Warpaint com Disco Completo em 2010

Apesar de já existirem há seis anos, penso que as Warpaint, de Los Angeles, poderão ser uma das grandes revelações norte-americanas do ano de 2010, depois de no último festival College Music Journal, em Nova Iorque, terem sido contratadas pela Rough Trade.

Elas são um quarteto e a sua primeira edição foi de autor, em 2008, e novamente no início de 2009 com uma edição mais cuidada, apesar da gravação do disco ser de 2007. No final de 2009, já numa pequena editora, a Manimal Vynil, viram esse seu EP, "Exquisite Corpse", produzido por Jake Bercovici e misturado por Adam Samuels e John Frusciante (ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers) que tinha colaborado na sua gravação - ele namorou durante três anos, até 2007, com a vocalista da banda, Emily Kokal -, viram o seu EP novamente editado mas desta vez por uma editora.

O núcleo dos Warpaint são Emily Kokal (voz, guitarras), Theresa Wayman (voz, guitarras), e Jenny Lee Lindberg (baixo, voz), a/o baterista tem sido um posto em constante mudança, tendo já passado pelo mesmo diversas pessoas tendo sido uma delas a actriz Shannyn Sossamon (irmã de Jenny Lee Lindberg), estando nessa função, neste momento, Stella Mozgawa.

A experiência dos membros da banda já é longa, apesar de só agora poderem ter o sol por conta da sua banda. Emily Kokal esteve noutra banda, Little Two´s, que funcionou paralelamente às Warpaint, onde já revelava o seu talento. Para além disso, colaborou com a voz em discos de outros artistas como, por exemplo, os Red Hot Chili Peppers. Theresa Wayman foi membro de uma banda de Vincent Gallo, onde tocou um pouco de tudo e cantou. Jenny Lindberg também é baixista de estúdio para outros artistas.

O tema "Billie Holiday", oferecido online pela Pitchfork, e que faz parte do EP, foi inspirado na canção "My Guy" (de Smokey Robinson conhecido na voz de Mary Wells).

2010 será o ano do primeiro LP para as Warpaint.

Estes são vídeos de dois temas do EP "Exquisite Corpse":

Warpaint - "Elephants"


Warpaint - "Stars" (realização Burke Roberts e Adam Harding)

WARPAINT - "WARPAINT" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Foi em Janeiro, de 2010, que, fascinados, falámos aqui, pela primeira vez, das californianas Warpaint. Entretanto, O seu disco de estreia , que foi aqui colocado para audição, em Novebro de 2010, chegou às lojas. Do disco novo, tivemos aqui o vídeo de "Undertow".

The Fool", o álbum das Warpaint, foi  um dos melhores discos de 2010 para este blogue.

Com a realização de Ted Newsome, " Yours Truly " é o novo vídeo /single das Warpaint.

(Vídeo via João Guiomar / Alone in the Dark)

Bowie Xu Xu Fang

Do disco de tributo a David Bowie, editado no início de Setembro e baptizado de "We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie", depois de ter passado aqui a participação dos Warpaint, hoje temos a versão de "China Girl" pelos norte-americanos Xu Xu Fang.

Para além dos Warpaint, neste disco também poderão encontrar versões de temas de Bowie pelos A Place To Bury Strangers, Duran Duran, Vivian Girls, MGMT, Carla Bruni, entre outros.

Vídeo de "Undertow" / Warpaint

As Warpaint, que estiveram aqui recentemente, a propósito de uma versão de um tema de Bowie, por elas, para uma edição/tributo a David Bowie, têm um novo vídeo para o seu tema "Undertow", single do seu LP, "The Fool", que será editado a 25 de Outubro.



Realização: Shannyn Sossamon
DP: David Myrick
Produção: Mia Kirby
Edição: Ravi Dhar

WARPAINT - "BILLIE HOLIDAY" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Em jeito da edição "deluxe" do álbum "the Fool", há um novo vídeo, das "Rough Trade sessions", das Warpaint. Há dias, tinhamos disponibilizado outro vídeo, de "Burgundy", como estarão recordados. A nova edição de "The Fool", com dois discos, estará disponível (mais detalhes no post anterior) na segunda-feira, e lá poderão encontrar este tema, "Billie Holiday".

WARPAINT - "BURGUNDY" (NOVO VÍDEO)

As Warpaint, uma aposta deste blogue desde o início de 2010, têm um vídeo da sua prestação de "Burgundy", numa gravação para as Rough Trade Sessions. O tema fará de uma edição especial, disponível a 26 de Setembro, de "The Fool" (dois cds com o o álbum "The Fool", o EP "Corpse", "Undertow (Neon Lights Remix)" e "Billie Holiday (Radio Mix)"). O vídeo foi realizado por Jane Pollard e Iain Forsyth

Warpaint ao Vivo

As Warpaint, que já passaram aqui, por diversas vezes, passaram pelo YoursTruly e tocaram espantosamente dois temas ao vivo: "Undertow" e "Bees".

Podem ouvir o seu disco, por inteiro, por baixo destes vídeos.

Warpaint to Ashes

As Warpaint, que passaram por aqui, no início deste ano, têm uma rigorosa versão de "Ashes to Ashes" que passou a vídeo, pelas mãos do realizador Freddie Pauli, com a ajuda de Kyle Ferchau e Jon Lewis. A maioria do vídeo utiliza imagens de lapso que ocorreram durante um mês, em diversos locais, no Arizona e Tennessee.

os meus melhores Discos de 2010 :: Warpaint - "The Fool"

Warpaint - "The Fool"

2:54 - "SCARLET" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Os 2:54 ou two fifty four (nome baseado na contagem temporal em que um tema dos Melvins chega ao ponto de açucar para os membros desta banda) são o projecto de duas irmãs, Colette e Hannah Thurlow.

Terão seu primeiro EP, com quatro temas, editado a 11 de Novembro, pela Fiction Records (a famosa editora independente que fez a carreira dos Cure, que é hoje uma subsidiária da multinacional Universal). Elas tinham editado apenas um single, já este ano, "On A Wire", numa outra editora, tema que não estará incluido no EP.

O EP foi produzido por Rob Ellis, que, entre outros, trabalhou com PJ Harvey, e misturado por Alan Moulder.

Elas, que já foram banda suporte das Warpaint, fazem-se acompanhar por Alex Robins e Joel Porter, nos espectáculos ao vivo.

Realização: Jeppe

CONNAN MOCKASIN - "FOREVER DOLPHIN LOVE" (NOVO VÍDEO)

Depois do seu terceiro álbum, "Please Turn Me Into the Snat", editado em 2010 na Grã-Bretanha, o neo-zelândes Connan Hosford, mais conhecido pelo seu nome artístico, Connan Mockasin, conseguiu a atenção de algumas antenas importantes, nomeadamente as da imprensa birtânica. Desde lá, já actuou ao lado de Jarvis Cocker, foi artista suporte dos Crowded House, Mistery Jets e das Warpaint.

"Forever Love" é o seu "novo" disco, a ser editado a 5 de Abril, também na editora de Eroal Alkan (que já fez misturas de Connan - ouvir abaixo).

Este disco é "novo" porque é o disco do ano passado, "Please Turn Me Into The Snat", com outro nome e com alguns extras, como a adição de temas ao vivo. Para assinalar o lançamento, há o vídeo abaixo, realizado por Daniel Brereton, do tema que dá o nome ao álbum.

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.

Music Alliance Pact :: Dezembro 2010

Este mês, para além de mais trinta e quatro projectos de trinta e quatro nações, a representação portuguesa no M.A.P. volta a Lisboa, com os Minta & The Brook Trout, mais um daqueles exemplos de talento que não passa na nossa rádio, para além das habituais excepções, rádios universitárias e no, indispensável, "Portugália", na Antena3, de Henrique Amaro.

Minta e os Brook Trout são Francisca Cortesão (Minta) com os seus amigos Mariana Ricardo, Manuel Dordio e José Vilão. O seu último disco, de 2009, teve a justa e merecida atenção da crítica nacional, pelo talento musical do projecto e pela boa qualidade, tanto das letras como da interpretação, que não foi prejudicada por ser em inglês, o que tantas vezes acontece com outros projectos. Minta & The Brook Trout, mais uma promessa no panorama nacional, a ouvir e a seguir.

Para descarregar as 35 canções, carregue aqui

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Nairobi - Minerals
Nairobi is a dub band based in Buenos Aires. Approaching dub from a diverse perspective, they create vibrant climates and fresh interpretations of the genre. This song is the first single from their second album, Wet, which was mixed at Mad Professor's studio in London and features Roberto Pettinato on saxophone.


AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Miracle - A Big Jet Plane
I recently discovered this 18-year-old rapper born in Ghana but now residing in western Sydney. The word is that he got signed to his label based on a song sampling Pete Murray's Better Days, a track he made for his high school music assignment and eventually became his first single. Personally, I liked his version of Angus And Julia Stone's hit Big Jet Plane better.


BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Diego e O Sindicato - Amigo
Influenced by 70s Brazilian rock and tropicalism, amongst other musical styles such as psychedelic rock and even samba, Amigo is a great taster of Parte De Nós ("Part Of Us"), the first full-length record by Diego e O Sindicato, released last month. The album is available to download for free at Compacto.REC, a netlabel focused on independent Brazilian music.


CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Olenka & The Autumn Lovers - Sparrow
Olenka & The Autumn Lovers' newest album, And Now We Sing, is just about the finest folk-pop album you could ever ask for. It brilliantly blends together Eastern European-tinged folk, smoky jazz, country and a variety of other elements to create an album that's easily one of the best to come out in 2010. Sparrow showcases Olenka's Eastern European roots.


CHILE: Super 45
Los Nadieh - Lisa y llanamente
Los Nadieh are members of Potoco Discos, the independent label that houses Como Asesinar a Felipes (an excellent jazz trio with a DJ and MC), who proclaim to play "the other kind of rap". That claim also defines the approach of this band from Valparaíso, homesickly looking at the harbour city but showing their feelings by experimenting with the formal structures of hip hop. This scorn for risk is reflected on Desde El Último Lugar, their debut, backed up by local heavyweight Foex (ex-member of FDA and a contributor to the increasingly successful Ana Tijoux).


CHINA: Wooozy
Rainbow Danger Club - Neighbors On The Rooftops
With riveting, epic melodies that soar and patter along majestically, the Rainbow Danger Club manage to effortlessly skirt the line between beauty and ugliness, light and dark, innocence and depravity. One of the greatest bands to emerge from the Shanghai music scene lately, they never cease to amaze audiences with their grandiose musicality and adeptness at crafting songs that don't seem to leave your head. Their debut EP, The New Atlantis, is not to be missed.


COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Capzula - Lo Dejamos Asi
Capzula have been the surprise of 2010 in the pop/rock scene of Colombia thanks to their popular single Rock. Big things are expected of them in 2011 and their new single Lo Dejamos Asi clearly shows they can rise to that responsibility.


DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Sleep Party People - A Dark God Heart
In late November, Danish label Vuf released the sixth in their renowned series of compilations titled The Vuf Compilation #6 - Back To Nature, sporting 12 tracks by established and upcoming Danish and Swedish artists, half working in alternative pop/rock and half in electronica. Among them is critically acclaimed one-man dreampop act Sleep Party People aka Brian Batz, whose hauntingly beautiful B-side A Dark God Heart is the final Danish MAP track of 2010. If you crave more, the compilation is available for free download here.


ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Fantastic Mr Fox - Brandy - Angel In Disguise (Fantastic Mr Fox's Nature Boy Rerub)
Stephen Gomberg alias Fantastic Mr Fox is one of the most in-demand dubstep producers and musicians around - The xx took him on tour with them to the States and Warpaint commissioned him to remix one of their tracks. His songs have been described as "digital symphonies" and result from painstakingly chopping up pieces of pre-existing music - sounds, melodies, handclaps and so on from his favourite urban tracks such as R&B queen Brandy's Angel In Disguise, as featured here - and reassembling them in new shapes. In the Guardian's New Band Of The Day column, Paul Lester hailed this as "abstract R&B arranged with a Cubist disregard for form". Sheer futurist invention.


ESTONIA: Popop
Multiphonic Rodent - Printsess & Page
Multiphonic Rodent is the nom de plume of multi-instrumentalist composer Erkki Hõbe. Mainly known as the founder member of Opium Flirt, he has been doing home recordings since 2005 and playing live as a one-man big band on guitars, percussion, keys and wind instruments since 2008. His multi-layered style is influenced by classical minimalism, avant-garde jazz and psychedelic rock, to name a few stylistic origins.


FINLAND: Glue
The Friend - New Berlin Wall
The Friend play melodic indie-rock music to make people dance, or, in their own words, they play "songs that are brisk, atmospheric, playful, three-and-a-half-minutes-long compact packages". Take a listen to their first single, New Berlin Wall, while we wait for their first full-length to be released early next year.


GERMANY: Blogpartei
Dizzy Errol - Pride
Dizzy Errol is the one and only Turkish beatnik in Germany. His name perfectly describes his fuzzy, straightforward sound. Pride is the most powerful song on the album Motherlamp from 2010. Dizzy Errol is part of the artist collective Kamerakino, who recently released a compilation named Infant Munich Hits Rock Bottom, which is quite a nice sample of the city's underground music.


GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Abbie Gale - Terry Torry A List
Abbie Gale's third studio album, No Inspiration, an impressive addition to their catalogue, showcases a sweeping collection of 11 songs that are at once riveting, dreamy and sonically lush, swelling and tranquil. Gripping melodies are embellished with whirling arrangements, spirited outbursts and Evira's wide-ranging, emotive, splendidly affecting vocals. Terry Torry A List feels simultaneously familiar and challenging. It's a compelling, intricate song in which to lose yourself. It gets under the skin and unfurls its majesty from the first play.


ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia
Nóra - Opin Fyrir Morði
Nóra started in a dark garage on the west side of Reykjavík. In 2006, brother and sister Egill and Auður, along with their friend Hrafn, started as a trio. In 2008, the band became a quintet when Bragi and Frank joined. They play honey-glazed indie-pop influenced by Radiohead, Bob Dylan, TV On The Radio, The Mars Volta, The Pixies, Roy Orbison and Neil Young. Opin Fyrir Morði is taken from their debut album, Er Einhver Að Hlusta? ("Is Anyone Listening?"), which was released in early summer.


INDIA: Indiecision
Tempo Tantrick - Psychoblabber
Tempo Tantrick is a trip hop duo from Bangalore. Their sound palette ranges from downtempo to pulsing EDM that finds a likely home in clubs open to both electronica and experimental. Psychoblabber falls squarely in the latter end of the Tempo Tantrick soundscape. The track features an irresistible, throbbing refrain reminiscent of Shiny Toy Guns.


INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Kelelawar Malam - Suara Kegelapan
Kelelawar Malam means "Night Bat"; Suara Kegelapan means "Voice of Darkness". The band name and song title already set a hint of horror, and their lyrics were written as though they were intended for horror B-movie scripts, with old Indonesian villages as the setting. The music is heavily influenced by The Misfits.


IRELAND: Nialler9
James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had A Boat
Having captivated Ireland with his falsetto folk ballads, McMorrow has signed to Vagrant Records in the US. A self-titled EP is currently acquainting itself with international ears and here's your chance to do the same. If I Had A Boat is the first song from the EP and a perfect introduction to McMorrow's oaky timbre.


ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Winterhorde - The Tenth Wave
Winterhorde is a blacker than the blackest black metal band from the north of Israel. Unfortunately, Israel's north is pretty black right now itself with hundreds of acres of forest destroyed by the largest fire in the country's history with a death toll of over 40. In any case, Winterhorde's sonic path twists from symphonic melodies to sheer straight-up metal intensity, melding these two extremes with elegance and professionalism. Winterhorde will freeze your soul with its echoes of longing, darkness and unrelenting desperation. Good stuff created in a classic vein.


ITALY: Polaroid
(m+a) - (we)
Michele and Alessandro (hence the name of the band) are two young, talented boys from the town of Forlì. That's more or less all I know about this project. But then there are these amazing sounds: gloomy glitch electronica with a warm acoustic heart and a cool touch of fresh pop which goes from Radiohead to Plaid via Hot Chip, if you need some kind of weird recipe. This is a song from their incoming second album but you can download their first one for free at their website.


MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Troker - Planeta Terror
Guadalajara-based 'jazz vinyl' band Troker was formed in 2005 by six conservative musicians and has developed into a powerful, danceable and naughty funk-rock sound - a groovy horn section, violent drums, a sexy piano and spicy scratches that make the turntables work as a roll 'n' roll instrument through a jazz-based structure. Planeta Terror is one of the delightfully sour tracks from their second album El Rey Del Camino.


NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
The Benelux - Pet Needs Friends (Bear remix)
This Amsterdam indie quartet are fresh, frisky and dancefloor flammable. There are certainly retro guitar-pop elements at play here, such as their saucy bursts of swaggering guitar jangle. But any hints of classic garage rock are mixed with quirky synths and fun, big beat grooves. So much so that their Girl Singer EP is topped off with remixes by NON Records labelmates Palmbomen and Bear. The tracks lend themselves perfectly to dance-friendly interpretations - Soulwax come to mind in this sense - which is why we've chosen the Bear remix of Pet Needs Friends as a party-starting introduction.


NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Pikachunes - Nervous
Miles Loveless' commanding baritone strides atop his lofty synth lines and unrepentant drum machine tracks, riding a dance wave like that of LCD Soundsystem. On the bedroom producer's song Nervous, a Knight Rider-esque bassline cavorts with a floating, flutey synth that comes in with Loveless's emotionless, almost monotone voice providing a laconic environment for his social awkwardness to shine. Pikachunes released his debut self-titled album on Lil' Chief Records last month, and he has a great video for the song Shout It Out.


NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Uno Møller - Your Quiet Little House
Singer-songwriter Uno Møller plays beautiful minimalistic pop with just the sound of his fragile voice coupled with the playful tones of an acoustic guitar. His debut album was released a few months ago on the British label Lazy Acre Records. He's also a part of Team Me, a promising band that has been praised both in and outside Norway. They've been booked to play at Øyafestivalen and by:Larm next year, but let's hope Uno has more time for his solo project too.


PERU: SoTB
Kid Solano - Solano Swing
Think of a perfect party in a place where night is eternal and the collective dancing turns everyone into a jumping mass. Now imagine the perfect song to accompany those moments and the result would be something like Solano Swing. Make space in your record collection for the amazing lounge/breakbeat of Kid Solano.


PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Minta & The Brook Trout - Large Amounts
Minta is Francisca Cortesão - a talented singer, musician and composer who has been in other bands and works as a session and live musician. The Brook Trout are Mariana Ricardo, Manuel Dordio and José Vilão, friends of Minta who collaborated on her first album, Minta & The Brook Trout. Minta's sound will please fans of the likes of Beth Orton or Belle & Sebastian.


ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Makunouchi Bento - Anchorshaped Siren
Makunouchi Bento is an experimental project with influences from musique concrète to IDM. Their lunchbox has many more surprises than anyone could imagine. There are two main directions in their sound - the use of electronic gadgets (Spectrum, C64, Amiga, Atari) and sampling as the key for a haunting cinematic atmosphere. This could easily be the soundtrack of a David Lynch film or a rainy, gray Romanian December afternoon. Their album, Swimé, can be downloaded for free from Bandcamp.


SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Rachel Sermanni - Eggshells
Rachel Sermanni is a talent worth swooning over. The 19-year-old from the Highlands cites her idols as Joni Mitchell and Eva Cassidy, which makes perfect sense when you find yourself enchanted by her pure, fragile vocals and poetic lyrics. A star in the making for sure.


SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
The Lard Brothers - Wish You'll Never Leave Time (Ownself Remix)
The Lard Brothers have carved a niche for themselves remixing and reworking songs by other Singaporean bands, sometimes roping in outside collaborators in the process. Their approach ensures their work isn't so much a rehash of existing material as it is a means of bringing the music community together, and giving us a fresh take on Singaporean music. Their latest release, the Bonsai Warriors EP, stays on the same track but fittingly leaves room at the end for a remix of themselves, a glorious uplifting on their 2008 original.


SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Reburn - Outta My Mind
Reburn is a five-piece alternative rock band whose mix of catchy beats and a quirky feel has seen them rise to the forefront of the local scene. Outta My Mind encompasses the band's sound, which is distinctly British-influenced with its polished tone and a slight indie edge. Reburn's motto is that the band was brought to life for no reason other than to make "music for pleasure" and that they do. Stylishly so.


SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Image - Empty Universe
Female singer-songwriter Image has already been active for more than a decade, but it wasn't until fall this year that she presented her first digital EP, Metaphoricalizing. Determined to make music of veracity, Image combines both acoustic and electronic elements when giving life to the folk ethos she wishes to express. Empty Universe is the main track off Metaphoricalizing and will be recorded in an English version for her upcoming first CD album.


SPAIN: Musikorner
Odio París - Ya No Existes
We don't have any reason to hate Paris, but apparently this five-piece band from Barcelona does. Odio París, who have supported The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, are influenced by shoegaze legends The Jesus And Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, but they also take inspiration from Spain's biggest indie band, Los Planetas. Ya No Existes, their first single, is living proof of that as it recreates the characteristic distortion of the Andalusians' early releases.


SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Le Days - Ring Baby Ring
Le Days aka Daniel Hedin has announced the upcoming release of a debut album titled Dead People On Tape. The predominant instrument may be an acoustic guitar but this is by no means folk music. It's a disturbing blend of over the top emo and confessional rock à la Jeff Buckely. The first single in all its tormented glory namedrops Judas, curses violently and lays its heart on its proverbial sleeve.


SWITZERLAND: 78s
The Bianca Story - Coming Home
You thought Switzerland was neutral? It's not. We're totally asking you to take sides with our quest to bring better music to the world. Our weapon of mass seduction: The Bianca Story, a five-piece from Basel. Their sound is best described as "pop taken seriously" - you get the catchy tunes but with added layers of depth. Their latest single, Coming Home, is an appetizer to their second album due for release in 2011.


UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Painted Palms - All Of Us
San Francisco's Painted Palms aren't the first experimental pop band to take cues from Animal Collective, but they're perhaps the most unique of the bunch. Combining a wild assortment of genres from Afro-pop to krautrock to electro-pop, the tracks on their debut Canopy EP (free download here) are equally addictive as they are artful, bringing a smile to even the most jaded of listeners.


VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Viniloversus - Ruleta Rusa
Viniloversus started rocking Caracas in 2004, both live and on record. One of the many reasons for their unique sound is the presence of two bassists in the band. Impeccable performances and sharp, strong notes hit the audience like thunder in their shows. Ruleta Rusa is taken from their Latin Grammy-nominated latest album Si No Nos Mata.