meio desligado = indie rock and alternative music made in brazil

Global indie sounds: April´s Music Alliance Pact

2011-04-15T12:02:00.001-03:00

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

To download all 36 songs in one file click here

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

Black Drawing Chalks new video, "Red love"

2011-01-22T20:23:00.001-02:00

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

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

Brazilian bands at Coachella festival 2011

2011-01-21T20:53:00.001-02:00

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

Check out the complete line-up to Coachella Festival.

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

First Music Alliance Pact of 2011

2011-01-15T21:13:00.001-02:00

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

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

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Les Mentettes Orchestra - Cosmic Sidewalks

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

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

Spartak - Nightshift (Version)

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

BRASIL: Meio Desligado

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

CANADA: I(Heart)Music

Hooded Fang - Laughing

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

CHILE: Super 45

Elefante Mecánico - Génesis

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

CHINA: Wooozy

Pet Conspiracy - Beyond

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

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana

The Colombian Party Cartel - La Murga De Colombia

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

DENMARK: All Scandinavian

CODY - The Light

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

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog

Anna Calvi - Suzanne And I

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

ESTONIA: Popop

Galvanic Elephants - Rum Rumble

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

FINLAND: Glue

On Volcano - Acceleration Of Heartbeat

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

GERMANY: Blogpartei

Sizarr - Fake Foxes

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

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda

drog_A_tek - In_No_Sense

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

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia

Miri - Góða Konan

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

INDIA: Indiecision

Adam And The Fish Eyed Poets - Little Monkeys

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

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

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

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

IRELAND: Nialler9

Retarded Cop - Copvan

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

ISRAEL: Metal Israel

Yerachmiel - Yom Shekulo

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

ITALY: Polaroid

Young Wrists - I Want You To Disappear

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

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa

Disco Ruido! - Amorfos

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

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam

Lola Kite - Everything's Better

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

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal

Golden Axe - Telephone

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

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance

Aristillus - Dying, Keep Dying

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

PERU: SoTB

Voz Propia - Lentes Amarillos

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

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

Balla - Equilíbrio?

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

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise

Nebulosa - Trains

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

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Aaron Wright & The Aprils - Go On Yer Self

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

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...

Kevin Lester - Rockstar 2.0 feat Vanessa Fernandez

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

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!

Thieve - Champion

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

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK

Swimmingdoll - Last Take

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

SPAIN: Musikorner

Oblique - Without Making Noise

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

SWEDEN: Swedesplease

Klifton Filente - It Takes A Thorn To Remove A Thorn

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

SWITZERLAND: 78s

Aie ça Gicle - Whisper Jet

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

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating

Smith Westerns - Weekend

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

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto

Greasy Grapes - Candles In The Rain

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

34 songs from all over the world!

2009-11-15T01:34:00.004-02:00

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

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

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

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

The Name - Come Out Tonite

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To download all 34 songs in one file click here

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

2009-05-15T23:52:00.000-03:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download all songs here.

Music Alliance Pact: april 2009

2009-04-15T16:03:00.000-03:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To download all 25 songs in one file click here.

March´s MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT

2009-03-15T22:41:00.001-03:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can download all 24 songs in one file here.

Music Alliance Pact - January 2009

2009-01-15T00:34:00.003-02:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download all 21 songs in one file.

Curumin´s US tour

2009-01-07T20:01:00.004-02:00

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

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

Music Alliance Pact - December 2008

2008-12-15T03:30:00.000-02:00

This english version of Meio Desligado was abandoned, but it is in my plans for the next year to get it updated. To start, here´s my first edition as part of the Music Alliance Pact, a project that unites blogs from 21 countries, which choose a band from its country every month to present it to the world.

America – I Guess I’m Floating
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele – “26 Miles”

Mississippi-based Dent May has been recording in various southern states since his formative years in high school. After going to college and refining his sound, he emerged with a new act that made use of his self-proclaimed magnificent ukulele. His pleasant pop arrangements, strong vocals and doo-wop-like vocal harmonies will appeal to anyone hoping to hear some happy music. His debut album is due out in February via Animal Collective’s Paw Tracks label. Never underestimate the ukulele.

Argentina – Zonaindie
Banda de Turistas – “Todo Mío El Otoño”

Mágico Corazón Radiofónico is the first album by Banda de Turistas and it turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. With Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys) in charge of the mixing, this song reprises the beat sound of ancient Argentine rock bands like Los Gatos.

Australia – Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The Philadelphia Grand Jury – “Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)”

Three long-time Sydney musicians start the funnest band to come out of the city in the past year. You might have known them in previous lives as one part Berkfinger, two parts The Sweats. Combined, they channel an updated retro rock style that somehow manages to both pay homage to Elvis and sound incredibly cool. Not an easy feat, so respect where it is due.

Brazil – Meio Desligado
Macaco Bong – “Bananas For You All”

Macaco Bong is an instrumental trio from Cuiabá, considered one of the best live acts in the country. They sound like an original mix of post-rock, alternative metal and free jazz. Their guitarist doesn’t use any pedals or effects, playing his Fender online with overdrive from the amps he uses. The band is part of Espaço Cubo, a collective that works with culture and its social aspects, starting a revolution from the underground.

Canada – I(Heart)Music
Black Hat Brigade – “Swords”

Their hiccupped vocals and apocalyptic-sounding music makes bringing up Wolf Parade almost inevitable, but Black Hat Brigade make a pretty convincing argument with their self-titled EP – and particularly with Swords – that they don’t necessarily come off any the worse in the comparison.

Chile – Super 45
Fredi Michel – “Enganamí (Comeme Remix II)”

One of the weirdest and most original bands from Santiago, Fredi Michel are a mix between cumbia, dub and avant pop (via Broadcast). Even though they’ve been playing for years they have only recorded a few songs and some of their friends have made some remixes, such as the one featured here. Fredi Michel have announced they will finally release their debut album next year.

Denmark – Pastries, Peppers And Canals…
Oliver North Boy Choir – “Tonight”

Oliver North Boy Choir are the kind of band that Denmark does spectacularly well. Signed to Danish uber-indie label Crunchy Frog, Camilla Florentz, Mikkel Max Hansen and Ivan Petersen release pieces of ethereal beauty via download only. Oh, and they don’t play live either.

England – The Daily Growl
Jay Jay Pistolet – “Golden Age”

You may not call it a ‘scene’, but there’s only one degree of separation between many of London’s young bands and artists. Jay Jay Pistolet, friend of Mumford & Sons, Derek Meins and no doubt plenty others, is no exception. Not that this is important. Let JJP, who often comes across as a young English version of M Ward, be judged for himself.

Germany– Blogpartei
Mio Myo – “Switch”

Switch is the latest single of the Nuremberg-based quad Mio Myo. It can be seen as a description of their sound – a bit ghosty and spheric, a diversity of electronic and analog instruments, and a voice reminiscent of Thom Yorke. Their songs always deserve a second hearing.

Iceland – I Love Icelandic Music
Vicky – “Alien”

Vicky, previously called Vicky Pollard (named after the Little Britain character), is one of the coolest new Icelandic rock bands. The band started in November 2006 when they accidentally got together and started jamming in their hometown Hafnarfjörður. They produce a sort of poppy metal or heavy pop. In 2008, these four girls and male drummer recorded their debut album Pull Hard, which was released on the Töfrahellirinn label in October.

Ireland – Nialler9
Sunken Foal – “On Platinum Rays”

The brilliantly titled Sunken Foal (think about it…) is also known as Dunk Murphy of Ambulance. After an appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Mary Ann Hobbs, his debut Fallen Arches has just been released on Planet Mu. The album is a textural, ambient, electronic-acoustic and, most of all, beguiling release of leftfield sounds.

Italy – Polaroid
Scarlets – “Every Waterloo”

Young, talented and stylish, Scarlets play nervous and tight songs heavily influenced by new wave. They’ve just released an EP on Angle Records full of love for The Smiths, The Jam and the sharpest Brit sound. They’re definitely a name to keep an eye on in the coming months.

> New Zealand – Counting The Beat
Bearcat – “Red Panda Blues”

Bearcat are one of a bunch of new New Zealand bands dabbling in folk influenced indie-pop. Apparently Bearcat is a literal translation of the Latin word for panda, and as well as naming themselves after the endangered mammal, the band have chosen to make pandas the subject of many of their songs too. Bearcat avoid the danger of this resulting in one-line-joke novelty songs by writing catchy and memorable tunes that have every chance of survival.

Norway – Eardrums
The Little Hands Of Asphalt – “The Future”

The Little Hands Of Asphalt is the solo project of Sjur Lyseid, the singer in the Norwegian indie-pop band Monzano. As TLHOA, he makes warm, sensitive folk-inspired songs, often performed with an acoustic guitar as the main instrument. Sjur Lyseid is a great storyteller and his lyrics are always worth listening to. The song we have for you is a Music Alliance Pact exclusive, taken from his forthcoming debut album Leap Years which will be released in March 2009.

Peru – SoTB
Pelo Madueño – “Es Hora”

After his successful debut album, Ciudad Naufragio, Pelo Madueño returned this year with No Te Salves, an intimate album full of emotions. Based in Spain, Pelo shines as a songwriter and gives us a real insight into the independent scene.

Portugal – Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Nuno Rancho – “Not For Sale”

Unready Demo is Nuno Rancho’s first solo work and you can download the other tracks on the EP for free via a link on his MySpace. In 2002, he started playing music in a band called Wheelchair and two years later he formed Kyoto. Today, besides Kyoto, Nuno Rancho still finds time to play and write for TiMaria, an electro-pop trio which has a completely different sound from his other work.

Scotland – The Pop Cop
Dotjr – “More Than You Know”

The Pop Cop only ‘discovered’ Dotjr last week and we were so bowled over there was no choice but to fast-track him into this month’s Music Alliance Pact. Dotjr (pronounced dot-jay-are) is the solo project of James Reeves, a 21-year-old native of the Isle of Lewis, and his joyous, soaring music has the kind of ambitious pop sound that radio DJs fall over themselves to play. More Than You Know is epic, swooning and Christmassy. Pretty much perfect then.

Singapore – I’m Waking Up To…
Leeson – “Some Girls”

Leeson are a five-piece indie-pop band from Singapore who play a revelling cocktail of poppy, dancey tunes that will have your feet tapping and singing along to their infectious melodies.

South Korea – Indieful ROK
The Black Skirts – “Dog”

The Black Skirts is the name used by Castel Prayon and his live band when climbing the digital music charts of Korea. In November the band’s first album, 201, was released. The first song up for promotion was Like Me and people soon heeded the title’s request. For somebody who usually isn’t too keen on being poppy, Castel Prayon sure knew what he was doing when making those songs, and Dog is an excellent example of that.

Spain – El Blog De La Nadadora
Elurretan – “Momo Alper Bat Da”

Richar and Mikel are from Euskadi and sing in Euskera, their own language. Their songs are inspired by The Beach Boys, Burt Bacharach, Jonathan Richman, Mikel Laboa and C86. You can download their last album, Momo Eta Beste Izaki Batzu, from their website (http://www.elurretan.com). Elurretan love music and want to share their songs with everyone who likes them. Is it possible? I think so.

Sweden – Swedesplease
Francis – “Bad To The Bone”

Francis take the strange blues of The Tallest Man On Earth and add a cabaret atmosphere. Debut single Bad To The Bone sounds like a transgender version of Stevie Ray Vaughn if he/she worked in a travelling eastern European circus and was channelling Tom Waits.

Download all 21 songs of this edition in one file (108 MB).

radio #02: Garimpo festival edition

2007-10-14T14:35:00.000-02:00

Here you can listen to some bands that played at the Garimpo Festival in its first edition. You can read more about this festival here (portuguese only).

1. Terminal Guadalupe - Pernambuco chorou [00:00 / 03:36]
2. Montage - Raio de fogo [03:36 / 07:43]
3. Monno - Agora [07:42 / 11:23]
4. Lucy and the Popsonics - Coração empacotado [11:22 / 13:28]
5. UDR - Bonde da orgia de travecos [13:28 / 17:29]
6. Wander Wildner - Eu tenho uma camiseta escrita eu te amo [17:28 / 20:49]
7. The Dead Lover's Twisted Heart - Hey babe (have you ever been in hell) [20:44 / 22:40]
8. Macaco Bong - Bananas for you all [22:38 / 30:59]

You can also download these songs.

radio #01

2007-10-13T13:06:00.000-03:00

I didn't liked the idea of making a podcast (i think it's more a hype than useful), so I've made this setlist on imeem with some wonderful songs released by brazilian bands in this year.

If you're logged in imeem (i think) you can listen to the full tracks. If you're not, I guess you'll listen just a preview of them.

download > Pin Ups: Bruce Lee, Lee Marvin, Jodie Foster

2007-05-20T21:28:00.000-03:00

Pin Ups was one of the most important bands in Brazil through the 90's. Their sound was influenced by punk, guitar noise and grunge, and the albuns available here are part of their "cinematographic trilogy": Jodie Foster (1995), Lee Marvin (1997) and Bruce Lee (1999), last record of the band.

Jodie Foster is more punk and grunge; Lee Marvin shows a band doing loud and noisy indie rock; and Bruce Lee brings two new songs recorded at studio and a live semi-acoustic show, featuring songs from all the times of their career and covers of groups like Kraftwerk and Beatles.

Enjoy.

From left to right: Jodie Foster (1995), Lee Marvin (1997) e Bruce Lee (1999).
Click over the images to download.

Listen to "Fast Cars", from the album Lee Marvin.

interview: Wry

2007-01-30T13:27:00.000-02:00

Interview with Mário Bross, guitarist and lead singer of Wry, Sorocaba's band living in London since 2002. This interview was made by email at 10 of may of 2005 for a college project and published at Mazzacane.

Wry let some songs available for download on it's official site. What are the advantages and disadvantages of it?

It makes possible that more people get in contact with your songs. And you can use internet to release b-sides, live recordings, remixes, etc.
We intend to sell our single via internet by a fair price, soon.
The only disadvantage we see on it, is if someone hear the song, don't like and don't to buy/listen anything else from the band.
But, in a generic view, authorized music on internet only brings advantages, without any doubts.

How are major record labels reacting in Europe to these "illegal" downloads? Like when a band's cd is available at web even before it get a "physical" release, like happened to Oasis's and Weezer's last albums.

There aren't many things you can do about it, this usually happens because someone close to the band put these songs on the internet. And, sometimes, it's just marketing, to make the band to appear at the news, etc, before the album is released. The Subways, a band which is gonna explode and is close to us, had their album stolen too, everything was at Josh's (drummer) laptop. It got the internet but they didn't care so much about it.
So, there aren't many options. The money spent trying to get the criminal computer is worse than sell a few cds less.

Do you believe bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Killers would be so famous as they're today without the use of peer-to-peer and sites like Rapidshare?

Maybe people didn't know how to sing all the songs when these bands got on tour. In these mentioned cases, image and that big hit should travel through all the world even without internet. They would be famous anyway, that's what I think.
But, if you think about a band a little more alternative, like Bloc Party or Kaiser Chiefs, I agree with your point of view. Before their albums were released and lots of people all over the world know their songs, djs are playing them, from São Paulo to Tokyo. Internet is evolution, it's the future.
There's no way to negate that it is good for all the bands, understand?

Today, is it crucial for indie bands to put their songs on the internet, available for download?

Of course, you have to be part of it or you'll be left behind. I can see, five years from now, all this technological evolution will triplicate. As they say on the Bible "you cannot buy or sell if you do not have an email"... or something like that. So, it's essential and it's easier than it was a few years ago.

Does the traditional copyright law work with Wry's songs? Had you ever win money with reproduction, execution or any other use of your songs, as these laws pretend to do?

Some of our songs play daily, even three times a day, at some radio stations (in Brazil), for more than 50 cities, and we haven't see the money, never never, not a single cent in our banks counts.
But i guess it happens because we're from underground and we don't have a big manager involved with our work.
I have friends, from others bands, that say this works, slowly, but works. I would like to see it working to Wry too, but, by now nothing is happening. We'll see how this year will be, we think everything will be "in deep blue". By the grace of god!

Wry - jesus beggar

photos: studioeleven

interview: Cansei de Ser Sexy

2007-01-29T23:50:00.000-02:00

This interview was made with Ana Rezende, guitarist of Cansei de Ser Sexy, a.k.a CSS, by email at 09-05-2005, for an article about Creative Commons, copyright and the relationship of indie bands with internet.

Releasing your songs only through the internet was a conceptual choice or just a way to save money?

Neither. It was the easiest way to make people listen to our sound. At that time, we didn't think about make a album, but, when it got serious, we started to make our record (which is almost complete), with different versions of the songs that are online.

We think it's important to put it on internet and we intend to stay doing it.

Comercial radio stations (on Brazil) are almost unreachable for indie rock bands. Does it make internet the major way of spreading indie rock music?

Yes. We have friends that play in indie rock bands and they all spread their work at web. It's the best, fastest and more democratic way to spread your work.

Do you think the internet is an anarchic place, when we think about copyright? Or do you think copyright can still functioning at the virtul world?

If we knew it, we would be rich!

Peer-to-peer programs, like Kazaa and eMule, allow anyone to download for free any song they want, so they don't need to buy cds.
Do you believe we are going into a new age in which bands will live only with the money of their shows?

Yes. People need to realize that it's a positive thing. We've signed with Trama, we're gonna make an album, but we recognize the importance of peer-to-peer.
We all (in the band) have a musical knowledge because we use peer-to-peer, we download lots of songs. And we all know that Cansei de Ser Sexy is getting famous because of it (downloading).
We think there is a new order, more democratic in the industry, which is very good, because music isn't dominated anymore by three or four majors record labels.

Do you know about Copyleft and Creative Commons? Have you ever thought about releasing your songs under these licenses, as a way to stimulate the cultural production and help your songs to get a bigger public (in case of your songs got used in movies, samples, etc) ?

We don't know about those things.

Cansei de Ser Sexy - superafim

photos: flickr of Cansei de Ser Sexy and Adriano

who we are

2007-01-29T00:37:00.000-02:00

Ok, you've read "what is meio desligado". Pretty words, uh? But how to trust in something written by someone who you don't know and barely speaks english?

Oooooh.

To know that people who writes in Meio Desligado are not a bunch of stupid motherfuckers, nothing better than some lists about us and our favorite bands, movies, and books, don't you think?

Read the things below to make sure that we have a good knowledge and feeling for music and that we are cool and sexy young brazilians...

Marcelo Santiago

{ Student of journalism at PUC Minas and graphic design at Uni-BH; editor of Cinema Em Cena; the man behind P.U.T.A.; responsible for the empire Mazzacane = indie vs pop; director of some videos; photographer beginner; portfolio here, podcast there, orkut here, myspace there and all works you find here }

Favorite bands in all time:

Idlewild
... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Turbonegro
Death From Above 1979
Nirvana
Silverchair
Tool

Favorite brazilian bands:

5 cds near perfection:

The Remote Part, Idlewild
100 Broken Windows, Idlewild
Source Tags & Codes, Trail Of Dead
Relationship of Command, At The Drive-In
Ænima, Tool

Last.fm

Favorite films:

Worst movies seen in the last times:

Books:

Television? It's so archaic, but sometimes I see...

Favorite porn star:

Brittney Skye

Favorite shows:

How people usually describes him:

idiot
megalomaniac
pretensious
the one
incredible
fucker
marvelous
uh!
undescribable

Juliana Semedo

{ Journalism student, when there is time for it. Working at Biblioteca Pública since a year and half ago (I need another job, you if know a good one, please tell me!). Pseudo critic and reviewer of films, books and other cultural objects (Visit my blog, www.estrelatorta.blogspot.com). Eats a lot, cries a lot, talks a lot, likeable, scoffer, sometimes ironic and a little confused }

Bands

...outside Brazil

* Radiohead
* Smashing Pumpkins
* Nirvana
* The Strokes
* Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
* Belle And Sebastian

Anytime, anywhere:
Bob Dylan

...brazilian bands

* Los Hermanos
* Mombojó
* Ludovic
* Monno
* Blemish

Last.fm

Films

* Paris, Texas
* Pulp Fiction
* 21 Grams
* The Godfather
* Almost Famous

Literature

* Anything of Carlos Drummond de Andrade – always!!!!
* Chronicles: Volume One (Bob Dylan)
* On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
* Uma aprendizagem ou O livro dos Prazeres (Clarice Lispector)
* High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)

what is MEIO DESLIGADO

2007-01-28T22:42:00.000-02:00

Meio Desligado purpose is simple: a blog about brazilian indie rock music, to keep you informed of what is happening into these musical scenes in Brazil.

We're brazilians, we're part of this indie / rock scene. We are just a few people trying to make brazilian alternative music a little bit more knowed outside our country.

As you can see, our english is not very good, but we'll do our best here to be understandable.
Again, as you all can see, we don't have money to pay a service of web hosting. That's why meiodesligado.com redirects you to nemparece.blogspot.com, our original-portuguese version of Meio Desligado.
But we thought: "why restrict our musical knowledge to people who speaks portuguese? Why don't we make a english version of it?". Yeah! That's what we did and here we are!

Every year brazilian indie scene gets bigger and better, but it still needed a place to reunite all the information about the best bands coming from it. That's why Meio Desligado exists.

Here you can read about brazilians indie rock bands, reviews of albuns and shows, interviews, see photos, videos, listen to podcasts and lots of mp3, and find links to know and download the best bands of indie rock in Brazil.

We hope you have a good time.

Enjoy.

Ps.: we choose the name "meio desligado" because of the well-knowed brazilian band Os Mutantes. Os Mutantes is one of the most influencial brazilian bands of all time and Ando Meio Desligado is the name of one of their best musics.