Yet another Electric Muse review from Milk Milk Lemonade: Starry Eyed: Sweet Night. Paprika (파프리카) and Nasa can be downloaded from there, and if you want to hear more the full Sweet Night from Starry-Eyed is streamable through last.fm.

Gord Sellar has reviewed one of last year's most interesting releases, the Star Wars Project Compilation 2008: Star Wars: 스타워즈 프로젝트 컴필레이션 (2008).

Personally I'm quite fond of all the songs mentioned by Gord - the R2D2 pansori in particular, and also the Skywalker song from Anakin Project which I use as alarm signal on my private mobile phone. My very favorite tracks however would have to be 내 이름은 은하의 총잡이 츄바카 from 푼돈들 and Human from 박병주. Don't miss the link at the bottom of the review for an opportunity to hear these awesome songs and more!

When I first heard of Kite Operations I was pretty obsessed with just about anything Korean coming out from Pastel Music and so extremely eager to hear this new band, featured on the Korean disc of the Pastel Music 3th Anniversary Sampler. I took a liking to A Wonder as soon as I heard it, and decided that Kite Operations was a band I just had to keep my eyes on after falling in love with the amazing Effervesence. The years have passed and the sound of Kite Operations evolved into something completely different, but nonetheless Kite Operations remains an interesting band. Guitarist & vocalist Joseph Kim answered a few questions on this:

Could you please start with an introduction of Kite Operations?
we are an experimental-rock band based in new york. before kite operations began, david and i had a band called theselah that made three albums between 1998 and 2002. after that band broke up, the desire to make music was still quite strong, so we rounded up some friends and carried on as kite operations. this year, we are putting out our third album festival, our first for actually, records based in chicago.

What can you tell us about the upcoming album, Festival?
i think it may be a difficult listen for some people, and even people who are fans of our previous work might not really get it. so far, we've seen some pretty polarized responses. some of our friends think it's our best music ever, while others, as politely as possible, let us know they aren't too keen on it.

the songs on Festival may sound chaotic, but actually they are pretty structured. each song has certain goal-posts that we have to execute precisely. a melodic idea, or a rhythmic idea, or some sort of event that has to be synchronized with the other members. at the same time though, the songs allow for free improvisation within certain sections. a lot of these ideas came from our interest and love of free-jazz. particularly the late-era recordings of john coltrane.

The Kite Operations sound now and that from Dandelion Days four years ago are vastly different. Although some sort of transition was noticable already on Heart Attacks, Back to Back the question must be asked: how did this happen?
i definitely agree that the sound is vastly different, but the change was so gradual that it actually felt natural. looking back on the previous albums, i think there have always been clues on each one as to where we were going next, although we ourselves didn't realize where that might be until we were already there.

the band has always been about deriving joy or comfort from the music that we make. over the years, our standards and tastes have changed naturally just from growing older, being open to new experiences, and taking inspiration from various things in our lives. we just follow the muse wherever it leads without much thought to maintaining consistency with things we've done in the past. but that said, one thing that seems to have been a constant is a fascination with noise and how to control it and use it almost like another instrument. we still look back on our older work with fondness and plan to bring back some of it into our live performances.

In which regions of the world can we expect promotional activities from Kite Operations this time around?
the band has taken us to many places we might not have visited otherwise, and we are thankful for all the opportunities that we have had. i'm not sure where it will lead us this time around, but we are definitely itching to play for our friends in california, and of course, in korea, which was hands-down the most amazing tour experience for us so far!

---

If you want to learn more on Kite Operations' tour experience in Korea, check out the tour diary at koreanpop.org!


And something more about Festival, which will get released on November 3: the band was so kind as to send me a copy a few weeks ago so I've already had a few listens to it. Though I had been warned in advance that I might not like it I was not the least bit prepared for the challenge my ears were met by - the once so lovely band with the occasional estranged guitar sounds had now created some kind of post-noise album. Now, with a bit of effort I have successfully managed to enjoy some noisy stuff in the past, but if there's one thing I simply can not stand to listen to it's free-jazz. Yet here I had to deal with both at the same time!

Fortunately the kind Joe set me up with an explanation to the whole thing and when I gave the album another go this past weekend it did have a much greater appeal. Nothing I'd keep in the background while reading, but definitely something I can listen to every now and then. Basically what I'm trying to say is that even if you don't like it at first, if you have the time and seek out a way to listen that suits you it could prove quite rewarding.

As an example, here's a new favorite music video of mine:

And if you liked Dasepo, you can download it here!

Hear more from Kite Operations at MySpace or last.fm.

Another new review from Milk Milk Lemonade, this time offering mp3s for A Way to Get Free Champagne (비열한 거지의 거부할 수 없는 한마디) and Sokdak Sokdak (속닥속담) from Orgeltanz: Orgeltanz: From The Cradle To The Grave.

New week and new top list from Bugs! I didn't get any reactions to last week's top 10 post, so the format remains for another week. Lots of new songs in the top this time!

Bugs Indie TOP10 - September 27, 2009
1. Siamese - 기억에 기억을 더해...
2. Cocore - 유체이탈 [@ club dgbd 090912]
3. Hush Creek - 타임머신
4. Playgirl - 해피매니아 [Beatball MySpace]
5. Julia Hart - 돌아와 [JH MySpace]
6. Telepathy - 넌 마치 UFO [MV]
7. Noisecat - All Together Now
8. Siamese - Runner's High
9. cheezstereo - Hello [@ salon badabie 090905]
10. Taru - Night Flying

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
29. Cryim - 사랑은 독약처럼
40. Siamese - Last Time
75. Julia Hart - 한국소녀의 겨울 [@ club [ta:] 090201]
90. Sogyumo Acacia Band - 시작된 여행 [@ OBS Culturewars]
97. Under Place - 씨발놈아

See the full top 100 list here.

Despite having been a duo since 2007, it was not until September 17 that Siamese released the first EP, Runner's High. The duo's female member was previously the vocalist of pop/rock act PB's (remember them?) whereas the guy was a member of alternative/nu metal band Crow during the We Are Crow time. A setup with plenty of potential, and judging from this week's chart they use it well.

The Jeonju based Cryim released its first digital single, called either Sweet Pop or I'm Cry (I'm not sure which...), September 22. Apparently many people misread the modern rock act's name as "crime", so the actual pronunciation [cri: m] is spelled out on the cover.

New hardcore punk act Under Place released its first single, 쿠데타의 불씨, on September 11. Can't say I understand why - whether out of admiration or mocker - but from Naver it seems like so far they are most popular among FT Island antis.

Listening through the CDs from my latest mrkwang order, I realized I never mentioned Mitm here when I should've. The trio released a 4 track CD called 꽃 August 20, and it's definitely one of my favorites this time around. Being fans of Benjamin Biolay, Teenage Fanclub, The Smiths and The Libertines (or so the release info says), Mitm appear to have drawn inspiration from them all.

Here's a few YouTube clips from CONCERT in the House, uploaded last week:
- 잘될꺼야
- 푸른들판
- 사랑스런그대 (not on the CD)

New from boonga Boonga Records: 생각의 여름, or Summer of Thoughts, released a self titled album on September 24. Seems like a one man project - here he is singing 귀를 달아드리세, which is not included on the album.

wassereis continues translating interesting pieces and has now shared the news that there'll be a compilation album released with material from Yoo Hee Yeol's Sketchbook: ‘Sketchbook’ special album… Mate, Oh Ji Eun, Super Kidd singing Michael Jackson. No release date yet, but I'll let you know when I come across one.

Gord Sellar had the pleasure of watching bulnabangstarsausage club and Hwang Shin Hae Band live yesterday and has now written a most readable review of the evening, where he also addresses spectacles in Korean indie: Hwang Shin Hye Band and Bulnabang Star Sausage Club — Live at SangSang Madang

New review from Milk Milk Lemonade - this time the final Dabang Band release: Dabang Band: Last One EP. 45 and It's A Lie are offered as downloads to go with the review, and for those that wish to hear more the EP is up for full streaming on last.fm.

On a side note, I much preferred Dabang Band when Gord Sellar was still a member. Check out Got No Time if you ever come across Dabang's Product album - that's one of those songs that years later still pop up in my head every now and then. (oh, and I too did a brief review of this EP a few years back, posted here)

The people behind music blog Milk Milk Lemonade have gotten their hands on the complete Electric Muse catalog and will offer individual reviews of the artists. First out is atombook and two mp3s (All The Ways To Find Nothing and Ice Cream) were posted along with the review: Atombook: Warm Hello From The Sun. If you wish to hear more from the album - check it out on last.fm.

A tweet from Eshe the other day made me aware of the 2009 Indie Odyssey with Jang Ki Ha. Apparently the October issue of the Korean edition of fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar, in stores September 17, comes with volume 2 of a CD series that goes by the name of Collected Sounds By Chang Kiha And Harper's Bazaar. Check out the CD tracklist and an interview from the magazine with Orgeltanz in Korean here.

Tonight I came across this interesting album at Hyang Music called No.1 Song Of This Week from Gayo Top 10. At first glance maybe it doesn't seem like much, but taking a look at the tracklist there are too many familiar titles to be a coincidence. Using my beginner Korean skills I've deduced that Gayo Top 10 is a remake project group gathering members from pop punk bands Tacopy, Drive Shower, Popstore and Punk Killer, and so they remake old kpop favorites in a pop punk fashion. Being the sucker for covers that I am, here are the titles and (most likely) original artists:

01. 불티 (Jeon Young Rok [perf. w/ Kim Dong Wan from 2007])
02. 질투 (Young Turks Club [+타인 on Dream Concert 1997] <3)
03. 기분 좋은 날 (many different songs have been recorded with this name, but I'm sorta hoping this is supposed to be the Kim Wan Sun one [1989? TV performance])
04. 핑계 (Kim Gun Mo [1993 TV performance])
05. 언젠가는 (Lee Sang Eun [MV])
06. 오직 하나뿐인 그대 (Shim Shin [1991 TV performance])
07. 바람아 멈추어 다오 (Lee Ji Yun [1989 TV performance])
08. 개똥벌레 (Shin Hyung Won [somewhat recent TV performance])
09. 사랑할거야 (ought to be a new take on Baekdoosan's song with the same name from 1992)
10. D.D.D (?)
+ Bonus track is 핑계 from above recorded together with No Brain, but there is also a hidden track called 둘리- I'm guessing that would be the Dooly Theme Song.

Listen to the Gayo Top 10 demo version of 오직 하나뿐인 그대 on MySpace! If you're interested in the rest, the CD is out on September 28.

Turns out the TUNE that was added to the GMF lineup in the 4th drop is Jung Wook Jae of No Reply. His Things are beautiful and disappearing (아름다운 것과 소멸되는 것) is one of the supporter theme songs for GMF2009, and it seems he's planning to release a mini-album. More at Wannabe-Translator.

While drawing attention to the Bulssazo gig on Saturday, Shawn Despres also shared the rumor that the band in question will start recording material for a CD to be released in 2010. Looking forward to it already!

Baseball fan and former Bluedawn member The Invisible Fish has made the music for baseball documentary Flying Giants (나는 갈매기) that premiers on September 26. Check out the trailer and get a taste of the music here.

The Casker reminiscent UNIQUE-SHADOW released a single called Brown today, September 22. It's the first "Branch project" of his, and it seems the color chosen for title has something to do with being sweet like chocolate. The tracklist holds 3 titles - check out the video for 10월, 바람, 그리고 버스 on YouTube.

Apparently Clazziquai's Alex is coming out with a somewhat autobiographical book on food called Alex's Spoon. Dramabeans knows more: Alex publishes an essay collection.

New review from refresh_daemon over at Init_Music: Inbox: A.P.L.S. - Sixmini > Sexbig

The absolutely delightful Julia Hart released a digital single called 돌아와 / 한국소녀의 겨울 on September 17. As the title implies, the single holds two songs - 돌아와 and 한국소녀의 겨울 - and both songs can be sampled via MySpace. I'm so in love with that sound of classic Korean indie pop!

This week Mark Russell reminded me of Bugs Indie New Music section with the Top 100 chart and all. Seeing as I don't even have the time to post on all the new releases I do find out about, I figured it'd be nice to post the names of the top 10 or so tracks here every week (don't know when Bugs update, but Sunday is a good day for me) alongside the new names on the top 100 to get an idea of what's actually out there and popular right now. How about it? Please have a look at the format below and let me know if you have any suggestions on how to make it better. Are there any other charts I should keep an eye on?

Bugs Indie TOP10 - September 20, 2009
1. Hush Creek - 타임머신
2. Cocore - 유체이탈
3. Donawhale - 도레미 (Doremi)
4. The Pulse - It's Alright (Korean version)
5. Cheezstereo - Hello [@ Club Bbang 090309]
6. Taru - Night Flying
7. Broccoli, you too? - 이웃에 방해가 되지 않는 선에서 [@ MBC Music Travel Lalala 090722]
8. Croquis - Don't Cry (song Hwang Hyun Ah) [MV]
9. Broccoli, you too? - 앵콜요청금지 [@ MBC nanjang]
10. Epitone Project - 고백 (feat. Yi Jin Woo, Cho Ye Jin from Lucite Tokki)

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
60. Donawhale - 우주보다 좋아해 (I Love You More Than Universe)
70. IS - 나는 매일 꿈을꾼다
71. Cocore - 타이페이무중력지하철특급
72. Cocore - Hawaii
76. Feelbay - 난
100. Cheezstereo - 동물해방전선 [@ 노란코끼리 090327]

See the full top 100 list here.

Many of the song titles above come from releases previously mentioned here at Indieful ROK, but the others I feel like I need to address now:

Topping the chart for the second week in a row is Hush Creek's 타임머신 that is the main track off the rock band's second digital single with the same title, Time Machine, released September 1. The four member act, which is fronted by a female vocalist, made their debut with the digital single Fly High in October 2007.

Male rock ballad trio The Pulse (not to be confused with the one man act that released Blossom last year) released their first EP, The Homing Instinct, September 8. As the "Korean version" above implies, there is also an English version of the same to be found on the 6 track release.

Croquis too is a male trio, but with the release of digital single The First Expression August 14 they seem more geared towards pop/rock than ballads. They don't seem too keen on singing themselves though as each of the three songs on the single features a vocalist.

Not to be confused with the Infinity of Sound IS (아이에스), the IS currently on Bugs indie chart is just "is" (이즈). IS first digital single, that from the cover appears to be named IS Frist single, was released on September 10. From what I can tell this is more rock stuff, but just one guy.

And this week's biggest surprise is four member slow rock band Feelbay entering the chart with 난 at place 76. This song was featured on the band's album debut, Radio Killed The Video Star, released in 2005 and I have no clue as to what's made it somewhat popular again.

Kim Mingyu's very fine label Electric Muse has joined last.fm and now offers the entire Electric Muse catalog for full track streaming. To make it even better, there's at least one free download for just about every album. Here's the complete list of releases and available downloads:

atombook
Warm Hello From The Sun (2008)
02. Let Me Go Away
12. Warm Hello From The Sun

Dabang Band
Last One/돗대 (2007)
02. 45


Dringe Augh
Individuall Wrapped (2009)
02. Tutelar


Orgeltanz
From the Cradle to the Grave/요람에서 무덤까지 (2008)
05. A Way to Get Free Champagne/비열한 거지의 거부할 수 없는 한마디

Oyster Boys
Laughing Aah (2007)
04. Whatever You


Oyster Boys
Tiger Soul (2009)
03. I Must Love


Plastic People
Plastic People EP (2002)
-


Plastic People
Folk, Ya! (2006)
02. Airport Man and Woman/공항남녀


Plastic People
Snap (2009)
04. A day is well found in a joke/농담으로 충분한 하루


Starry-Eyed
Sweet Night (2008)
04. Paprika/파프리카


Vidulgi OoyoO
aero (2008)
06. Even Freedom


Should you after downloading and listening to these songs feel that streaming is not good enough to hear the rest yet you can't stand to wait for a CD to arrive, these releases should all be available via iTunes.

Today 1 night 2 days fansubs updated with a lengthy translated interview with Hot Potato's Kim C from The Hankyoreh. There's some human rights, lots of music, and a bit of baseball: Light and Easy, Human Rights through Music.

Dahee Fanel has brought out the "K-Music Spotlight" for her Plastic Castle again, and this time it's on The Black Skirts: [K-Music Spotlight] The Black Skirts. Videos and translated sample lyrics awaits you!

The wonderful O So Young is back! And this time not just supporting somebody else, but with a new full length album of her own! The album, a Tempo, will be released on September 24 - more than 8 years after the lovely album debut 기억상실. Judging from all the samples at Hyang the second album will be just as lovely with the folk/pop style she's got going. 10 of the tracks seem new to me, and then there's 숲 that was first released on the Project 4 Dream compilation of 2003. Here's 숲 - the way it sounded back then.

Taking a quick look at Soribada the other day, I found that singer/songwriter Hermin has released a new album. The title is Blossom and apparently it's been out since September 11. Lots of short samples here, including a Demicat remix of new song 시간이 지나면 (that can be sampled in its entirety at Demicat's MySpace). And here's a bunch of music videos: My Little Cat : 고양이버스 : 봄이 오면 (Inst.). The album doesn't seem to be available on CD yet though - at least not in Korea. Trying to dig up more information I ended up at Old House where Blossom can be found among the CD releases with the date September 5 in the album info.
Update 090922: Turns out the album was released on CD in Korea September 19!


Turns out Blossom isn't all that Old House has to offer from Hermin. August 1 (or so I think), a Japanese album called Arigato was released. The tracklist seems to consist primarily of songs previously (or recently) released in Korea, but there could very well be a bunch of new songs on there as well.


And turns out Hermin isn't all that Old House has to offer when it comes to Korean music. December 15 last year, Peppertones released an album called Hello, World! gathering 9 of their finest songs from previous Korean releases for a Japanese audience.

refresh_daemon just posted a review of reggae band Windy City's album debut from 2005, Love Record, on his new music blog Init_Music: Inbox: Windy City - Love Record

Rockabilly act The Moonshiners will release its first full length album, 冒險狂白書 (모험광백서), on September 24. The 2CD effort contains a total of 30 tracks, including all songs from the 2007 EP Uprising. Here's the 2007 music video for 한밤의 히치하이커: The Moonshiners - 한밤의 히치하이커. That song and three more can currently be sampled from MySpace. Lee Kyu Young has a nice looking version of the tracklist and a video to go with it.

The release party for Apollo 18's The Blue Album is held tonight, September 19, and Shawn Despres offer some info on it at Korea Gig Guide - turns out some lucky visitors will be getting t-shirts, EPs, and "hand-numbered three-track demos". Really curious about that demo here...

With the release of the music video for 넌 마치 U.F.O one of the biggest Kpop blogs has gotten its eyes on new wavers Telepathy: New male group, “Telepathy” debut their single, “UFO” (allkpop). Check out the video yourself on YouTube - seems they've changed the sound a bit since MySpace, and I really do hope the album contains a bit of that older style too.

Do you remember female pop act Key's Piano? Going under her own name, Younee, her music is now a bit jazzier and she's made it to London. There she will relaunch her 2008 album True To You and also do an autumn tour starting in October. London Korean Links has the press release and has also had the opportunity to interview her: Younee and the British Invasion. Hear what Younee sounds like nowadays on MySpace.

And for a third post right away relating to translations, mid-July a LiveJournal community focusing on translations of lyrics for Korean underground music was launched: Lyrical Movement. Not so much posted right away, but since a week or so into September more than 50 translations have been added. Oh, and they take requests too.

Another couple of translations from wassereis found on Wannabe-Translator includes interesting interviews:

- Model/actor Kim Jae Wook talks to Mintpaper about his musical background and his band Walrus that I've been secretly looking forward to see at GMF: GMF2009 Festival Guy Kim Jae Wook to perform with his band 'Walrus'

- Mintpaper interview with all of The Pony where they talk about how they achieved their updated awesome rock sound: Interview with The Pony

Happy Robot's pop duo No Reply will release the "second title track" of first album Road as a digital single. The title is 끝나지 않은 노래 and the official release date September 28. wassereis has more details posted at Wannabe-Translator, including that there'll also be a new song called 낡은 배낭을 메고 on the single.

Thanks too Shawn Despres, the September issue of Groove Korea has a great article on Apollo 18. I'd recommend you to read all of it, but some of it was so exciting I need to share it here: Already with an EP and a full length album released this year, a new album is planned for December - this time they'll go back to the post-rock awesomeness of the EP debut (which might just be the best release of 2009 so far). Read the article here.

Cocore's 5th full length album, Relax got a review in The Korea Times yesterday. Read here.

The Music Alliance Pact is back and once again the roster has been updated - Mexico's Club Fonograma has now been replaced by Red Bull PanameriKa, whereas both Colombia and Turkey are new to MAP.

Representing Korea this month are no others than Plastic People! Their Snap is an altogether lovely album and it was impossible to choose a song that could fully represent it. Hence after downloading 흑백사진 below I'd strongly advice you to check out some of the other songs on MySpace to make sure to hear other sides of their awesomeness. While listening you can read Indieful ROK's mini interview with the duo, or download a couple of songs from the twee-ish Merry-go-round that Plastic People's Kim Mingyu used to be in here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Matilda - Vanidad
Matilda is an electro-pop duo based in Rosario (one of Argentina's largest cities), consisting of Juan Manuel Godoy and Ignacio Espumado. Vanidad is the opening track from Para Ser Movimiento, their second album, which was recently praised by Mexican pop star Julieta Venegas on her Twitter page. It was released by the Planeta X label in a physical format and as a free Creative Commons licensed download.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Deep Sea Arcade - Don't Be Sorry
One of the more exciting new bands to come out of Sydney in the past couple of years, Deep Sea Arcade is blessed with a very captivating frontman in Nic McKenzie, who genuinely loses himself in every song they play. Don't Be Sorry is the single they're currently touring but the live shows indicate there's a lot more to come from this Sydney five piece. One to put on your watchlist.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Cidadão Instigado - Doido
Acclaimed by critics, Cidadão Instigado's third album UHUUU! is probably one of the three best Brazilian records of 2009. Their sound is a mixture of vintage 'brega', 70s rock and avant garde. The band is one of the most creative of the contemporary music made in the country and (besides its experimental and complex songs) has a growing fanbase. Doido, which means "crazy", is a bit reminiscent of John Frusciante's solo work with lyrics about paranoid hallucinations.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Dan Mangan - Robots
Robots isn't a complex song, but it more than makes up for that by being insanely, incredibly catchy. I'd challenge people to hear it and not walk around with the closing chorus ("Robots need love too / They want to be loved by you") in their head for days afterward... except I'm pretty sure it can't be done.

CHILE: Super 45
Picnic Kibun - Drop Your Panties
If we could define Picnic Kibun in just one word, it would be "party". A party in which a crazy Japanese sings about women getting rid of their underwear, where a couple of electronic musicians start rapping out of the blue and where a bass player with a surfer look makes rock songs. Fiebre Tagadá is the name of their first album and, just like the band, it's a wild party in which you can dance and get drunk.

CHINA: Wooozy
Tang Qie Nong - I Want To Go Through Your Body
In the summer of 2008, the experimental duo Tang Qie Nong was founded by Fangqi and Tangguo in Guangzhou. The single I Want To Go Through Your Body from their self-titled EP is about the long-cherished ambition of a person who faces death. He wants to go back to the origins and purity, but you must be careful what you wish for.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Jhonblack - Sola Solita
Hailing from Pereira, Jhonblack is seducing women with his sexy music. His offer is based in electric sounds mixed with hip hop, R'n'B and pop music without forgetting his Pacific roots, to which he is adding a little bit of jazz and soul to create fresh and innovative sounds. Sola Solita is one of his most melodic songs and shows why he is known as one of the greatest urban music artists in Colombia.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Slaraffenland - That Great Love Sound (The Raveonettes cover)
This year, legendary Danish label Crunchy Frog - the first home of The Raveonettes among others - celebrate their 15th anniversary. To commemorate the landmark they asked 25 Danish non-Crunchy artists to interpret 25 songs by Crunchy artists and released the results on the double album Saluting The Crunchy Frog-a-logue. Here's Slaraffenland's excellent cover of The Raveonettes' That Great Love Sound.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Beth Jeans Houghton - Golden
Beth Jeans Houghton is a glam folk pixie who injects her sweet acoustic songs with a high-grade dose of pure pop. She has killer tunes, energy, a curious taste in wigs and a certain boldness that's only natural given her Newcastle roots. She rules. She has a new EP coming out this month where "all of of the songs are about a guy who looks like Roger Daltrey circa the deaf, dumb and blind kid days. Apart from I Will Return, which is about Wilson the football floating away from Tom Hanks in Castaway". Golden isn't from that EP but it's still great.

FINLAND: Glue
Keramick & Lobo - Brown-Eyed Susan
Producers Jussi Mikkonen and Visa Mäkinen, aka Keramick & Lobo, combine their downbeat electronic layers with a wide array of musicians for a perfect blend of machines and real instruments on their new album The Braille. Nineteen artists, including singers Eeppi Ursin and Teemu Tanner, participate on the duo's compositions and provide a smooth jazz beat with violins, trumpet, saxophone, percussion and a few other instruments. Brown-Eyed Susan is a dark and intriguing track, a real film noir piece of music.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Caravan Palace - La Caravane
Three sequence programmers - Charles Delaporte, Arnaud Via and Hugues Payen - with a love of electronic music and swing jazz, together with Toustou, Zoé and Chapi make one hell of a band. They will soon be heard at the famous Paris Olympia - proof that Caravan Palace are becoming rather popular.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Me Succeeds - My Main Discipline
This Hamburg-based trio is quite Janus-esque since they combine gentle melodies and preppy non-parallel vocals with a highly energetic synth-bass. That might sounds like normal indie-electro but both pillars stand on their own to create a quite unique sound.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Diafana Krina - Agnos
Diafana Krina is possibly the most brilliant and idiosyncratic band to emerge from Greece in the early 90s. Agnos is taken from Ki Agapi Pali Tha Kalei, an incandescent guitar-oriented album with superb, dark, poetic and heart-bruising lyrics. Long, swelling arrangements are organized cosily around Thanos Anestopoulos' weathered baritone with blankets of keyboard and jarring bursts of exploding drums. Each song blends pure emotion and is expertly crafted, with an amazingly punchy set of melodies delivered by an extremely tight band. Unfortunately, after six records, Diafana Krina disbanded in June 2009.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Reykjavík! - Æji, Plís
Reykjavík! is a raw rock band in which most members originate not from Reykjavík but Ísafjörður, the capital of the Westfjords. This is one of the loudest Icelandic bands, a collective of philosophy majors, shopmongers and social workers, with an exclamation mark partly as a reference to the vast amount of hyperbole Iceland's capital receives. Æji, Plís is taken from their second album, The Blood. The song features a surf-rock guitar riff, rhythmic bass, kick-drum percussion and Bóas' vocals fluctuating between grunting, chanting and falsetto.

INDIA: Indiecision
Swarathma - Jamba
Swarathma plays honest, unpretentious folk-rock. This hardworking act from Bangalore was recently given the chance to record with renowned British producer John Leckie (The Stone Roses, Radiohead) and play a mini-tour of the UK. Jamba (meaning "pride") comes from a compilation album produced by Leckie featuring Swarathma and a few other top new Indian acts. Sung entirely in Kannada, the song, like the band, finds its roots in Carnatic music and combines these sensibilities with orchestral pop trappings to create something that's more a new direction than a middle path.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Koil - Aku Lupa Aku Luka
Koil are one of the greatest rock bands in Indonesia, their songs and style influenced by the industrial/darkwave/gothic/metal scene, with lyrics that tell stories about spiritual journeys, nationalism or just personal things which are easy to relate to yet have a deeper meaning.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Nakatomi Towers - Cut Me Out
This is the first real tune from Belfast-based boy/girl duo Nakatomi Towers and what a cool beast of electro-pop it turns out to be. From the "duh-duh-duh" nonsensical yet catchy chorus to the insistent disco bassline, this is promising stuff for all 2 minutes 47 seconds of its duration.

ITALY: Polaroid
Giardini di Mirò - La Vampa 02
Giardini di Mirò is the one of the most important bands in the Italian indie scene. Formed in 1998, notable acts they have toured with include Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Karate, and they have been remixed by Styrofoam and Dntel among others. Their new album is an amazing soundtrack for Il Fuoco, a silent movie from 1915 directed by Giovanni Pastrone. La Vampa 02 ("The Fire") is the second part of the central chapter, when the two lovers surrender to passion and their love burns away.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
nhhmbase - 9/8
The latest offering from the Tokyo underground scene is nhhmbase (pronounced "ne-han base"). Formed in 2004, they have complex music frameworks with irregular beats and dramatic code which makes their sound innovative and pop. They have already opened for many foreign acts such as Deerhoof, Tyondai Braxton (Battles) and The Eternals in Japan.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Menuda Coincidencia - Sin Enganche
Hailing from Monterrey, Menuda Coincidencia is a 'rap en Español' trio that made feature appearances on records from some of the genre's top figures - such as Bocafloja and Akil Ammar - before a long overdue but excellent debut EP, Ai Con Permisito. Lead single Sin Enganche is full of crazy and juicy, jumpy jazz hooks with playful swing samples that sustain an existentialist manifesto, ambiguous yet intelligently expressed by its two MCs.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Jordan Reyne - The Proximity Of Death (Blue Eyed Boy)
The Proximity Of Death is taken from Jordan Reyne's fifth album How The Dead Live. A musician who has combined folk, electronica, soundscapes and industrial, Reyne has gained a strong following in the darkwave scene. How The Dead Live is her most contemplative work. The album was commissioned by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and was written in an artist in residence programme. The album fictionalises the life of an actual pioneer woman Susannah Hawes adding history as a character. Reyne has announced this will be her last album.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Sirkus Bjøver - Heavy Metal
The song is called Heavy Metal, but it's as far away from heavy and metal as you can get. This is nice, happy and friendly pop music with a big heart. The members of the duo, Vegard Markhus and Bjørnar Sangolt, grew up as neighbours in a forest in western Norway. They held regular circus shows for their families as kids and called their performances "Sirkus Bjøver". Now, 15 years later, the two have become neighbours in Bergen, and the old circus is revitalized as a band.

PERU: SoTB
Plug-Plug - Tambores
The sound of Plug-Plug falls outside any conventional tag. Some people call them garage, others hardcore - the truth is that when you hear any description it is never enough. Plug-Plug makes acid songs which sometimes sound melancholic, but this band from Lima is more than a style, they're a mixture of sensations.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Iconoclasts - Anything Will Do
Iconoclasts are a six-piece from Lisbon with Diogo and Pipa singing and screaming (not at the same time), Pedro doing freaky dances while playing bass, Ricardo hammering away on the drums like his life depends on it, Vitor playing guitar while pounding on every effects pedal imaginable, and Sérgio doing the same with every annoying thing he lays his hands on. They have a debut EP freely downloadable from here.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Sunday People - Win Your Face Back
The story of this particular band is not what you might call ordinary. It all started in the bedroom of very young Abu Dhabi-born brothers Sultan and Hasan. As they grew older, the bedroom became a recording studio where their dreams, influences and ideas were born. Two actors/musicians joined them later - Cristi Rigman (drums) and Ana Ularu (vocals) - and they found their sound: a mixture of riot, love and intensity.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
The Xcerts - Crisis In The Slow Lane
The Xcerts are the real deal - a rock band who come fully formed with an album of songs to believe in and a pop sensibility that will, at the very least, have you air-drumming to their choruses. Crisis In The Slow Lane perfectly sums up what they and their debut album In The Cold Wind We Smile are all about - every dial is set to 'epic' as it gradually builds to a soaring conclusion. If you're a fan of Biffy Clyro, or good music in general, you'll love The Xcerts.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
MUON - Cylons Dream Of Electric Sheep
Can cold, heartless, surgical machines ever have souls? Well, experimental dark electronica group MUON thinks they can. If the computer is dreaming inside, it dreams in ones and zeros, harsh squelches and inane beeps, each a little exegesis looking for proof of life. MUON have put together a creepy Frankenstein of deeply resonating drum loops, bleating sheep and what could pass as the theme from the Zelda videogame.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Jax Panik - Talking To Myself
A crazy, outrageous mix of electro-pop and a dash of rock 'n' roll is what Jax Panik's music is all about. He started out as an 'online only' artist but the success generated from his activity soon led to a full-length album release. The album was named Cigarettes And Cinnamon from which Talking To Myself is taken. The song artfully showcases Jax's winning formula which consists of catchy beats, meticulous production and lyrics that reveal a slightly dark edge upon closer listen. With a new album out in March, Jax Panik is set to become an even bigger hit, both locally and abroad.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Plastic People - B/W Picture
Folk-rock duo Plastic People has been around for many years, all the while successfully trying out various musical directions. On their most recent album Snap, released in July, the selection of songs is more diverse than ever with modern folk, some rock tracks, a bit of psyche-pop and C86-inspired twee. Choosing just one song when they're all amazing in their own way proved a difficult task, but it had to be done so here's the captivating slow-paced rock piece B/W Picture that inspired the snap-shot theme of the album.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Vikta Fåglar - Walk Along
Vikta Fåglar literally means "folded birds" in English. Loosely, I think it translates into the term origami. Musically, the band combines elements of the Swedish folk tradition with some classical and even experimental noise - such as when the cymbals come crashing in towards the end of Walk Along.

TURKEY: Reset!
Solardip - Paralyze Me
Solardip is an electro-indie three-piece formed in Istanbul. After a couple of years successfully performing on the local scene, the band has just released their first EP, Dip Inside, and are about to make a big comeback with their new sound and concept. Solardip, often compared to The Presets, offers laser-like synths, danceable tunes and arousing vocals.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Holiday Shores - Phones Don't Feud
Holiday Shores, Twosyllable Records' latest discovery, continue to diversify the label's output by creating equally messy and melodic indie rock that's about as addictive as anything else of the same vein coming out this year. Their new album Columbus'd The Whim is available for consumption - sink your teeth in before the hipsters do.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto Musical
Nana Cadavieco - No Hay
Nana Cadavieco is a young Venezuelan singer full of energy and hype, which she reflects in each and every one of her performances. Exposé, her latest record, is undeniably influenced by rock, pop, indie and disco-punk and a few world music and electronic elements. Nana says of the song, No Hay: "It portrays a human reality, very close to Latin America. The message I want to send with it is the process I went through with my new CD. After all, I still smile, albeit with a little sarcasm."

To download all 33 songs in one file click here