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Category: Music Alliance Pact

  • Music Alliance Pact August 2011

    Bulan ini dalam rangka memberi dukungan pada pejuang grunge tanah air, kita mengirimkan single “Grunge Harga Mati” ke 32 negara untuk diluncurkan serentak di edisi bulan ini Music Alliance Pact. Selamat menikmati perjalanan keliling dunia via musik.

    To download all 32 songs in one file click here
    INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
    Cupumanik – Grunge Harga Mati
    Grunge Harga Mati is roughly translated as “you can’t take grunge from me without killing me”. You might grin but the band won’t stop making music and will embark on their first Canadian tour later this year, spreading their rock music.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Music Alliance Pact July 2011 : feat Burgerkill

    Bulan ini untuk merayakan rilisnya Venomous; album terbaru dari Burgerkill, maka kita mengirimkan sebuah lagu yang berbahaya dari band metal asal Ujung Berung ini ke 34 negara sekaligus. Sementara itu untuk kalian semua, ini ada oleh-oleh dari mancanegara yang bisa didownload sekaligus. Selamat menikmati.
    To download all 32 songs in one file click here

    INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
    Burgerkill – House Of Greed
    Burgerkill are one of the biggest and longest running metal bands in Indonesia. They have just released a new album, Venomous, which is heavy as hell.
    [download id=”387″]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Music Alliance Pact June 2011

    To download all 36 songs in one file click here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Music Alliance Pact May 2011

    Yup sudah tanggal 15, berarti waktunya untuk 36 lagu terbaik dari 36 negara. Ucapkan selamat kepada Swimming Elephants, yang menjadi wakil dari Indonesia.
    INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
    Swimming Elephants – Sarah
    Swimming Elephants are a collective of young people who write complex arrangements of pop music pieces using simple chords. They are one of the best newcomers in the Indonesian indie scene.
    [download id=”378″]

    To download all 36 songs in one file click here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Music Alliance Pact April 2011

    Bulan ini, bukan saja mereka meluncurkan single di 36 negara sekaligus, tetapi juga menjadi wakil Indonesia di 40 besar kompetisi Hardrock Battle of the Bands 2011. Ayo bantu untuk vote mereka di http://www.hardrockbattleofbands.com/GugunBluesShelter/ supaya Indonesia bisa menunjukkan kalau masih ada sesuatu yang asoi dari Indonesia, bukan hanya video porno dan korupsi; tetapi kita masih punya BLUES
    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 completed without them performing the killer blues scale.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Gugun Blues Shelter photo by Ardianto