Vokal nya khas dan selalu mengingatkan pada penyanyi-penyanyi seperti Lisa Mitchell atau Angie Hart dari Frente, namun aransemennya membawa kembali ke era Joni Mitchell.
Sebuah rilisan yang hampir solid. Hampir solid karena menurut saya pribadi lagunya semua keren-keren namun rekaman ini seperti direkam terburu-buru mengejar kuota shift rekaman. Kumpulan lagu yang jika direkam lebih tenang dan santai mungkin akan jauh lebih asoi.
Saya sendiri kurang suka bunyi gitar yang selalu ngintil dan berbunyi sepanjang lagu. Beberapa bagian jadi enak, cuma beberapa bagian sering bikin telinga jadi gatel. Kalau saja para pemain aransemen bisa sedikit lebih tenang, santai dan memberikan ruang bagi satu sama lain mungkin akan lebih nyaman menikmati ep Humidumi ini.
Di luar itu, ini adalah rilisan yang sangat bagus dari Surabaya dan perlu kamu miliki.
Megatruh dari Malang telah mencuri telinga kami semua dikantor redaksi Deathrockstar, single Annelies ini terputar hampir sama banyaknya dengan anthem-anthem post-punk yang memang sedang sering terputar.
Kasar dan mentah namun solid, membuat kami tidak berfikir banyak untuk melepaskannya ke 21 negara sekaligus. 🙂
Sekalian coba download lagu-lagu asoi lainnya dari penjuru dunia.
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 Ubika – Fahrenheit
Hard rock guitars, solid bass and drums plus strong female vocals are the formula behind Ubika. Fahrenheit is the first single from their latest album, Amigos Del Bosque, and it’s inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel. The song has a video directed by Diego Stickar, which you can watch here.
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? The Twoks – First Light
The Twoks are a Melbourne two-piece comprising Xani Kolac on violin and vocals, and Mark Leahy on drums. Initially the solo instrumental project of Kolac, who studied jazz and improvisation at Victorian College of the Arts, the duo is now renowned on the local live circuit for their unpredictable sets which feature Kolac on loop station and a smorgasbord of effects. On The Twoks’ latest release, First Light EP – which boasts crisp production from Tony Buchen (The Preatures) – Kolac’s improvisations have been whittled down to concise retro-pop tunes in the vein of Pat Benatar or Kate Bush.
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Baleia – Breu
Breu is one of the strongest songs from Baleia’s debut album, released last year. They first caught the attention of the indie press in Brazil with a jazzy cover of Justin Timberlake but in their album they show a handful of influences, resulting in experimental indie-rock that dabbles in baroque pop and folk.
CANADA: Ride The Tempo Friends Forever – As Long As You Call Me
The duo of Jordan Pearson (New Zebra Kid/Halcyon) and Sam McDougall don’t have many songs yet under the moniker Friends Forever, but As Long As You Call Me shows off vintage 80s synth-pop inspiration with sparking melodies.
CHILE: Super 45 Magaly Fields – Love Scene
Magaly Fields is a duo formed by Tomás Stewart (guitar) and Diego Cifuentes (drums) who rock fast and strongly. They released their debut album Chromatic Days in September through Algo Records. Their first single is Love Scene, a fictional tune about a rotten relationship that fantasies that the romance never really happened.
DENMARK: All Scandinavian Hit The Hay – Long Way Home
One of my favorite Danish bands right now, Hit The Hay travel dusty American roads with bags packed with catchy Scandinavian melancholy. Here is my first meeting with them, Long Way Home, as a MAP exclusive download, but do also check out the great Never Wanted Out and Running.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Doob – Put On Your Seat Belt (Brenda M Remix)
True island vibes can be felt all over the work of Doob, a young producer from La Vega who spends his time remixing, and ranging between soul and progressive house on tracks of his own. The original Put On Your Seat Belt song can be heard here, but the one featuring on this MAP edition is a Nu-disco remix by Brenda M, a DJ and collaborator from the neighboring Santiago province.
ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Estereo Humanzee – Insaciable
In less than one year, Estereo Humanzee return to MAP with their new EP, 8min 20seg. This three-song EP, that came with their new live album Signaux Lumineux, is a real statement of the evolution of their electronic sound.
FRANCE: Your Own Radio Singapour – Paris SA
Singapour is the new project from the duo Mondrian, who are composed of Roman Oswald and Lee Gordon. On their track Paris SA (Paris Société Anonyme) they present the Paris you don’t really want to know: €10,000 per square meter, €3 coffee, stressful life. It’s the storytelling of a complicated relationship between Parisians and their city, a kind of “I love you… me neither”.
GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda Dead Gum – Float
Panagiotis Spoulos, as Dead Gum, mainly uses guitar and vocals through minimal effects to create instant songs, psychedelic collages and direct, stripped-down bursts. The music itself – partially improvised but fully psychographic – has anthropocentric characteristics and lo-fi character and flirts with punk, bedroom pop and analog noise. Float is the gripping opening track off his upcoming album, GAINER.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Megatruh – Annelies
Megatruh come from Malang, a small city in the eastern part of Java with plenty of music talent, and Megatruh is one of the latest breed. After a series of painful things happened to frontman Kidung, he started a project influenced by post-punk, psychedelia and noise-rock with 90s sensibilities.
IRELAND: Hendicott Writing Conor Walsh – The Front
West coast modern-classical pianist Conor Walsh has one foot in Ireland’s contemporary scene through his toned-down samples and nuanced electronics. In the most part, though, his music exudes a mellow timelessness, taking the gorgeous throwback farmland of rural Mayo and converting it into a sound that’s part film score, part desolate romance. At first listen this sounds like simple piano music; let it sit and The Front’s gentle flow whisks you away.
ITALY: Polaroid Niagara – Vanillacola
Niagara are a Turin-based experimental pop duo. They say their sound incorporates elements of electronic, psychedelic, Eastern and dance music, but I think it’s more surprising than this. The track Vanillacola, from their second album Don’t Take It Personally (out now on the UK label Monotreme), is a wonderful example of Niagara’s elusive idea of music: Boards Of Canada synths that destroy a catchy pop structure, while the vocals become more obsessive as the melody gets hypnotic.
JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies The Somedays – Remember Me
There is no shortage of indie-pop music in Japan. There has never been a lack of twee-leaning, ennui-dunked groups in this country. Osaka group The Somedays have found a smart way to stand out from the pack. Remember Me is anchored by all the regular trappings of the style – guitar, drums, melancholy vocals – but is given a buzzy edge thanks to the presence of synthesizers, lending a futuristic vibe to their sound.
MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Pájaro Sin Alas – Alfombra Mágica Mental
Rodolfo Ramos Castro aka Pájaro Sin Alas (“Bird With No Wings”) not only penned one of the most heartbreaking songs of the first half of this decade, but also became a figure whose slow output is worth the wait. Alfombra Mágica Mental functions as bitter sips of shared realities that strangely link the mystery of the Arabian Nights with the barren landscapes of his home state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
PERU: SoTB Las Amigas De Nadie – Should Not Let It Go
Human Dress is the new album of Las Amigas De Nadie, released two years after Sincronia, a record that created great interest in the Latin American music scene thanks to its originality. Human Dress gives us a much deeper insight into the experimental melodies that the band introduced in their previous album. Should Not Let It Go is their first single, an addictive and remarkable mix of electronic textures and distorted vocals.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Pernas De Alicate – Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I)
Pernas De Alicate is not really a band but a project started by drummer Carlos BB, who is also a recording studio owner, and Sara Feio, an illustrator. They invited some of their friends and acquaintances to contribute their art, music, illustrations, photography and film for Pernas De Alicate. The music was recorded over Carlos BB’s drums, with every musician invited on a one-by-one basis. The video for Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I) was directed by Sara.
PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Samalot – Valle De Luz
After two intense albums as part of experimental rock group Tachdé, Fernando Samalot has created his own niche in the prolific Puerto Rican music scene with his introspective and meditative songs. With the steady hand of engineer and producer Héctor “Stontape” Hernández, Fernando has created musical landscapes filled with desire, hope and wisdom that seem to travel like wind from our lush Caribbean mountains down to the intricate river channels of the island. Samalot’s most recent EP – available through Bandcamp – features two “sister” songs, Rayo De Luz and Valle De Luz. Both are definitely faces of the same coin.
SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop The Xcerts – Pop Song
The Xcerts have been my favourite Scottish rock band since their debut album In The Cold Wind We Smile was released in 2009, with its impassioned choruses and gripping moments of melancholy. It wasn’t difficult to fall under its spell. While the follow-up record was deliberately rougher around the edges, their imminent third album, There Is Only You, out on November 3, is an exhibition of The Xcerts’ songwriting strength. The melodic explosion of the aptly-named Pop Song, a MAP exclusive download, is a case in point. Check out the video for it here.
SPAIN: Musikorner YDVST – 2044
YDVST breathes mysticism and irrealities. His first EP, DVST / CUTS was written during silent and uncertain nights. It was released by the Sweat Taste label and contains experimental essences of ambient, downtempo and vaporware. This mysterious yet captivating artist from Madrid will certainly develop his projects at his own pace.
UNITED STATES: We Listen For You The Fervor – Moment Of Truth
Louisville, Kentucky’s The Fervor mixes in lush orchestration with pounding vocals that conjure up thoughts of Neko Case. The music is filled with small moments of beauty that once heard as a complete piece results in a blissful listen.
Bulan ini kita kirim Pancasura dari Bandung, supaya dunia dapat mendengarkan kekayaan musik Indonesia dari sudut pandang yang lebih tradisional. Sebuah fusi etnik yang menarik dan layak mendapat perhatian lebih.
Sementara itu, mari cek musik-musik lainnya dari seluruh dunia dengan satu klik saja disini.
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 Los Gongs – Suicidas
Suicidas is a brand new track from Los Gongs’ sophomore album, Volumen 2. This young, promising band from Buenos Aires takes us back to the folk-rock, kraut and psychedelic sounds of the 60s and 70s. It was recorded at Ion, one of the few studios in Argentina that still offers a completely analog recording environment.
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Foreign/National – Life Tourist
Five-piece Foreign/National was formed by brothers Mark and Sean Gage in their hometown on the Mornington Peninsula, a short drive south of Melbourne. The band has released three singles since November last year, attracting their fair share of attention from the music blogosphere. On latest offering Life Tourist, the lyrics offer a harsh counterpoint (“What’s your motherfuckin’ problem?”) to the band’s signature blend of psych-pop and tropicalia. It’s a cheerful, off-kilter sound that falls somewhere on the spectrum between Django Django and Os Mutantes. Foreign/National’s debut EP will be out on Downtime later this month.
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Moreno Veloso – Um Passo À Frente
Moreno Veloso, the eldest son of Caetano Veloso, released his first studio album this year, Coisa Boa. Um Passo À Frente, the first single from it, is an indie-samba song that reflects the easygoing mood of the record.
CANADA: Ride The Tempo D-Sisive – Jonah Hill
Toronto rapper D-Sisive describes his own biopic and reveals who would be the ideal person to play him. Despite being seemingly ridiculous, this track may be his best yet.
CHILE: Super 45 Bernardita – Hojas
Bernardita (Martínez) took some songs that her friend and fellow musician Felipe Cadenasso had kept for years and included them in her self-titled debut album. Hojas (“Leaves”) is a melancholic song that allows the listener to experience the intimacy of the recording. It’s fresh, warm and sweet. Just as the leaves fall to the ground during autumn you will fall for this track.
COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo fatsO – It’s Getting Bad
Daniel Restrepo is fatsO’s heart and bassist: a project born from the roots of jazz that has evolved into rock and soul. Thus their classic, elegant style refreshes the sounds of Colombia’s capital. In the track It’s Getting Bad, the influence of the great Tom Waits is palpable.
DENMARK: All Scandinavian ColorKaleido – Gold
ColorKaleido – producer/songwriter Kim Vagn Wagner and singer/songwriter Christine Milton – released their first EP in 2012 (two tracks available on SoundCloud) with a fresh one coming out early next year. Gold is the first single off the as-yet-untitled new EP and it’s a pretty amazing shot of grandiose pop.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Irka Mateo – Vamo a Gozá
Irka Mateo is an expert in world music and Dominican folklore. After more than 25 years exploring our roots she still finds ways to innovate with the sounds that have shaped our cultural landscape for hundreds of years. Vamo a Gozá takes on bachata rhythms with accordion – usually associated with merengue – and is the first single from a new album that will prominently feature this instrument.
ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Munn – Aquí/Ahora
Progressive beats, silences and a powerful female voice that sings about an action we need to take here and now. This is the new single from Munn. Two years since the release of their first EP, Espiral, the group are preparing to launch their new album. The single Aquí/Ahora is just the starting point of Munn’s new, ambitious sound.
GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda Sophia Loizou – Silica
Sophia Loizou’s incredible, bold-sounding debut album Chrysalis was mixed and mastered by Subtext’s Paul Jebanasam. It is an exploration of conflict and balance. Using a unique set of sonic transformations, synthetic materials and archival recordings of life, both natural and mechanised, the work depicts forms across a diverse range of scales from the microscopic to those which exceed measurement entirely. Comprised of six movements, the recordings unfold an elaborate landscape of intricate detail and severe natural forces whose end is both a creation and a dissolving of recognised forms.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Pancasura – Kamu
Pancasura is a collective of young people from Bandung who fuse traditional Sundanese pentatonic scale with world music beats and modern instruments, as you can hear on Kamu (“You”).
IRELAND: Hendicott Writing Florence Olivier – Portals
Ambitious conceptual Dublin electro-pop act Florence Olivier channel their namesake – the inventor of the modern synth – and add a twist in basing every track on a deconstructed movie plot. Second single Portals comes complete with a video crammed with the dumbest jokes the three-piece could come up with, but the infectious, summery bent of the slow-building track and its delicate vocals is worth taking seriously. Oh, and which movie is Portals? Well, that’s part of the fun…
ITALY: Polaroid Drink To Me – Bright
One day I’ll go drifting in deep space. That day I’ll be listening to Drink To Me. Bright is the first single from Bright White Light, their new album. It was produced by Alessio Natalizia (Banjo Or Freakout, Walls, etc) and represents a step forward in the band’s career. This song is full of trippy synths, the narrator is having a mystical crisis, the rhythm is pulsing but there’s no gravity, “All of my memories are gone”. Immerse yourself.
JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Nohtenkigengo – Typhoon
Folk-pop artist Nohtenkigengo has been kicking around since last September, when he released his first EP. He followed that up with an even stronger sophomore collection, and he has not wasted any time as he has his debut full-length album ready to drop next month. Typhoon is the first taste of it, a jaunty number with traces of melancholy sprinkled over it.
MALTA: Stagedive Malta Three Stops To China – The Beach
Dave Urpani, Kurt Kind and Josh Briffa have been making music together since 2010. In that time they’ve gone from an eclectic mix of grunge and punk to a multi-layered, harmonic blend of dream-pop and shoegaze, while making it a point to not forget their energetic roots. Having just released Take Me To The Beach, a homemade EP signalling this latest chapter in their sonic evolution, hints of what lies next are already looming over the horizon.
MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika AAAA – Echo Dream
AAAA is the brainchild of Gabo Barranco, a youngster who has been sneaking around Mexico City’s underground scene as part of the shoegaze-surf-punk band DDA. Now he is delivering tracks under the name AAAA, an ambient noise project that is about to explode in some important local festivals.
PERU: SoTB Laikamorí – Norfolk
Laikamorí is one of the most strange and mysterious musical movements in Peru. The only information about their members is that they are two guys who always play wearing masks encrusted with shiny stones. What I like about them is the amazing sound they create with guitars and synthesizers. They recently released an experimental electro EP, available for free at Bandcamp.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Naked Affair – Pearl
With a sound encompassing keyboards, sampling, synths and some remarkable vocals, Naked Affair cite The XX, Daughter, Roisin Murphy and Erykah Badu as influences. Following the fabulous Melon Ice Cream, Naked Affair offer MAP readers an extended version of their latest single, Pearl. Go ahead and download it now, before they become big.
PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie El S. – No Me Mires
Samuel Vidal Quintero, the gifted composer and keyboard player behind indie salsa darlings Orquesta El Macabeo, is also responsible for one of this year’s most exciting hip hop records. El S.eis is Quintero’s sixth record under the El S. alias and his most accomplished to date. With a healthy dose of collaborations and some inspired beats, El S.eis is both a celebration and a strong statement of artistic maturity from Quintero. No Me Mires, a fun but politically-charged track featuring fellow rapper EBRS, tackles the experience of being constantly judged by others because of outward appearances.
SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Bronagh Monahan – Wait
Scotland has long been an embracive, inclusive place to live. When looked at in the context of the music sector, both performer and population reap the benefits. Bronagh Monahan is a wonderful example of this. Since moving from Belfast to Glasgow in 2008 she has given so much to her adopted home, immersing herself in the local music scene, hosting live nights for fellow songwriters and showcasing her sultry piano-pop and striking vocals in weekly residencies. Such drive and enthusiasm can’t be contained, though, and the next stop in Bronagh’s search for stardom is London, where she’ll no doubt dazzle another city.
SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK Danpyunsun And The Sailors – Yellow Room
Danpyunsun started his underground folk music project as a solo effort in 2006. A year ago he decided to take help from a few fellow musicians and launched Danpyunsun And The Sailors. Claiming to operate within a genre curiously defined as experimental-psychedelic-chamber-music, the band’s first album, Animal, was released in late August. On Yellow Room, percussion and violin set the scene for an intense and engaging song that will linger in your memory long after you hear it for the first time.
bedchamber merupakan band muda yang beranggotakan Ratta Bill (vokal/gitar), Abi Chalabi (gitar), Smita Kirana (bass) dan Ariel Kaspar (drum) diakhir tahun lalu. Dipertemukan saat Ratta, Abi dan Smita sama-sama menjadi partisipan sebuah pameran seni rupa yang kemudian berniat untuk membentuk band. Setelah itu Aril yang merupakan teman sekelas Ratta akhirnya setuju untuk bergabung bersama bedchamber. Beberapa bulan setelah terbentuk, bedchamber kemudian memutuskan untuk membentuk record label sendiri yang diberi nama Kolibri Rekords dan merilis one-off single “Drift Away” pada Januari 2014.
Dalam kurun waktu satu bulan pada Juli-Agustus 2014, bedchamber berhasil merekam lima lagu untuk debut EP yang bertajuk Perennial. Dan lagu “Youth” ini dipilih menjadi single perkenalan karena dirasa mampu mempresentasikan musik bedchamber secara umum yang masih jarang dimainkan di kancah musik independen lokal dan menjadi kesimpulan dari keselurahan tema Perennial yang bercerita seputar perasaan-perasaan dalam menghadapi fase baru kedewasaan. Lebih lanjutnya coba didengarkan saja dan klik ‘download‘ untuk mendapatkan single ini masuk kedalam koleksi daftar lagu kalian.
Download lagu-lagu terbaik dari manca negara disini.
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 22-track compilation through Dropbox here.
ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Como Diamantes Telepáticos – Soñar Soñar
The name of the band comes from an Allen Ginsberg quote about the writings of his friend Jack Kerouac (“Each book by Kerouac is unique, a telepathic diamond”). This song by Como Diamantes Telepáticos is the first single from Dorado, their second studio album, in which they explore a more experimental psychedelic pop sound and mysterious lyrics. The album is available in physical format and as a free download from Bandcamp.
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Blonde Tongues – Seilu
Seilu, the new single from Brisbane’s Blonde Tongues, is a piece of dream-pop with serious emotional pull drawn from slow-build instrumentals and spacey flares of lead guitar. A track about contradictions, thought patterns and lines of friendship, Seilu is coy and seductive rather than brash. There’s no doubt Blonde Tongues still have plenty more depths to reveal in their sound.
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Banda do Mar – Hey Nana
Banda do Mar is a project by Marcelo Camelo (former singer of Los Hermanos, one of the biggest Brazilian bands from the last decade), Mallu Magalhães (Brazil’s biggest hype from the MySpace era) and Fred Pinto (Portuguese musician, member of Buraka Som Sistema and Orelha Negra). Hey Nana is their first single, bringing summer early with a catchy melody and some beachy vibes.
CANADA: Ride The Tempo Slight Birching – Currency
Sean Travis Ramsay makes neo-folk tunes under the name Slight Birching. His latest single Currency reveals a slight eerieness created by a haunting pedal steel and unique guitar twangs as Ramsay ponders a larger meaning in life.
CHILE: Super 45 El Gato, La Virgen y El Diablo – Pilletu
While the Chilean musical scene becomes saturated by predictable naive pop projects, designers Alfredo “Fello” Duarte and Vicente Espinoza recapture the taste for the experimental with a project that mixes visual arts, design and, of course, music. In their debut EP, El Gato, La Virgen y El Diablo (GVD) explore popular folk music (having Argentinian zamba and the Chilean nueva canción movement as their main influences), redefining it through synthesizers and samples. Thanks to this stylistic ambiguity, Beta EP is one of the most interesting releases this year.
DENMARK: All Scandinavian The DeSoto Caucus – Nail In The Wall
When they’re not in Howe Gelb’s Giant Sand or backing the likes of Kurt Wagner, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, these five guys from Aarhus create music in a dusty American tradition as The DeSoto Caucus. They are three great albums in, and here’s Nail In The Wall from their eponymous latest as a MAP exclusive download.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Perla Marola ft. Anthony Louis-Jeune – Bon Vibe
Daughter of famed Dominican merengue performer Sergio Vargas, Perla Marola is taking a slightly different musical path. Experimenting with reggae and rap, her collaboration with Haitian singer Anthony “Aton” Louis-Jeune brings a necessary message of unity for both territories. Bon Vibe forms a small part of something bigger, a documentary that will reflect the various lifestyles of the people in these neighboring countries sharing the same island.
ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Alma Rasta – Sonido Del Ghetto
When we talk about Alma Rasta, we talk about the essence of the reggae movement in Ecuador. With a career spanning more than 20 years, Alma Rasta released second album Sonidos Del Guetto in late 2013. This song, which shares its name with the album, features Chilean musician Cristian Aliaga aka Caliajah.
FRANCE: Your Own Radio Petit Biscuit – Brumes
Petit Biscuit is a young boy (just 14 years old) who is trying to convey emotions with his music. Using guitar and synths, he delivers a cool instrumental track in Brumes. Petit Biscuit is produced by the French label Moose Records, who work with Andrea, Tyord and Julia Losfelt.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Merah Bercerita – Bunga Dan Tembok
Bunga Dan Tembok (“Flowers And Walls”) is a song about a massive building that has made the beautiful flowers disappear. Merah sings the poems of his father, Wiji Thukul, a famous poet who went missing during the New Order oppression. Bunga Dan Tembok is one of his most well-known works and Cholil (Efek Rumah Kaca) joins him on vocals. All of Merah Bercerita’s songs are beautifully sung.
IRELAND: Hendicott Writing Revin Goff – Salthill
This tripped-out, mellow take on hip-hop takes its stormy, percussion-heavy angles from the crashing of the Atlantic winter against the Salthill promenade in Ireland’s gorgeous western outpost of Galway. Penned by inventive 23-year-old newcomer Revin Goff, it’s a textured and nuanced release that dripfeeds fuzzy personal narratives, complex and jittery enough to require further listens and comfortably compelling enough to demand them.
JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Qrion – Sink
Sapporo producer Qrion has a knack for manipulating and fitting vocal samples into her songs. Her latest EP features tracks built around ample space and various warped vocals which, depending on how she chooses to deploy them, can sound unnerving or weirdly inviting. Sink touches on both sides, opening with growly voices before pivoting into a surprisingly sweet section.
MALTA: Stagedive Malta Plato’s Dream Machine – Fik
The latest project of Plato’s Dream Machine ventures through relatively new terrain in the Maltese scene, culminating in their new full-length album Għera, released in April. The band, led by singer-songwriter Robert Farrugia Flores, has successfully reinvented Maltese music giving it a fresh, contemporary sound. Their semi-organic electronica mashed on top of drone riffs and beats is fused with poetical lyrics sung in their native language.
MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika LAO – Equivalent (Merengueando Bootleg)
Mexico City’s art label NAAFI has always digged in the margins, seeking cultural clashes that emerge from the country’s unequal social classes. As one of the heads of NAAFI, Lauro Robles aka LAO – Mexico’s representative in this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo – summarizes on Equivalent some of his crew’s aesthetic ideals: dark and urban first-world dubstep landscapes, juxtaposed with the distant cries of a decadent MC on board a tropical sound system.
PERU: SoTB Planeador – Escarcha De Ipanema
Planeador is a rock band, based in Lima, who were influenced by grunge on their debut album. They are back with their second record, Ausente – available for free download via Bandcamp – and this time their sound is defined by space-rock, shoegaze and lo-fi. Escarcha De Ipanema is a celestial journey through their hypnotic voices.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Los Waves – Darling
José Tornada and Jorge Da Fonseca started as League in 2010 but in the summer of 2013 changed their name to Los Waves. This change can be explained by their love of travelling and nature, especially the sea and surf. Some have mentioned MGMT to categorize their sound. They have had their tracks featured in MTV series Awkward as well as Made In Jersey and Criminal Minds on CBS. Darling is their newest single which will be on their album, This Is Los Waves So What?, due out in September. Their “no budget” video for Darling can be watched here.
PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Former Astronauts – Tonto Corazón
Former Astronauts is a pop-rock trio hailing from Aguadilla, a town that features many of Puerto Rico’s most beautiful beaches along its west coast. That sunny, cheerful disposition is more than evident in Tonto Corazón, from the band’s just-released debut EP, a song that combines the rhythmic dynamism of Vampire Weekend with Tokyo Police Club’s sharp pop hooks. Even when the lyrics reference soured relations and broken hearts, its bouncy, carefree nature makes it a solid, catchy single, and the perfect song to say goodbye to this crazy summer season.
ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Exit Oz – Zurobara Spre Orient
Exit Oz’s music is difficult to pin down in one genre, with influences ranging from soothing ambient to noisy electronics and anguished free jazz. The project first came out of the improvisation sessions made in 2011 by Alexandru Iovan (tenor saxophone and vocals) and Ovidiu Zimcea (samples). In 2013, other musicians joined the project as collaborators and they had their first live shows as a trio, together with Lucian Naste on guitar and drum machine. In 2014, after Lucian left the project, the trio reformed with Dorothea Iordănescu playing synthesizer.
SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Skinny Dipper – Hospital Bed
Idyllic pop is the name of the game for Glasgow-based newcomers Skinny Dipper and their medley of members (eight girls and one guy), all of whom have noteworthy pedigrees in other bands in the Scottish music scene. We have the honour of bringing you an exclusive introduction to their first recorded material in the shape of the genteel Hospital Beds, taken from their debut EP Masks, which will be released through Olive Grove Records on September 8. It’s an immersive listen, showcasing Skinny Dipper’s flawless harmonies and soothing string work.
SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK Jun Bum Sun & The Yangbans – The Seven Year Itch
For many centuries public servants – yangbans – were the aristocrats of what is now known as Korea. Jun Bum Sun & The Yangbans aspire to the same balance between the academic and artistic, noticeable particularly in the band’s lyrics. First album Love Songs is a narrative of a relationship and was released this month. The Seven Year Itch is the album’s final track and features Jun Bum Sun’s strangely attractive vocals over a smooth, alluring pop melody.
SPAIN: Musikorner Skygaze – So Above
Skygaze is the moniker of Jaime Tellado, from Gijón but currently living in Madrid. His music explores the vast and dreamy fields of IDM, similar to Four Tet or Rustie. Skygaze is ready to take off and his next stop is the world.
UNITED STATES: We Listen For You Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me
Alvvays feels perched between the sincerity of Belle & Sebastian and the tongue-in-cheek of Kimya Dawson. Musically and lyrically astute, Alvvays sounds like what was great about indie-pop bands of the past and smart enough to make you hear an emotion anew.
Humidumi
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