MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT :: DEZEMBRO 2014 com OLD YELLOW JACK

Filipe, Guilherme, Miguel e Henrique, com os seus Old Yellow Jack, fazem um som que visita váríos cantos dos mais puros anos do indie das bandas de guitarras.  Há aqui  ostensivos ecos à Durutti Column, pop de guitarras de uns Revolver, uns riffs que poderiam ter nascido em Seattle, mas, na verdade, eles são eles e nada mais. Há que os ouvir e podem começar com o tema que partilhamos este mês com todo o mundo. O seu novo EP, Magnum, tem data de lançamento em Janeiro.





Além dos Old Yellow Jacket, temos mais 17 temas e bandas nesta edição do Music Alliance Pact. Clique com o botão direito do rato, por cima do título da canção, para fazer o download do mp3 ou faça um download do ficheiro completo, com os vinte e dois temas, através do Dropbox AQUI.

  ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Pablo Dacal y Fer Isella - Los Caminos Singer-songwriter Pablo Dacal (MAP February 2009) invited fellow musician and friend Fer Isella to perform a concert together. In return, Isella proposed that they record an album. After years of conversations they finally got together, then the two artists visited Ulises Conti (MAP March 2009) at his Buenos Aires studio and invited him to produce the album. Right there, the newly-form trio recorded piano, vocals and other arrangements. The resulting album is called Los Caminos and here's the self-titled first single.

  AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? ScotDrakula - Shazon Steeped in a love for fuzz and 60s rock'n'roll, Melbourne trio ScotDrakula transcend the novelty of their name with songs so catchy they make Gangnam Style look about as appealing as week-old haggis. The band has just released their debut album and it's drowning in two/three-minute garage super-soakers. Shazon is irresistibly charming, enough to convert the stalest individual to a headbangin' conqueror of the dancefloor.

  CANADA: Ride The Tempo LYON - Cut Me Loose Cut Me Loose is the latest track from Toronto's Lauren Malyon aka LYON. It's a difficult one to get out of your head once you listen to it, like the girl next door you can't forget.

  CHILE: Super 45 SigObrilllAndo - Campeón The intermittent presence of Giancarlo Landini in the Chilean music scene is remarkable. From hardcore (Syndie), through indie-rock (Moreno), to pop and indietronic in his most recent project, SigObrilllAndo, Landini has proved himself as a restless and daring songwriter. Campeón, featuring Tessie Stranger (from Intimate Stranger), is a three-chord, clapping pop jewel with the perfect length: three-and-a-half minutes.

  DENMARK: All Scandinavian Waitress - Beneath Our Feet Danish/Swedish alt-pop trio Waitress will release a seven-track EP in 2015 and here's the third single, Beneath Our Feet, as a MAP exclusive download. As it should naturally leave you wanting more here's the video for lead single Young In Mind and, because Christmas is near, the video for Beneath Our Feet.

  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera César Pineda - Calma A free soul roams around the city streets at dawn looking for a love to keep it tame. That's the main feel we get from César Pineda's debut EP, Alma Libre. The chillest vibes, soothing guitars and stories full of quiet feelings converge. Be sure to catch the rest of the EP, available as a free download on SoundCloud.

  ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Moshi Moshi - Boat In Japan, "moshi moshi" is an expression meaning "hello". In Ecuador, Moshi Moshi is an interesting new surf-rock/post-punk band. Formed in Guayaquil in 2014 with former members of The Cassettes and MuTe, Moshi Moshi release their second EP, Hello Hello, this month. Here is their first single, Boat.

  INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Snorg - Places I Never Knew Noise/experimental collective Snorg formed in 2002 and had been on hiatus for a very long time. They usually combine tracks sampled from anywhere with distortion, feedback and mumbling vocals. They've only performed live a few times and with some totally different members on stage. Their guitarist is rarely seen on stage with the band. This track might mark their return, but we never know for how long.

  IRELAND: Hendicott Writing OneKnown - JST BKZ Formerly secretive artist Unknown, now outed artist OneKnown (get it?), Chris Hanna's latest grimy beat-laden dubstep is exactly the kind of stuff Ireland is starting to see buck its well-established musical trends/clichés. Seemingly inspired by the likes of Burial and Flying Lotus, Hanna's work is a whirling yet slow-building crescendo for the more discerning clubber. Record label Champion Sound isn't short of acts just like this Belfast gem either.

  JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies There Is A Fox - Sleep Well Sea Moon Based out of the city of Kyoto, There Is A Fox has kept quite busy in 2014. He launched a label, Dear Ear Records, and collaborated with the Los Angeles electronic artist Spazzkid on a song. Capping off a busy 12 months is a new EP, highlighted by Sleep Well Sea Moon. It is a sparse, reflective number highlighting the vocals, which ache with sweetness and longing.

  MALTA: Stagedive Malta Fraser - Bouboulina Sunshine UK born and Malta raised, Fraser is not a name many people know in Malta's music scene, but it ought to be. Following a brief stint with Beangrowers (prior to their album releases), Fraser Gregory set out to find himself - travelling, writing and performing in various parts of the world. His album, A Garden At The Top Of The Tree, is available for free download via Bandcamp.

  MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika MAW - Padre Nuestro From Chihuahua in the north of Mexico, we introduce the quartet MAW. In the shoegaze/psychedelia of Padre Nuestro, MAW declares the universe as the one and only god and fills the space with this eight-minute piece full of hallucinative colours, dreamy vocals and mind-bending guitars. Check out their MAW EP for free on Bandcamp.

  PERU: SoTB AmariyA - Al Sur AmariyA recorded their first EP, Al Sur, in 2012 and want to rouse listeners with their energy and positive messages. The band's sound spans rock, pop, funk, disco and jazz. The song Al Sur features the powerful vocals of Pamela Fajardo.

  PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Old Yellow Jacket - The Man Who Knew Too Much Filipe, Guilherme, Miguel and Henrique make up Old Yellow Jack, a new band from Lisbon. The Man Who Knew Too Much is taken their debut EP, Magnum, out in January 2015. You can watch the vídeo for this track here.

  PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Dada Berlin - Siete/Trece There is no better way to end this gut-punch of a year than with Dada Berlin's snarling denouncement of misogyny, Siete/Trece, from their just-released debut split EP with Puerto Rico's Hungary Hippos. Singer Pequeña Vera is a commanding presence, weaving her voice in and out of her bandmate's punk riot, an operatic force soaring theremin-like above the noise one second and landing straight into full-on scream mode the next. It all pays off big time during the song's explosive chorus, built out of the ashes of alt-nation to haunt listeners throughout our entire 2015.

  SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop New Year Memorial - Noëlle What a thrilling way to end one year and usher in a new one. New Year Memorial sprang up in the last week of November with an intriguing pair of songs on SoundCloud: Lovers, with its introspective piano interlude making way for full-on bombast; and Noëlle, a lush head-turner bristling with warm strings and keys which we are privileged to offer as an exclusive MAP download. Until now, it has been the studio project of Iain Thomson, ably insisted by musician friends including singer Nicky McManus. However, New Year Memorial's debut live appearance in January 2015 promises a full-band sound that's punkier than what we've heard so far.

  SPAIN: Musikorner NegrøNegrø - Just Like NegrøNegrø is a multidisciplinary project that mixes electronic music, visuals and generative arts. Their primary influences are Dirty Beaches, Dean Blunt et al. NegrøNegrø is the brainchild of José Venditti, an Argentina-born artist currently based in Madrid.

MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT :: NOVEMBRO 2014 com A JIGSAW

Depois de participarem no Music Alliance Pact, em Março de 2012, eles regressam agora com No True Magic, e é com o tema que dá o nome ao álbum que eles participam desta vez no Music Aliiance Pact.

João rui e Jorri, os dois membros da banda, contaram ainda com as participações de  Carla Torgerson (The Walkabouts) e um conjunto de amigos e talentosos músicos portugueses Hugo Fernandes, Guilherme Pimenta (bateria e percussões), Lauren Rossi, Maria Côrte, Miguel Gelpi, Pedro Serra e Gito Lima, Susana Ribeiro , Maria Côrte (harpa, violino e viola de arco), Lauren Rossi (trompa) e Hugo Fernandes (violoncelo), confirmando a Coimbra mais uma banda nacional com o talento e a capacidade de produzir obras preciosas que não farão coroar, antes pelo contrário, mas orgulhar as suas origens e todo o país. Infelizmente, como tantas outras bandas de nova música portuguesa, eles não tocam na rádio excepto em programas como o Portugália, do Henrique Amaro. 

Além dos A Jigsaw, temos mais 22 temas e bandas nesta edição do Music Alliance Pact. Clique com o botão direito do rato, por cima do título da canção, para fazer o download do mp3 ou faça um download do ficheiro completo, com os vinte e dois temas, através do Dropbox AQUI.


ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Tomás Ferrero - Cuando Te Hablo In March 2013, a mixed group of musicians gathered together in Cordoba and Buenos Aires to play some songs and sound pieces composed with lyrics taken from the work of a federal collective of artists called Esta Vida No Otra. Some of them recorded the results several months later, and those tracks were then released as a compilation titled 15 Artistas Cantan Esta Vida No Otra. The song we have selected from this album, also available for free at Bandcamp, is Cuando Te Hablo by Tomás Ferrero from the band Rayos Láser.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Open Swimmer - Sugar Bowl Open Swimmer's version of pop is jarring, even discordant at first, but it's this blatantly simple approach that has us hooked. (Dirty Projectors fans, pay attention now.) Sugar Bowl is a brilliant introduction to the band; playful yodelling is cut and pasted along a steady 4/4 drum beat, while witty banter takes the fore. Songwriter Ben TD was based in Glasgow for seven years, touring extensively and landing multiple sessions on BBC Radio One and a stint at T in the Park before settling in Melbourne. The band comprises some of Melbourne's most admired independent music alumni (The Harpoons, Seagull). Expect to hear a lot more from this group.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Alessandra Leão - Mofo Alessandra Leão shows off her experimental side with Mofo, taken from her new EP, Pedra De Sal. Avoiding the world music sound from other works, this song has dark music and some weird programming that fits the angst of the lyrics.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo Beach Season - Midnights There's not actually much out there on Beach Season besides the fact the project is from Calgary. The smooth vocals of Midnights complements the hip-hop influenced rhythms. This is a duo that won't be much of a mystery for long.

CHILE: Super 45 The Dagger Complex - Velvet Moon The Dagger Complex were formed in 2013 by Hernán Díaz (vocals/guitar), Michaela Boman (vocals), Abraham Vicencio (guitar), Gonzalo Chandía (bass) and Ignacio Álvarez (drums). Their debut EP, Vibrant, released by Beast Discos, is a collection of songs inspired by early 90s shoegaze and dream-pop, one foot set in the cadence of bands such as Slowdive or Mojave 3, the other one in the fuzzy mass of noise of The Jesus And Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian IAmFire - Burn Your Halo IAmFire have their debut EP ready and apparently it sounds like a "massive drug experience" to frontman Peter Dolving. Come December, he and the rest of the gang will be releasing this groovy stoner metal dragon and here's Burn Your Halo as a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Gnómico & Victor Victor - Mesita De Noche Hip-hop producer Gnómico has always been interested in preserving Dominican musical culture for the present and future generations. Now he's embarking on a new project called Sinergia that will add an urban twist to many songs from past decades. The first one is Mesita De Noche, a famous 90s bachata by Victor Victor, now remade with a funky fresh attitude, Gnómico's own rap verses and Mr Victor himself singing its signature chorus.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Da Culkin Clan - Sometimes You Make Love From the city of Cuenca, Da Culkin Clan represents the most weird and experimental contemporary hip hop of the country. Their lyrics and music are a bunch of random, powerful and creative ideas - a mixture of carnival and fiction figures. From debut album Special Dark, we present its first single, Sometimes You Make Love.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda Babis Papadopoulos - Spring Babis Papadopoulos blends the organic nature of Greek traditional folk music, rhythms rich with contemporary elements and avant-garde jazz and succeeds in creating a sequence of lush, varied and nostalgic tracks. Spring, the splendid first preview from his forthcoming album, Joy In Pain, Pain In Joy, is dominated by a delicate, recurring melody in bouzouki, mournful violins, a broody viola and the warm restlessness of his guitar.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Barokka - Barapantura Dangdut Koplo is one of the most famous electro genres in the shady underground clubs of Indonesia. This trashy dance anthem was created by the guy behind Dubyouth as an introduction.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing SPIES - Moosehead Hyped up by authorities as hefty as The Guardian and NME, Dublin's SPIES are widely seen as the city's next big thing. Moosehead is the latest of their slow to emerge singles, released on the band's own Trout Records label. Leaning on the same glorious desolation that fronted Factory Records' world-renowned soundscapes, it's a jittery, dingy piece of indie-rock that brings atmospheric depression up to date. Think social awkwardness meets Interpol, and put a hefty bookmark on this space.

ITALY: Polaroid Klam - Mess With The Best, Die In A Nuclear Test On the cover of Bleak, the debut album by Klam, there is a foggy road, a city in the shadow, a storm seems to be approaching. It's a perfect introduction to the sound of the band: dark shoegaze with post-punk sharp edges. They can create hazy clouds of feedback, but they can also write vibrant and trembling songs like this one.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Toyohirakumin - Cliff If the term 'vaporwave' gives you chills, either turn back now or try to think beyond whatever concepts of the internet microgenre you have. Toyohirakumin makes music that is often filed as - and in some cases sounds like - vaporwave, but Cliff is far more than an exercise in aesthetics. It is a slow burner, and a minimal one at that, but a compelling throbber from a promising Japanese producer.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta Fastidju - Kukkuzejt Fastidju was born when Nigel Baldacchino (essentially a non-musician) started conceiving vague sung melodies and aural structures for existing pieces of writing compiled for the exhibition, Sajda, in 2012. Nigel started seeking collaborations with electronic producers he admired, such as Istishhad Hheva and Cygna, to provide flesh to his musical skeletons. An album was devised and a band took on the task of developing some of the structures - and even creating new songs. Cygna ultimately ended up being the main crucial guiding light in the final studio phase.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Pumcayó - Don Jacinto Hailing from Guadalajara, Pumcayó is a band that weaves their region's folkloric heritage, with patterns found on Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes' music. Following a Kino-Pravda aesthetic - as in Dziga Vertov's Soviet documentary from the 20s - the video for the song Don Jacinto follows the semi-industrial art of making colourful papercrafts, a simple decor in Mexican celebrations with a beautifully complex craft.

PERU: SoTB Mind Black - Cocaine Mirella Bellido is the songwriter and lead singer of Mind Black. These Days is her debut five-track EP that moves through different emotions such as anxiety, perversion, obsession and regret. Mind Black, as defined by its creator, is a balance between the emotional and rational.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? A Jigsaw - No True Magic Coimbra band A Jigsaw are back with a new album, No True Magic. Jorri and João Rui, the two members of the folksy alternative band, invited Carla Torgerson (The Walkabouts) to join them on vocals for one of the tracks, Black Jewelled Moon. They also produced the record, which will find new fans in those who appreciate artists such as Tindersticks, Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Los Vigilantes - Ahí Ya No Estoy After an exhaustive and intense European tour, garage-rockers Los Vigilantes returned to Puerto Rico with a new record under their belt. Aptly titled Al Fin (At Last), it perfectly showcases the band's brand of melodic surf punk: both infectious and melancholy, it makes your bones rattle, a bit from pain and a bit from joy. Los Vigilantes recently shared a video for the record's second single, Ahí Ya No Estoy, in which a scorned lover wills himself into feeling hopeful for the future with a little help from his friends, cheering us all up in the process. Dance those blues away with Los Vigilantes.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Billy Jeffrey Jnr - Eternal Blue Billy Jeffrey Jnr's debut album, Eternal Blue, received modest attention when it was released in early 2014 but - thanks to the power of word-of-mouth and mesmeric live performances - it continues to gain the Glasgow songwriter a host of new fans and followers with each passing week. Possessing the same otherworldly quality as Bon Iver, it is a record full of elegant moments, with title track Eternal Blue being a personal favourite.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK We Hate JH - 20 Emo/power-pop band We Hate JH made the finals of this year's edition of the foremost South Korean rookie competition, Hello Rookie. A brand new single will be out very soon, but 20 is the charming and extremely likeable opening track off the official debut EP Officially, We Hate JH released earlier this year.

SPAIN: Musikorner Role - Shrine II Role are a four-piece from Madrid whose sound is influenced by dream-pop, trip-hop and even art-rock. They have played live at Valle Eléctrico, one of the most important experimental electronic club nights in Spain, and their first album is due to be released in the first quarter of 2015.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You Jenna Dean - Blown Funk-based hip hop is alive and well in the form of this brilliant track from Jenna Dean. Smooth guitars open into a locked groove that swarms around a controlled lyrical outpouring. It's a song that builds and builds, never letting the listener down.

JOHN CARPENTER - "VORTEX" (NOVO TEMA / NEW TRACK)

O mestre do cinema, John Carpenter, editará álbum, com temas por editar e alargados, no dia 3 de Fevereiro de 2015. "Vortex" é o tema que serve de apresentação de "Lost Themes".

THE SOUND at NO NUKES FESTIVAL, 1982

CADDYWHOMPUS - "COMPANY" (NOVO VÍDEO / NEW VIDEO)

José González - Every Age (Novo Video / New Video)

KINDNESS (com ROBYN) - WHO DO YOU LOVE?

WATERS - "I FEEL EVERYTHING" (NOVO VÍDEO / NEW VIDEO)

CHVRCHES - "UNDER THE TIDE"

PRIDES - "OUT OF THE BLUE"

KENTISH FIRE - "IN OUR BAND" (NOVO VÍDEO / NEW VIDEO)

THE DECEMBERISTS - "MAKE YOU BETTER" (NOVO TEMA / NEW TRACK)

MOTHER MOTHER - "MONKEY TREE" (NOVO VÍDEO / NEW VIDEO)

SONIC YOUTH - "HALLOWEEN"

THE SMITHS - "CEMETERY GATES"

SUFJAN STEVENS - THEY ARE NIGHT ZOMBIES

THE CRAMPS - I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF

MARILYN MANSON - "THIS IS HALLOWEEN"

THE FLAMING LIPS - "HALLOWEEN ON THE BARBADRY COAST"

RYAN ADAMS- "HALLOWEENHEAD"

EVANGELICALS -THE HALLOWEEN SONG

SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS - I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

HONEY BLOOD - "KILLER BANGS" * * * * *

SINKANE - "HOW WE BE" * * * * *

MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT :: OUTUBRO 2014 com PERNAS DE ALICATE

Este mês o Posso Ouvir Um Disco? leva ao mundo uma banda que não é uma banda, os Pernas de Alicate, é mais um projecto multimédia, no sentido analógico da palavra, comandado por Carlos BB e Sara Feio e seguido por uma série de amigos de outras áreas (fotografia, filme, música) para construir sobre a sua base. Nos temas, Carlos BB geralmente começa na bateria e, a partir daí, os músicos amigos, e companheiros de estúdio, vão adicionando camadas assim como, noutras áreas, vão nascendo obras de filme e fotografia paralelamente.

Para já temos uma invulgar obra musical e uma interessantíssima obra de imagens estáticas e em movimento, e uma grande vontade de MUITO MAIS.



Além dos Pernas de Alicate, temos mais 20 temas e bandas nesta edição do Music Alliance Pact. Clique com o botão direito do rato, por cima do título da canção, para fazer o download do mp3 ou faça um download do ficheiro completo, com os vinte e dois temas,  através do Dropbox  AQUI.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Pernas De Alicate - Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I) Pernas De Alicate is not really a band but a project started by drummer Carlos BB, who is also a recording studio owner, and Sara Feio, an illustrator. They invited some of their friends and acquaintances to contribute their art, music, illustrations, photography and film for Pernas De Alicate. The music was recorded over Carlos BB's drums, with every musician invited on a one-by-one basis. The video for Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I) was directed by Sara.



ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Ubika - Fahrenheit Hard rock guitars, solid bass and drums plus strong female vocals are the formula behind Ubika. Fahrenheit is the first single from their latest album, Amigos Del Bosque, and it's inspired by Ray Bradbury's novel. The song has a video directed by Diego Stickar, which you can watch here.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? The Twoks - First Light The Twoks are a Melbourne two-piece comprising Xani Kolac on violin and vocals, and Mark Leahy on drums. Initially the solo instrumental project of Kolac, who studied jazz and improvisation at Victorian College of the Arts, the duo is now renowned on the local live circuit for their unpredictable sets which feature Kolac on loop station and a smorgasbord of effects. On The Twoks' latest release, First Light EP - which boasts crisp production from Tony Buchen (The Preatures) - Kolac's improvisations have been whittled down to concise retro-pop tunes in the vein of Pat Benatar or Kate Bush.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Baleia - Breu Breu is one of the strongest songs from Baleia's debut album, released last year. They first caught the attention of the indie press in Brazil with a jazzy cover of Justin Timberlake but in their album they show a handful of influences, resulting in experimental indie-rock that dabbles in baroque pop and folk.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo Friends Forever - As Long As You Call Me The duo of Jordan Pearson (New Zebra Kid/Halcyon) and Sam McDougall don't have many songs yet under the moniker Friends Forever, but As Long As You Call Me shows off vintage 80s synth-pop inspiration with sparking melodies.

CHILE: Super 45 Magaly Fields - Love Scene Magaly Fields is a duo formed by Tomás Stewart (guitar) and Diego Cifuentes (drums) who rock fast and strongly. They released their debut album Chromatic Days in September through Algo Records. Their first single is Love Scene, a fictional tune about a rotten relationship that fantasies that the romance never really happened.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian Hit The Hay - Long Way Home One of my favorite Danish bands right now, Hit The Hay travel dusty American roads with bags packed with catchy Scandinavian melancholy. Here is my first meeting with them, Long Way Home, as a MAP exclusive download, but do also check out the great Never Wanted Out and Running.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera Doob - Put On Your Seat Belt (Brenda M Remix) True island vibes can be felt all over the work of Doob, a young producer from La Vega who spends his time remixing, and ranging between soul and progressive house on tracks of his own. The original Put On Your Seat Belt song can be heard here, but the one featuring on this MAP edition is a Nu-disco remix by Brenda M, a DJ and collaborator from the neighboring Santiago province.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Estereo Humanzee - Insaciable In less than one year, Estereo Humanzee return to MAP with their new EP, 8min 20seg. This three-song EP, that came with their new live album Signaux Lumineux, is a real statement of the evolution of their electronic sound.

FRANCE: Your Own Radio Singapour - Paris SA Singapour is the new project from the duo Mondrian, who are composed of Roman Oswald and Lee Gordon. On their track Paris SA (Paris Société Anonyme) they present the Paris you don't really want to know: €10,000 per square meter, €3 coffee, stressful life. It's the storytelling of a complicated relationship between Parisians and their city, a kind of "I love you… me neither".

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda Dead Gum - Float Panagiotis Spoulos, as Dead Gum, mainly uses guitar and vocals through minimal effects to create instant songs, psychedelic collages and direct, stripped-down bursts. The music itself - partially improvised but fully psychographic - has anthropocentric characteristics and lo-fi character and flirts with punk, bedroom pop and analog noise. Float is the gripping opening track off his upcoming album, GAINER.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Megatruh - Annelies Megatruh come from Malang, a small city in the eastern part of Java with plenty of music talent, and Megatruh is one of the latest breed. After a series of painful things happened to frontman Kidung, he started a project influenced by post-punk, psychedelia and noise-rock with 90s sensibilities.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing Conor Walsh - The Front West coast modern-classical pianist Conor Walsh has one foot in Ireland's contemporary scene through his toned-down samples and nuanced electronics. In the most part, though, his music exudes a mellow timelessness, taking the gorgeous throwback farmland of rural Mayo and converting it into a sound that's part film score, part desolate romance. At first listen this sounds like simple piano music; let it sit and The Front's gentle flow whisks you away.

ITALY: Polaroid Niagara - Vanillacola Niagara are a Turin-based experimental pop duo. They say their sound incorporates elements of electronic, psychedelic, Eastern and dance music, but I think it's more surprising than this. The track Vanillacola, from their second album Don't Take It Personally (out now on the UK label Monotreme), is a wonderful example of Niagara's elusive idea of music: Boards Of Canada synths that destroy a catchy pop structure, while the vocals become more obsessive as the melody gets hypnotic.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies The Somedays - Remember Me There is no shortage of indie-pop music in Japan. There has never been a lack of twee-leaning, ennui-dunked groups in this country. Osaka group The Somedays have found a smart way to stand out from the pack. Remember Me is anchored by all the regular trappings of the style - guitar, drums, melancholy vocals - but is given a buzzy edge thanks to the presence of synthesizers, lending a futuristic vibe to their sound.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Pájaro Sin Alas - Alfombra Mágica Mental Rodolfo Ramos Castro aka Pájaro Sin Alas ("Bird With No Wings") not only penned one of the most heartbreaking songs of the first half of this decade, but also became a figure whose slow output is worth the wait. Alfombra Mágica Mental functions as bitter sips of shared realities that strangely link the mystery of the Arabian Nights with the barren landscapes of his home state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico.

PERU: SoTB Las Amigas De Nadie - Should Not Let It Go Human Dress is the new album of Las Amigas De Nadie, released two years after Sincronia, a record that created great interest in the Latin American music scene thanks to its originality. Human Dress gives us a much deeper insight into the experimental melodies that the band introduced in their previous album. Should Not Let It Go is their first single, an addictive and remarkable mix of electronic textures and distorted vocals.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Pernas De Alicate - Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I) Pernas De Alicate is not really a band but a project started by drummer Carlos BB, who is also a recording studio owner, and Sara Feio, an illustrator. They invited some of their friends and acquaintances to contribute their art, music, illustrations, photography and film for Pernas De Alicate. The music was recorded over Carlos BB's drums, with every musician invited on a one-by-one basis. The video for Pássaros (Casa Para Pássaros, Parte I) was directed by Sara.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Samalot - Valle De Luz After two intense albums as part of experimental rock group Tachdé, Fernando Samalot has created his own niche in the prolific Puerto Rican music scene with his introspective and meditative songs. With the steady hand of engineer and producer Héctor "Stontape" Hernández, Fernando has created musical landscapes filled with desire, hope and wisdom that seem to travel like wind from our lush Caribbean mountains down to the intricate river channels of the island. Samalot's most recent EP - available through Bandcamp - features two "sister" songs, Rayo De Luz and Valle De Luz. Both are definitely faces of the same coin.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop The Xcerts - Pop Song The Xcerts have been my favourite Scottish rock band since their debut album In The Cold Wind We Smile was released in 2009, with its impassioned choruses and gripping moments of melancholy. It wasn't difficult to fall under its spell. While the follow-up record was deliberately rougher around the edges, their imminent third album, There Is Only You, out on November 3, is an exhibition of The Xcerts' songwriting strength. The melodic explosion of the aptly-named Pop Song, a MAP exclusive download, is a case in point. Check out the video for it here.

SPAIN: Musikorner YDVST - 2044 YDVST breathes mysticism and irrealities. His first EP, DVST / CUTS was written during silent and uncertain nights. It was released by the Sweat Taste label and contains experimental essences of ambient, downtempo and vaporware. This mysterious yet captivating artist from Madrid will certainly develop his projects at his own pace.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You The Fervor - Moment Of Truth Louisville, Kentucky's The Fervor mixes in lush orchestration with pounding vocals that conjure up thoughts of Neko Case. The music is filled with small moments of beauty that once heard as a complete piece results in a blissful listen.