BRICK + MORTAR - "BANGS" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Os Brick + Mortar de Nova Jérsia,  Estados Unidos da América, são um duo que nos deixa nervosos, apesar de exisitirem há anos. 

Ao contrário do que seria de esperar, no início deste tema, no vídeo abaixo, a canção evolui para algo completamente diferente do que seria esperado.

Eles têm feito digressões com alguns nomes importantes, da cena alternativa, como os Surfer Blood.

Os Brick + Mortar são uma banda a ter debaixo de o...ouvido.

NOTA: O vídeo tem alguma violência que não aconselhamos que seja visionada por pessoas que se possam impressionar.

WILLY MOON - "RAILROAD TRACK" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Willy Moon, um dos recrutas da editora de Jack White (juntos na foto), terá um novo single à venda, em breve, que já tem um vídeo realizado por Michael Carter . O tema principal, "Railroad Track", faz-se acompanhar por "Bang Bang".

Como se recordarão, ele passou aqui em Abril com o single "Yeah, Yeah".

CRYSTAL CASTLES - "PLAGUE" (NOVO TEMA / DOWNLOAD LEGAL)

Os Crystal Castles voltam a lembrar-nos que existem e que estão de regresso; e quando oferecem um tema de 5 minutos como "Plague", nem conseguimos antecipar o que será o seu novo álbum. A nós parece-nos que Alice Grass e Ethan Katz querem fazer história.Para já, aproveitem fazer o download do tema enquanto está disponível gratuitamente.




 

LIARS - "BRATS" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Em Abril, a propósito do primeiro single, "Nº 1 Against the Rush"do novo álbum dos Liars, "WIXIW", eles estiveram aqui com o vídeo para esse primeiro tema.  Surge agora o segundo single, "Brats", em que  o vídeo é uma animação bizarra criada por Ian Cheng.

TAKEN BY TREES - "DREAMS" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Apesar de ter sido filmado no final do ano passado, só agora nos chegam as imagens do novo vídeo, "Dreams", dos Taken By Trees,  de Victoria Bergsman. Este tema será editado, fisicamente, a 6 de Agosto como um EP mas virá a fazer parte de "Other Worlds",  o terceiro álbum de Bergsman, como Taken By Trees. O álbum tem ediçao agendada para o início de Outubro.

O vídeo foi realizado por Amanda Marsalis e as filmagens foram recolhidas no Hawai.

THE KILLERS - "RUNAWAYS" (NOVO VÍDEO)

"Runaways" é o primeiro tema do álbum "Battle Born", o novo disco dos The Killers que será editado a 17 de Setembro. The Killers, uma banda em tempos promissora na sua sonoridade, parece estar a tornar-se num caso sério de bocejo crónico por quem os ouve. Pelo menos, por alguns dos que os ouvem. Nós já levantámos o braço.

BEAT CONNECTION - "THE PALACE GARDEN, 4am" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Os Beat Connection, que acompanhamos desde que começaram a dar que falar na web, no início de 2011, e que tinham passado por aqui em Março com "Think/Feel", têm um novo single.

"The Palace Garden, 4am" (capa na foto) é um dos temas que encontrarão no álbum homónimo de estreia da banda, que será editado a 6 de Agosto.

HOT CHIP - "HOW DO YOU DO" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Depois de "Look At Where We Are".,"How Do You Do" é o novo single dos Hot Chip, retirado do álbum "In Our Heads". O tema será editado no 10 de Setembro mas, para já, sabe-se que será acompanhado de versões alternativas,  com remisturas de  James Zabiela, Micky Moonlight, Ossie, e Terje.

O vídeo para o tema foi realizado por Rollo Jackson e fará parte de uma edição especial do single.

BEN GIBBARD - "ICHIRO´S THEME (NEW SONG / NOVA CANÇÃO)

Ben Gibbard, dos Death Cab For Cutie, anunciou que irá editar um álbum solo de doze temas, em que contará  com as participações, entre outros, de Aimee Mann.  "Ichiro´s Theme" é uma das canções e é sobre o jogador de basebol Ichiro Suzuki, que acabou de deixar a equipa de Gibbard, os Seattle Mariners.

O disco já tem nome, "Former Lives", e será editado a 15 de Outubro.

MICACHU & THE SHAPES (NOVOS VÍDEOS)

Do seu segundo álbum, "NEVER", editado ontem, temos quatro vídeos de temas desse disco por Micachu & The Shapes. Para além destes quatro temas, todos os restantes já têm vídeos e foram todos realizados pela banda mas com a preciosa ajuda de Chloe Hayward.










"GLAMOUR"




"EASY"


"NEVER"


"NOWHERE"

DJANGO DJANGO - "HAIL BOP" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Ainda há uma semana falávamos aqui sobre o novo single dos Django Django. Agora há um vídeo.

MORRISSEY E OS ANIMAIS DOMÉSTICOS

A um dia de voltar a actuar em Portugal, amanhã em Cascais, há uma nova campanha da PETA , Morrissey alerta para a necessidade de tomar medidas para que os animais domésticos não se reproduzam, devido aos milhares deles que existem nas ruas e em canis/gatis sem possibilidade de adopção e que acabarão por ser mortos ou, onde houver essa possibilidade, enjaulados e sem condições todas as suas vidas. As suas palavras foram: "Despite the fact that they're incredibly intelligent, animals unfortunately haven’t yet worked out how to slip on a rubber, which is why thousands of them are being put to sleep in overcrowded shelters and thousands more are desperately waiting to be adopted. Letting cats or dogs have litters is tantamount to shooting shelter animals in the head since it kills their chances of adoption. Please do the right thing and spay or neuter your animals." 

Morrissey, em Atenas, a 16 de Julho, com uma pequena introdção de "Kimberly", de Patti Smith:

BAT FOR LASHES - "LAURA" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Depois de aparecerem vídeos na web de Natasha Kahn a tocar, ao vivo, temas do seu novo álbum, há agora o primeiro vídeo para o primeiro single, "Laura", de "Haunted Man", o novo álbum que será editado a 15 de Outubro.

DELPHIC - "GOOD LIFE" (NOVO TEMA)

Com toda a Grã-Bretanha a preparar os seus barbecues para tardes de come, bebes, e, se ainda se recordarem do propósito dessas reuniões, ver televisão a olhar os jogos olímpicos, os Delphic apresentam, via YouTube, o seu novo single, "Good Life", um tema oficial dos Jogos Olímpicos (ainda não estamos certos quantos temas oficiais existem).

O single estará disponível para ser vendido, em formato digital, a partir de segunda-feira, dia 23 de Julho.

Esperem que gostem porque nós não...

LAIBACH - "UNDER THE IRON SKY" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Os Laibach são os responsáveis pela banda sonora da comédia "Under The Iron Sky", do realizador finlandês Timo Vuorensola, que é também músico e membro de uma banda de dark-metal..

"Under The Iron Sky" conta a hilariante história de uma base secreta nazi na Lua que, ao fim de setenta anos, monta um regresso à Terra para conquistar e dominar o planeta por completo.

Se acham este filme de Timo Vuorensola um pouco invulgar, experimenten as suas obras  anteriores: "Star Wreck V: Lost Contact" ou  "Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning".

THE VACCINES - "TEENAGE ICON" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Depois do primeiro single, "No Hope", que passou aqui oportunamente, os The Vaccines apresentam o novo single, "Teenage Icon", de "Come of Age", o novo álbum da banda que será editado a 3 de Setembro.

Como devem estar recordados, o disco foi produzido por Ethan Johns, que, entre muitos,  trabalhou com os Kings Of Leon, o que vos levará a compreender melhor o som desta obra.

DJANGO DJANGO - "HAIL HOP" / "BAIL HOP" (NOVO SINGLE / OUVIR)

Depois de há um mês termos ficado a conhecer o novo single, "Hail Hop",  apesar de ser oficialmente só editado a 13 de Agosto (a 27, a edição em vinil) agora conhecemos o seu lado B, "Bail Hop". "Hail Hop" é um tema retirado do álbum de estreia homónimo dos Django Django.




 
   Django Django - Hail Bop

  
Django Django - Bail Hop

PASSION PIT - "I´LL BE ALRIGHT" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Do álbum "Gossamer" (capa na foto) com edição planeada para 23 de Julho, os Passion Pit apresentam o novo single e vídeo, "I´ll Be Alright". Isto ocorre dias depois do líder dos Passion Pit,  Michael Angelakos, cancelar os concertos que a banda tinha agendado, argumentando que precisa de trabalhar a sua sanidade mental.

HOT CHIP - "LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Os Hot Chip recrutaram o realizador Danny Perez, conhecido pela sua frequente colaboração com os Animal Collective, para a criação do vídeo de "Look At Where We Are", tema do álbum "In Our Heads" e que agora também existe numa nova versão remisturada por Major Lazer.

JACK WHITE - "FREEDOM AT 21" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Do álbum 'Blunderbuss',  de Jack White, o tema "Freedom at 21" já tem um vídeo, realizado por Hype Williams, com a participação (muito breve) de Josh Homme (Queens of The Stone Age).

the XX - "ANGELS" (NOVO VÍDEO)

O mais difícil é ser simples e eles, xx,  fazem o simples parecer fácil. Foi assim com o álbum estreia e a julgar pelo novo single, "Angels", do novo álbum "Coexist" (capa na foto), que será editado a 10 de Setembro, assim continuará a ser.

JON LORD (1941-2012)

Jon Lord era um senhor dos tempos em que os teclistas não tocavam teclas apenas com um dedo espetado ou carregando em botões.

Faleceu um dos maiores teclistas que passou pelo rock´n´roll, apesar de ter dedicado uma parte importante da sua vida adulta ao formato clássico e à composição fora do rock.

PATTERNS - "BLOOD" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Mais uma muito boa notícia, cheia de doce para os ouvidos, de Manchester com o regresso, para o segundo single, do quarteto Patterns.

Eles estrearam-se em Dezembro de 2010, com o EP "New Noise". Depois dessa edição, reapareceram em Novembro de 2011 com o single "Intro". O single "Blood" (capa na foto) foi editado no início de Julho, no dia 9, e agora temos o vídeo realizado por Sam Alder e Toby Potter a partir de velhas cassetes VHS.

A edição deste segundo single, "Blood", tem uma versão remisturada, na edição física, por outra banda de Manchester, os No Ceremony. Em formato digital, podem comprar os temas separadamente.

MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT :: JULHO 2012

Agora que um dos mais destacados projectos da pop contemporânea portuguesa divulgou um tema do seu novo álbum,  "Donna Samurai", temos o prazer da sua visita no Music Alliance Pact, representando o nosso país.

Este mês, os Micro Audio Waves oferecem ao mundo, em exclusivo, através do Music Alliance Pact, o download legal do tema "Cartoon Real", do seu último álbum "Zoetrope", que, como sabem, era muito mais do que uma simples edição discográfica. Para os que não estão recordados, "Zoetrope" foi criado, em parceria, com o coreógrafo Rui Horta, e resultou num espectáculo multimedia que, felizmente, foi filmado e editado com o álbum.

Para além de um lugar muito especial na música alternativa portuguesa, os Micro Audio Waves entraram na história da música moderna do mundo, ao terem sido a única banda nacional convidada a participar nas famosas John Peel Sessions, do falecido John Peel, na BBC Radio , em 2004.

Excerto do espectáculo "Zoetrope", ainda disponível para venda numa loja especializada:



Carregue no botão play para ouvir os temas individualmente ou clique, com o botão direito do rato, em cima do título da canção para o download do tema. Pode também descarregar todos os 37 temas deste mês num ficheiro único. Para isso, carregue aqui: here.


ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Los Coming Soon - No Way This is one of our favorite releases from 2012. We Are Family is Los Coming Soon's first album, in which they deploy 10 great songs filled with electronic textures and a soft, minimalist funky-disco base, all played with real instruments (no programming whatsoever). It was hard to pick one song for MAP, but we think No Way is representative of the whole record (you can buy it here).


AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Runner - Flaws Flaws is an understated instrumental track that drives the emotive dream-pop at the heart of Runner. These guys originate from the west coast of Australia but their sound would sit perfectly with any shoegaze stoner melody coming out of 90s Melbourne. Flaws builds beautifully to a crescendo layered with harmony and a wall of hazy guitars.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig Ogris Debris - Sexy Chair This electronic duo is best known for their onomatopoetic track Miezekatze, a club and radio hit in 2010. Mixing such diverse genres as house, funk and soul, the tongue-in-cheek track Sexy Chair is taken from the Affine Records compilation What A Fine Mess We Made. The most recent Ogris Debris release, The Way feat. Ken Hayakawa (listen on Soundcloud), has a more Arabesque vibe to it.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado BNegão & Seletores de Frequência - Essa é Pra Tocar No Baile It took almost 10 years for BNegão & Seletores de Frequência to release their second album, but now their music is even more influenced by black music and rhythms such as Afrobeat, soul and samba rock. Essa é Pra Tocar No Baile is one of the breakthrough tracks of the record.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts Digits - Where Do You Belong? My heart melts every time I hear Alt Altman - the one-man techno R&B band known as Digits - purr: "It's just a broken heart/but you ain't had a broken heart/like this," on Where Do You Belong? A song this catchy and infectious should come with warning labels: "May induce repeated listens and become lodged in your head for weeks at a time."

CHILE: Super 45 La Big Rabia - Nos Gusta Que Sea Así Music abounds during times of crisis, and La Big Rabia is one of the symptoms of this social unrest we are living with in Chile. Their EP, La Bestia, and their shows begin with a disruptive speech made through a loudspeaker by singer Sebastián Orellana, a sort of tired and furious crooner. After this, a retro rock disposition is unleashed on songs like Para Todos Los Hijos De Puta, with its chorus: "Todos contra los poderosos / Todos contra los que tengan sed de poder" ("Everybody against the powerful ones / Everybody against those thirsty for power").

CHINA: Wooozy Glow Curve - Brain Washer Glow Curve formed in Beijing in 2011 and are influenced by post-rock and electronic music. The quartet absorb and explore new elements to blend complex instrumental sounds from contrasting emotions - manic or quiet, warm or cold.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo Zalama Crew - No Hay Marcha Atrás Zalama Crew is a collective based in Cali, a city very close to the Colombian Pacific coast. An excellent example of what is happening in these lands, their project mixes hip-hop, urban and world music. No Hay Marcha Atrás ("There's No Turning Back") is taken from their first album Zalama Lekum, which fuses African rhythm with electronic sounds.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian Kúra - Anchor With the amazing vocal of Fanney Ósk Þórisdóttir as a general highlight, Danish/Icelandic trio Kúra's debut Halfway To The Moon is a dark, melancholic and rather enticing affair mixing electronica, trip hop, dub and (indie) rock. Here's single Anchor, co-produced by acclaimed DJ and producer Buda (Lulu Rouge) and accompanied by this beautiful video by Kristian Touborg and Jesper Dalgaard.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog Josephine - Pray That I Move Manchester's Josephine Oniyama is not another soul girl, even though some early breathless accounts of her work and voice are of the "you won't believe this isn't a classic lost R&B or blues recording" variety. Actually, as Pray That I Move shows, Josephine's vocal delivery and idiosyncratic lyrical vision have more in common with Morrissey than Mahalia Jackson. She's already made a big stir on the regional scene with Elbow's Guy Garvey and singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt among her champions. Her debut album, Portrait, is out on October 8.

FINLAND: Glue Minttu & Olli - Corduroy Boy Minttu & Olli are a graceful couple homebrewing sweet pop songs. With great vocal harmonies, a gentle folky spirit and smooth melodica sounds, the duo is a Nordic version of She & Him that could have easily been featured in the soundtrack of (500) Days of Summer.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired The Lemon Queen - Sailing In A Wild Love The Lemon Queen hails from Angers, east of France, where the music scene is flourishing at the moment, with everyone trying to play their cards right. The band makes a difference with their psychedelic pop-rock sound, reminiscent of Klaxons, a comparison particularly true on Sailing In A Wild Love. With catchy melodies and an undeniable energy, this quartet should be followed very closely.

GERMANY: Blogpartei Sandy Bird - Revoke Little is known about this band from Berlin which formed in 2008 and have already experienced some member changes. Revoke is taken from their Bambaloo EP. Expect to hear more of this promising post-rock act soon.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda Electric Litany - Sad Part Bleak and broody music has never been quite so thrilling. Sad Part is an elaborately orchestrated, inherently dark, minimalist, piano dirge, like a sad dream scented with rain, with searingly compelling lyrical imagery, eerie vocals full of intuitive swells and fades, pauses that embrace some of the pious silence of a prayer and tremolo guitars that do an excellent job of creating a beguiling atmosphere. Electric Litany's highly anticipated sophomore album is set to be released later this year.

ICELAND: Rjóminn Útidúr - Grasping For Air This latest track from the ambitious chamber-pop 10-piece sees them entering almost disco-like realms. A new album should see the light of day in the coming months but those who want to get to know this joyous collective better should check out the band's 2010 debut album This Mess We've Made.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Marcel Thee - Endless Heart After more than 10 years channeling his creativity with the indie-rock band Sajama Cut, Marcel Thee is now the only original member left. Here he pursues his passion for lo-fi, layered sounds, gospel music and poetry. If you love W.B. Yeats, the album is a tribute to him.

IRELAND: Nialler9 No Spill Blood - Good Company Formed from members of Adebisi Shank, Elk, Magic Pockets and Hands Up Who Wants To Die, No Spill Blood's first EP is released this month on Sargent House, home to Fang Island, Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Les Butcherettes. If you're familiar with any of the bands mentioned then it won't surprise you to hear that No Spill Blood play it fast and furious, running on the noxious interplay between drums, effect-laden synth, low-end bass fuzz and bellowed vocals.

ITALY: Polaroid Cosmetic - La Fine Del Giorno Cosmetic may sing in Italian but I'm sure their songs will speak to you anyway. Their rough and nervous shoegaze sound often drifts towards more muscular music as it makes way for an explosion of guitars. When I saw them live the first name that came to my mind was Dinosaur Jr. The motto on their Facebook page - "Noise and melodies that fight to get the better of each other" - pretty much sums up Cosmetic.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Cuushe - I Dreamt About Silence Tokyo artist Cuushe last brought out an album three years ago, and it turns out she spent the stretch of time after it was released building her own world. I Dreamt About Silence sees her stretched-out vocals covered in hazy synths, every sound wrapping around one another to create a glowing track you want to be enveloped by. Cuushe shows the best way to escape the rush of the modern world is to construct your own dreamy universe.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta Bark Bark Disco - Let's Do This Bark Bark Disco is a lo-fi pop band fronted by former inventor Morris Woodcock (great-grandson of Manfred von Richthofen aka The Red Baron). Their songs have a raw immediacy with catchiness befitting a Broadway musical. Let's Do This is from their latest EP of the same name.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Sonido Gallo Negro - Leticia Chicha is a psychedelic mixture of cumbia with rock 'n' roll elements, originating in Peru during the 70s. Mexico City's Sonido Gallo Negro have unearthed the genre and hybridized it with local surf and rockabilly. Supplemented by the spooky visuals of design wizard Dr Alderete, their live shows are an intoxicating display of collective hypnosis. Throughout July 2012, this song and 13 more will be available for free download from Red Bull Panamérika as part of our fourth birthday compilation.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha! EARTH CONTROL - Mijn Nieuwe Steekkar Art-school punks Bert and Marcel met at Groningen's local venue Vera. Every week they formed a brand new band, recorded an album and played one show. But with EARTH CONTROL, things didn't go exactly as planned; the duo decided to continue under this capitalized moniker. Though barely audible due to their lo-fi production and sub-par electronic equipment, EARTH CONTROL sing in their native Dutch tongue. Their sardonic lyrics deal with everyday subjects such as cell phones, sweaters or, in this case, the online purchase of a new trolley.

PERU: SoTB Grita Lobos - Mr Danger Grita Lobos is a musician who hides behind an Ethiopian mask, his sound influenced by New Order and Depeche Mode in mesmerizing electronic songs that suggest dark stories. Mr Danger is taken from his debut self-titled album which features vocals from actress and singer Anahí de Cárdenas.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Micro Audio Waves - Cartoon Real Micro Audio Waves, who made history in 2004 by becoming the first Portuguese band to have a John Peel session, have released four albums and a fifth is due soon. Cartoon Real is a MAP exclusive free download, taken from their Zoetrope concept album, developed with choreographer Rui Horta and released with a DVD featuring one of their unique multimedia and performance live shows.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie El Medio - Hasta Caer El Medio is the solo project of Leonardo Balasques (Oscilador 4, Balún). Since 2004, Balasques has used this outlet to release very personal songs about life, friendships and love. Using his bedroom (and subsequently his living room) as a recording studio, Leo has crafted an expansive discography that experiments with the confrontation of synths and traditional instruments to create a folk/pop hybrid that warms the heart and stimulates the brain. El Medio has just released the album No Le Tengas Miedo Al Amor, on which you'll find Hasta Caer, featuring strings by Balún's Angélica Negrón and an unexpected, yet much welcomed, dose of blistering guitar noise and distortion.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Subcarpați - Underground Folclor Subcarpați is an explosive mixture of old and new. It's an eclectic combination that brings together melancholy Romanian folk songs, Romanian unity songs, traditional instruments and the rhythms of trip-hop, dubstep, hip-hop and dancehall.

RUSSIA: Big Echo Lomovolokno - 22 On this short preview from his upcoming album, beatmaker Lomovolokno moves to the next level of romantic harmonies, leaving us excited for a full-length release. He is one of those people who needs time and space to make music, so you need to wait patiently. But when the tracks are finally out, there is nothing as beautiful to compare.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Holy Esque - Rose There's a tangible buzz about the Glasgow music scene right now and part of that has to do with the emergence of Holy Esque. There's a dark magic about their sound. The rasping, quivering vocals of Pat Hynes calls to mind The Undertones or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, while the squalls of guitar elicit comparisons with Joy Division or Glasvegas. The anthemic Rose, a MAP exclusive free download, is taken from their excellent debut EP.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To... Kiat - Riding Past Draco (feat. Klose) Exciting times are looming in the urban jungle of Singapore as audio-visual super-collective Syndicate turns up the heat, dropping influential honcho Kiat's new album like an A-bomb of intricate beats and samples that warp you into the inner workings of string theory. Featuring stellar collaborations with artists such as Vandetta, Klose, Digital and Isaac Aiesili, the album - titled The Inner Galaxy - decisively proclaims that electronic music from Singapore has come of age and is a force to be reckoned with. Evolution never happened this fast.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker! Fire Through The Window - Hey! Meet Fire Through The Window. They have the ability to take a simple melody, add their very own quirky styling and turn it into something truly infectious and endearing, all while maintaining a fun pop sensibility. That is wholly true with their song Hey! - it is fun, funky and best shows off the band.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie Wagwak - Arabian Night Loud indie-folk duo Wagwak have been around for a few years and made themselves a name at home. They recently left Korea to travel through Europe, playing gigs where they can, and having sung in English all along they're well prepared to bring their sound to an international audience. Before moving from their native Seoul, Wagwak released EP The Way To Drive Into The Arabian Sunset, opening with the slightly psychedelic Arabian Night.

SPAIN: Musikorner Stand Up Against Heart Crime - I Can't Stand Myself Sober Stand Up Against Heart Crime are five desolate souls whose lives have been touched by unease and unhappiness, five romantics who create the soundtrack of a loser who has grown up through the years. They are from Barcelona, and they have played in one of the most important festivals in Spain, Sónar. I Can't Stand Myself Sober is a pitiful fable of lack of self-esteem.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja Hanna - Lioness Hanna is Gothenburg-based Hanna Göransson, formerly known as Hanna Lovisa and one half of Cat5. As Hanna, she has teamed up with acclaimed Swedish producer Dan Lissvik (of Studio) and Canada's Young Galaxy to record her new EP Lioness, where feisty pop á la a certain Robyn meets Lissvik's characteristic grooves. The Lioness EP is out now via Sunshower Records and a first full-length is in the works.

SWITZERLAND: 78s Marochine - Braunvieh Express Marochine is an instrumental band from Lucerne which alternates its style skilfully between jazz and noise to create beautiful soundscapes. They have released a four-song EP that can be downloaded for free on Bandcamp.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT Soaked - Groove On Soaked is a synth-pop band based in Istanbul. They formed in 2003 but their first EP only came out in 2010. With the success of it they recorded the Aftermath album at the end of 2011. In their own words, they describe themselves as "not only a musical ensemble but also a creative artistic platform, determined to provide the quality performance and art that Turkish audiences crave". It might sound pretty pretentious but it sure is true.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating Poolside - Slow Down New-to-the-scene DJ duo Poolside, from Los Angeles, couldn't have found a better way to jump into the public consciousness than funky superjam Slow Down. Sounding like a sublime mix of Sebastien Tellier and LCD Soundsystem, the track glows and shimmers in every way - and now it's perfectly positioned to dominate summer mixtapes across the world.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más Tomates Fritos - Eterna Soledad Tomates Fritos returns to the Music Alliance Pact after first appearing in July 2010. This time they have released their fourth studio album, Hotel Miramar (free to download on Bandcamp), in which they dare to show a "purest" side to the band - a slight departure from the folk sound that featured in previous records.