MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT :: ABRIL 2014 com SEQUIN

Sequin, o projecto a solo de Ana Miró, que alguns poderão conhecer da sua colaboração com Jibóia,  editará, na próxima segunda-feira, dia 21, o seu álbum "Penelope", do qual é retirado o tema que representa Portugal, este mês, no Music Alliance Pact.

Sequin é mais uma razão que nos faz lutar e correr, todos os meses, para, mesmo de uma forma modesta, chegar ao mundo com projectos nacionais com tanto talento como este de Ana Miró. E todos os meses nos orgulhamos dos nossos artistas.

O que faz a grande música, como sabemos, não são nem os orçamentos, nem os instrumentos, nem em quantidade ou qualidade, nem o número de músicos, por mais renomeados que sejam. Sequin, é o maior exemplo disso, ao conseguir, com rudimentares notas musicais, alicerçadas na talentosa voz de Ana Miró, verdadeiras jóias pop que poderiam ser grandes êxitos em qualquer parte do mundo. Ouça-se a versão, com algum tempo, de Sequin para "Physical", popularizado por Olivia-Newton John,  ou este muito recente  single, "Naive", que abre as portas para o álbum "Penelope", e, como todos os grandes temas, com muito pouco obtêm-se grandes resultados.

Podem fazer o download, gratuito e legal, de "Naive", na ligação respeitante a Portugal. Contudo, não esqueçam os muitos outros temas, que podem ouvir ou descarregar, sugeridos pelos os outros membros desta aliança, a Music Alliance Pact.




Carregue no botão play, para ouvir as canções individualmente. Utilize o botão direito do rato, para fazer o download do mp3, ou descarregue um ficheiro, com todos os temas, AQUI.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie The Plasticos - Marfil This band from La Plata usually cites British rock acts such as The Kinks, Blur and The Stone Roses as their main influences. However, this track from The Plasticos' new album, Kilómetros, is one of our favorites because of its grungy sound that reminds us of the new Argentine rock movement from the late 90s. You can listen to the album on Bandcamp.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Dianas - Dix There are moments when all you want to do is kiss the guy who invented the internet. Such is the case when one Bandcamp tag after the other, we stumbled upon Dianas, a trio from the distant city of Perth. Dix is a dreamy drone-pop tune with all those floral notes typical of Scottish indie; kind of like what Camera Obscura might have sounded like on a hot summer's night in Western Australia.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Isaar - Tudo Em Volta De Mim Vira Um Vão Sort of a sad waltz, Tudo Em Volta De Mim Vira Um Vão is taken from Isaar's new album, Todo Calor (roughly translated as "All The Heat"). Originally from Recife, one of Brazil's most prolific cities, Isaar shows her strong influences of local culture such as frevo, maracatu and manguebeat, but also flirts with pop music and other contemporary artists like Siba and Orquestra Contemporânea De Olinda.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts Zoo Legacy - CRWD Hybrid hip-hop rockers Zoo Legacy are from Ottawa but have a world-conquering sound. Blending indie-rock, R&B, hip-hop and pop, it's impossible to pinpoint which element is the band's focus, and that's exactly what they've intended. Lines blur and genres blend, but Zoo Legacy's gift will always be musical alchemy.

CHILE: Super 45 Niño Cohete - El Bosque Niño Cohete, a band from Concepción, packed Teatro La Cupula at Lollapalooza Chile in March. With an EP and a recently released debut album, Aves De Chile, they're conquering the country with their music. They define their style as "sylvan pop" and new single El Bosque has nice guitar arrangements and a very upbeat melody.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo Flaco Flow & Melanina - El Desorden From the Colombian Pacific coast comes hip hop duo Flaco Flow & Melanina who, after 12 years, four albums and tours around the world, are still armed with good rhythm and real, powerful lyrics. They never deny their Latin flavor as you can hear in their salsa song El Desorden.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian Kristian Harting - Kamikaze Having paid his dues in a bunch of more or less under the radar thrash metal and noise-rock bands for the past 15 years, Kristian Harting has finally released a debut solo album. Float is a personal account of emotional and financial turmoil set to bleak and haunting alt-folk that will get you one way or the other. At least if you have a penchant for this type of music. And a soul. Kamikaze is a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera R.E.A.L.I.D.A.D. - Cogiendo Fuego feat. Carolina Camacho We usually don't repeat artists on our MAP submissions, but with this one the team decided to make an exception. Both R.E.A.L.I.D.A.D. and Carolina Camacho have been featured before because they make unique music in their genres. For this track, the fury that fuels rock music and the fierce attitude of rap mix together to defend our people from corruption, softened by Carolina's voice over the chorus. Head to the Bandcamp link above to download Resurgir/Combates Necesarios, the latest EP from R.E.A.L.I.D.A.D.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria Fernanda Karolys - Vago Desiertos María Fernanda Karolys is one of the most powerful and iconic Ecuadorian female voices. After a strong career that has seen her play with bands such as Pulpo 3, Nortec Collective Presents: Clorofila and Helios Jive, she is ready to present her first solo album and Vago Desiertos is the first single.

ENGLAND: Drowned In Sound Douglas Dare - Swim Radiohead's influence on modern music is enormous, but it's strange how little credit is given to Thom's solo work. The Eraser captivated the imagination of a generation of smart younglings in their bedrooms. Much like London's James Blake, Dorset's Douglas Dare climbed Harrowdown Hill and had the epiphany to use hints of light for shadow-play. It's little wonder this bloop-loving pianist has ended up on Erased Tapes, home to the likes of Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds, who are set to release his debut album Whelm in May.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee d8p - Gather d8p don't try to identify themselves by a niche or genre, but rather focus on creating a certain universal feeling, an atmosphere. Melancholic, longing, melodramatic, yet uplifting and danceable, d8p plays with the fine line between euphoria and sadness while also leaving room for surprises. Utilizing complex percussion, simple melodies and unconventional musical structures, d8p aims to take the listener to a place they find familiar yet full of new possibilities.

  FINLAND: Glue Captain Cougar - Rise On their first two albums, five-piece Captain Cougar perfected rootsy Americana-influenced songs, but with their recently released third album, Åkerblomrörelsen, the band has created bold soundscapes embracing post-rock. Lyrically, it is also very ambitious as it is a history-related concept record that tells the story of Finnish evangelical cult leader and sleep-preacher Maria Åkerblom. Rise is a very good example of this bigger sound.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda The Man From Managra - Praise The Lord Aiming to explore the function of songs as a fundamental necessity of musical expression, The Man From Managra - the new project of Coti K. - conjures up music with a thoroughly minimal feel and austere arrangements, using a modified bass and his voice both deftly and as core elements. Check out Praise The Lord, a gripping and subtly beautiful song, based on a motorik rhythm, repeated simple phrases and Σtella's unique contribution.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Bhumi Svara (Cabrini Asteriska & Puti Chitara) - Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu Cabrini Asteriska and Puti Chitara are singer-songwriters who have played together since their childhood. After some shared travels they decided to form a musical project to express their life experiences. This song is a Hindu mantra in Sanskrit, may it bring more peace with you.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing Extra Fox - Come Together Neil Adams' Extra Fox is one of several current side-projects from Dublin scene heroes The Cast Of Cheers, a smartly bristling bedroom electronica aside. Taking elements of his math-rock mainstay's choppy style, Adams' charmingly skittish beats and soulful melodies nod towards the neon lights of urban Japan. The man himself credits Com Truise and "that feeling like you're inside an 80s video game" with inspiring a new thought process. The album is available on a pay-what-you-want basis on Bandcamp.

ITALY: Polaroid Flying Vaginas - Happiness And Flour You could say that Happiness And Flour by the trio Flying Vaginas sounds nothing new, simply classic indie-rock with a long tradition: The Jesus And Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, Clean, Black Tambourine, you name it. Or, to quote some bands from the present: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Girls Names. What makes me particularly happy about this wonderful song is that Flying Vaginas know how to speak the international language really well, and it doesn't happen very often around here. Their great debut EP is also free to download via Bandcamp.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Earthquake Island - Naked Water Earthquake Island is usually a solo project based in Tokyo, but for Naked Water the producer behind the music recruited singer Mocca to perform over a lovely, glowing soundtrack that would sound right at home in a church. Her contributions, though, add even more beauty as her vocals overlap one another and give the entire number a Björk-ish edge.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta Blue Star - Shake It Baby One of the many projects involving Andre Camilleri, the only record ever made by Blue Star is a five-track EP recorded in 1998. Camilleri spent many years busking on the streets of Berlin and Valletta. While in Malta, Andre put together a five-piece band which included Ian Schranz and Mark Sansone from Beangrowers, resulting in a number of well-received gigs and a self-titled EP. Andre is now based in Australia, his output remains prolific and we've lost count of his numerous recordings.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Ponce - El Muerto Leonardo Kin Ponce's interest in the paranormal was expressed in his music while in his previous bands Timmy & The Monsters and Ghostcatcher. Now he has been working on Ponce, a solo project based on pure Spanish vocals and some IDM elements. His first single El Muerto follows that line and it has been released with some remixes that emphasize the dark, daily aspects of one of the most fearful ideas of existence: death.

PERU: SoTB Bondage - Un Video De Los Dos From Trujillo, a beautiful city in northern Peru, comes one of the most interesting and provocative rock bands in the country. Bondage was formed by Juan Carlos Paredes, who created his style from punk and garage-rock. Un Video De Los Dos is taken from his first album released last year, which has a lot of sensuality and distorted guitars.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Sequin - Naive Sequin is the solo project of Ana Miró, an extremely talented vocalist who gives new meaning to the blips and bleeps of early 80s electronic music and has a sound reminiscent of the debut albums by Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. However, Sequin, who recently opened for Warpaint in Lisbon, will also be loved by those who are into more recent bands such as Ladytron. Naive is taken from her album Penelope, out on April 21.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Necronazis - Peligro De Muerte Necronazis are a fixture in Puerto Rico's punk scene and although not as active in recent times, the band makes sure they play a few shows every year for their faithful fans. The group's different line-ups read as a genealogical tree of the local scene, including long-standing members Giancarlo Cervoni and Sergio Narváez, both former members of Dávila 666. To honor this seminal band, new independent label Discos Diaspora launch Antología on April 19, a limited edition tape compiling Necronazis' recorded output in its entirety.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Theory Of Mind - I Felt The Sun Cluj-based band Theory Of Mind has built up a large fanbase in just a few months. A dream-pop group with psychedelic and experimental influences, they have shaken the foundations of Romanian music - for good.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Fatherson - James Fatherson are idols to many in Scotland and, having just released their debut album I Am An Island, now is the perfect time for the rest of world to catch on. Their music is more accomplished and rewarding than you might expect from a rock band in their early 20s. There are no unfocused thrashy rackets here, just considered creativity and a very intelligent approach to dynamics and song structure. MAP exclusive download James has all the crescendos, singalong verses and punch-the-air choruses you could ever wish for.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK Saram12saram - Raindrop, Cloud, Typhoon And The Sun Saram12saram had been teasing with alluring electronic tunes on SoundCloud a year before the release of the duo's debut EP. Raindrop, Cloud, Typhoon And The Sun finally came out at the end of 2013 and a few weeks ago it became available on vinyl. The title track puts the esoteric female vocals first, while the music produces an ambient dreamscape that leaves you wanting more.

SPAIN: Musikorner HUIAS - Dealer HUIAS is a duet from northern Spain formed by María Lastra and Alejandro Santana. In 2012 they released their first EP in which they mixed guitar arpeggios with electronic arrangements, keeping folk tradition in mind, but now they are comfortable in the dark side. Their music is mysterious, dreamy but dark. Dealer is the first single from their forthcoming debut album.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You The Deloreans - As Long As It's You On their fantastic new single, As Long As It's You, The Deloreans find themselves crafting a slow driving tune with multiple small flourishes coloring the entire sound-space. The vocals are confident and overflowing with emotion as drum kicks and a grandiose chorus keep elevating the constantly evolving song.

MUSIC ALLIANCE PACT : : AGOSTO 2012

  

Os :PAPERCUTZ em Portugal têm um problema: são portugueses.  Senão vejamos: o seu novo disco, "The Blur Between Us" foi produzido por Chris Coady

 (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio) e pelo pai da banda, Bruno Miguel, no estúdio "The Carriage House", onde os Pixies criaram "Doolittle", o disco tem a colaboração de José Luis Peixoto... Ainda assim, quem passa os :PAPERCUTZ na nossa rádio, para além do sempre incontornável "Portugália", de Henrique Amaro? Contam-se pelos dedos e talvez se encha uma mão, e parte da segunda, por uma maioria de pessoas das poucas rádios universitárias que temos. Talvez por isso os :PAPERCUTZ tenha apostado no estrangeiro e editado, também  este seu disco, primeiro lá fora, mas, felizmente, será editado em Portugal, pela nacional Rastilho Records, a 24 de Setembro. 

Do novo álbum está disponível, online, o tema "Rivers", no sítio da banda. Contudo, é com muita honra que voltamos aqui a ter os :PAPERCUTZ, que já nos tinham visitado em Junho de 2009, com o download exclusivo, gratuito e legal de "Where Beasts Die", outro tema de "The Blur Between Us"





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Carreque no botão de "play" para ouvir as músicas individualmente ou carregue com o botão direito do rato, por cima de cada música, para descarregar o mp3, ou descarregue todos os trinta e quatro temas num ficheiro único, no formato zip,  aqui.

  ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Liza Casullo - Rojo Lojojo After alt-rock band Doris broke up in 2007, most of its members started their own musical projects (Onda Vaga and Valeu!, among others). Singer and guitarist Liza Casullo decided to go solo, but she took some time off to develop her acting career. A couple of months ago she released her first official album, Velvetbonzo. It's a great record in which a minimalistic acoustic sound blends with psychedelia, garage and folk. Rojo Lojojo is our favorite song, which we also managed to capture on video during one of her shows.

  AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Cogel - Felusine It's a guarantee that tidy string sections and pulsating drums will typically heighten melodramatic feelings of bad love and melancholy, but you can't pass over this glorious track from Sydney's Cogel. Those violins and cascading treble guitars which duck and weave out of the chorus provide a nice backdrop to the band's quieter moments and slight Arcade Fire stylings that mesh together so well. If Felusine is a pitch into the musical void, someone needs to sign these guys real soon.

  AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig Plaided - Freaks And Geeks "Would you run run run run run run run to my place and watch Freaks and Geeks all night long?" We totally would! Plaided is an acronym that was inspired by a Girls Rock Camp participant's band and thus matches the feminist background of Veronika Eberhart and Julia Mitterbauer. The duo will go on a US tour with Grass Widow in September and also record a 7" record there. Freaks And Geeks is taken from their debut album Playdate, recorded by Wolfgang Möstl (of previous MAP act Mile Me Deaf).

  BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Iconili - O Rei De Tupanga The fusion of jazz, experimentalism and African beats is the guideline for Iconili, formed by eight young musicians from Minas Gerais. O Rei De Tupanga is their new single, taken from their forthcoming album.

  CANADA: Quick Before It Melts Expwy - Warm And Stricken By Lashes With Little Hand Fighter, Expwy's fifth album in two years, one-man band Matt LeGroulx sets his sights on the oft-neglected genre of bossa nova, imagining how it might have sounded if, instead of originating in the 50s and 60s, it was borne out of late century indie-rock sensibilities and lo-fi production values.

  CHILE: Super 45 The Paintings - Sunrise Eija-Lynn and Hieronymus are The Paintings. Besides being a couple in real life, the duo revisit the vigor of 70s garage, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and the apathetic rage of The Jesus And Mary Chain. The music speak for itself, though, and this song Sunrise is their newest single.

  COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo Planes (Estudios Universales) - Lonelii Within the new movement of pop/rock bands in Colombia, Planes (Estudios Universales) feels like a blast of fresh air. The quintet have no borders or limits in their search for folk and electronic sounds. As we wait for their first studio album, enjoy Lonelii.

  DENMARK: All Scandinavian Alcoholic Faith Mission - Running With Insanity Released in 2011 in Denmark, Alcoholic Faith Mission's fourth full-length, Ask Me This, is now available worldwide and thus there are no good reasons not to check out the outfit's alternative pop. Begin here with the excellent Running With Insanity.

  ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog Stealing Sheep - Shut Eye This all-girl Liverpool trio's debut album Into The Diamond Sun is more Staves/Warpaint than Atomic Kitten. The fact that one of the members hails from an area with a rich folk tradition seems to have seeped into their music, which has a pagan-ish, medieval quality to it. Elsewhere it is possible to detect influences as varied as The Go-Go's and The Monkees, The Doors and Talking Heads, and there is a blend of good old-fashioned "played" instruments and electronic drones and effects, but always the folk elements shine through.

  FINLAND: Glue Satellite Stories - Anti-Lover Indie quartet Satellite Stories have delivered several party songs over the last couple of years to become one of Finland's most promising acts. Anti-Lover is the first single from their debut album Phrases To Break The Ice which will be released this autumn. It is three minutes of energetic guitar-based, dance-oriented indie-pop.

  FRANCE: Yet You're Fired The Aerial - Clarity The Aerial are one of France's top up-and-coming bands. Hailing from Nancy, they released their first EP in April, in which each of their songs show a different influence, all while staying very danceable. In just four songs, they manage to sound like The Rapture, Foals and Foster The People. Clarity is their most electro-pop oriented song and is supported by a killer beat and an impeccable production. Don't miss unreleased single Running on YouTube.

  GERMANY: Blogpartei Camera - Ausland Let's continue our little series of new Kraut with Berlin trio Camera. Although they connect to the old Kraut by playing with Michael Rother and Dieter Moebius, their music sounds refreshing. First single Ausland keeps the typical meandering melodies and synths but brings back rock to Krautrock. Their debut album, due out this month, incorporates many more influences and will, of course, be released on Bureau B.

  GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda The Last Drive - Child Of The Sky The Last Drive are regarded as one of the most important and influential bands of the Greek underground music scene. They were formed 30 years ago and, through their explosive live performances and unique sound, became rapidly popular. After their dynamic comeback in 2007 (they split up in 1995), they released Heavy Liquid, a crafted mix of intense, raw rock 'n' roll songs, blurred melodies, addictive fuzz guitar riffs and almost primitive drums that unites disparate musical elements into blasts of noisy cohesion and howling passion. Right before the recording of their new LP, they have just unleashed News From Nowhere, an imprint of the difficult times we're living.

  ICELAND: Rjóminn Jónas Sigurðsson - Þyrnigerðið This is the first single from Jónas Sigurðsson's upcoming third album, Þar Sem Himinn Ber Við Haf ("Where The Sky Touches The Sea"). Jónas, who is widely considered one of the most inventive musicians in Iceland, reinvents himself yet again by introducing electronic influences to his otherwise soulful, folksy and rhythmic sound. If you like what you hear you should really check out his first two albums.

  INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Awl - Albertine Awl is Joan Lumanauw (The Wispy Hummers) and Mickey (Tenderpaw) creating noises and melodies for the world to dance to. You might think of The Raveonettes or Best Coast but if you listen carefully you'll find something of their own.

  IRELAND: Nialler9 Orquesta - Kokomo (feat. Jape, Kathi Burke & Katie Kim) His recent acceptance into the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy is yet another reason to pay attention to Dublin producer Orquesta. Previously, he shot to attention with this gorgeous cover of The Beach Boys holiday anthem Kokomo. Featuring the vocal talents of Irish stalwarts Jape and Katie Kim, the song is a modern tropical uplift.

  JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Greeen Linez - Palm Coast Freeway Greeen Linez take a lot of inspiration from City Pop, a style of music that was popular in Japan during the late 80s and early 90s. Palm Coast Freeway captures this luxurious sound quite well, the elegant synths and bass suitable for both a dance club and a bank lobby. Palm Coast Freeway is on the album Things That Fade, which features even more modern takes on the City Pop sound.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta Hey Sus! - The Press Mike and Andrew write tunes under the name Hey Sus! They try to create surfy indie-pop-folk with hip hop beats, provided by Thom. They recently released a split EP on cassette with Clandestines, titled Summer Camp For Pale Young Boys, from which The Press is taken.

  MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Soul Compas - Por Insurgentes Soul Compas is a rap group formed by Eric El Niño, Konceptos and Milio Boogie, three well-known MCs from the Mexican rap scene. With the influence of Native Tongues, G-funk and post-Dilla movements, they have created Al Compás Del Soul, a humorous and fresh album that can be downloaded for free on their website. Por Insurgentes is one of their most interesting tracks. Aside from those swell samples, they've pictured an imaginary trip on one of the most important avenues of Mexico City, Insurgentes, which happens to be the longest road that crosses the city north to south, and shows most of its contradictions and emblematic places.

  PERU: SoTB Herzchenschmerzchen - Tic Tac Herzchenschmerzchen, a word written in German and difficult to pronounce, is the name of Maria Jose Jordan's solo project. This young woman reveals her indie-folk interests in her self-titled debut EP. Get ready to open a Pandora's Box of musical gems such as the sweet Tic Tac.

  POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog Fair Weather Friends - Fortune Player As MAP's first ambassador for Poland, I bring you some catchy electro-pop from Fair Weather Friends. Fortune Player was used in an official commercial for this summer's Heineken Open'er Festival (and Coke Live Festival) and caused some internet buzz thanks to its goofy video. You may have heard dozens of pop songs based on synth hooks on MAP but what you might not realise is that this singer is white, with Michał Maślak originally from guitar band Searching For Calm.

  PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? PAPERCUTZ - Where Beasts Die PAPERCUTZ returns to MAP with an exclusive track. Where Beasts Die is from their new album, The Blur Between Us. Bruno Miguel's impressive project has paved its way with hard work, gathering a considerable fanbase outside Portugal. They were recently selected for the Red Bull Music Academy, which will take place in New York next year.

  PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie Pasajero - En La Playa Daniel Vicente brings a delicate blend of pop, rock and electronic flourishes to his art and music project, Pasajero. His most recent EP boasts three layered tracks that highlight this idiosyncratic mix of influences, ranging from local acts like Superaquello to international names such as The Postal Service. En La Playa is a powerful tune featuring guest vocals by Carolina Martinez. With a dreamy pop quality that reminds us of waves slowly crashing at the beach at dusk, the song also addresses Puerto Rico's current state of affairs and the alarming apathy that seems to have taken over its inhabitants. A great lead-off track for a "political dream-pop" playlist.

  ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Changing Skins - Perfect Foes Changing Skins is an eclectic Bucharest-based band who rock the thin line between alternative and electronic music. They plan to release their debut album in October. NME recently posted a live video of their song Baby on their website.

RUSSIA: Big Echo Cream Child - With The Wind School Skulls is not just another sweet summer record with soft beats - it's a great balance of good and evil, happy and melancholy, that results in tunes inspired by Russian folklore, candy, death and marvelous melodies like With The Wind.

  SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Quickbeam - Seven Hundred Birds Quickbeam play at a volume that requires pin-drop silence from the audience and they've got the talent to write songs that demand such reverential obedience. Harmonium and strings shepherd Seven Hundred Birds into beautifully fragile and exquisitely precise spaces, marrying the raw intensity of Low with the melodic emotiveness of Sigur Rós. Cinematic stimulation is provided by the song's staggeringly ethereal promo video.

  SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To... MUON - Aqua Assault The muon is an elementary particle similar to an electron. MUON is also a musical entity that exists in Singapore, whether as one person (Nick Chan) or more (currently, Jordan, Ren and Adam). Despite its varying states of existence, MUON's music is rather akin to its sub-atomic namesake with its deconstruction of pedantic structures, but also as intelligent, intense and cryptic aural and visual forms. Always exciting and always new, MUON has been forged in its singularity, and their craft emerges through parallel universes.

  SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie Lang Lee - Hahaha Lang Lee could be likened to a Korean Daniel Johnston, but with her own crazy and quirky, sometimes delightfully whimsical, storytelling ranging from teaching Yoda enough Japanese to be able to order green tea to love stories inspired by Kurt Vonnegut. Hahaha is an example of the latter and comes fresh off her just-released first album Yon Yonson.

  SPAIN: Musikorner Pajarita - Animals (ASIMO Remix) Pajarita began in March 2012 as the musical project of Norah Alexandra Vega and her ukelele and, a few months on, she's already about to release her first album via Discosdelrollo. Pajarita's style can be described as lo-fi pop, dreamy and awesomely catchy for its simpleness and discretion. Animals (ASIMO Remix), though, might be the exception that confirms the rule about her music.

  SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja Picture - True Picture, aka David Kyhlberg from the enigmatic duo Sail A Whale, makes elusive, trance-inducing electronic pop that's nothing short of amazing. True, the title track and first single from his debut EP, is no exception. This is probably as close to The Tough Alliance as you can get in 2012. The EP is out now on one of our favourite labels, Cascine.

  SWITZERLAND: 78s Biggles - Let A New World Begin Sven Rüf aka Biggles from Zurich is a singer-songwriter with a special talent for making music that sounds simultaneously humorous and fragile. His songs always come with a decent dose of mischief, which is why we love him so much. His fifth long-player Cloudspeaker is released this month, guaranteeing pop music without boundaries.

  TURKEY: WEARTBEAT Adult Monkey - Supermarket Adult Monkey is one of the cutest groups in Istanbul. They nestle all kinds of genres, especially chillwave, ambient lo-fi stuff. Besides being a band, Adult Monkey also contains illustrations and animations. In fact, Adult Monkey is a whole life portfolio for the two cartoonists who put together the band. Supermarket, their newest release, is a knockout track for the hot hot HOT summer.

  UNITED STATES: We Listen For You Houndmouth - Penitentiary Louisville, Kentucky's Houndmouth writes music that I like to call "recession rock". Their music echoes the dirt roads of back-country counties during the night, the discarded bar stools in the back lot of an abandoned whisky joint, or the overall beauty that can sometimes be found in despair. Houndmouth, while young, bring the similar sounds of The Band back into contemporary rotation.

  VENEZUELA: Música y Más Los Polaroid - El Blues De Sus Piernas (Chicago Blues) Los Polaroid formed in Maracaibo in 2010 with the idea of creating a musical proposal inspired by genres like jazz and blues. So far they have released two EPs and are currently on a tour that will take them around the country.