - Symmetry

Brooklyn's Oberhofer affiliate Tropic Of Pisces make Graceland-inspired hi-life, complete with lushly plotted atmospherics, bubbly harmonies and buoyant, summery melodies. They've released a few songs so far, all of which could easily wind up on a best-of-summer playlist, and all taken from an upcoming EP out soon.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

Melancólicos Anónimos - Tonto

Melancólicos Anónimos is a collective formed in Caracas in early 2011 who describe their music as "angry rock for gentle people". Earlier this year they released their first album, Inscripciones Abiertas, which comes with four music videos that can be viewed on the band's website. They are currently working on their second album.

Music Alliance Pact: indie music from all over the world

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:22:00 +0000

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 through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos Con Mariano - Ey, Esa No Es Forma De Decir Adiós

PVACCM is a psychedelic rock duo (Mariano, drums and vocals; Prietto, guitar and vocals) from Buenos Aires. Their first recordings were kind of lo-fi experiments but in the past couple of years they've developed a unique sound with melodies and lyrics that grow on you in a melancholic way. This track is their rendition of Leonard Cohen's classic tune Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye and features on their last album, a 28-song double record that you can purchase from Bandcamp.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Mile Me Deaf - Wild At Heart

Mile Me Deaf is one of the other bands Killed By 9V Batteries' Wolfgang Möstl plays in. And although side-projects - such an unfair name for a 500+ songs oeuvre - are usually a space for weird shit your band mates didn't agree to, their first album Eat Skull, and especially the first single Wild At Heart, is surprisingly free of noise and distortion. Instead, it creates the last-day-of-summer-holidays feeling you know from Girls and Beach House.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Leonardo Marques - Linha Do Trem

Nostalgic melodies are the hallmark of Dia e Noite No Mesmo Céu, the debut album of Leonardo Marques. His songs recall a bucolic scenery, romantic and lonely, as we can hear on Linha Do Trem. Leonardo recorded all instruments on his solo work (except drums) in a homely, intimate setting. His music is likely to appeal to fans of Elliott Smith, Clube Da Esquina and Jon Brion.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

The Rest - Always On My Mind

The story of The Rest's new album, SEESAW, will be one of legend. First, their dear friend and producer Dan Achen passed away suddenly just as they started recording. Then, a month away from finishing the record, a hard-drive glitch deleted everything they'd done so far. It took a black box recovery team six months to retrieve it. Now, more than a year later, it's here. And it's stunning. The beautifully hazy Always On My Mind just hints at SEESAW's orchestral brilliance.

CHILE: Super 45

Daniel Klauser - Simply Swag

If we had to put all our money on one name from the Chilean dance scene, it would definitively be Daniel Klauser. The young producer skillfully brings together elements from 90s house, ghetto-style hip hop and tribal music, and has so far gathered a considerable amount of positive reviews from local and international media. This track open his Simply Swag EP, which you can download for free from Diamante Records.

CHINA: Wooozy

Snapline - Sustaining

Beijing-based trio Snapline just released their second album Phenomena through Maybe Mars Records. Their music puts a contemporary Beijing spin on the sounds and ideas produced by the noise and minimalist musicians of the 70s and 80s, especially focusing on the New York scene of that period. They also explore the dark, industrial music coming out of England during that period, especially from bands such as Joy Division and The Cure.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo

Like Some Cat From Japan - Johnny Ramone

Like Some Cat From Japan (LSCFJ) take their name from a line in one of David Bowie's masterpieces, Ziggy Stardust. This electro group from Bogotá have a dance-punk sound that is perfect for the sweaty throng of a nightclub and dancing from dark until dawn.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

SLOWOLF - See U In My Dreams

This summer Andreas Asingh, one third of lauded electro-pop outfit SMALL, will release his debut as SLOWOLF. Not much is known about the project but he says that black metal, hip hop and dream pop will unite, perhaps for the first time, on the album which will also feature a chorus written by a seven-year-old boy and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan. Here's the excellent first single See U In My Dreams, a Music Alliance Pact exclusive download.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Sarah Young - Ajambo Si

Sarah Young, noted the Guardian's New Band of the Day writer, is the queen of moombahton, the genre that fuses Dutch house and reggaeton, soca and dancehall. If anyone is going to cross over and "do a Katy B", as such a manoeuvre is becoming known, it's this 22-year-old graduate of the Academy of Contemporary Music turned DJ, producer and all-round moom-bassador. Ajambo Si, the opening track on her new EP, features Lioness and Slick Don and is based on a kuduro rhythm, but to the NBotD writer it sounded "like dubstep meets dancehall or Caribbean grime, like Dizzee if he went to St Lucia on holiday and never came back".

FINLAND: Glue

All Will Be Quiet - The First Day Pt. 2

Post-rock band All Will Be Quiet releases its debut album On The First Day this month. It is a concept record about the collapse and rebirth of society with an optimistic view on the how the future will be for mankind. Equally ambitious is The First Day Pt. 2, a grandiose and cinematic instrumental song that opens the second part of the album.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired

Birkii - Holy War

Birkii brought us the joyful pop song Shade Of Doubt last year on the great Kitsuné Parisien compilation, and then appeared in many mixes and playlists, including Edwin van Cleef's April mixtape. Now she's back with Holy War, a catchy synth-pop song from Kitsuné Parisien II that will also be on her debut EP out on June 4, with remixes from Equateur, Pol Rax, Pegase (last month's MAP artist) and Zemaria.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Christian Loeffler - Eleven (feat. Mohna)

There are many subtle things in Christian Loeffler's debut A Forest which make his music very contemporary - there is swishing, there is rustling, there is clacking, there is tinging. In the pleasantly moody track Eleven, Mohna, singer of former MAP band Me Succeeds, adds another level to Loeffler's calm but vivid opus.

ICELAND: Rjóminn

The Lovely Lion - Into The Forest

Representing the new wave of Icelandic folk-pop revival, The Lovely Lion are ones to watch for the future. Though this young and extremely talented band have only recorded a handful of songs and are still unsigned, their unique approach to songwriting and polished sound is sure to grab the attention of music lovers everywhere.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

AAS - Bonaparte

Raw, lo-fi, angry dark punk from Medan with added passion about world history which leads us to a song about Napoleon Bonaparte.

IRELAND: Nialler9

Not Squares - Fall Far

Northern Irish electro punks Not Squares have ditched the ultra high-energy in favour of a more restrained dancefloor synth-pop sound for their new single. While Fall Far's new direction can be compared to the kind of stuff coming out on the Kitsuné label, it must be said that this is a very good look and a surprising one for the band. The best Irish song released in April bar none.

ITALY: Polaroid

The Mojomatics - You Are The Reason For My Trouble

You Are The Reason For My Trouble is the fourth album by The Mojomatics, one the best and coolest garage rock bands around Italy and Europe. The duo from Venice brings into their sound echoes of Rolling Stones, Kinks and Dylan, but what I deeply love about their songs and concerts is their tireless energy.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

Wallflower - Cure Your Heart

Indie-pop music never left Japan, as bands trying to sound twee have been popping up since the C86 tape dropped. Yet this year has seen a boom in jangly rock groups, with Osaka outfit Wallflower being one of the catchiest. They take cues from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and even opened for that American band when they came to Japan earlier this year. This song shows they learned well from The Pains, as they nail dreamy indie-pop yearning in just over three minutes.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Stolen Creep - Throw Your Heart To The Sea

Stolen Creep is the brainchild of childhood friends Marie Borg Alden (guitars, vocals) and Rebecca Theuma (drums). The band has had many different members, recently settling into the current line-up of Marie, Rebecca and Katryna Storace (guitars, vocals). Following a busy year of writing, rewriting and rehearsals, they chose their favourite songs and retreated to record their first EP, Throw Your Heart To The Sea.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika

Andy Mountains - Hoy Me Gusta Mi Peinado

The title of this song, translated into English, is "Today, I Like My Hair". With the naive viewpoint of early college students, this Mexico City quintet portrait everyday existential nuances with an optimism only an iPod advertisement would reach. But don't classify Andy Mountains as cheap, feelgood jingle-makers. Their sound thrives in high-brow references that go from Animal Collective to the minimalism of La Monte Young. Give this tune a try and have a good hair day!

PERU: SoTB

Audioley - Same Old

Audioley is a new project by Francois Peglau and Jules Drade, two Peruvian musicians based in London. Audioley started as an experiment, with the duo meeting one night every week to make a song a day. First single Same Old is feelgood electronic pop and comes with a curious and funny video.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

T(h)ree - Starlight

T(h)ree was featured in MAP in February 2011. T(h)ree is not a band but a project which brings together musicians/bands from Portugal and, for this second volume, Philippines and Singapore. In the featured track, we have Stealing Orchestra (Portugal), Maze (Portugal) and The Analog Girl (Singapore) playing together.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie

Harry Rag - Tiny Painting

Harry Rag is the solo project of Kristian Prieto (Coleco, Alegría Rampante), who wanted to figure out just how many sounds and moods he could generate with his acoustic guitar. Prieto has released seven 'web albums' under the Harry Rag name, all recorded in his bedroom straight to a four-track, each one expanding on his guitar experiments and polishing up his sound. Tiny Painting is a great recent example of his prowess as a young musician and is taken from his latest album, The Ghastly Adventures Of Ghost Goat.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Jazzadezz - Fairy

Jazzadezz is a dream pop/new wave band formed by Alin Zabrauteanu (synths, guitar, production) and Dezdemona Mihaescu (vocals). For their 2010 debut album Inimani Mal, Calin Torsan (Domnisoara Pogany and NU & Apa Neagră) joined the band playing clarinet, recorder and caval. In 2012, another two members were added, Alex Stanciu on guitar (also in Domnisoara Pogany) and drummer Eduard Gabia, a renowned choreographer and contemporary artist. The second album, Panta Rhei, was released last month and experiments in new areas such as ambient, post-rock and trip-hop.

RUSSIA: Big Echo

2muchachos - Striwi Kri4at

Striwi Kri4at is a beautiful instrumental piece from romantic dream pop band 2muchachos, who released their Vesnywki!! EP last month, a perfect soundtrack for spring.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Julia And The Doogans - Down The Line

Julia Doogan has everything you'd want from a pop singer - a genuinely distinguishable voice, a breakable heart, just the right amount of melancholy, and lyrics that are honest but not mushy. MAP exclusive free download Down The Line is taken from Julia And The Doogans' achingly graceful new five-track Diamonds EP (buy on Bandcamp), and shows off the talents of Julia and her lush band to near perfection.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

Sze Kiat - Once In A While

No man is an island, yet one gets the sense that the musical ideas that transpire in Sze Kiat's mind were born from the stillness of time. There's an unhurried approach to his songwriting and an intimacy that evokes a strain that could only come from a sort of crying out from some terrifying or forsaken place. Featuring traditional Chinese stringed instruments such as the erhu and the zhongruan, the sparse instrumentation serves as the background to Sze Kiat's simple yet emotive lyrics.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!

Nate Maingard - The Open Space

Nate Maingard is an indie-folk singer-songwriter from Cape Town whose music often brings the likes of Damien Rice, Coldplay and Jack Johnson to mind. His voice has been compared to Thom Yorke and Ben Gibbard, and his easy style and sense of melody shine through on The Open Space with a passionate undertone throughout.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie

E9 - My Little Flutter

E9, short for Edward Nine, wish to combine the pureness of Edward Scissorhands with the rampage of Nine Inch Nails. Their sound is influenced by groups like Placebo and Muse, while their lyrics tell fairy tales. The band has been around for several years and are preparing to release their first EP. My Little Flutter is a perfect sample of E9's mixture of grunge, punk and Britpop with electronic sounds.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Boreals - Luciérnagas

Boreals are probably younger than any of you beloved MAP readers but that doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing. And what they do is deliver a fine mixture of cosmic post-rock (clearly influenced by Explosions In The Sky) embellished with clouds of synths that makes their sound epic and heart-touching, just as post-rock should. Luciérnagas, one of their most atmospheric tracks, is taken from their second EP, Grecia, released through Barcelona-based label Irregular, home of former MAP acts Lasers and The Suicide Of Western Culture.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease

Skatan - Control

The new record from Skatan is out on May 23 and is called Seven Trees. The first single, Control, features a little more eclectic instrumentation than in the past and Simone Andersson Wingfors' voice is less processed and more immediate, resulting in a song that hits all the right chords.

SWITZERLAND: 78s

Baba Shrimps - Angel

This five-piece from Zurich play impulsive pop music with a blend of country and rock. Baba Shrimps will release a new record at the end of 2012, but to shorten the waiting time they have dropped a live version of a new, unreleased song called Angel.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT

Solardip - Leap Of Faith

With their French electro/indie-influenced sound, Solardip is one of the few live acts of their genre in the country. In a short time, these three Istanbul youngsters have attracted a big audience. Debut album Future Now came out in March through Remoov Records after the release of the spectacular single and sexy video of Dance Like Wolves.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating

Nicole Miglis - Stay Small

There's no hiding my affection for Gainesville's Hundred Waters, one of 2012's best new bands. Just as bewilderingly complete, elegant and worth exploring is the solo work of their frontwoman, Nicole Miglis. Stay Small is from her debut self-titled EP, which you can download for free here.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más

Ulises Hadjis - Donde Va

Ulises Hadjis is a young artist from Maracaibo. Despite his fledgling career, he already has two albums and a Latin Grammy as a music producer to his name. His second record, Cosas Perdidas, was released last month. In his own words, it is "an honest collection of songs" and shows more maturity in his lyrics and compositions than its predecessor, Presente.

Global indie sounds: April´s Music Alliance Pact

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:02:00 +0000

 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.

To download all 36 songs in one file click here

 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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 was released earlier this month on Arch Hill.


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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. 


 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.


 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.


 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. For his latest work. Have a listen and download of 'Drifter's Theme' http://bit.ly/fXsVwh


 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.


 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.


 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.


 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.  


 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. 


 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.

Black Drawing Chalks new video, "Red love"

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Here is the new video by Black Drawing Chalks, the greatest brazilian stoner rock band. This video was shot live in at the band´s hometown, Goiânia, during the recording of their first live album, called Live in Goiânia.

The band has a well-known video in brazilian indie scene, for the song "My favourite way", which ran at brazilian MTV awards.

Brazilian bands at Coachella festival 2011

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:53:00 +0000

CSS, Emicida, The Twelves and DJ Marky will represent brazilian music at Coachella festival this year. CSS prepares its third album, set to release in a few months; Emicida is a new rapper from the city of São Paulo critically aclaimed in Brazil; The Twelves (duo from Rio de Janeiro who made remixes for Two Door Cinema Club, Metric and Black Kids) and DJ Marky are going to show part of what is happening in brazilian electronic music.

Check out the complete line-up to Coachella Festival.

Friday, April 15th	Saturday, April 16th	Sunday, April 17th
!!! 12th Planet Afrojack Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti A-Trak Beardyman Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Boys Noize Brandon Flowers Brandt Brauer Frick Breakage Caifanes Cee Lo Green Clare Maguire Cold Cave Cold War Kids Crystal Castles Cut Copy Emicida Erick Morillo Excision Flogging Molly Gayngs Glasser G.Q. Gypsy and the Cat Hurts Interpol Jakes Kele Kings of Leon Klaxons Kyle Hall Magnetic Man Marina and the Diamonds Monarchy Mount Kimbie Moving Units Ms. Lauryn Hill Nosaj Thing OFWGKTA Omar Rodriguez Lopez Ozomatli Robyn Sander Kleinenberg Sasha Scala & Kolacny Bros. Skrillex Sleigh Bells Tame Impala The Aquabats The Black Keys The Chemical Brothers The Drums The Morning Benders The Pains of Being Pure at Heart The Rural Alberta Advantage Titus Andronicus Warpaint YACHT	Alf Alpha Andy C Animal Collective Arcade Fire Big Audio Dynamite Bomba Estereo Bright Eyes Broken Social Scene Cage the Elephant Chuckie Cults Daedelus Delta Sprirt DJ Hype DJ Kentaro DJ Marky EE Elbow Electric Touch Empire of the Sun Erykah Badu Fat Freddy's Drop Fedde Le Grand Foals Francis and the Lights Freelance Whales Gogol Bordello Goth Trad Here We Go Magic Joachim Garraud Laidback Luke Lil’ B The Based God Mariachi El Bronx Mary Anne Hobbs Mumford & Sons One Day as a Lion Paul van Dyk Phosphorescent Raphael Saadiq Ras G SBTRKT Scissor Sisters Shpongle presents The Shpongletron Experience Steve Angello Thao with the Get Down Stay Down The Felice Brothers The Henry Clay People The Joy Formidable The London Suede The Kills The Love Language The New Pornographers The Radio Dept. The Swell Season The Tallest Man on Earth The Twelves Trampled by Turtles Two Door Cinema Club Wire Yelle	Angus and Julia Stone Axwell Best Coast Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 Caspa Chromeo City and Colour CSS Death From Above 1979 Delorean DJ Zinc Duck Sauce Duran Duran Eliza Doolittle Ellie Goulding Fistful of Mercy Foster the People fun. Good Old War Gord Downie Green Velvet HEALTH High Contrast Jack Beats Jack's Mannequin Jenny and Johnny Joy Orbison Kanye West Kode9 Jimmy Eat World Leftfield Lightning Bolt Lorn Los Bunkers Mala MEN Menomena Nas & Damian Marley Neon Trees New Pants OFF! Phantogram PJ Harvey Plan B Ramadanman Ratatat Riva Starr Roska Rye Rye She Wants Revenge Sven Vath Take Terror Danjah The National The Presets The Strokes Thunderball Trentemoller Tinie Tempah Tokimonsta Twin Shadow Wiz Khalifa Zed Bias

First Music Alliance Pact of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:13:00 +0000

Every month, MAP (Music Alliance Pact) asks 35 music bloggers across the world to share a track from their home country that they think you should hear. Then the results are posted on those 35 blogs on the 15th of each month, downloadable in one file or playable one by one on each blog.

The brazilian band of this month, chosen by Meio Desligado (me), is Apanhador Só, with the song "Maria Augusta".

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Les Mentettes Orchestra - Cosmic Sidewalks

Les Mentettes Orchestra is the augmented version of Les Mentettes, a psychedelic pop band from Buenos Aires that features more than 20 musicians live on stage. A couple of years ago we featured one of their early recordings, but now it's time to unveil a great song from their first and self-titled album. It was recorded live at ION, a legendary studio that still works with tape and analog equipment. The album is available on iTunes and there's also a video of Cosmic Sidewalks.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Spartak - Nightshift (Version)

Spartak were one of many great bands I discovered on the recently released compilation, The Sound of Young Canberra, which is full of exciting music from the oft-forgotten titular city. Spartak's tune stands out amongst a very strong set that makes a solid case for reevaluating Australia's capital as something of an emerging cultural hub. Nightshift (Version) reminds me of a Spoon demo, bringing together Spoon's knack for effortless songs draped in subtle studio trickery. I look forward to more from these guys.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado

Apanhador Só - Maria Augusta
Contagious and catchy, Maria Augusta is an indie semi-hit from Apanhador Só, a band from the cold south of Brazil who released a good album last year that can be downloaded for free via their website. They're part of a new scene of bands who sing in Portuguese, of which they are considered one of the greatest revelations. Maria Augusta quietly shows a group that do not take the easy route - they explore alternative ways of making music, such as using a bicycle wheel as an instrument.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music

Hooded Fang - Laughing

Think of The Strokes. Now think of The Strokes if they slowed things down considerably, but still managed to retain all their cool and catchiness. Got a picture/sound in your head? Then, as Laughing shows, you've got a good idea of what Hooded Fang sounds like.

CHILE: Super 45

Elefante Mecánico - Génesis

Génesis heralds the comeback of Elefante Mecánico after their celebrated Memorias De Un Elefante album, self-released in 2008. In this record, Bame, Jota and DJ Antioch pick up on old school hip-hop sounds, throwing inspired rhymes about cosmos, love and eternity.

CHINA: Wooozy

Pet Conspiracy - Beyond

Beijing-based Pet Conspiracy plays funky, danceable electronic music that takes influences from punk-rock, new wave and disco. The band consists of two female singers, a guitar/synthesizer player and a drummer. Lead guitarist Hu Zi is already an established artist in the Beijing underground scene as an electronic musician. Pet Conspiracy is known for their high-energy live performances and the array of toys and costumes they bring on stage. They have just returned from a successful tour of Europe.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana

The Colombian Party Cartel - La Murga De Colombia

Two Colombians and one gringo make up The Colombian Party Cartel. The crew resides in the United States, where every weekend they mix the best Colombian music. Carey James is the lead vocalist and principal producer of CPC. La Murga De Colombia samples a Willie Colón song and creates a new fusion of Colombian cumbia and urban style.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

CODY - The Light

The vessel for frontman Kaspar Kaae's musical output, alternative country and Americana seven-piece CODY hit it big in Denmark in 2009 with their excellent debut album Songs, from which The Light is taken. Come March they'll play both Canadian Music Fest and SXSW, and around the same time the album will be out in the US on Thrill Jockey Records. They're a really great live band as well.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Anna Calvi - Suzanne And I

If you're only going to pay attention to one name on all those Tips For 2011 lists then let it be Anna Calvi. Her influences – from Morricone soundtracks to doomy goth and opera – suggest her music could be preposterously overblown, yet Calvi is clearly an expert when it comes to dynamics and restraint. Cavernous drums open proceedings on Suzanne And I, then ominous, twanging guitar lines ring out before Calvi steps up to the microphone. Each new addition ratchets up the tension a notch, drawing you in so that, by the time Calvi's wailing away on top of thundering riffs, crashing cymbals and a couple of spare kitchen sinks, you're too involved to notice. Her self-titled debut album is out on Domino on January 17.

ESTONIA: Popop

Galvanic Elephants - Rum Rumble

Galvanic Elephants hail from Tartu. They came together in August 2010 and have released only one single so far, but that one song has earned them praise from critics and music bloggers and created anticipation for new material that should be released soon. With no concerts announced so far either, Rum Rumble is the only chance to enjoy the rough sound of Galvanic Elephants right now, but it definitely makes you want more.

FINLAND: Glue

On Volcano - Acceleration Of Heartbeat

On Volcano is one of the best underground bands in the Finnish indie scene. They play obscure post-rock songs with long instrumental movements and intense dynamics and atmospherics. Their latest EP is available for free on their website.

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Sizarr - Fake Foxes

Sizarr are lucky guys. Yet to finish school, they have already played big festivals in Germany such as the renowned Melt! without being signed to a label yet. These three guys from Landau have a very distinctive style, especially singer Fabian Altstötter, whose voice is very dark and uses a memorable stretching technique. Together they create modern electonica landscapes inspired by many other genres. They plan to record their debut album this year.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

drog_A_tek - In_No_Sense

The movie Homeland, directed by Syllas Tzoumerkas, is an explosive parable of Greece coming apart at the seams, shown through the spectrum of a dysfunctional family, which decides to give up one of its members for adoption to a richer relative. The original music score, a compelling concoction of styles that continually surprises, reflects precisely those feelings. drog_A_tek, a band that records moments in real-time and produces temporary audiovisual environments, uses objects, analogue and digital musical instruments, typewriters, frequencies, recording archives/waste and technology landscapes to depict the film's mood. As a result of this, no moment of Homeland is left unfilled with sparkling music ideas. Listen to In_No_Sense, where their ingenuity shines.

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia

Miri - Góða Konan

Miri began at the LungA festival in the east fjords of Iceland in 2003. The debut EP, Fallegt Þorp, was recorded live one night during this festival in 2005, produced by Curver Thoroddsen. The band plays almost wordless, progressive noise mixed with beautiful guitar work. Góða Konan is featured on their 2010 full album Okkar.

INDIA: Indiecision

Adam And The Fish Eyed Poets - Little Monkeys

Adam And The Fish Eyed Poets is the solo project of Kishore Krishna from Chennai. His music finds a place between the lush industrial sound of Nine Inch Nails and rootsy American rockabilly. Little Monkeys comes from his debut album, Snakeism. Featuring several clinky electronica bells and whistles, it is a resounding tune that is over almost as quickly as it starts. It's a builder in a hurry; a chorus-heavy singalong that's emphatic and imminently memorable.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

((Auman)) - W.K.G.G.

Auman means "animal's roar", and their music is wild, dirty and full of energy - like a tiger deep in the Sumatra jungle that is ready to eat its prey. ((Auman)) is the latest group worth hearing in the local headbanger scene.

IRELAND: Nialler9

Retarded Cop - Copvan

Formerly of Dublin punk rockers Moutpiece, Gaz Le Rock has expanded his repertoire into an amazing 30-minute radio show called The Loving Room Floor and is now releasing tunes at a blistering pace as Retarded Cop, a project which has the catchiest pop-punk tunes you'll hear all year. A debut LP is forthcoming.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel

Yerachmiel - Yom Shekulo

Yerachmiel "Rocky" Ziegler is an international musician who owns Little Apple Studios in the trendy Jerusalem artists' enclave Nachlaot. He is an authentically indie artist, though his work is distributed worldwide and features on several albums. Yerachmiel's music spans several genres but this specific song, Yom Shekulo, is a trance-rock rendition of ancient Passover liturgy that speaks of Messianic times (and it really picks up quite nicely in the middle).

ITALY: Polaroid

Young Wrists - I Want You To Disappear

Alberto and Letizia come from the coastal town of Pesaro and there is definitely a breezy, summery shade in their jangly, noisy pop. Behind their C86 abrasive guitars and shining melodies you can hear a bright ode to adolescence and nostalgia, in the vein of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart or Dum Dum Girls. Well, you can decide not to trust me because I am too involved and helped them release their debut 7'' (on We Were Never Being Boring), but just listen to this bittersweet bonus track and fall in love right now.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa

Disco Ruido! - Amorfos

Although Disco Ruido! has made its name in Mexico City's hipster nightlife as a non-stop party combo, their debut album delves into a neon-blurred nostalgia from lost childhood afternoons watching pop stars miming on TV. Mercedes sings like a doll high on ephedrine (no doubt this song's title is translated as "amorphous"), while the band explores the enormous legacy of harmonies that dwell in the Mexican collective memory. I wish Thalía and Paulina Rubio (the glamour-pusses from seminal 80s teenybopper group Timbiriche) could be doing this kind of sophisti-pop.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam

Lola Kite - Everything's Better

At times pop trio Lola Kite can't resist the playfulness of lo-fi, losing themselves to retro electro-pop tech and washes of hazy, melodic psychedelia - which undoubtedly reminds you of Animal Collective when combined. However, their debut album Lights, finally released this month following loads of gigging promise, shows they're more than a quirky and charming proposition, upping their game with upbeat and snappy dance-pop gems such as Everything's Better.

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal

Golden Axe - Telephone

There's nothing like the enthusiastic waveform tones of Golden Axe. Named after the Sega game, Chris Cudby and Daif Kent's keyboard-based band has been making party-friendly psychedelic music since late 2001. True to their fun and eccentric form, the July release party for their latest album, Fantasy Footwork, saw them play inside a giant paper mâché igloo that they made themselves. Download the Telephone EP and buy Fantasy Footwork from their Bandcamp.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance

Aristillus - Dying, Keep Dying

The members of Aristillus are aged 17 and 18 but, in spite of their youth, they sound much more mature than many other hardcore bands. With heavy drums, sharp guitars and lyrics as dark as their sound, I believe they'll soon get a lot more attention. Their influences are Norwegian hardcore bands such as Snöras, JR Ewing, Kollwitz and Rumble In Rhodos, and they're releasing their debut album, Devoured Trees & Crystal Skies, on January 24 on the Norwegian indie label Fysisk Format. Aristillus is playing at by:Larm 2011 and I'm quite sure that won't be the last you'll hear from them this year.

PERU: SoTB

Voz Propia - Lentes Amarillos

With a career spanning more than 20 years, Voz Propia is still current, their sound having been renewed to the demands of each time. El Manifesto is their eighth production and it could be the definitive work of this mature band. Post-punk is the essence in their sound again so hold on, Voz Propia is back.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

Balla - Equilíbrio?

Armando Teixeira, who has been playing in bands and as a solo artist for more than 25 years, is one of the most talented contemporary musicians and producers of modern Portuguese music. He is a creative multi-instrumentist and sought-after producer for labels and studios. Balla is one of his solo projects and we wish to thank Armando for letting MAP make Equilíbrio? the first free, worldwide downloadable track from latest album Equilíbrio.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Nebulosa - Trains

Nebulosa is the music space child of three people living on different continents: Noamme, Andrei and Vladimir. The sound is dreamy and sincere, using very simple chord structures and lyrics. Their debut EP, Chimes, can be downloaded from their website, a free ticket to the stars.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Aaron Wright & The Aprils - Go On Yer Self

Aaron Wright and The Aprils' self-titled debut album, due out conveniently enough in April, features guest vocal contributions from Camera Obscura's Tracyanne Campbell and Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake as well as instrumental ones from Belle & Sebastian duo Stevie Jackson and Mick Cooke. Those influences certainly makes themselves heard on Go On Yer Self, which mixes a classic Scottish folk-rock sound with a strong helping of Beatles-esque melody-making. The 24-year-old shaggy-haired Edinburgh singer and his band will be heading out on tour in March as support to The Charlatans. The ingenious video for their new single, Trampoline, is also worth a look.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

Kevin Lester - Rockstar 2.0 feat Vanessa Fernandez

Hip hop isn't something one associates with Singapore's music scene, but it exists, usually even more underground than rock, metal or hardcore. Ironically, it's in response to rampant commercial radio that the local music community, regardless of style, has become a close-knit family. In his debut, Kevin Lester brings out the collaborative and experimental strengths of hip hop, forging a sound with slashes of rock and soul, and working with some of the country's best singers to put out a record with incredible heart and talent.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!

Thieve - Champion

Thieve are a trio hailing from the hub of Cape Town, whose motto and reason for picking the band name comes from the fact that "nothing is original - everybody steals". While you can hear that sentiment heavily influences their song, Champion, they maintain a unique feel with their melding of swirling pop rhythms, a soft rock sound and a nostalgic lovestruck feel to their lyrics. With the experience of all the members being involved in previous well-known bands, they've turned Thieve into a tight-knit group that is set to take over the rock 'n' roll scene.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK

Swimmingdoll - Last Take

After a year in the making, experimental shoegaze band Swimmingdoll were finally ready to present their first album, 8wimmingdoll, in the last weeks of 2010. Last Take is a gorgeous layered production with a sound well suited for "the infinite world of the spacewalk" the band wish to portray.

SPAIN: Musikorner

Oblique - Without Making Noise

Oblique's music and aesthetic could remind us of 80s electro-industrial music (or even EBM) bands and, certainly, their biggest inspiration comes from dark synthpop acts such as The Human League or Ladytron. Without Making Noise, the second single taken from the eponymous album of this trio from Barcelona, features dark atmospherics and, of course, a catchy chorus. It's got what it takes to be a perfect futurepop track.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease

Klifton Filente - It Takes A Thorn To Remove A Thorn

Klifton Filente is one of the underappreciated, unsigned and relatively unknown artists from Sweden that I am keeping my eye on. On the song It Takes A Thorn To Remove A Thorn, taken from their Common Ground album, you can hear echoes of Crosby, Stills and Nash as well as the lilting folk-pop of early Paul Simon.

SWITZERLAND: 78s

Aie ça Gicle - Whisper Jet

Sonic Youth is the keyword when it comes to Aie ça Gicle's musical universe. But the band's debut album S.Y.R.U.P. offers more than just a blueprint. Their influences range from post-punk to grunge to post-rock. They pile guitar layer upon guitar layer, interlace some catchy refrains and try to be as laid-back as possible.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating

Smith Westerns - Weekend

Chicago's Smith Westerns break out of the relatively dull and dispassionate tunes of their first record and, in the upcoming Dye It Blonde LP, give us 2011's first truly great album. It's a wonderful construction upon the flashy glam rock that gave careers to David Bowie and T-Rex, endlessly listenable and replayable, particularly opening track Weekend.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto

Greasy Grapes - Candles In The Rain

Greasy Grapes are a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll band formed in Caracas in early 2006. Their music is influenced by American traditional southern music, which also inspired legendary bands in the late 60s and 70s such as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Faces, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the The Allman Brothers Band. Candles In The Rain is taken from Greasy Grapes' 2009 debut album At The Back Of The Hill, which blends a vintage vibe with rock, soul, blues and country sounds.

34 songs from all over the world!

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:34:00 +0000

It´s november´s Music Alliance Pact. Enjoy!

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Entre Ríos - Frontera
Finally we get the chance to showcase this great indie-pop band from Buenos Aires on MAP. Entre Ríos is a musical project led by Sebastian Carreras (vocals, keyboards, guitar) that has been around since 1998. Their first albums were recorded with Isol as the main singer, but since her departure in 2005 they've featured different guest vocalists live and in the studio. Frontera is a MAP-exclusive premiere from their brand new EP that will be released in a couple of weeks, with Josefina Mac Loughlin on vocals.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Boy & Bear - Mexican Mavis
Sydney singer-songwriter Dave Hosking has taken a slight change of direction with his new outfit Boy & Bear. Releasing his first EP Marmalade Hill late last year, Hosking has decided to abandon the songs from the album (which I was still rather fond of) and start fresh, writing towards a more mature and original sound. Producer of the first EP, Andrew Macken, has proven to be a great collaborator with his intricate and almost narrative-based approach to the arrangement and production.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

The Name - Come Out Tonite

If I had to bet which Brazilian band could repeat the success of CSS on foreign lands it would be The Name. Assonance, their new well-produced EP, presents songs that could put them side by side with some of the greatest names of the post-punk revival of the 00s or the major bands of nu-rave scene. Come Out Tonite is here to prove it.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Magneta Lane - Love And Greed
Magneta Lane were on the verge of world (well, Canadian) domination a few years ago, and then they suddenly vanished. They're back now with a new album, Gambling With God, but you wouldn't know it from the total lack of support the album is getting from both the band and their label. Nonetheless, it's a pretty outstanding release, and as songs like Love And Greed show, Magneta Lane could still conquer the world... assuming, that is, they want to.

CHILE: Super 45
Astro - Raifilter
Alongside electro-poppers Moustache, Astro (Andrés Nusser and Octavio Cavieres) is one of those noble bands cultivating the sound of acts such as MGMT or The Knife - just on the verge of the night spectrum of pop - acquiring a good combination of simplicity and a good dose of highly contagious fun for their debut album Le Disc Du Astrou. Following this trail, Raifilter is a song with a very special melody, the result of very intense arrangements as well excellent vocals courtesy of Nusser, who shapes a beach-like tune to give us a perfect excuse to have a neverending sound party.

CHINA: Wooozy
Loudspeaker - I Will Be Back
Established in 1999, Loudspeaker is the hardcore pioneer in Shanghai. This song is from the I Will Be Back EP released in September. You can download the whole EP here. Loudspeaker's new album will be ready at the beginning of 2010.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Hety And Zambo - Proud
Hety And Zambo are a duo with the capacity to get you on your feet and dance. The Kings of Creole, as everyone knows them in the dancehall underground scene, came together six years ago in the island of San Andres with one objective - to create good music with their own rhythms, writings and language.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Kites - Play
I stumbled across these guys on a MySpace cruise recently and was immediately charmed by their quite British-sounding pop-rock. The Kites may not be revolutionizing music, but less has been known to do it. Not least when it's this infectious. Get Play exclusively via MAP and then head to their MySpace page and check out the equally excellent Balloons.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Jeremy Warmsley - Dancing With The Enemy
Rather than something new this month, here's an old favourite from one of my favourite British singer-songwriters, Jeremy Warmsley. It's from his How We Became album of last year. If you like this, he's got a free acoustic EP available via his MySpace and he's also fronting a new band Acres, Acres. Watch out for them.

ESTONIA: Popop
Antonina - Itsuyorimo
When Helene Vetik started to write music, she played on the streets to get some pocket money, started a high school punk-band that didn't last long and sang at cheesy corporate parties. However, it was when she began to record her old songs into lo-fi electro-pop that she teamed up with Zanduro (keyboard) and Mihkel Masso (guitar) to form Antonina.

FINLAND: Glue
Cleaning Women - Across The Void
From planet Clinus 1 robots CW01, CW03 and CW04 (subbing for CW02 who was lost in action) create industrial avant garde music using a wide array of instruments, some rock lines, a few jazzy beats and a lot of funky grooves. The trio has just released its third album, U, which includes some futuristic tracks that could form the soundtrack of a Philip K Dick novel. One of them is the instrumental Across The Void, a good example of the spooky atmospheric music these hygienic robots make.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Kitsch Device - Is This Home Now?
Kitsch Device is a group straight out of the Parisian scene who take us on a high. They first started playing as a hobby but they now scour concert rooms in Paris and are always a blast to watch for their style and professionalism. Is This Home Now? carries a folk-rock melody which will make you shake your head and tap the floor with your foot to the beat.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Candelilla - #13
Candelilla is a female four-piece based in Munich. Their impulsive sound fits into no existing scheme - it varies from Dresden Dolls to Sonic Youth, from punky grunge to vanguard indie. Straight drums accompany the piano, a whetted guitar accents murky basslines, all highlighted by the staccato voices. #13 is the first single from their debut reasonreasonreasonreason.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Giannis Aggelakas - Volta Sto Dasos
Psyhi Vathia is the soundtrack for a movie directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. It takes place in 1949 and tells the story of two brothers who fight in two different camps during the Greek civil war. Giannis Aggelakas, who was singer and songwriter of the legendary rock band Trypes, composes an emotionally compelling score drawing on traditional musical heritage. Sad, evocative instrumental melodies rich with contemporary elements coalesce with ethnic nuance that depict the era and echo the film's mood. Volta Sto Dasos ("Walk In The Woods") is a marvelous track that reflects the two elements of the movie - pain and hope - through the lament of violin and the serenity of the guitar.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Kimono - Black
Kimono is an experimental rock trio hailing from Reykjavik and Halifax, Canada. They have released three full-length albums, the last one in collaboration with Icelandic producer Curver (of Ghostigital). Black will be on their upcoming fourth album, Easy Music For Difficult People.

INDIA: Indiecision
Pinknoise - Dream Dream
Pinknoise is an experimental rock act from Kolkata that takes nu-jazz sensibilities and combines them with angular, guitar-driven rock. Dream Dream comes from a soon-to-be-released live DVD. It's the quintessential spacious, open jam that frontlady Jayashree Singh orchestrates with this band. With mid-song tempo changes and lazy atmospherics, it's a fun five minutes through slacker town.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Santamonica - Bobsessed
Santamonica's album Curiouser And Curiouser was praised by the media as an eclectic mixture of pop, bossa nova, electronic and classic waltz drawing influences from Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and My Bloody Valentine to classic Disney soundtracks.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Band On An Island - Back Disco
The debut release from Kildare's Band On An Island, The Sound Sweep, revels in the details of hometown life, taking in nights by the campfire, love, drinking, getting into trouble, picking yourself up again and this cute nightclub-themed song featuring the vocals of Claire Prendergast. Combine these myriad of issues with the music - a mix of country, folk, raucous guitar music and heartfelt ballads - and you've got the essence of Band On An Island.

ITALY: Polaroid
Annie Hall - Morning News
It would be too easy to describe the sound of the Annie Hall as a Beatles influence revised through a folk sensibility. But this way you would overlook the simple fact that these songs are truly touching in such an immediate way. Annie Hall just released their second album and are now ready to spend the next months touring the country non-stop, as they usually do.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Sebastian X - Tour Star People
Sebastian X are an impressive Tokyo-based outfit with indie-pop and punkish leanings. Their brilliant debut album Wonderful World was finally released last week. The band, who don't use guitars, have catchy melodies driven by the cute pop vocal of Manatsu Nagahara.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Pepepe (feat. Cyane) - Sleep With You
Here is a track from Pepepe's latest album, Roba Orgón de Plantas y Animales, released on the Poni Republic label. Pepepe is one of the monikers of Pesina Siller, a 21-year-old electronic musician and visual artist who was ranked among the top 50 in Radiohead's Reckoner remix contest. He's the kid behind various projects that show the multiple faces to his mystic persona, with sounds that go from dubstep to psychedelic folk. This song is full of clicks, cuts, lots of aleatory processing and a beautiful collaboration with Guadalajara's vocalist Cyane.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Psychic Powers - Wellington
Psychic Powers are an international duo - Nik Brinkman is a New Zealander and Alejandro Cohen is from Los Angeles. The two collaborate on songwriting from opposite sides of the world via the internet. This piece of very 80s sounding synth-pop is about Nik's home town, New Zealand's capital city, Wellington - bringing together the local and the global in a way that seems purpose made for the Music Alliance Pact. The song has been released on 7" vinyl by US label Geographic North.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Kråkesølv - Privat Regn
Kråkesølv is a quartet from Bodø, a town in the north of Norway. They sing in their dialect and their music can be put somewhere between pop, indie and post-rock. The band have received much acclaim for their lyrics and the reviews of their recently released debut, Trådnøsting, have been very positive.

PERU: SoTB
Los Protones - Swinging Lima
Los Protones are an instrumental band formed in Lima in 2007 who play in a style that combines psychedelia, surf and garage-rock. Their self-titled debut CD was released in February 2009 by the Peruvian label Discos Gordos. It is an album where there are no words, although they're not necessary - the guitar solos are the universal language and the titles of songs such as El Desvío paint pictures that could easily relate to the soundtrack of our experiences.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Casino Royal - Casino Royal Deluxe
Led by Pedro Janela, Casino Royal are a quintet from Figueira da Foz, a town known for its sandy beaches and its casino built in the 19th century. Casino Royal create music that takes us back to a certain living by the post-war European jetset. Would you like your cocktail shaken or stirred?

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Silent Strike - 27
Silent Strike (Ioan Titu) is a 27-year-old electronic music composer and sound designer from Bacau. He is influenced by Aphex Twin, Future Sound Of London, Orbital and opened for Faithless and Bonobo. 27 is a little gem of electronic sounds arranged in an acoustic manner and it was released for his birthday.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
The Unwinding Hours - Knut
The Unwinding Hours have quietly risen from the ashes of the much-loved Aerogramme and the early evidence suggests they're going to be every bit as wondrous as their former guise. All the ingredients are there - the gorgeously gentle pacing, the elegant orchestration, Craig B's yearning vocals. Knut, taken from their self-titled debut album due out early next year on Chemikal Underground, is a MAP exclusive sanctioned by the band and their record label.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Lunarin - Ariel (File Under Easy Listening remix)
Singapore is a small country, so we've formed a rather close-knit bunch of musicians and friends. One such collaboration between friends happens to be The Lard Brothers' remix of Lunarin's Ariel. While a relatively new group, The Lard Brothers have been busy making waves spinning as a DJ group and religiously reworking many classic songs by Singaporean bands. Their efforts don't go unrecognised with this trip-hop laced remix of Ariel by the melodic rock band, Lunarin, perfect for the monsoon season that's hitting our shores just about now.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Die Heuwels Fantasties - Our Heritage
Die Heuwels Fantasties are an Afrikaans group, incorporating elements of many genres, from hip-hop beats, flat out dance beats, to rap and rock sounds. Die Heuwels Fantasties teamed up with The Soweto Gospel Choir, HHP and JR to produce a song for Heritage Day. The song is called Our Heritage and features Pierre Greeff of Die Heuwels Fantasties singing in English. All in all, it's a song with the message to celebrate our heritage and our unity as South Africans - artfully combining the many different cultural spheres into a feelgood track.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Playgirl - Happy Mania
Female trio Playgirl emerged in September with a retro pop sound from a time when James Bond was still played by Sean Connery. Inspired by The Pipettes, equipped with identical outfits and cute dance moves, Playgirl is currently the most adorable act to come out of Korea.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Madamm - Örnen
There's very little info online about this mostly all-girl group from Gothenburg. I was struck by the band's wanton energy and the loose nature of their songs. Örnen is a demo so who knows what its final shape may be, but I hope they retain the song's raw energy.

TURKEY: Reset!
Bon Mod - Chocolate Cheesecake
Chemistry is all there is to a band. After meeting about a year ago, the duo started working together instantly as Bon Mod. They take their love of partying and a reckless attitude to make indie, electro and disco-flavored songs. They are possibly the most exciting new band for the season ahead.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
People Eating People - All The Hospitals
People Eating People is the solo work of Nouela Johnston, previously known for her work with Pacific Northwestern act Mon Frere. Her self-titled debut LP is a blending of Fiona Apple's emotion with Regina Spektor's penchant for melody. All The Hospitals is a catchy tune - we'll see if Johnston can separate herself from the crowded female pack.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto Musical
Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras
Amigos Invisibles ("Invisible Friends") has been around the alternative/funk/pop local scene for many years. Their groovy rhythms and funny lyrics, filled with Venezuelan pop culture, made them legends in their country and finally got the attention of music lovers worlwide, touring Latin America, USA and Australia. They signed with David Byrne's Luaka Pop label in 1996. To celebrate their Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, I have selected a song from that record, Comercial, called Mentiras.

To download all 34 songs in one file click here

Great songs from all over the world! Music Alliance Pact!

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:52:00 +0000

This is the best edition of MAP so far... Bands like Les Mentettes Orchestra, Green Go, A Banda de Joseph Tourton and Schlachthofbronx are incredible. Listen!

AMERICA: I Guess I'm Floating
Lands & Peoples – Awake
Baltimore-based Lands & Peoples seem to have a knack for hypnotherapy. With a commanding ethereal ambience and gorgeous catatonic tensions throughout, Awake is an eye-opener from start to finish. You'll ask, "How have I not heard of them?" and "I can't believe they aren't signed!" Well, believe it. There's an album in the works coming out later this year (perhaps self-released), but for now you can listen to more gems at their MySpace page.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Les Mentettes Orchestra – Hold On
Les Mentettes is a psychedelic pop band who just released a five-song EP with orchestral arrangements conducted by former Orquesta de Salón member Manuloop. It's a free release so if you like Hold On you can legally download the other tracks as well. They are currently playing this record live with a full orchestra in several venues around Buenos Aires.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Jonathan Boulet – A Community Service Announcement
I only recently discovered the very talented Jonathan Boulet's music online, and upon hearing this song immediately purchased his album from iTunes. It is simply amazing that the 20-year-old produced and recorded everything himself in his garage. Big future for this guy.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
A Banda de Joseph Tourton – #3
A Banda de Joseph Tourton only have a few songs on the internet and released a digital EP last year, but they are already one of the most interesting of the new generation of alternative groups in Brazil. They create instrumental songs full of groove, emotion and originality, making the next step in mangue beat's (a musical movement from Brazil's northeast) history, going through post-rock, jazz and their regional culture influences.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Green Go – Brains For Breakfast
For a year or two now, my friends in Toronto have been raving about Green Go to me and now that their debut album, Borders, is out, it's easy to see why. As songs like Brains For Breakfast show, the band create infectiously catchy pop with shouted group vocals and bouncy riffs that sound like they'd make for a big, sweaty blast of fun in concert.

CHILE: Super 45
Mutrone – Bristol
A mix of experimentation, psychedelia and improvisation are the foundation elements from which Mutrone build solid sound walls comprising samples, effects and a dynamic reminiscent of the machine-like structures of krautrock. With two albums, Oscillatore and Centinela, both released under a Creative Commons licence, the four guys in Mutrone have discovered an exciting way to bring the real sounds of the city into the machine.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Sinusstøv – Who Am I?
The translation of their name is "Sinus Dust" but there's nothing at all dusty about Claus Pedersen and Søren Friis Dam's musical output. Who Am I? is lush, sweeping and crackling electro, showered in the melancholy Scandinavians have to live with and everybody else finds moving. Another grand testament to the incredibly healthy state of Danish electronica.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Blue Roses – Doubtful Comforts
Another month and I'm sticking with all thinks folky, although we're leaving London for Shipley in Yorkshire which is the home of Laura Groves. She has recently rebranded herself as Blue Roses and released an amazing self-titled album (on XL). Of all the young folky female artists I've enthused about here and on my blog, she's possibly the best.

FINLAND: Glue
Delay Trees – Desert Island Song
Indie-pop quartet Delay Trees have just self-released their seven-song debut CD, Soft Construction EP. Desert Island Song is the opening track and the beginning of a dreamy trip through tender pop melodies and bits of psychedelia. It is a very promising start for these guys.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Walter – Le Dernier Bastion
In the beginning, they were two, playing in parks, festivals and concert halls. Six years and three musicians later, Walter keeps riding French roads offering a tasty blend of reggae, blues and folk, spreading messages of love, respect and peace. They'll be back in studio by the end of the year to record their next album.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Schlachthofbronx – Good To Go
Schlachthofbronx defined a whole new genre called Munich bass. This bastard relies heavily on Kuduro, baile funk, dub and dancehall but also likes to play with elements of Bavarian folk and synthpop. Good To Go has never been released officially but turned on the crowd at their sweaty gigs all over central Europe.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Retro Stefson – Papa Paulo III (Re-edit version)
Retro Stefson was founded in late 2006 by a group of eight teenagers, school friends from Austurbæjarskóli. They write catchy, semi-pop/semi-rock crossover songs and give great live performances. Last year the band released their debut album Montaña on the Icelandic Kimi Records label. The band’s principal songwriter is Unnsteinn Manual Stefánsson. The lyrics are in English, Spanish and Icelandic.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Super Extra Bonus Party – Radar
The first single from Super Extra Bonus Party's second album Night Horses sees them joined by Cadence Weapon on a stomping live band/electro-hop crossover. It's a good indication of a band who don't like to stick to genres for too long. Night Horses also features pop, acoustic folk, instrumental rock and electronic goodness with guest vocals from Mr. Lif, R.S.A.G., May Kay of Fight Like Apes, Ann Scott and Heathers.

ITALY: Polaroid
Buzz Aldrin – Small Bad Talk With Koala Friends
Obsessive rhythms, nagging guitars, alienated voices, dirty synths and strangely beautiful songs that are greater than the sum of their parts. Think of Liars, think of Wire, think of Pere Ubu, or don't think: just dance. This young trio show a driving strength when on stage and they are improving with every gig.

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
Mr. Racoon – Ferry 3
Mr. Racoon is one of several projects by Roberto Polo, among them 60 Tigres and Fuck Her, Or The Terrorists Win. This is by far his most charming moment yet. His music unfolds the very best of a prolific songwriter that, as opposed to what his music may sound like, is a maximalist taking the lo-fi production and his shimmering voice to heroic amplitudes. Ferry 3 is a cut from his third album Katy, released earlier this year through the free storage music website Delhotel Records.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
The Sing Songs – Pamphlet Baby
The Sing Songs sing songs, saccharine sweet pop songs. What gives them their staying power are the lyrics. Where you might expect girl loves boy, boy loves girl, instead you get the story of a woman dealing with the death of her baby by walking the streets with a pram, delivering pamphlets. To date the band don't have any releases but this song has been included on a compilation issued by Real Groove magazine to celebrate New Zealand music month.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Maribel – Flesh & Blood
Oslo-based Maribel released their long-awaited and brilliant debut Aesthetics only a few days ago, and the Norwegian critics gave them full scores in the reviews. The band play dreamy, noise-drenched, multi-layered shoegaze with almost psychedelic elements. There are obvious references in their sound to bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Spacemen 3, Pale Saints and even The Velvet Underground, but Maribel definitely do their own thing and they do it their own way. Maribel and Aesthetics is highly recommended, and will be this Norwegian blogger's soundtrack to the spring of 2009.

PERU: SoTB
Diablos Azules – Porno Music
It is time for a classic night: trumpets, breaks, ska and contagious melodies that immerse people in the most insane of their intentions. It is perhaps no surprise the band are called Diablos Azules ("Blue Devils"). Porno Music is the best legacy of their existence – an old song which is still fresh and gets revived every time someone goes to a party in Lima.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
The TiMaria – Pretty Girls Are Pretty High
Last year, a man was organizing a gig with a three-band bill but had just two booked. When he was creating the poster, he made up the name TiMaria and included this fictitious group as the third act of the night. (Un)fortunately, he didn't erase the name before the posters went to press and ended up with a stock of paper to throw away. However, he persuaded his friends, André Moinho and Nuno Rancho, who live in small villages around the city of Leiria, to form a band in 15 days so that he could use the posters and save the planet. And so, with the addition of Nuno's younger brother, Luis Jerónimo, The TiMaria ("Aunt Maria") was born. Their debut record will be released in September or October.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Semiosis – Recovery
Semiosis is the post-rock/ambient/electronic project of Seidiu Alexandru and Serban Ilicevici, two young guys from Craiova. They have just released their debut album, Pictural, and it has received a lot of positive feedback. Pictural is considered the first Romanian post-rock album and is available for free download here – it's a must if you enjoy listening to this preview.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Boycotts – Beat On The Dancefloor
Boycotts have been in existence for barely a year but it's still no surprise they've got people in Scotland very excited indeed. The Glasgow-based quartet's edgy guitar-pop pushes all the right buttons, but the ace in the pack is their enchanting frontlady, Stina Twee, all youthful exhuberance and 'don't screw with me' lyrics.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
The Fire Fight – Fires At Night
The Fire Fight are an indie-rock band that have set the local scene on fire with their firebranded musicality and heartfelt lyrics. Fires At Night is the first track from their demo, The Green EP. Brandishing straight-up indie guitar rock that combines the intensity of Bloc Party and the poetic ebb and flow of The One AM Radio, Fires At Night draws the listener into its warmth and, like a slow burning furnace, purifies the experience. Perhaps the best thing about The Fire Fight is their lyrical optimism in a world spiraling into nihilism, as singer Josh Tan pleads that music is for "the hope that burns in your eyes".

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Stretching Journey – 060
Post-punk band Stretching Journey put out a self-titled album on its own last month. The band is not afraid to blend a plethora of genres into their music and as a consequence of the lo-fi production, several of their songs ended up with a slight psychedelic edge. The album opens with 060, which has a progression and a beat influenced by Los Bunkers, whereas the style of the chorus is inspired by Korean dance-pop act Koyote.

SPAIN: La Página De La Nadadora
Sundae – Arte y Ensayo
The Field Mice, My Bloody Valentine, The Radio Dept. and The Cure are four good references for this band who have even been namechecked by the famous label Shelflife with their second demo. Sundae are like the best shoegaze pop inherited from Sarah Records, but this time from Seville.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Robert Svensson – I Was Summer, You Were
I can't tell you one quaint biographical detail about Robert Svensson – he's a mystery to me. But I am now an instant fan on the strength of I Was Summer, You Were. The song exists to share these two sets of lyrics: "I was summer and you were November" and "I was architecture and you were the wrecking ball".

Download all songs here.

Music Alliance Pact: april 2009

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:03:00 +0000

AMERICA: I Guess I’m Floating
4 Thing One – Mop Yards
New Jersey’s Thing One have been on my radar since last year when I first heard a few tracks from their debut album You’ll Be Fine. Mop Yards brings traces of The Smiths and ELO into the new millennium with strange electronic warbles and dancey synth patches. Singer Joey Palestina creates a veritable summer anthem with the repeated line, “The heat is non-stop, hide the women in cop cars”. Whatever that means, Joey, I feel ya.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
4 Chau Fan – Boletos De Tren
Chau Fan is a boy-girl indie folk (or anti-folk?) duo from Buenos Aires, starring Micaela Quinteros and Marcelo Lares. They both sing and play acoustic guitar, and in this particular song Micaela does a charming harmonica solo. Boletos De Tren will be part of Zonaindie’s new compilation which features five songs from artists who have never had the chance to record in a professional studio (we invited them to the studio and helped them record). So consider this a MAP exclusive premiere.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
4 Lisa Mitchell – Coin Laundry
So, yeah, this could easily be an iPod Nano commercial, but catchy accessibility is hardly a terrible quality for a song to have. Who really expected a former Australian Idol finalist to produce anything of worth? This is a lovely song and I hope it gets overplayed.

BRAZIL:Meio Desligado
4 Hurtmold – Música Política Para Maradona Cantar
There is no other band like Hurtmold. You have to listen and feel it. It’s more than music, it’s an experience.

CANADA:I(Heart)Music
4 Dinosaur Bones – NYE
Dinosaur Bones are currently attracting all sorts of interest on the back of their debut EP, and this song makes it easy to see why. They blend together The National’s world-weariness and a very English-sounding pop sensibility, with the end result something that’s entirely their own.

CHILE: Super 45
4 The Same Sky – We Sleep Under The Same Sky
The Same Sky is the music project of Joseph Simon, a 15-year-old Chilean who was born in Canada. It is precisely this biographic fact that can define his music – warm guitar sounds of slow rhythm alongside a smooth voice heavily influenced by bands such as Beirut, Arcade Fire and The National. The recent release of his first album (Two Hearts / Apart Under The Same Sky) supports this feeling of songs as a perfect soundtrack for winter days spent at home, enjoying the natural melancholy.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
4 Ruhan Daisy – We Know You
There’s quite a bit of post-rock going on in Scandinavia these days, one brilliant act being this Danish quintet. It’s grandiose, funky with bits of (acid) jazz thrown into the mix and sports an equilibristic sense of detail. Ruhan Daisy’s crowning achievement, however, is their catchy pop sensibility driving the complex compositions out of nerd-country into the mainstream. At least that’s how it should be.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
4 Alessi’s Ark – The Horse
Alessi’s Ark is west London teenage sensation Alessi Laurent-Marke and here is the single version of The Horse from the Mike Mogis-produced new album, out next month.

FINLAND: Glue
4 Palma – Ride Around
After a couple of years in the making, Helsinki band Palma recently released their debut album Be Bold And Mighty Forces Will Come To Your Aid. Palma refers to an old soda drink in Finland and the band, indeed, produce some refreshing indie-pop songs, rooted in the classic sounds of the 70s, and with a danceable groove. It’s retro and modern. For fans of The Soundtrack Of Our Lives and Supergrass.

FRANCE: SoundNation
4 Sundogs – So Close
Sundogs are a French band who live in London but play in both England and France. The group is made up of two guys - bassist Jeff (”le petit blond”) and Pierre on guitar. The other musicians are French or English guests, depending on where they are playing.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
4 Lali Puna – Nin-Com-Pop
Lali Puna is another band from the great Weilheim circle led by Valerie Trebeljahr. Established in 1998, I consider them to have a higher creative potential than recently featured The Notwist, where her boyfriend and Lali Puna fellow Markus Acher is playing. Nin-Com-Pop is a song from their second album Scary World Theory. A new record will be released later this year.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
4 Lay Low – Last Time Around
Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir is a 26-year-old half-Sri Lankan, half-Icelandic singer, born in London. She sings under the name Lay Low and her music is a combination of blues, folk and country. This year, Lovísa has already supported Emiliana Torrini on tour and signed a record deal with Nettwerk. Last Time Around is on her third solo album, Farewell Good Night’s Sleep.

IRELAND: Nialler9
4 202s – Ease My Mind
There was a general air of being caught unaware in the Irish media and bloggers when this duo’s debut landed on their desks. Without any gigs and already signed to French label Le Son Du Maquis, their charming Primal Scream and Broadcast-indebted indie-pop has skipped a few hurdles without skipping on the tunes.

ITALY: Polaroid
4 Gazebo Penguins – Wallabees
A punk band that quotes Alfred Korzybski? Yes, please. The Name Is Not The Named is the title of Gazebo Penguins’ new album and it’s full of powerful hardcore in the style of At The Drive-In, with a nod to Motorpsycho. Sharp guitars, heavy rhythms, driving choruses and smart attitude.

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
4 Mexican Institute Of Sound – Reventon
Mexican Institute of Sound is a solo project by the multi-talented Camilo Lara. He just released his third album Soy Sauce, another celebration of Mexico’s traditional music fused with funky tunes, electronica and the genre that’s getting ready to shake the world again, cumbia. MIS is an explosive adventurous musical ride of our rich culture. They are preparing to perform at this year’s Coachella festival and with songs like Reventon, it is sure to get the fiesta up in wild spirit.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
4 Three Legged Horse – Red
Red is the opening track on Down, the debut album of Three Legged Horse, a trio from Waiheke Island, around 20km offshore from Auckland. The band bring together the grungy dark introspection of lyricist/vocalist Bede Taylor, the smooth powerful vocals of Gina Higham and the musicality of Aaron Carpenter into a combination much greater than the sum of its parts. Red is a good intro to an extraordinary album that melds acoustic country blues with dirty guitar and vocal grit and growls.

NORWAY: Eardrums
4 Dylan Mondegreen – Animal (Hiawata! cover)
For this month’s MAP I will present not one Norwegian act, but two. The performing artist here is Dylan Mondegreen, one of my absolute favourites in Norway. He is currently working on his second album, which should be released later this year. The song he sings is written by another favourite of mine, an indie-pop band from Oslo called Hiawata!. Mondegreen’s cover of their song Animal was a b-side on Valley Boys, the first single from their second album, These Boys And This Band Is All I Know, due out soon on SellOut! Music.

PERU: SoTB
4 Autobus – Volver
Autobus formed in Lima in 2006 and released their debut album last year. Although they have a clear rock essence, they have electronic influences and a pop touch which sets them apart from their peers, so much so that many people are surprised by where they come from. They have made a good impression abroad, achieving their aim of drawing attention to the local scene.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
4 The Clits – Lay Low
If there was a such a genre as electro-psychic-punk-rock-pop, The Clits would be the kings. It all started in 2006 when Carlos (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals) invited Ana Leorne (vocals) to form an electro-punk project, influenced by the riot grrrl movement and some of their favourite artists such as Joy Division, Bauhaus, Nina Hagen and Suspicious (another Portuguese electro-punk project). Their first record, The World Is A Mess But My Hair Is Perfect EP, was released in December 2007.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
4 Persona – Momentary Lack Of Passion
Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s movie Persona, this band belongs to the new generation of Romanian musicians that bloomed after the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. The group’s members have been involved in the music scene since then, playing in several acts before forming Persona. Their music is, indeed, one of British influence but cannot be strictly labelled – the musical background and influences of each of the members, refined by experience and artistic maturity, blend together in the Persona genre.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
4 There Will Be Fireworks – Foreign Thoughts
Bands of the calibre of There Will Be Fireworks are far too rare, but that’s not a bad thing because you’ll end up appreciating them all the more. Although TWBF seem like the perfect new students in Scotland’s renowned post-rock school, their take on the genre is far more moving and lyrically impassioned than anything that has gone before them. Foreign Thoughts, taken from the Glaswegians’ forthcoming eponymous debut album, has the beautiful intensity of a Band Of Horses classic and will stay with you long after its three-and-a-half minutes are up.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
4 Astreal – Snowflake
Some may say that when you’re in love, the stars align. For Astreal, love is more of a cosmic collision course between stars and planetary bodies. In the unassumingly titled Snowflake, there lies so much destructive potential in a love so intense that, yes, even “the stars, they burn for you”. Taken from their second album Fragments Of The Same Dead Star, the song combines the melodic infatuations of shoegaze with the aural impudence of noise-rock for a blistering and haunting love song that almost borders on maniacal obsession. Is this love? That’s for you to decide.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
4 Toxicbiasfleurivy – Parallel Assembly
GDM duo Toxicbiasfleurivy might not be the obvious choice for MAP but their latest album, Particles, provided an interesting exception from my usual listening when it was released late March. Electronic, experimental and pretty much the opposite of easy listening, the listener is advised to enjoy astral emotions while digesting this music inspired by quantum physics.

SPAIN: El Blog De La Nadadora
4 Anntona – Nunca Es Tarde
Apart from his membership in the band Los Punsetes, Manu has a solo project called Anntona, in which he makes the best pop songs imaginable. He has just released his second album, En La Cama Con Anntona (”In Bed With Anntona”) which contains 10 fizzy and addictive pop pearls such as opening track Nunca Es Tarde.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
4 The Late Call – Linnea
The Late Call is really just one guy (and friends) from Stockholm named Johannes Maye. His debut album, Leaving Notes, chronicles the long distance relationship he had with his girlfriend. The record and this song has an organic feel on account of the mostly acoustic instrumentation. Linnea is a perfect example of the gorgeous pop you can expect from The Late Call.

To download all 25 songs in one file click here.

March´s MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Here is the new edition of Music Alliance Pact, now with more countries, like Mexico and France. My choice for this month is one the great and dirty Black Drawing Chalks, from the city of Goiânia. Some people call their sound "stoner rock", but I do prefer the description made by the band at their MySpace page: "music to drink and fuck". Listen, drink and fuck.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Lola Arias & Ulises Conti – Te Voy A Vencer Por Knock-out
Lola Arias is a writer, stage director, actress and singer. Ulises Conti is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist musician. They started working together in 2003, making music for several theater plays. This wonderful pop-rock love song is from their debut album, El Amor Es Un Francotirador, which comprises the original music from a play with the same name that was directed by Lola and Alejo Moguillansky. The translated title of the song here is “I’m going to beat you by knockout”.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Leader Cheetah – Bloodlines
Festival State four-piece Leader Cheetah are the less manic, more soulfully melodic reincarnation of now-defunct Pharaohs. Their music is layered folk-rock twang meets brooding pop – think Neil Young’s moody younger brother in stormy weather. Bloodlines reminds me of Interpol circa the jangling guitar, tonal shift glory days of Turn On The Bright Lights. The vocals of singer Dan Crannitch are mind-addlingly beautiful and dark, especially when met with the surge of harmonies in the chorus. Leader Cheetah’s debut album The Sunspot Letters is out now on Spunk Records.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Black Drawing Chalks – Big Deal
Any fan of Turbonegro, Queens of the Stone Age and several others bands who makes their own versions of how dirty and fast rock´n´roll should be will love Black Drawing Chalks. They come from Goiânia Rock City and have one of the most incredible shows I´ve seen on the brazilian underground. Describing their sound as "music to drink and fuck", Black Drawing Chalks is formed by Renato Cunha ("sexy guitar / sweet back vocals"), Victor Rocha ("violent guitar / hipnotic vocals") and brothers Douglas ("drum machine") and Denis de Castro ("dirty bass). Just push play and be prepared to drink and fuck (rockers should be always prepared for this).

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Amos The Transparent – Lemons, aka (BigFishLittlePond)
Ottawa may be Canada’s capital but it hasn’t produced much in the way of great Canadian music. Amos The Transparent are the exception to this rule. Their debut, Everything I’ve Forgotten To Forget, featured contributions from members of Stars and Broken Social Scene, and sounded like those two other bands. Lemons, aka (BigFishLittlePond) is taken from their about-to-be-released follow-up EP and finds the band inhabiting similarly stunning territory.

CHILE: Super 45
Vapourboat – Full Trains Of Dead People
Vapourboat is the Scottish project of Chilean-born Nico Carcavilla. His songs are composed entirely in his bedroom, inspired by the genius of Otis Redding. Perhaps it is this influence which makes Carcavilla sing like a man who has lived it all, when he is actually just starting. Being only 14, his songs incorporate instruments such as ukuleles, accordions, guitars and keyboards, and the Neutral Milk Hotel-esque arrangements end up developing into sad, long walks that owe their intensity to Beirut.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Kellermensch – All Time Low
Their name is inspired by Fjodor Dostojevski’s novel Notes From Underground, they’re heavily influenced by the German expressionist movement Die Brücke and the Esbjerg-based Danes are musically related to both Tom Waits and metal acts like Tool. Their eponymous debut album is stunningly original and a massive contribution to the already vibrant Danish rock and metal scenes.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Blacklands – Come Sad Light Of Dawn
This month we return to folkiness, mainly because if I don’t cover Blacklands soon, main man Al Murphy will have moved to New York and his music will no longer be ‘England’ for MAP. It’s lovely sepia-tinged fireside acoustic pickings. Come Sad Light Of Dawn is a gorgeous song, conceived in Berlin, executed in a cottage on a desolate Yorkshire moor. You may be able to tell.

FRANCE: SoundNation
Sliimy – Trust Me
Sliimy may be best known for his cover of Britney Spears’ Womanizer but the 20-year-old is a talented artist in his own right, with his high-pitched vocals and pop sensibility reminiscent of Mika.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Five! Fast!! Hits!!! – Keep My Name Out Your Mouth
Five! Fast!! Hits!!! have been an institution in Munich for years. No month without at least one gig, until now. Singer Raffi is moving to London while Amadeus, the true head of the band, will pay attention to his other projects such as Elektrik Kezy. Their melodic, hectic, eclectic and energetic shows will be missed.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Ólafur Arnalds – Himininn Er Að Hrynja, En Stjörnurnar Fara þér Vel
Ólafur Arnalds is a talented 21-year-old musician, part of the new generation of classical composers. He hails from the suburban town of Mosfellsbær, just outside Reykjavík. He has toured extensively around Europe and North America with a live string quartet and last summer he supported Sigur Rós on some European shows. The song here – translated as “The sky is falling but the stars look good with your dress” – is on his Variations Of Static EP which shows off his crackling electronics and sounds.

IRELAND: Nialler9
David Kitt – Move It On
The opening track from Kittser’s sixth album The Nightsaver displays the same solid thread of songwriting and homemade invention he has always been able to produce regardless of the style inherent within thanks to his distinctive voice and ear for a tune. The album, which was recorded at the top of a winding staircase somewhere along Dublin’s Grand Canal, may turn out to be his best yet.

ITALY: Polaroid
Death In Donut Plains – Over And Above
Death In Donut Plains is the solo project of Enrico Boccioletti from Pesaro. He plays evocative electronic music with a wide range of inspirations such as Aphex Twin, Fuck Buttons, M83 and The Radio Dept. He has created some lovely covers of Liars, dEUS and Good Shoes but his latest EP has a lighter and more pop touch, in a sort of Postal Service mood.

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
Juan Son – Mermaid Sashimi
Mermaid Sashimi is the first solo album by Mexico’s most prolific contemporary vocalist, Juan Son. After the breakup of his highly celebrated band Porter, he expands his already singular vision with much confidence and complete freedom, delivering what’s arguably Mexico’s best production in a while. He has the sensibility of a story-teller and the thirst of a scientist.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
The Verlaines – Yangtze Cod And Chips
The Verlaines were one of the bands to define the Dunedin Sound, releasing a number of classic recordings on the iconic Flying Nun Records label between 1981 and 1996. They returned in 2007 with a well-regarded album Pot Boiler and are about to release a new politically-inspired record called Corporate Moronic. Songwriter Graeme Downes has fire in his belly as you can hear on this song about the unlikely subject of a free trade agreement between NZ and China.

NORWAY: Eardrums
The Electones – Right Foot From Left
The Electones make beautiful experimental pop almost without creative boundaries and its foundation rests heavily on 60s-inspired folk and jazz. They are musical cousins to artists such as Múm, Psapp Sigur Rós and The Accidental. The Electones’ debut album If You’ll Be Null, I’ll Be Void will be released on Beatservice Records on March 23 and the band will also be a part of Birdsongs, Beesongs – the upcoming, free Eardrums compilation.

PERU: SoTB
Resplandor – Solar
Resplandor are probably better known abroad than in Peru. Formed a decade ago by Antonio Zelada and Luis Rodriguez, the band’s shoegaze dream pop sound has seen them play with The House Of Love and The Radio Dept. Their most recent album Pleamar was produced by Robin Guthrie and opener Solar is the best song on it.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Corsage – Dried Up, River Blues
Corsage are an indie band from Lisbon who brought out their first EP in 2004. The following year they recorded a cover of a Scott Walker song, Angel Of Ashes, for a tribute release to the British musician by Portuguese bands. In 2007, they were featured in the compilation Novo Rock Português (“New Portuguese Rock”) and one of their songs was selected for the soundtrack of a Portuguese soap. Last month they released their new album Finito L’Amore, where you can find this month’s track, Dried Up, River Blues.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Grimus – Backseat Driver
Grimus are an indie/alternative band from Cluj. They formed about four years ago and their debut record Panikon was declared Romania’s best album of 2008 by several musical/cultural communities. Although influenced by the likes of Placebo, Muse and Interpol, they manage to create a unique style and sound. On top of that, these guys are great live on stage – you not only get a performance, you’re in for a show.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
We Were Promised Jetpacks – Ships With Holes Will Sink
We Were Promised Jetpacks ought to be one of the biggest stars of this year’s SXSW. They mix sweeping, sonic brilliance with a melodic accessibility that has made them Glasgow’s most talked-about band since Frightened Rabbit. Indeed, they have followed in the footsteps of their city chums by signing to FatCat, who will release their debut album These Four Walls in June. Until then, here’s a teaser from it to whet the appetite.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
A Vacant Affair – Connecting The Dots
A clean, clinical and almost methodical country like Singapore can only boast the undercurrent of a disenfranchised youth who find different ways of breaking the status quo. A Vacant Affair almost does that, not by being cynically political about the culture here, but by embracing the emotions that come along with it. A post-hardcore band that shares influences with the likes of Underoath and Deftones, they bring it all out in the fantastic debut album closer, Connecting The Dots. AVA steer the listener into a swimming plethora of swirling vocals and guitars as they finally explode into an extended outro that acts as a buffer between you and this crazy, mixed-up world.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Pavlov – The Lioness
If you’re looking for some rock’n’roll you should definitely listen to Pavlov. If you’re not, you probably should anyway. Not a big fan of the genre myself, I gave Pavlov a chance after being told to think of them as AC/DC and The Hives with a frontman who looks like Jarvis Cocker with Tourette’s – and it was not something to regret. Everything they’ve recorded has something special to keep you listening and when the last song has finished it’s hard not to play everything all over again.

SPAIN: El Blog De La Nadadora
Bedroom – Japanese Girl
Even in Spain there are still lots of people who don’t know the powerful secret that Bedroom hides. Folk, torch-songs and traditional music join together around the presence of Bert, the engine behind Bedroom. His debut album LaCasaDinsLaCasa surprised us last year – now it’s your turn to listen to Japanese Girl and discover why.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Two White Horses – Good Times Are Gone Forever
Good Times Are Gone Forever by the brother/sister duo Two White Horses may be about growing up and realizing childhood is over, but it’s hard not to think about the song more in the context of our present global meltdown. I love Lovissa’s voice on this track as well as the fuzzy chug-chug guitar.

USA: I Guess I'm Floating
Viernes – Glacial Change Of Pace
Viernes are an electronic rock duo from Florida who've managed to capture a thrilling loud/quiet/loud aesthetic akin to Grizzly Bear. Glacial Change Of Pace – a MAP exclusive – brings together hard-hitting psychedelia with gorgeously subdued lulls, and vice-versa, in a seamless display of sonic movements and emotions. Look out for their debut album Sinister Devices in the near future.

You can download all 24 songs in one file here.

Music Alliance Pact - January 2009

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Hello, everybody! Here´s another edition of the Music Alliance Pact, a collection of indie music made worldwide and selected by a group of great bloggers! Enjoy!

AMERICA– I Guess I’m Floating
Blind Man’s Colour – Jimmy Dove
Blind Man’s Colour came on our radar in late ‘08 with three excellent Animal Collective covers. With their debut album, Season Dreaming, coming out sometime in early ‘09 and Jimmy Dove as their first explosive single, they’ve got a good chance of becoming my favorite find of 2009 less than one month in. They’ve also got a free EP called Rainbow Faces which you can download from the band’s blog. Jimmy Dove is a MAP exclusive mp3.
Download

ARGENTINA – Zonaindie
Bicicletas – 11 y 20
We started the year listening non-stop to this brand new song by Bicicletas, a superb space-rock band that has been shaking the independent scene of Buenos Aires for some years now. 11 y 20 will be included in their forthcoming album Quema, which is released in March by Bingo! Records.
Download

AUSTRALIA – Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The Middle East – Blood
I feel like Arcade Fire comparisons have been overused in music reviews over the past whenever, so I’m going to do my best to not compare The Middle East to Montreal’s finest. It’s tough though, because this Townsville, Queensland collective do fit the criteria, at least initially – a large collection of musicians (at least six, possibly seven) who create dramatic and climactic folk-ish anthems.
Download

BRAZIL – Meio Desligado
Guizado – Rinkisha
Created by Guilherme Mendonça, Guizado presents instrumental songs ranging from jazz, alternative rock and experimental electronica, always sounding avant-garde. Their first album, Punx, was acclaimed by critics (including the Brazilian Rolling Stone) as one of the best albums in 2008. As well as Mendonça, who is a well-known trumpeter in São Paulo’s underground music scene, Guizado is formed by Curumin, Ryan Batista and Régis Damasceno, musicians involved with some of the most creative artists of the Brazilian alternative scene. "Rinkisha", a deep and melancholic song, sounds like John Frusciante playing with Tortoise.
Download

CANADA – I(Heart)Music
Parachute Penguin – Your Crimes
Yes, their name is horrible. And yes, this song borrows rather liberally from The Killers. But despite both of those things, if Parachute Penguin’s forthcoming EP, due out in late February, is anywhere near as good as this (or any of the other tracks on the outstanding EP the band released back in the spring), then it won’t be long until the band is playing arenas around the world. Hopefully they’ll stay away from those feathered jackets, though.
Download

CHILE – Super 45
Como Asesinar A Felipes – En Busca De Un Nuevo Sueño
Como Asesinar A Felipes (How To Kill Felipes) is the best way to understand what’s going on in Chilean hip hop music – cross-referenced music styles with deep and shocking lyrics. Former jazz musicians joined MC Koala Contreras and DJ Spacio to create an outstanding jazz-rap combo. Their self-titled album, released last year, has been described as the best Chilean album of the year by even mainstream media. And there is no doubt about it, no other band can take our minds, ears and bodies like Como Asesinar A Felipes have.
Download

ENGLAND – The Daily Growl
Emmy The Great – We Almost Had A Baby
Although the wait for Emmy The Great’s debut album has been long enough to make it seem like an indie-folk-pop Chinese Democracy, the good news is that First Love is finally coming out on February 2. This track is the first single from the album, released at the end of last year.
Download

GERMANY – Blogpartei
The Notwist – Good Lies
The Notwist is probably better known abroad than in Germany. They come from the Bavarian city of Weilheim, where other famous bands – partly with the same members – have their base, e.g. Console, Lali Puna and 13 & God. The Notwist sound is built on the characteristic voice of Markus Acher and the discreet electronic background constructed by Martin Gretschmann.
Download

ICELAND – I Love Icelandic Music
Singapore Sling – Martian Arts
Singapore Sling is a darkly, neo-psychedelic, avant-garage band formed in Reykjavik in 2000 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Henrik Baldvin Björnsson and lead guitarist Einar Þór Kristjánsson. The band is often compared to The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine. Martian Arts is taken from their fourth album, Perversity, Desperation And Death, released last November on the new Icelandic label Microdot.
Download

IRELAND – Nialler9
Gran Casino – One Chance
An intriguing upbeat rabble-rousing orchestral racket from a 13-piece Dublin band who have the horn for brass and blustery rock epics. Their debut Sun Music EP sounds like Arcade Fire jamming with Herbie Hancock.
Download

ITALY – Polaroid
Arnoux – Today, A Rainy Day
Cascades, the debut album by Arnoux, blends melancholic synths and glitches with acoustic sounds and warm voices, portraying a delicate and touching liquid landscape.
Download

NEW ZELAND – Counting The Beat
Princess Chelsea – Monkey Eats Bananas
Every May in New Zealand is NZ Music Month. Album sales and radio airplay figures of Kiwi artists soar and there is a celebration of local musical talent. For the past two years NZ music magazine Real Groove has issued a CD in May titled The Sound of Young New Zealand. One of the standout tracks of the 2008 edition was Monkey Eats Bananas, a song so infectious I’ve driven members of my household mad with repeated plays, eventually awarding it Song of the Year in Counting The Beat. It’s silly but incredibly compelling. Xylophone, electric piano, a nonsense lyric that doesn’t kick in until two-thirds of the way through the song, all atop a great rolling bass line. Princess Chelsea is about to release her debut album and Monkey Eats Bananas will be the first single.
Download

NORWAY – Eardrums
I Was A King – Weighing Anchor
I Was A King is one of the Norwegian bands I expect will do very well in 2009. Frontman Frode Stromstad has a unique gift of creating addictive melodies with distinctive roots to the 60s. Distorted through the sound of the 90s indie scene, the result is I Was A King. On their self-titled second album, which received a maximum score in Norway’s largest newspaper, the trio is helped by artists such as Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh), Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Smith (Danielson) and Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor).
Download

PERU – SoTB
Turbopotamos – Terrorize You/Disco Flor
After a few demos had been circulated, the rumour was that a cool new sound had awoken the sleepy local scene. With the appearance of No Love, the second album from Turbopotamos in 2007, the rumour proved to be true. With their refreshing compositions, Turbopotamos have been plotting a path that took them on to the same bill as REM and Travis in Lima last November.
Download

PORTUGAL – Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
The Weatherman – Chloe’s Hair
The Weatherman is Alexandre Monteiro, a resident of Oporto in the north of Portugal. Chloe’s Hair is the first single of his second album, Jamboree Park At The Milky Way, due in February, which he recorded with guest musicians. Besides being a musician, Alexandre runs his own independent record label, Poptones, and an arts collective company, Sublime. Thanks to The Weatherman, the MAP sites are the first in the world where Chloe’s Hair is downloadable for free. Obrigado.
Download

ROMENIA – Babylon Noise
Les Elephants Bizarres – Have No Fear
Les Elephants Bizarres is an alternative band formed in 2007 in Bucharest. Not really like those big, apathetic creatures, these dancing, multi-coloured Elephants are a very fresh and vivid appearance in the Romanian music scene. Their concerts often stir up the audience and make them dance with their indie-pop-disco-punk motley sounds. You can download some of their other songs and watch live performances on their website.
Download

SCOTLAND – The Pop Cop
Evan Crichton – Holiday Time
Glasgow-based Evan Crichton is a rare talent. He’s a singer whose songs have a timeless feel, perhaps because they are immaculately paced and seem to exist in a world and space all of their own. After a year-long absence, Evan has just returned to playing live with a full band set-up and the Scottish music scene is a better place for it. Holiday Time is taken from his debut record Bright Our Broken Days.
Download

SINGAPORE – I’m Waking Up To...
I Am David Sparkle – Jaded Afghan
The curious name of Singaporean band I Am David Sparkle is a literal translation of a famous Malaysian disco singer in the 80s called M. Daud Kilau. Their music, however, shows only a hint of that nostalgia. In Jaded Afghan, taken from their second album This Is The New, a carefully woven ambience is animated by an intriguing blend of beats and bleeps that moves back and forth in time. For me, though, what most subtly drives this track forward in the end is the sound of a gently wandering guitar, lightly treading but hugely moving, with slightly darker rumblings underneath.
Download

SOUTH KOREA – Indieful ROK
The Invisible Fish – Fallen
Once the male half of Bluedawn – Korea’s foremost folk/dream-pop duo – The Invisible Fish is now completely on his own. For those who know Bluedawn his music is still familiar, but he’s experimenting more and the songs are more personal. Not wanting to compromise with his new-found post-noise-folk sound, The Invisible Fish releases everything by himself and put out his second solo EP, Loss/Sleepless last month.
Download

SPAIN – El Blog De La Nadadora
Saioa – Is It Possible
From our point of view, Saioa has changed the concept of the singer-songwriter. She comes from the Basque land and her debut album, Matrioska Heart, was released in 2008 on the small Spanish label Moonpalace. Her songs follow a folk pattern with influences such as Low and Leonard Cohen.
Download

SWEDEN – Swedesplease
The Bridal Shop – The Ideal State
I can’t say enough good things about The Bridal Shop. They perfectly meld the sounds of electronic pop of the 80s with shoegaze of the 90s and indie from the 00s. In other words they’re the complete package. Their Peruvian label (I know that’s kind of a weird locale for a Swedish group) Plastilina Records deserves kudos as well for releasing some of the best indie-pop this side of Cloudberry. This song is from the band’s mini-album, In Fragments, out in February.
Download

Download all 21 songs in one file.

Curumin´s US tour

noreply@blogger.com (marcelo) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Curumin is a well-know drummer in the underground brazilian music and has a asdencing solo career. His music passes through samba, funk, rock and eletronic beats, always with a genuine swing. Last year he was at the line-up of SXSW and now he´s back to America to make 10 shows.

Jan 20 2009 7:30P
The Loft UCSD campus SAN DIEGO, California
Jan 21 2009 8:00P
The Echo (Guest MONEY MARK!!!!!!) LOS ANGELES, California
Jan 22 2009 8:00P
Slim’s (Guest: Tommy Guerrero, Blackalicious, Lateef and Money Mark!!!!!!!!!) SAN FRANCISCO, California
Jan 24 2009 8:00P
Nectar Lounge SEATTLE, Washington
Jan 26 2009 8:00P
Legion Arts Center Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Jan 27 2009 7:00P
Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jan 28 2009 8:00P
Old Town School CHICAGO, Illinois
Jan 29 2009 8:00P
Stonefly Brewery Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jan 30 2009 10:30P
Mercury Lounge w/ Chin Chin + Money Mark - 21+ New York, New York

meio desligado = indie rock and alternative music made in brazil

Rodrigo Campos at Music Alliance Pact

Pequeno Céu at August's Music Alliance Pact

Passo Torto at Music Alliance Pact

First 2015's Music Alliance Pact

Castello Branco represents Brasil in December's Music Alliance Pact

Marcelo Jeneci at November´s Music Alliance Pact

Music Alliance Pact with Band Uó representing Brazil

May's Music Alliance Pact

Sambanzo at the new Music Alliance Pact

Music Alliance Pact!

50th Music Alliance Pact edition

Dibigode at Music Alliance Pact

Brazilian afrobeat on the new Music Alliance Pact edition

Music Alliance Pact: June

Music Alliance Pact: indie music from all over the world

Global indie sounds: April´s Music Alliance Pact

Black Drawing Chalks new video, "Red love"

Brazilian bands at Coachella festival 2011

Friday, April 15th

Saturday, April 16th

Sunday, April 17th

First Music Alliance Pact of 2011

34 songs from all over the world!

Great songs from all over the world! Music Alliance Pact!

Music Alliance Pact: april 2009

March´s MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT

Music Alliance Pact - January 2009

Curumin´s US tour