Two more countries joined the Music Alliance Pact for the March 2009 post: Denmark is back with another website & La Douce France joined too. But still no sites to represent Belgium or The Netherlands.
Although half Belgian/half Dutch, I've chosen The MAP Artist for Iceland: young composer Ólafur Arnalds, one of the brightest hopes of the island. He is/was touring the world for a while, so you get the chance to see him & his String Quartet performing @ a spot near you.To download all 24 songs @ once:
www.zshare.net/download/57052526ca5a62a0/
Or if you don't like Zshare files: http://www.eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/maptemp/Music%20Alliance%20Pact%20-%20March%202009.rar (1 month online)?
AMERICA – I Guess I’m Floating http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.comViernes – Glacial Change Of Pace www.myspace.com/viernesviernes
Viernes are an electronic rock duo from Florida who’ve managed to capture a thrilling loud/quiet/loud aesthetic akin to Grizzly Bear. Glacial Change Of Pace – a MAP exclusive – brings together hard-hitting psychedelia with gorgeously subdued lulls, and vice-versa, in a seamless display of sonic movements and emotions. Look out for their debut album Sinister Devices in the near future.
http://iguessimfloating.net/assets/mp3s/Viernes%20-%20Glacial%20Change%20Of%20Pace.mp3
ARGENTINA – Zonaindie http://zonaindie.comLola Arias & Ulises Conti – Te Voy A Vencer Por Knock-out www.myspace.com/lolaariasyulisesconti
Lola Arias is a writer, stage director, actress and singer. Ulises Conti is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist musician. They started working together in 2003, making music for several theater plays. This wonderful pop-rock love song is from their debut album, El Amor Es Un Francotirador, which comprises the original music from a play with the same name that was directed by Lola and Alejo Moguillansky. The translated title of the song here is “I’m going to beat you by knockout”.
www.fileden.com/files/2008/10/16/2145849/Lola%20Arias%20y%20Ulises%20Conti%20-%20Te%20voy%20a%20vencer%20por%20knock-out.mp3
AUSTRALIA – Who The Bloody Hell Are They? http://whothehell.netLeader Cheetah – Bloodlines www.myspace.com/leadercheetah
Festival State four-piece Leader Cheetah are the less manic, more soulfully melodic reincarnation of now-defunct Pharaohs. Their music is layered folk-rock twang meets brooding pop – think Neil Young’s moody younger brother in stormy weather. Bloodlines reminds me of Interpol circa the jangling guitar, tonal shift glory days of Turn On The Bright Lights. The vocals of singer Dan Crannitch are mind-addlingly beautiful and dark, especially when met with the surge of harmonies in the chorus. Leader Cheetah’s debut album The Sunspot Letters is out now on Spunk Records.
http://whothehell.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/03-bloodlines.mp3
BRAZIL – Meio Desligado www.meiodesligado.comBlack Drawing Chalks – Big Deal
www.myspace.com/blackdrawingchalks
Fans of Turbonegro, Queens Of The Stone Age and others bands who make dirty and fast rock’n’roll will love Black Drawing Chalks. Describing their sound as “music to drink and fuck to”, they come from Goiânia Rock City and have one of the most incredible shows I’ve seen on the Brazilian underground.
www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/10/2218195/01-black_drawing_chalks-big_deal.mp3
CANADA – I(Heart)Music www.iheartmusic.net/serendipityAmos The Transparent – Lemons, aka (BigFishLittlePond) www.myspace.com/amosthetransparent
Ottawa may be Canada’s capital but it hasn’t produced much in the way of great Canadian music. Amos The Transparent are the exception to this rule. Their debut, Everything I’ve Forgotten To Forget, featured contributions from members of Stars and Broken Social Scene, and sounded like those two other bands. Lemons, aka (BigFishLittlePond) is taken from their about-to-be-released follow-up EP and finds the band inhabiting similarly stunning territory.
www.iheartmusic.net/mp3/AmosTheTransparent-LemonsAKABigFishLittlePond.mp3
CHILE – Super 45 http://super45.cl/seccion/blog Vapourboat – Full Trains Of Dead People www.myspace.com/vapourboat
Vapourboat is the Scottish project of Chilean-born Nico Carcavilla. His songs are composed entirely in his bedroom, inspired by the genius of Otis Redding. Perhaps it is this influence which makes Carcavilla sing like a man who has lived it all, when he is actually just starting. Being only 14, his songs incorporate instruments such as ukuleles, accordions, guitars and keyboards, and the Neutral Milk Hotel-esque arrangements end up developing into sad, long walks that owe their intensity to Beirut.
http://estupendos.net/NS08/Vapourboat/Bagpipeboats/02%20-%20Vapourboat%20-%20Fulltrains%20of%20dead%20people.mp3
DENMARK – All Scandinavian http://allscandinavian.comKellermensch – All Time Low www.myspace.com/kellermensch
Their name is inspired by Fjodor Dostojevski’s novel Notes From Underground, they’re heavily influenced by the German expressionist movement Die Brücke and the Esbjerg-based Danes are musically related to both Tom Waits and metal acts like Tool. Their eponymous debut album is stunningly original and a massive contribution to the already vibrant Danish rock and metal scenes.
https://mapallscan.s3.amazonaws.com/Kellermensch%20-%20All%20Time%20Low.mp3
ENGLAND – The Daily Growl http://thedailygrowl.co.ukBlacklands – Come Sad Light Of Dawn www.myspace.com/herebeblacklands
This month we return to folkiness, mainly because if I don’t cover Blacklands soon, main man Al Murphy will have moved to New York and his music will no longer be ‘England’ for MAP. It’s lovely sepia-tinged fireside acoustic pickings. Come Sad Light Of Dawn is a gorgeous song, conceived in Berlin, executed in a cottage on a desolate Yorkshire moor. You may be able to tell.
www.thedailygrowl.co.uk/downloads/02%20Come%20Sad%20Light%20Of%20Dawn%20320.mp3
FRANCE – SoundNation http://soundnation.frSliimy – Trust Me www.myspace.com/sliimy
Sliimy may be best known for his cover of Britney Spears’ Womanizer but the 20-year-old is a talented artist in his own right, with his high-pitched vocals and pop sensibility reminiscent of Mika.
http://freenull.net/~soundnation/s/sliimy-trustme.mp3
GERMANY – Blogpartei www.blogpartei.deFive! Fast!! Hits!!! – Keep My Name Out Your Mouth www.myspace.com/fivefasthits
Five! Fast!! Hits!!! have been an institution in Munich for years. No month without at least one gig, until now. Singer Raffi is moving to London while Amadeus, the true head of the band, will pay attention to his other projects such as Elektrik Kezy Mezy. Their melodic, hectic, eclectic and energetic shows will be missed.
www.blogpartei.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Five!Fast!!Hits!!!-KeepMyNameOutYourMouth.mp3
ICELAND – I Love Icelandic Music http://icelandicmusic.blogspot.comÓlafur Arnalds – Himininn er að hrynja, en stjörnurnar fara þér vel www.myspace.com/olafurarnalds
Ólafur (Óli) Arnalds is a talented 21-year-old musician, part of the new generation of classical composers. He hails from the suburban town of Mosfellsbær, just outside Reykjavík. He has toured extensively around Europe and North America with a live string quartet and last summer he supported Sigur Rós on some European shows. The song here – translated as “The sky is falling but the stars look good with your dress” – is on his Variations Of Static EP which shows off his crackling electronics and sounds.
www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/19/2009830/Olafur-Arnalds_Himininn.mp3
Here's the video I shot of "Himininn..." @ 't Smiske venue (Asse, Belgium) @ his first concert in Belgium.
IRELAND – Nialler9 www.nialler9.comDavid Kitt – Move It On www.myspace.com/davidkitt
The opening track from Kittser’s sixth album The Nightsaver displays the same solid thread of songwriting and homemade invention he has always been able to produce regardless of the style inherent within thanks to his distinctive voice and ear for a tune. The album, which was recorded at the top of a winding staircase somewhere along Dublin’s Grand Canal, may turn out to be his best yet.
www.nialler9.com/mp3/David_Kitt_-_Move_It_On.mp3
ITALY – Polaroid http://polaroid.blogspot.comDeath In Donut Plains – Over And Above www.myspace.com/deathindonutplains
Death In Donut Plains is the solo project of Enrico Boccioletti from Pesaro. He plays evocative electronic music with a wide range of inspirations such as Aphex Twin, Fuck Buttons, M83 and The Radio Dept. He has created some lovely covers of Liars, dEUS and Good Shoes but his latest EP has a lighter and more pop touch, in a sort of Postal Service mood.
www.polaroidallaradio.it/audio/Death_In_Donut_Plains_-_Over_and_Above.mp3
MEXICO – Club Fonograma www.clubfonograma.blogspot.comJuan Son – Mermaid Sashimi www.myspace.com/juansonmusic
Mermaid Sashimi is the first solo album by Mexico’s most prolific contemporary vocalist, Juan Son. After the breakup of his highly celebrated band Porter, he expands his already singular vision with much confidence and complete freedom, delivering what’s arguably Mexico’s best production in a while. He has the sensibility of a story-teller and the thirst of a scientist.
www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2365312_tob7i/JuanSon-MermaidSashimi.mp3
NEW ZEALAND – Counting The Beat http://countingthebeat.blogspot.comThe Verlaines – Yangtze Cod And Chips www.myspace.com/theverlaines
The Verlaines were one of the bands to define the Dunedin Sound, releasing a number of classic recordings on the iconic Flying Nun Records label between 1981 and 1996. They returned in 2007 with a well-regarded album Pot Boiler and are about to release a new politically-inspired record called Corporate Moronic. Songwriter Graeme Downes has fire in his belly as you can hear on this song about the unlikely subject of a free trade agreement between NZ and China.
www.waihekeradio.org.nz/files/The%20Verlaines%20-%20Yangtze%20Cod%20and%20Chips.mp3
NORWAY – Eardrums http://eardrumsmusic.comThe Electones – Right Foot From Left www.beatservice.no/the_electones.asp
The Electones make beautiful experimental pop almost without creative boundaries and its foundation rests heavily on 60s-inspired folk and jazz. They are musical cousins to artists such as Múm, Psapp Sigur Rós and The Accidental. The Electones’ debut album If You’ll Be Null, I’ll Be Void will be released on Beatservice Records on March 23 and the band will also be a part of Birdsongs, Beesongs – the upcoming, free Eardrums compilation.
www.eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/The%20Electones%20-%20Right%20Foot%20From%20Left.mp3
PERU – SoTB http://sideoftheblog.blogspot.comResplandor – Solar www.myspace.com/resplandorperu
Resplandor are probably better known abroad than in Peru. Formed a decade ago by Antonio Zelada and Luis Rodriguez, the band’s shoegaze dream pop sound has seen them play with The House Of Love and The Radio Dept. Their most recent album Pleamar was produced by Robin Guthrie and opener Solar is the best song on it.
http://eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/maptemp/Resplandor%20-%20Solar%20(Peru).mp3
PORTUGAL – Posso Ouvir Um Disco? http://possoouvirumdisco.blogspot.comCorsage – Dried Up, River Blues www.myspace.com/corsage
Corsage are an indie band from Lisbon who brought out their first EP in 2004. The following year they recorded a cover of a Scott Walker song, Angel Of Ashes, for a tribute release to the British musician by Portuguese bands. In 2007, they were featured in the compilation Novo Rock Português (“New Portuguese Rock”) and one of their songs was selected for the soundtrack of a Portuguese soap. Last month they released their new album Finito L’Amore, where you can find this month’s track, Dried Up, River Blues.
http://eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/maptemp/Corsage%20%E2%80%93%20Dried%20Up,%20River%20Blues%20(Portugal).mp3
ROMANIA – Babylon Noise http://babylonoise.wordpress.comGrimus – Backseat Driver www.myspace.com/grimusworld
Grimus are an indie/alternative band from Cluj. They formed about four years ago and their debut record Panikon was declared Romania’s best album of 2008 by several musical/cultural communities. Although influenced by the likes of Placebo, Muse and Interpol, they manage to create a unique style and sound. On top of that, these guys are great live on stage – you not only get a performance, you’re in for a show.
http://cnimigean.btn.ro/babylonoise/Grimus%20-%20Backseat%20Driver.mp3
SCOTLAND – The Pop Cop http://thepopcop.blogspot.comWe Were Promised Jetpacks – Ships With Holes Will Sink www.myspace.com/wewerepromisedjetpacks
We Were Promised Jetpacks ought to be one of the biggest stars of this year’s SXSW. They mix sweeping, sonic brilliance with a melodic accessibility that has made them Glasgow’s most talked-about band since Frightened Rabbit. Indeed, they have followed in the footsteps of their city chums by signing to FatCat, who will release their debut album These Four Walls in June. Until then, here’s a teaser from it to whet the appetite.
www.eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/We%20Were%20Promised%20Jetpacks%20-%20Ships%20With%20Holes%20Will%20Sink.mp3
SINGAPORE – I’m Waking Up To... http://wakingupto.wordpress.comA Vacant Affair – Connecting The Dots www.myspace.com/avacantaffair
A clean, clinical and almost methodical country like Singapore can only boast the undercurrent of a disenfranchised youth who find different ways of breaking the status quo. A Vacant Affair almost does that, not by being cynically political about the culture here, but by embracing the emotions that come along with it. A post-hardcore band that shares influences with the likes of Underoath and Deftones, they bring it all out in the fantastic debut album closer, Connecting The Dots. AVA steer the listener into a swimming plethora of swirling vocals and guitars as they finally explode into an extended outro that acts as a buffer between you and this crazy, mixed-up world.
http://wakingupto.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/a-vacant-affair-connecting-the-dots.mp3
SOUTH KOREA – Indieful ROK http://indiefulrok.blogspot.comPavlov – The Lioness www.myspace.com/pavlovrocks
If you’re looking for some rock’n’roll you should definitely listen to Pavlov. If you’re not, you probably should anyway. Not a big fan of the genre myself, I gave Pavlov a chance after being told to think of them as AC/DC and The Hives with a frontman who looks like Jarvis Cocker with Tourette’s – and it was not something to regret. Everything they’ve recorded has something special to keep you listening and when the last song has finished it’s hard not to play everything all over again.
www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/5/2212496/Pavlov%20-%20The%20Lioness.mp3
SPAIN – El Blog De La Nadadora http://lanadadora.blogspot.comBedroom – Japanese Girl www.myspace.com/bdrm"
Even in Spain there are still lots of people who don’t know the powerful secret that Bedroom hides. Folk, torch-songs and traditional music join together around the presence of Bert, the engine behind Bedroom. His debut album LaCasaDinsLaCasa surprised us last year – now it’s your turn to listen to Japanese Girl and discover why.
www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/5/2212489/09%20japanese%20girl.mp3
SWEDEN – Swedesplease www.swedesplease.netTwo White Horses – Good Times Are Gone Forever www.myspace.com/2whitehorses
Good Times Are Gone Forever by the brother/sister duo Two White Horses may be about growing up and realizing childhood is over, but it’s hard not to think about the song more in the context of our present global meltdown. I love Lovissa’s voice on this track as well as the fuzzy chug-chug guitar.
www.swedesplease.net/music/Good_Times_Are_Gone_Forever.mp3
This was useful before when it was limited to a handful of countries.
SvaraEyðaNow that it is so large, I won't be bothered to read it. Who cares about music from Peru or Mexico or Korea except the people who live there?
Norway and Sweden are popular because they adopted an international or American style and sing in English.
Guess I'll go back to just reading blogs from the countries with decent music.