Music Alliance Pact – Aprilie 2012

Luna aceasta vă propunem o altă trupă tânără din Cluj, pe numele lor Mojo Barrel.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Mojo Barrel – Catch The Devil

Mojo Barrel are a young band from Cluj who successfully merge rock with funk and blues. In their own words, they have the mojo – the magic, the charm, the inspiration, the creative trigger, the talent – and the barrel – the place where it all begins, blends, becomes and finally breaks through.

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

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Diosque – Melancolía Del Futuro

Diosque is a singer-songwriter born in Tucumán. Melancolía Del Futuro is our favorite song from his brand new album, Bote, in which Diosque enjoys playing with samplers and acoustic instruments like guitars and percussion. It was released by QQ Records on vinyl and can also be downloaded for free by visiting his website.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
A Thousand Fuegos – No Up No Down

“Don’t you know that everything we build up once will fall apart someday?” Time and religious metaphors are recurring themes on The Treachery Of Things, from which No Up No Down is taken. The album circles around the notion that we can never grasp the true identity of the things around us; they remain passive while we assign attributes to them. A Thousand Fuegos started out as a lo-fi project and these days focuses on beats, loops and spacey synths that create a mystical atmosphere.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Siba – Canoa Furada

Canoa Furada is one of the liveliest songs from Siba’s new album Avante, on which the unusual formation of his band stands out with a fanfare vibe and a cool feeling that combines contemporary music and regional rhythms. Avante is available to download for free at Siba’s website.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Kalle Mattson – Water Falls

Kalle Mattson recently racked up over a million views of their Thick As Thieves video, which is impressive for any indie band. The attention generated by the video shouldn’t be dismissed as hype. Kalle Mattson are impressive songwriters and musicians, and have fans across Canada eagerly awaiting their new EP (from which Water Falls comes from) at the start of May.

CHILE: Super 45
Poki Tatane – Esclavos Rumbo Al Virreinato

Behind the peculiar name of Poki Tatane hides one of the most interesting projects in the Chilean electronic scene. Esclavos Rumbo Al Virreinato is from his first EP, Breve Explicación De Las Partes (available for free at Discos Pegaos), which takes elements from a more organic dubstep, adding a particularly melodic sense to the compositions.

CHINA: Wooozy
Xiban – Drunk Ghost

Xiban is a contemporary world music band who describe themselves as being “fresh, wild, wandering, funny, and direct”, with the added tag of “folk music phoenix nirvana” thrown in for good measure. The musicians are from China, France and the United States. Combine Shanxi opera with Beijing and Jiangzhou drumming, add some Yellow River chanting, Tibetan long tune, Australian Aboriginal music, Indian organs and elements of modern electronic music and you have an idea of how eclectic their brand of music is.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Crew Peligrosos – Medayork

From Medellín, we present you Crew Peligrosos – 16 people tearing up the scene with their urban sounds and mise-en-scène. Medayork contains the best flavors of old school hip hop with the song title paying tribute to two cities key to the development of hip hop culture in Colombia – Medellín and New York.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Lydmor – Lamppost Light

This acoustic version of Lamppost Light was (and is) originally a video shot in a theater in Denmark’s second city, Aarhus. But since I really, really like Lydmor aka Jenny Rossander’s take on her otherwise electrofied pop self, I had my people tell her people to give all you people the song as a MAP exclusive. Oh, and if you want to watch the video here it is.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Seye – White Noise (Olugbenga Edit)

Seye Adelekan’s urgent floor-stomper gets held gently by the shoulders and told to take a minute thanks to a pitched-up, slowed-down remix by the Nigerian-born scenester’s older brother, Metronomy bassist Olubenga Adelekan. Seye, who’s been a gun for hire for Lana Del Rey, The Noisettes and Ellie Goulding in the past, is just coming into his own through an upcoming debut album of globe-trotting pop that had the Guardian’s Paul Lester hail the Bromley-based star as “like a younger, cooler Paul Simon around the time of his African adventure or Peter Gabriel circa So”. If Seye’s original suggests the woozy slip of a party on the turn, Gbenga’s remix is the regretful aftermath.

FINLAND: Glue
Weepikes – What About

Weepikes was an alternative rock band in Helsinki that called it a day in 1997 after three intense years. A little wiser, a little older, the band reformed some months ago and recorded new songs with the help of American producer and musician Kramer. Now Weepikes are ready to deliver more of their characteristic blend of punk and progressive rock, or, as a journalist called it back in the day, PRONK.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Pegase – Without Reasons

Pegase, known for being the singer of the successful band Minitel Rose, started his solo project with the single Without Reasons. Its immediate appeal lies in the fragile emotion it emanates, the simple rhythm backed by airy and cold synths, and a superb, dreamy choir. Signed to the same label as Rhum For Pauline, Pegase will, without a doubt, be just as successful. Watch the wonderful video for Without Reasons here.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Hundreds – Fighter

The music of Hundreds is breathing, a bit like an asthmatic whose gasps always make a little swish. The Milner siblings tend to garnish their songs carefully, patterns of shivery sounds which texture warm rhythm beats, airy and clasping at the same time. Fighter is taken from their free Under The Icicles EP, which you can download via the lovely label Sinnbus.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Thanos Anestopoulos – Xanarthan Ta Sunnefa

After the blossoms of a long journey with Diafana Krina, Thanos Anestopoulos blazes his own musical trail with a beautiful, bleak and intimate solo album. Os To Telos (“To The End”) is brimmed full of personal memories and wrapped in warmth and emotional sincerity. It works best as a concise listen, as each song segues naturally into the next. Xanarthan Ta Sunnefa (“The Clouds Have Returned”) is a finely detailed hymn with a deceptively light touch, led by his soulful, baritone voice and brittle acoustic guitar.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Prinspóló – Fostudagsmessa

This is the first new song Prinspóló has released since his debut album Jukk in June 2011. Fostudagsmessa most likely does not make sense to you, since it is in Icelandic, so let Prinspóló himself explain: “The song is about the place you don’t want to be at. For example, a dark and dirty nightclub where everybody is pretending to have fun and everything is great.”

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Mushafear – Meats In

Even though most people in Indonesia only knew Kurt Cobain from television, magazines, CDs and the internet, there are a handful of devoted fans who still yell their angst to the establishment, family and social system. One of the best bands from the community are Mushafear, who are fronted by Mirantie Boreel, an angry young lady while on stage but a humble girl off it.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Wonder Villains – 33

The sense of exuberance and energy coming from the speakers when a Wonder Villains track is playing is almost too much. This pop punk band from Derry make music that could only come from young minds and (relative) inexperience, but that primal energy makes it so infectious. Revel in their youth. It’s a lot of fun.

ITALY: Polaroid
Drink To Me – Future Days

“Life is an experiment and that’s why it is interesting,” says the first line of Future Days, and it’s something that could fit with the music of Drink To Me as well, especially with their new album, S. Amazing percussions, a lot of spacey synths, echoes of Animal Collective and MGMT – you can never tell what’s going to happen next. “We’re wide awake and we’re working on the future days”, and judging by this song, Drink To Me appear to have a lot fun doing it. And us too!

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
MFP – Theme For The Movement

MFP, the recording name of Osaka’s Masaki Konagai, named his latest album Mindful Beats Vol. 2, but the music within is more than rapper bait. MFP cites the late beat-maker J Dilla as a major inspiration, and album highlight Theme For The Movement carries the same this-does-not-need-rapping-over-it quality so prevalent in the best works of Dilla. It surges with more electricity, though, making it one of the most energetic tracks from an album brimming with them.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
MegaFun – You’re So Cool!

MegaFun is 16-year-old Daniel Abdilla. When not fronting his band Clandestines, he is churning out bedroom recordings under the MegaFun moniker. He forms part of a Maltese DIY scene which has blossomed over the past couple of years.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Centavrvs – El Caudillo Del Sur

The Mexican Revolution started in 1910 and during the centenary festivities, a group of deviant jazz, funk and electro musicians from Guadalajara formed Centavrvs. Their cunning mixture of old “corridos” (speeches and folk songs) from the Revolution and contemporary aesthetics create a Mexi-tronica sound that departs adventurously from the roads explored by the Nortec Collective over the past decade. Viva la Revolución!

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Aafke Romeijn – Stella XVII

Aafke Romeijn is no shrinking violet singer-songwriter. Having fronted the all-female folk-rock band Mister Blue Sky for six years, she recently released a pleasing debut solo album titled Stella Must Die! As a solo artist, she calls to mind Amanda Palmer, not simply because this record is based heavily on piano and accordion, but because the songs are as theatrical and lyrically conceptual as Palmer’s are renowned for. As Aafke says: “It’s a record about pretty girls, secretly making out during school lunch breaks, throwing kitchen knives and, of course, about Stella.”

PERU: SoTB
Xilófonmático – La Aventura De Los Insectos

An album doesn’t require large studios to impress and excite. Take, for example, the home project of Xilófonmático (a compound of xylophone and automatic). His first work, La Aventura De Los Insectos (Ipod EP), mixes instrumental and sung songs with playful and surreal touches. The EP is a rollercoaster of emotions, with the same ups and downs.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Walter Benjamin – Airports And Broken Hearts

Walter Benjamin is the artistic name of Luis Nunes. He is a singer and songwriter from a new generation of Portuguese musicians, some of whom he has played with and/or produced (for instance, MAP alumni Noiserv, Minta, Julie & The Carjackers). His new album, The Imaginary Life Of Rosemary And Me, is out this month and we proudly present the first free download from it.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Similar – Cíclope

Similar began as a studio project between Daniel Vicente and Ariel Hernandez back in 2009. Their debut EP showcased a mean pop sensibility with striking noise textures and was well received. The duo recruited musicians to perform as a live ensemble, but with the departure of Vicente to concentrate on his solo project, Pasajero, Ariel moved to consolidate a more psychedelic and aggressive sounding band. Cíclope is the first track recorded by its most recent line-up, which includes guitarist Gaby Vidal of local metal group Ongo. It will be part of the band’s first full-length, expected later this year.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Videatape – Coastal Lights

Parad Planet, the debut album of St Petersburg rock trio Videatape, combines amazingly melodic songs both in English and Russian with soft lyrics, a great vibe and beautiful sadness.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
JERC – ADHD

JERC is the alter-ego of self-confessed music obsessive James Campbell. The 22-year-old from Aberdeen started producing hip-hop tracks for local artists when he was a teenager before moving on to DJing in clubs, remixing and setting up his own label, Why Not Records. Most significantly, he is creating his own solo work and the pounding, delirious, sleazy-synthed electro house of ADHD is as intoxicating a debut track as you could ever hope to discover.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Winterhalter – Squirrel Land

Don’t take the music of Winterhalter too seriously. It’s great if you can name all the references in any given song, but doing so seems counterintuitive to what’s intended by Shaun Soh, the brains behind the project. Performing sporadic shows within Singapore’s shores, Winterhalter is a sort of myth, but recordings of the music are available if you ask nicely, just like we have. So go on, have a listen. A real treat would be the four-track EP, I Am Worthy of God’s Love, released as an entire song on Soundcloud.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Saintfearless – Conventional Love Song

With their dynamic, rich sound and equally watchable stage performance, Saintfearless is making waves around the country as well as within the music industry. With a frontman to rival any other and talented musicians to back him up, Saintfearless offer fresh, catchy indie-rock songs.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Byul.org – Pacific

For as long as they’ve been around, Byul.org have been one of the most interesting entities in Korea’s music scene. Last month the collective had their first proper album Secret Stories Heard From A Girl In An Opium Den released in the US and Europe through Burnt Toast Vinyl, putting a decade’s worth of intriguing work on display. Though Byul.org are not usually afraid to experiment, Pacific (see video) is a retro pop number on the electronic side with an invitation to both dance and dream.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Evripidis And His Tragedies – Teeth

Evripidis And His Tragedies are a familiar face in Barcelona’s indie music scene. Led by Evripidis Sabatis from Athens, Greece, they deliver carefully handcrafted pop, inspired by 60s innocence. Evripidis opens up his heart in every song, as we can tell by the sincere, melancholic and emotional lyrics that most of us will feel like our own. Teeth may be the darkest but most necessary song they have recorded, and there’s also a video for it.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Domi Chansorn – Leaving In A Gentle Way

A tragic incident brought Domi Chansorn to his first drum kit. His dad, also a drummer, died in a car accident. Now, 15 years later, he has won the m4music Demotape Clinic – Switzerland’s most important contest for young musicians – with his first album Bright Times Can Be Dark As Well (free download), which he recorded completely on his own. His singer-songwriter-approach is genuine, playful and brisk.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Farfara – Water Air

Farfara is a dream-pop trio from Istanbul and Berlin. The members say the band invented itself with a psychedelic brew of kraut drums, shoegazing guitars, airy synths, ethereal vocals, lots of Love and a clear commitment to pop. They convey a simple though profound expression. Their second album is released this month – keep an eye on their Bandcamp page and drown yourself in the dreamy waters of Farfara.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Alabama Shakes – On Your Way

We often try to give you some unearthed gems every month and who knows, maybe you’re unfamiliar with Alabama Shakes? If so, we’re gonna change that ASAP by introducing you to the soulful Southern rockers and their gem On Your Way. This band blew up from obscurity last autumn, signed to ATO Records and will open for Jack White on his solo tour. It’s good to know all the new fame won’t change their sound, though.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Alfred Gómez Jr – On The Ground

Alfred Gómez Jr has changed everything with his new album Simple (name your price on Bandcamp). In his previous album, La Reina Peinándose, we could hear urban and Latin rhythms merged fairly harmoniously. This time he has incorporated elements of jazz and pop-rock that will take his music to a whole new audience.

Music Alliance Pact – Martie 2012

La început de primăvară vă propunem o trupă la fel de fresh, niște liceeni din Cluj care – să-l citez pe un bun prieten – cresc într-un an cât alții în 10. Stați cu urechile ciulite la Lights Out! pentru că ne pregătesc numai lucruri bune.

© Sebastian Florea

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Lights Out! – Origin

Lights Out! are a bunch of high school kids from Cluj (the heart of Transylvania). In the past two years, since existing as a band, they have kept growing, managing to make a name for themselves among Romania’s alternative/indie bands. The start of this year found them in the studio, recording their first material – Patience EP – which is about to come out. With the smooth combination of psychedelia, dreamy guitars and indie sounds, topped with Teo’s amazing voice, Lights Out! could be one of the best musical products Romania has to offer.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the whole 38-track compilation here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Yataians – What A Man’s Got To Do

Yataians is a Buenos Aires-based band with a rocksteady sound heavily influenced by Jamaican artists from the 60s and 70s, such as The Ethiopians, The Gaylads, The Heptones and The Paragons. It’s also a product of global age, with members from France, Colombia, New Caledonia and, of course, Argentina. This song is from their first album, Ô Tulop, which came out a couple of months ago, courtesy of the independent label Estamos Felices.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Shady Lane – Dumb Hope

Dumb Hope is the gorgeous lead single of Shady Lane’s forthcoming album, Built Guilt. Once the solo guise under which Sydneysider Jordy Lane put out a diverse range of odds and ends, Shady Lane has grown into a four-piece (officially?) with more hooks, vocals and a nostalgic pop sensibility not unlike fellow New South Welshmen Belles Will Ring.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Giantree – Communicate

With past major label experience, the founding members of what is now Giantree found a new home on an indie label, but without denying that what they are doing is pop in capital letters. Their debut album We All Yell comes with synthesizers and catchy hooks. Communicate, a song about fragile beginnings, was a radio hit in Austria.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
DJ Cremoso – Say It Ain’t So

In the film Be Kind Rewind, Jack Black and Mos Def produce their own lo-fi version of movies, which they call “sweded” versions. What DJ Cremoso makes is like that, “bregalizing” songs – turning international hits into tecnobrega rhythms (a popular style from northern Brazil). There’s almost always the same beat and silly synths are its trademark, as we can hear in this tecnobrega of Weezer’s 90s hit Say It Ain’t So. DJ Cremoso’s identity is unknown – all he has is a profile on 4shared with his remixes.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Bronx Cheerleader – Camelot

Bronx Cheerleader have been a regional treasure in and around their hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario, for years now but their new album, Real Punks Don’t Sing About Girls, deserves to be heard by a wider audience. Camelot is a deliciously dirty lo-fi anthem-in-waiting, and one of the stand-out moments on this record, of which there are many.

CHILE: Super 45
Matías Cena & Los Fictions – Raíz

Matías Cena used to be a solo artist from the folk scene in Santiago, and he made himself relatively known via an acoustic guitar and MySpace. Gradually, Ryan Adams and Conor Oberst’s influence diverted him to the ensemble format, which has developed into this six-piece that shines in a land not used to country-like rock. Raíz is a taster of Matías Cena & Los Fictions’ second album Arauco Cajún.

CHINA: Wooozy
Modern Children – Mongolia

Modern Children is a six-piece band based in Hong Kong that formed in 2006. “Colorful” is the best word to describe them. They play music in different styles, from indie-pop to post-rock. Their songs are filled with all kinds of sounds by using a wide range of instruments, from guitars and bass to rainbow bells and erhu. The band released their self-titled debut album in January.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
1280 Almas – Antipatriota

1280 Almas is the biggest cult band from Bogotá. More than 18 years of history, six albums and a life of independence on the underground make them local legends. Now, they present a new song called Antipatriota (“Unpatriotic”), a declaration of national nonconformity.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Ring Them Bells – When I Hear That Whistle Blow

A MAP exclusive, When I Hear That Whistle Blow by Ring Them Bells is only the second great taste of the quartet’s loud combination of 90s noise-rock and 60s psych-pop in circulation. The other, titled Technicolor, is also available for free at the band’s website, and both will most likely be part of Ring Them Bells’ debut album slated for release later this spring.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Submerse – Love You Down

Rob Orme alias Submerse is a 23-year-old DJ and producer from Runcorn, now living in Tokyo, who happens to be making some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful (dance) music anywhere on the planet. Influenced equally by 2000-era UK garage and Japanese pop (J-pop), it combines the skittering rhythms of 2-step with sad female vocals and wan melody to make J-garage. If you thought Rustie was a maximalist, try this ADHD pop. It’s like bubblegum Burial, Orme filling every second of space with infinitesimal bursts, droplets, clicks, spasms and lovelorn cries, dubstep given a sugary coating.

ESTONIA: Popop
Lack Of Eoins – Sudden Death Mode

Lack Of Eoins came together in late 2005 and recorded their first demos the following year. In 2008, they won a garage band contest in Estonia and recorded their debut album, which was mastered at Abbey Road Studios. They’re back now with the single Sudden Death Mode, which was released along with three remixes as a free download on the first day of 2012.

FINLAND: Glue
Cats On Fire – A Few Empty Waves

Many argue that Cats On Fire are the best indie-pop band in Finland at the moment. This bold statement may easily be true thanks to well-crafted pop songs with a melancholic and dreamy twist, solid lyrics and distinctive vocals. This month, Cats On Fire release their third album All Blackshirts To Me. It is their best yet. So good, in fact, that the band can afford a terrific outtake like A Few Empty Waves.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Rhum For Pauline – I Can Reach The Top

Rhum For Pauline are an indie-pop band formed in Nantes in 2009 who released their first mini-album, Miami, in 2010, and their first EP, Can Reach The Top, in January. Their upbeat songs are incredibly enjoyable, the kind you like immediately after the first listen, the kind you’ll put on repeat for days. Be sure to check out the very cool video for I Can Reach The Top, directed by The Incredible Kids.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Juli Kapelle – Treiber

Juli Kapelle is a collective from lovely Aschaffenburg, built around mastermind Achim “AS” Sauer. They are guitar-driven, reminiscent of a laid-back and bit krauty Dire Straits. All in all, music for a sophisticated afternoon.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Playground Noise – This World

Playground Noise’s new single, Swinging Lowdown, is a delicate combination of finely arranged brooding melancholy and redemption. The two indie-pop songs infuse soaring guitars with a tense, literate sense of foreboding, adding strings and brass to strike the perfect balance between moody, underground noise and melody. They are built on restraint, tinged by poignancy and wrapped up in poetic human emotion that sticks with you long after the final note. Their sophomore album is set to be released later this year.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
1860 – For You, Forever

For You, Forever is the third single from 1860′s self-released debut album Sagan. Drawing inspiration from bands such as Fanfarlo and The Avett Brothers, the song has a modern folkish vibe to it, with small-town sentiments featuring heavily in the lyrics. The song was recently included in the short documentary Íslander by Grasshopper Films.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Bromocorah – Bromocorah

Bromocorah means “repeat offender”. They’re a thrash metal recidivist and I don’t think they’ll be changing their way of life any time soon.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Young Wonder – Tumbling Backwards

Ian Ring and Rachel Koeman recently teamed up as a producer/vocal duo under the name Young Wonder. Their sound is hard to define as any one genre but is recognisable by its big beats, euphoric synth rushes, pitched vocal samples and emotive lead vocals from Koeman. Yet another excellent new Irish band to watch. A debut EP drops on April 14.

ITALY: Polaroid
Man On Wire – A Thousand Legs

The name of the band is a reference to Philippe Petit, the French acrobat who walked on a rope between the Twin Towers, but their sound is definitely Americana. Man On Wire play that kind of warm and emotional folk-rock that you can find in certain songs by Arcade Fire, Wilco or The National. Their debut album is a rope from the music to your heart. And they are walking on it.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Occult You – Psychic Feelings

Tokyo artist Occult You loves to explore new sounds, each new release from this moniker and his other alias Taquwami (Google it, totally worth it) sounding like a new artistic swerve. Psychic Feelings is one of the newest tracks from the young producer, an irresistibly funky jam recalling the synth-heavy songs created by Ford & Lopatin and the Beverly Hills Cop theme tune. This is not needless nostalgia, though, rather a great song from a promising contemporary artist.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
The Shh – So Over

The Shh’s music emerges, in secret, from a place in between the city of Paris and the island of Malta. Their debut EP, The Burning Love, evokes surf-rock sounds with warm Summer Of Love-esque vocal melodies.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Descartes a Kant – Convince Me

Descartes a Kant is about to release their sophomore album Il Visore Lunatique, a lovingly crafted treat of madness from this exquisite riot grrrl band. While their music speaks for itself, Descartes a Kant has brought to the surface a collection of fears and obsessions through very tight and twisted imagery filled with schizoid violent punk episodes, cabaret, electronic glimpses and a disturbing cheerleading attitude embraced in a well-accomplished match between roughness, eroticism and femininity.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Kim Janssen – Tors

Singer-songwriter Kim Janssen has had plenty of international experiences to date. He has recorded and performed around the world with The Black Atlantic (a previous MAP tip), he has followed his parents around Asia as a youngster, and even experienced English boarding school life. It’s the latter that most influences his lush and gentle new album Ancient Crime. He describes it as “a concept album that takes place in an old idyllic school, in a remote village in north-west England during the winter”. Like traditional folk, it’s a mixture of history, myth, memories, old and new verses. Along the way he’s aided by Marla Hansen’s Oriel Quartet and a 100-piece choir, resulting in ambitious, delightful arrangements.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
The Avalanche – Throw Away The Rest

The Avalanche play noisy pop with both feet firmly planted in a classic shoegaze tradition. Catchy melodies hidden beneath endless layers of distorted guitar, driving drums and fuzz bass paired with the wonderful sound of dying synths throws the listener back and forth between waves of delicious pop and dirty noise. Their debut album will be released this autumn.

PERU: SoTB
I Am Genko – Bobblehead Sphynx

I Am Genko is a live electronica act from Lima consisting of one person and some machines. They all get along pretty well. Bobblehead Sphynx, from Awkward Teenage Years EP, is a really fun, exciting song – a succession of catchy beats that take us back to our youth or childhood.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
A Jigsaw – The Strangest Friend

A Jigsaw, named after a dEUS song, are from Coimbra and have already won an honorable mention in the 2009 International Songwriting Contest. The Strangest Friend is the first single from their third album, Drunken Sailors & Happy Pirates. They have received enthusiastic reviews in Les Inrockuptibles (France) and Heaven Magazine (Holland) and will gather many more fans after this month’s MAP.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Human Tetris – Silver Tears

Moscow-based post-bunk band Human Tetris have just finished their debut LP, Happy Way In The Maze Of Rebirth, and a European tour that covered Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and France. As cold and raw as the Russian winter, Silver Tears cuts right to the bone.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Mike Nisbet – Not Long

Originally from Oban, Mike Nisbet possesses an enchanting backstory that could give Justin Vernon a run for his money. Living a genuine nomadic existence, acoustic guitar in hand, this wandering troubadour has a Dylan-esque timeless quality to his songwriting, a voice that soothes and shatters hearts, and a gorgeous debut album, Vagrant, that could/should earn this remarkable 23-year-old talent devotees in any continent, any generation, any decade.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Shelves – Star Alright

The much-anticipated debut album by Shelves was released this month on both vinyl and digital, resurrecting not just the choicest cuts of Britpop and college rock, but the very essence of the 90s Singapore scene. Yet the record sounds anything but dated, with its clever balance of crisp melodies and generous distortion pointing the way forward for indie rock today. That vision is epitomised in Star Alright, a song that rides above the crackle and feedback to poke fun at the studded-leather ironies of pop stardom.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Sterling EQ – Bach’s Kittens At Play

Sterling Electric Quartet, affectionately known as Sterling EQ, burst on to the scene with their genre-defying musical style and sensational live performance. What started out in 2007 exploded into a musical phenomenon that has continued to take the South African entertainment industry by storm. Bach’s Kittens At Play shows off their eclectic stylings and versatile influences. It takes you on a lovely journey. With a twist. Simply delightful.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
No Control – Time

Noise-rock band No Control started out making loud punk explosions, but have since learned the importance of harmony. Influenced by Sonic Youth and with some post-rock and shoegaze thrown into the mix, their first studio-recorded release will be out this month, but already we can savor the captivating sound of Time.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Kokoshca – La Fuerza

If there’s a band that can show off the creation of a hymn for those Spaniards who usually party like there’s no tomorrow, that band is Kokoshca. They are a three-piece from Pamplona and they have already released five records (some demos, a live album and EPs). Heirs of the biggest Spanish pop bands of the 60s but with an irreverent, garage spirit, Kokoshca have recently re-released their well-known single, La Fuerza, via Elefant Records, an indie-pop institution in Spain.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Fucking Werewolf Asso – Keep My Adresse To Yourself, Cause We Need Secrets

Honestly, I think I’m mainly posting this for the shock value. Both the band’s name and their odd amalgam of genres are, to say the least, unusual. Have you ever wondered what 8bit electronica and punk might sound like as a mash-up? Well, wonder no more. Here’s a new song from Fucking Werewolf Asso.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Castling Queen’s Side – Rise And Fail

The starting point for six-piece Castling Queen’s Side was an Arcade Fire gig in Zurich in 2005. There they got to know each other and decided to form an indie band. Now, seven years later, they have their debut record Cinema ready with 11 splendid songs full of depth, melancholy and catchy crankiness.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
The Away Days – Dressing Room

The Away Days carries influences from Northern music sounds and actually presents an unfamiliar style for us in this terrain, which is indie-rock. What distinguishes them from other bands in Turkey may be their desire and aim to make themselves known in Europe. While The Away Days is preparing to release their first EP in a couple of months, we can also see the band perform in various festivals during the summer. Dressing Room has an exceptional unity of quality structure, lyrics and music that can’t be ignored.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Hundred Waters – Me & Anodyne

There’s not really much you can say about Hundred Waters that will do justice to their brand of experimental dream-pop. You’ve really just got to hear it for yourself. Me & Anodyne is from Hundred Waters’ self-titled debut, an early album-of-the-year contender.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Buenaparte – Con Lucy In The Sky

Buenaparte formed in mid-2010 and released their debut album, La Caída De Lucy, in 2011. Third single Con Lucy In The Sky is a love song with lyrics inviting us to get lost with the person we desire.

Music Alliance Pact – Februarie 2012

Luna aceasta vă propunem încă o trupă din Timişoara, Methadone Skies pe numele lor, care sunt pe punctul de-a lansa un nou material discografic - Enter the Void -, al cărei copertă o puteţi vedea mai jos.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Methadone Skies – Vs. Evil

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

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

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Cosmo – Cazador

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

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Squalloscope – Domino

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

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Graveola e o Lixo Polifônico – Insensatez: A Mulher Que Fez

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

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Amity Beach – Jake’s Version Of Paradise

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

CHILE: Super 45
Survey Team – Valdivia De Viña

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

CHINA: Wooozy
Mr. Graceless – Mr. Li

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

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Julián Mayorga – ¿Cómo Llorar Al Revés o Regresar Al Asfalto o…?

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

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Spleen United – Bright Cities Keep Me Awake

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

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Wild Combination – Great Expectations

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

FINLAND: Glue
Black Twig – Lake Song

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

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Cracbooms – @soleil

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

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Wooden Peak – Pills Start Work

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

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Bokomolech – Talk About Fires

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

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Vigri – Animals

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

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Spring/Summer – Tonight

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

IRELAND: Nialler9
Redahan – Ru In Daejeon

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

ITALY: Polaroid
Heike Has The Giggles – Breakfast

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

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Cloudy Busey – Up To You (If You Love Me)

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

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Danjeli – Midnight Carpet Ride

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

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Uvilov – De Tantos Universos Paralelos

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

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Wooden Constructions – Full Brother

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

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Grass Cannons – Wendy’s

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

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Storm The Bastille – Circle Robotics

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

PERU: SoTB
Los Zapping – Cine Mudo

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

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Sun Glitters – They Don’t Want To Let You Know (Sumsun Remix)

Victor Ferreira aka Sun Glitters, born to Portuguese parents in Luxembourg, has been praised by The Guardian, FADER and Pitchfork. For this reason, his newest release, High EP, which came out on January 30, was highly anticipated. On it, Victor continues his voyage through a dreamy electronic world. This track is a remix of one of the songs on the EP.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Brodsky – Death Note

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

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Craig_FS – Grass Stain (feat. Rachel Tesfaye)

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

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Obedient Wives Club – Fragments

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

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
MDS – Insomnia

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

SPAIN: Musikorner
Novedades Carminha – Pesetas

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

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Kids – My Sincerest Apologies

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

SWITZERLAND: 78s
John Caroline – Robine

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

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
The Ringo Jets – Collar

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

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
That Ghost – Morning Now

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

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Mcklopedia – Guardián

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

The 2011 Cherrypick awards

(2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010)

La cât de mult praf s-o acumulat pe aici, îmi închipui că nu vă mai așteptați să apară postul ăsta. Eh, cred că oricât aș lasa blogul să crească buruieni pe el, la topu ăsta n-aș renunța. Nu pot să vă spun exact de ce nu am scris mai des, am o grămadă de foi și foicele ce vroiau să devină posturi. Efectiv n-am avut tragere de inimă. Dar e una din rezoluțiile anului nou. Serios. Trebuie, nu de alta, da mi-i un loc tare drag. Mi-am dat seama încă odată de treaba asta când am realizat că e al cincelea an când fac topu ăsta.

În 2011 am filtrat mai mult, am ascultat ceva ma puține albume ca de-obicei (dar tot o fost în jur de 100), tot mi-o rămas albume neascultate, poate chiar câteva importante (cel mai notabil cred că e Tori Amos, nu știu însă de ce nu l-am ascultat…never in the perfect mood), dar îs de părere că niciodată nu e prea târziu, mai este vreme – mai ales când nu crezi că vine sfârșitul lumii în mai puțin de un an.

Ca de-obicei, câteva precizări: topul conține doar albume de studio lansate în 2011 (deci fără live-uri, ep-uri, remasterizări etc), fără cele românești. Despre ep-uri notabile, albume românești, experiențe live, sau descoperiri revelatoare târzii, sper să pun un alt post în max o săptămână.
Ca-n fiecare an, țin să subliniez că îs foarte subiectivă (iar în ceea ce privește filmele, cărțile și muzica mi se pare că tot timpu trebuie să fiu așa) – am ales aici albumele care mi-o plăcut MIE cel mai mult.

Fără alte bla bla-uri, să purcedem.

50. Dredg – Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
Cred cu tărie că albumul ăsta e făcut în mare parte la mișto (până și coperta îmi dă dreptate). Chair și-așa, au vreo 2 piese excelente.

49. Kilimanajro Darkjazz Ensemble – From the Stairway
Simt că albumul ăsta o să crească mult în ochii mei cu timpul. Are o atmosferă excelentă care te prinde instant. Dar l-am ascultat de prea puține ori să-l pun mai sus.

48. Apparat – The Devil’s Walk
Low key electro, voce plăcută. Nimic mai mult.

47. Radical Face – The Family Tree: The Roots
Unul din cele 3 albume The Family Tree. Următoarele sunt programate pe anul viitor. E un album deosebit de sincer și frumos, simplu, cu versuri multe care fac o poveste. Probabil când va fi gata trilogia, îmi va plăcea foarte mult. Are toate șansele.

46. New Ruins – This Life Is Not Ours To Keep
Un album plăcut, dar cam atât. Nu are nimic special, dar nu la modul deranjant. E genul ăla de album care dacă l-ai pune unei încăperi cu oameni diferți s-ar putea asculta în background fără să dispacă cuiva.

45. Feist – Metals
Ușor dezamăgită de albumul ăsta pentru că până acum Feist o reușit să îmi provoace mici obsesii cu anumite piese, iar albumul ăsta nu mi-o dat nici una. Cel puțin nu încă.

44. Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia
Parcă lui Patrick nu îi se șede la fel de bine când nu e deprimat.

43. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
Chiar dacă per total nu mă dă pe spate, are vreo 2 piese pe albumul ăsta care m-o dat. Da, începând cu I Follow Rivers, doar că m-o dat pe spate prin februarie, când am auzit-o prima dată, nu în vară când era toată lumea obsedată de piesă.

42. IAMX – Volatile Times
Ceva nu m-o prins cum trebuie la albumul ăsta. Încă mai aștept să am o revelație dubioasă care să mă facă să mi se pară excelent. Până atunci e doar un alt album IAMX. Poate dacă reușeam să ajung la concert aveam altă părere.

41. Jesu – Ascension
Jesu exact cum îi știu și îmi plac, în pas rarefiat dar apăsat, cu voci difuze și rifuri exact unde trebuie. Un soi de shoegaze metal.

40. Jeniferever – Silesia
Unora le iese post rockul cu voce. Lor chiar foarte bine. Alt concert de care îmi pare foarte rău.

39. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi – Rome
O ciudățenie de album inspirat de coloanele sonore ale filmelor italienești de prin anii 60-70, condimentat cu niște Jack White și Norah Jones.

38. Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Unul din cele mai bine primite debuturi ale anului trecut. Cu o voce deosebit de puternică, are șanse să ajungă nume mare dacă se ține bine. Îs convinsă că poate mai mult.

37. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Post rock în forță. Una din trupele de gen care vreau foarte mult să o văd live.

36. Kimbra – Vows
O fată deosebit de frumoasă cu o voce pe măsură. Totuși albumul ăsta, pentru mine, are cam jumate piese excelente, iar jumate de umplutură. Aștept mai mult.

35. Promise and The Monster – Red Tide
Găsit recent, albumul mi-o plăcut de la prima ascultare. Indie folk cântat cu o voce deosebit de frumoasă care îmi aduce aminte de cineva, dar nu reușesc nicicum să-mi dau seama de cine.

34. Austra – Feel It Break
Un alt debut excelent, de data asta din zona electro/synth-pop. Vocea hotărâtă a lui Katie Stelmanis, aduce mult în plus beaturilor, nici ele deloc rele.

33. Tides From Nebula – Eartshine
Deși am auzit oameni care îi numesc generici sau repetitivi în post rockul lor, mie îmi plac tare mult polonezii. Și concertul din noiembrie i-o doar ridicat în ochii mei.

32. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Continui să mă mir cât de prost receptează unii oameni o schimbare în stil la anumite trupe. Și The Decemberists o făcut asta cu albumul de față, trecând de la sunetele moi și folkish, la ritmuri puțin mai alerte și vesele. Dar le iese bine, așa că nu văd ce-i cu toată agravarea asta.

31. City and Colour – Little Hell
Muzică simplă, liniștită, poate puțin siropoasă pe alocuri, dar uneori mai trebuie să ne și îndulcim.

30. Grails – Deep Politics
Grails e trupa aia care o reușit tot timpu să-mi creeze o atmosferă aproape palpabilă prin muzica lor. Și nu dau greș în a face asta nici cu recentul Deep Politics.

29. Blue Sky Black Death – Noir
O combinație excelentă de hip hop instrumental, cu trip hop, down tempo, voci gospel-like, sample-uri. Un album ce emană bunăstare și luminozitate.

28. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Lor le-o ieșit foarte bine chestia cu sound-ul retro, dar puteau să scurteze albumul ăsta cu vreo 3-4 piese. Totuși, Midnight City e una din cele mai mișto piese ale anului.

27. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
Doar mie mi se pare că e puțin cam lung albumul ăsta? Începe excelent, cu piese una și una, iar apoi mi se pare că se pierde și se prea lungește. Totuși are câteva piese excelente.

26. The Antlers – Burst Apart
The Antlers își păstrează tonul melancolic, de data asta fără să fie și depresivi. O voce care îmi merge exact unde trebuie.

25. Ane Brun – It All Starts With One
Sunt puțin dezamăgită, înafară de colaborarea cu José González nu s-o lipit nici o piesă de mine. Totuși, stilul și vocea ei, unice amândouă nu mă lasă să nu-mi placă. Probabil (sper) o să crească pe mine.

24. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Un album foare armonios și omogen. E de-a dreptul impresionant ce bine își păstrează Polly Jean vocea.

23. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Una din marile surprize ale anului. Dacă precedetul album mi s-o părut plat și deloc special, pe cel de față mi se pare că o profitat din plin de vocea deosebită pe care o are,

22. Ulver – War of the Roses
Diversitatea dubioasă care i-o făcut pe mulți să șușotească despre albumul ăsta mă face pe mine să îmi placă foarte mult.

21. Battles – Gloss Drop
Catchy și vesel, soundrackul pe biciceltă al primăverii 2011.

20. Cults – Cults
Albumul ăsta emană tinerețe și voioșie, vară lungă fără griji și baie în mare fără haine. Sau cel puțin acolo mă duce pe mine cu gându.

19. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Așa se face un comeback, în plină forță, exact așa cum te ținea lumea minte. The boys are still beastie.

18. Epic45 – Weathering
Un album pe care să visezi frumos și să-ți faci planuri extraordinare. E simplu și frumos și fragil.

17. Fink – Perfect Darkness
Indie folk deosebit de sincer, cu versuri frumoase cântate de o voce excelentă.

16. Gotye – Making Mirrors
M-o prins cu colaborarea cu Kimbra, m-o țint cu urechile în el prin diversitate (trecere usoară de la un stil la altul) și prin lejeritatea cu care curge muzica.

15. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Pentru mine, Explosions rămân prima trupă de post rock care am ascultat-o, ceea ce probabil tot timpu o să o pună undeva cu o treaptă mai sus decât celelalte. Bine, argumentul ăsta n-ar fi deloc valid dacă nu ar scoate albume atât de frumoase. Îmi place deosebit de mult abordarea luminoasă și optimistă de pe albumul ăsta.

14. Rauelsson with Peter Broderick – Réplica
O colaborare începută la distanță, prin schimb de fișiere. Un rezultat excelent: un album de două piese lungi și calme, perfecte pentru moțăială sau pentru mângâiat pisica atunci când afară plouă.

13. Other Lives – Tamer Animals
O îmbinare perfect armonioasă a unei mulditudini de instrumente, din care iese o nebunie silențioasă și foarte intesă.

12. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
Classic Tom Waits.

11. Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys!
Încă nu îmi dau seama cum oamenii ăștia nu au mai mult succes. Muzica lor este excelent armonizată cu versurile inteligente și cu vocea extraodrinară a lui Guy Garvey.

10. Puscifer – Conditions of my Parole
Maynard așa cum îl știam. Și muzical și lyric. Totuși, mi se pare undeva între Tool, APC și Puscifer. Oricum, nu prea cotează sub ce nume e scos albumul, ci cât de bine sună.

09. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
După dezastrul Blackfield (da, prefer să mă fac că albumul nou nu există) nu credeam că mai pote scoate ceva care să-mi placă. Mi-o dovedit contrariul tot anul ăsta, cu albumul solo care sună exact cum îl știu eu pe Wilson, mai ales pe piese ca Postcard.

08. Beirut – The Rip Tide
Nu știu cum reușește Zach să-și păstreze stilul fără să devină plictisitor, dar – cel puțin eu – încă nu am reușit să mă satur de muzica lui.

07. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Mi-o fost puțin frică să ascult albumul ăsta, pentru că nu credeam că după For Emma o să mai fie capabil să se implice emoțional intr-un alt album. M-am înșelat. Al doilea album e la fel de sincer și sensibil Îs curioasă cât o să o țină așa.

06. Eksi Ekso – Brown Shark, Red Lion
Foarte diferit de albumul precedent, mai puțin post rock și mai mult pop, combinat cu indie, cu multitudine de instrumente, foarte catchy și deosebit de frumos.

05. Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Un album excelent Radiohead, dar nu la fel de omogen cum mi-ar fi plăcut și cum sunt obișnuită din partea lor.

04. Mastodon – The Hunter
Una din trupele din zona metal care reușesc încă să-mi păstreze interesul. Un album energic fără să mă obosească; combinația de voci și schimbările de ritm mă fac să stau ca-n priză pe tot parcursul albumului.

03. Wild Beasts – Smother
Una din trupele care mi-o trecut pe lângă urechi în anii precedenți, dar care o recuperat serios anul ăsta. Smother e un album care se încolăcește în jurul meu și îmi intră în corp prin toți porii. Vocea e love it or hate it. I loved it instantly.

02. Björk – Biophilia
Nu cred că trebuie să vă mai spun că Björk e Björk pentru mine, și îmi place cu atât mai mult cu cât o scos un album extraodrinar de bine închegat și de frumos prezentat, cum o făcea pe vremuri. Categoric mai reușit decât Volta. Una din prioritățile live pe anul viitor. Sper să-mi iasă pasențele.

01. Arms and Sleepers – The Organ Hearts
Arms and Sleepers e trupa cu cea mai mare ascensiune în preferințele mele în ultimii doi ani. Faptul că am reușit să-i văd de două ori live și să iubesc ambele concerte, că încă mai reușesc să aibă diversitate în albume deși sunt foarte prolifici, și că folosesc orice pot în jurul lor pe post de instrument mă face doar să îi iubesc mai mult și mai mult. Un album deosebit de sensibil și frumos.

Albumul anului, premiul cu coroniță merge laaaaaa
Destroyer – Kaputt
Categoric. Curge atât de frumos de la un capăt la altul, prin muzică simplă, prin lejeritatea cu care cântă Bejar, încât tot timpu mă face să-l ascult de cel puțin două ori una după alta.

Cam asta o fost. Sper că, cu asta, am scuturat puțin prafu de-aici și o să vin mai des să nu-l las să se depună.

Music Allince Pact – October 2011

Luna asta vă propunem una din trupele alea despre care mulți spun că nu sună români, în cel mai bun mod. Vă convngeți voi singuri de ce, dacă nu i-ați auzit deja pe la radio.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Moonlight Breakfast – Still

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

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

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Flopa/Minimal – Atolondrón

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

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Option Command – Break Even

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

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Lirinha – Adebayor

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

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Sound Of Lions – Enders

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

CHILE: Super 45
Nuevacosta – Todo Fácil

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

CHINA: Wooozy
Eat Alien’s Brain – Sick Body Dance

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

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Laura Drescher – I Do I Will

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

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Daley – Smoking Gun

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

FINLAND: Glue
Koria Kitten Riot – An Anthem From The 80′s

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

GERMANY: Blogpartei
BOY – This Is The Beginning

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

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
The You And What Army Faction – I Used A Blade To Carve Me A New Smile

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

ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Ruddinn – Cover The Distance

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

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
BRNDLS – Start Bleeding

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

IRELAND: Nialler9
Tieranniesaur – In The Sargasso

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

ITALY: Polaroid
A Classic Education – Forever Boy

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

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Canopies And Drapes – Sleeping Under The Bed

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

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Beangrowers – The Priest

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

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Robota – Troqueladora

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

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Chris Kok – Sounds Of Sirens

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

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
St. Rupertsberg – In Albania

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

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Autonomia – Steiner Å Stå På

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

PERU: SoTB
Royalvalet – Escorpio y Rimel

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

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
The Klinton Kings – Rulin’

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

RUSSIA: Big Echo
InWhite – Sea

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

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Panda Su – I Begin

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

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Etc – Big Girl’s Blouse

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

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
140 – Say It Better

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

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Mighty Coala – Seoul

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

SPAIN: Musikorner
Las Tocayas – Hombres

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

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Poor Lifestyle – These Times

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

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Evelinn Trouble – I’m On Fire

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

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Young Man – Enough

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

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Limpiacabezales – Mérida

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