A final collection of reviews before moving on to a new month!


refresh_daemon has posted another review on an Oh Ji Eun album, accompanied by a fine selection of videos. This time it's her second: Inbox: 오지은 - 지은

Another couple of second full length albums recently reviewed by refresh_daemon are those of EZ Hyoung and Swallow:
- Inbox: EZ Hyoung - Spectrum
- Inbox: Swallow - Aresco


refresh_daemon has also expressed his love for the first full length album from experimental artist itta: Inbox: Itta - 11. I'm very fond of the album myself and was lucky enough to have itta answer some questions for me on the album and other things a few years back, so if you'd like to learn more I'd suggest heading over to London Korean Links. Don't forget that itta will be coming to the US in April for a tour as one half of 10!



Chris Park, on the other hand, has taken a liking to the award winning rock band Guckkasten's debut album, but is less keen on the one from singer/songwriter Heo:
- 국카스텐 (Guckkasten) – Self-Titled Review
- 해오 – Lightgoldenrodyellow Review

The winners of the seventh Korean Music Awards were announced during an event today, March 30. More updates on this are likely to follow, but for now - via Newsen - here's the full list:

Album of the Year: Seoul Electric Band 《Life Is Strange》
Song of the Year: Girls' Generation 〈Gee〉《Gee》
Musician of the Year: Seoul Electric Band 《Life Is Strange》
Rookie of the Year: Guckkasten 《Guckkasten》, Apollo 18 《The Blue Album》

Rock album: Seoul Electric Band 《Life Is Strange》
Rock song: Guckkasten 〈거울〉《Guckkasten》
Modern rock album: The Black Skirts 《201》
Modern rock song: Broccoli, you too? 〈보편적인 노래〉《보편적인 노래》
Pop album; Lee Sora 《7th》
Pop song: Lee Sora 〈Track 8〉《7th》
Dance & Electronic album: Brown Eyed Girls 《Sound-G》
Dance & Electronic song: Brown Eyed Girls 〈Abracadabra〉《Sound-G》
Rap & Hip Hop album: Drunken Tiger 《Feel gHood Muzik: The 8th Wonder》
Rap & Hip Hop song: San E 〈Rap Genius〉《Collage 2 (VA)》
R&B Soul album: Ra.D 《Real Collabo》
R&B Soul song: Jung Yup 〈You Are My Lady〉《Thinking Back On Me》
Jazz album: Youngjoo Song 《Love Never Fails》
Crossover album: Park Joo Won 《집시의 시간]》
Jazz & Crossover performance: Check Kim & Jaeil Jung 《The Methodologies》
Film & TV Music: Byeongwoo Lee 《Mother (마더)》

Netizen's Choice, male artist: Jung Yup
Netizen's Choice, female artist: Baek Ji Young
Netizen's Choice, group: Girls' Generation

Committee's Choice: Sim Seong Rak
Special merit price: Jo Dongjin

Another week has passed and it seems the members of Indieful ROK's last.fm group still listen to roughly the same artists as they did the past few weeks. Check out the top 10 below together with the songs from each artist that last.fm users have listened to the most over the past 7 days.

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 12, 2010
1. Loveholic (+2) [Sad Story YT audio]
2. W&Whale (re) [High School Sensation MV]
3. Casker (re) [Skip YT audio]
4. Nell (-2) [Separation Anxiety YT audio]
5. Adultchild (re) [Sad Thing :Coffee Prince excerpt]
6. Humming Urban Stereo (-1) [Luv Sauce :Audition MV]
7. Taru (-3) [연애의 방식 in studio]
8. Donawhale (+2) [Running YT audio]
9. Jaurim (-8) [Carnival Amour MV]
10. My Aunt Mary (re) [Sweet (no link)]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

Half a week late, but here it is: the latest indie music chart from Bugs.

Bugs Indie TOP10 - March 25, 2010
1. Misty Blue - 기억은 겨울보다 차갑다
2. Fin - YES [MV]
3. The Rocktigers - Cry Baby [MySpace]
4. Goldrush - My History
5. Moonlight Nymph - 축배
6. Sorri - 그럼 그렇지 [MV]
7. The Black Skirts - Dientes [old version MV]
8. Siberian Husky - 안녕, 레옹 [MV]
9. Broccoli, you too? - 앵콜요청금지 [@ MBC nanjang]
10. Nell - Stay [MV]

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
13. The Black Skirts - 좋아해줘 [old verion MV]
14. The Black Skirts - I Like Watching You Go [@ Ruby Salon]
31. Lucid Fall - 봄눈
41. Misty Blue - 슈게이저
43. Misty Blue - 망각 (Obliviate)
46. Sorri - 짜릿한 입맞춤 (feat. Lee Han Choul) [@ GMF 2009]
70. Sweet Salt - 인생은 아름다워 [electric guitar part]
83. The Rocktigers - Kimchibilly
87. The Rocktigers - 봄날 (Spring Days) [MySpace]

See the full top 100 list here.

"The pioneers of Korean rockabilliy", The Rocktigers, is back with their third full length album: Rock'n'Roll License. Released in Japan already in January, Korea had to wait till March 18 to before it became available on CD. New tracks Rockabilly Heaven, Cry Baby, 봄날 (Spring Days) and 날 붙잡아 (Flash back) can all be sampled from MySpace.

4 member strong "melody power rock" act Goldrush debuted with single Star★ing in June 2007. Seven months later they had released two singles more - I Don't Know You and How Do You Feel? - and later into 2008 they were featured on the first Show Down album together with a similar sounding favorite of mine, airbag. The singles are all sold out by now, but October 5 2009 Goldrush returned with a self-titled full length album. The album in question got a digital release on March 17

With soft, but not timid, female vocals backed by not only the usual set of instruments but also bodhrán, djembe and cajón, Sweet Salt released their first single in July last year. Since March 2 the second single, 인생은 아름다워, is out and it seems the range of drums used has now grown to include konga & bongo drums as well as udu and pandeiro.

I usually turn to Hyang Music to learn about upcoming releases, but every now and then information of that kind reaches me through my feed reader.


1 night 2 days fansubs share some details on Hot Potato's IST - "imaginary sound track" - for Seesaw (시소): Hot Potato’s 시소 (Seesaw). They also point to a teaser for the movie itself: Seesaw Movie teaser. The CD will be out on March 30.


Indie rock band Cheezstereo too will have a CD out on March 30, according to boonga Boonga Records. It's an EP titled 화성 로맨스, and a music video for the title track can be found on YouTube.


A few days later, April 2 to be specific, hardcore label Townhall Records will release a compilation called Our Pride, Our Scene featuring seven bands.

Violet Sweets offers some information on Naru's soon to be released second full length album, Yet: [Naru] New Infos on 2nd Album. Violet Sweets also reports that Naru will have a song on the upcoming Mint Paper compilation LIFE scheduled for release in May - a compilation that will feature songs from plenty of interesting artists, there among a new solo song from Sweater vocalist Earip: [Mintpaper] LIFE 4th Update. Further, it seems Guckkasten will have their first album re-released next week: [Guckkasten] 1st Album Re-Release

While introducing the wonderful Sagitta over at Korea Gig Gudie, Shawn Despres mentions that the folk duo will start recording for a third album this summer: The Sagitta’s One Night Trip.

All-round singer & pianist Younee, formerly known as Key's Piano, has returned to the UK for a series of gigs this spring. She tweeted a link to her tour schedule earlier today and it seems she'll be there at least until a week into May. London Korean Links has already met up with Younee for an interview and also offers a chance to win a ticket to her London gig on April 7.

After several days of failing to figure out how best to commemorate the 1000th post on Indieful ROK, I've decided it's better to give up and move on with the usual updates. The only thing I can think of right now is to once again say thank you so much for visiting, reading, commenting, making me feel like this little hobby of mine is actually something that benefits others in some way. It wouldn't be as much fun without you!

Thank you also for your patience when the blog isn't updated as often as usual. Got a busy week behind me and an even busier ahead of me, but after that I'll likely have one or a few CDs to give away - details to be posted then!

Remember the lovely bedroom electronic pop offered by I Love JH's Jiyoung Lee under the moniker Oh My Melodies? Although I Like It All was the sweet synth pop tune that first caught my attention, it was eventually the more laidback Everybody's In The Room I ended up playing the most. Just now I was happy to learn from Jiyoung that she has made a music video for the latter out of clips from "awesomely bad" movie The Room: Everybody's in the Room.

If you're following me on twitter, you may have already seen these, but in case you didn't: Since our interview, Jiyoung has had the time to star in another quirky, humorous short film directed by Dave Bonawits: A Documentary About People Who Watch Sunsets. And since a couple of weeks ago, a teaser trailer for the movie mentioned in that interview, Pleasant People, is available: Pleasant People Teaser Trailer.

Today is the 23rd of March and that means that a new favorite album of mine - National Pigeon Unity's first full length album, Empathy - has been officially released. You can read my thoughts on it after this interview with the boys and to give you an even better idea of just how good I think the album is: last.fm statistics indicate that I've already spent well over 24h listening to the album in question, and that's a number that doesn't even include time spent listening at work which is where most of my music listening happens nowadays.

While I'd argue that every single song on Empathy is great, two songs in particular have gotten some extended play on my side: the post-rock-ish 환, and the fantastic 먹이사슬 - track 7 in the album sampler that you can listen to while reading the English version of the album press release at the Estella site. The Estella site is also where to go to learn the dates for the Korea wide Estella Revolution Tour 2010 that'll bring NPU to seven different destinations in June. To hear more from Empathy, use the Estella Radio to listen to 차원의 벽, or check out the teaser music video posted on the GMC/Estella blog!

After a week's hiatus, the members of Indieful ROK's last.fm group has put Loveholic back on Indieful ROK's artist top 10 chart. Also making a return is the lovely Misty Blue, likely prompted by the recent release of the 4/4 Sentimental Painkiller EP. The songs linked below are the ones most listened to by all last.fm users over the past 7 days.

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 11, 2010
1. Jaurim (+4) [Carnival Amour MV]
2. Nell (-1) [기억을 걷는 시간 MV]
3. Loveholic (re) [Sad Story YT audio]
4. Taru (-1) [Night Flying TV live]
5. Humming Urban Stereo (+3) [Luv Sauce :Audition MV]
6. Han Hee Jung (+1) [오늘만 YT audio]
7. Epik High (+1) [Run MV]
8. Misty Blue (re) [Daisy YT audio]
9. MOT (re) [Cold Blood MV]
10. Donawhale (-1) [Running YT audio]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

A few days ago, always awesome label Estella Records finally launched a website of its own: www.estellarecords.net. Make a visit to listen to the Estella Records radio (a highly recommended activity, I might add), learn more on Estella's artists, or perhaps to grab a National Pigeon Unity or Apollo 18 desktop.

Time to make a first effort to catch up on the release updates! Here are ten releases from last month:

February 11:

Although the liner notes appear to suggest that Psychedelic Sun has been around since 2005, it was not until this year that first EP 더러운 욕망 was released. Chris Park has already reviewed the EP, which is supposed to contain a sound of 60s psychedelic rock combined with 70s glam rock and 90s grunge. For lyrics and details in Korean (including pictures) on how the Psychedelic Sun guitar sound was accomplished you can check out the official site.

February 16:

Long at last, "super ultra mega shocking dancing unique pop performance group" NoiTyPoon has released its first full length album: Disney Punk. It includes last summer's Memory single main track 너무많은 너무적은 as well as two versions of the 2007 digital single 첫사랑이 생각나는 이 밤 title track. Check out the updated music video for 첫사랑이 생각나는 이밤 on YouTube, or visit MySpace for a chance to sample 9 out of the 13 album tracks.

February 17:

"Jolly exhiarationg wicked visual rock'n roll band" Peniswitch does indeed seem pretty jolly if one is to judge the four member band from its first EP, 변기가 된 남자. Hyang Music offers samples of generous length from every song on the album: all of 애인구인 and 변기가 된 남자 and roughly 2 minutes each of the rest.

February 18:

When warm singer/songwriter Tie released his first full length album, he called it 기억의 숲에 비가 내리면 and included every song from the two preceding digital singles alongside a set of new titles. This also means that the cute music videos for 너에게 달려, 새벽소리, and 양 한 마리 양 두 마리 have now gotten company by the music video for new album track 핸드드립.

February 22:

J-rock inspired balladeer Carve has debuted with single 영원. The 6 track single holds 3 songs both with and without vocals. Get a taste of the title track over at Hyang Music.

February 23:

Supported by acoustic guitar, piano, cello, and more, pop singer EZ Hyoung has released a new special album, this one called 봄의 기적. The album includes acoustic versions of first album track Nobody Likes Me and second album track Beatles Cream Soup - the latter now featuring Yeongene. Janet found an album teaser and Hyang Music offers brief samples for both the title track and a song called Ordinary Day.

More than six years after the release of second full length album Piece of My Wish, Hey made a return with mini album Vegetable Love. The mini album brings forth four new songs, there among Living Next Door To You featuring Kim Jong Wan of Nell, three of which are also available in English versions. To hear Hey sing one of her new ballads, check out the music video for Gravity. Learn more on Hey at make-shift cartology and read a review of Vegetable Love at wakesidevision.

February 25:

"Acoustic one man band" Kang Baek Soo has released a five track CD-R called 노래, 강을 건너다. Although to add something extra to each songs, session players contributing with piano, harmonica, djembe, and cello have helped in forming a modern pop/rock sound for this recording.

Lapis Fons released an album called The Last Cradle, that I suspect to be their first. Produced by Dark Mirror Ov Tragedy vocalist M.pneuma it should offer a mix of symphonic gothic metal and classical darkwave. The limited edition of the CD comes with a special hidden track.

Female singer/songwriter Siwa has released her first full length album, 소요 (逍遙). Only 랄랄라 from the self-titled debut single released in 2007 appears to have made it onto there, and it has now gotten a music video. To get an idea of what Soyo sounds like, check out the first two album trailers or visit Hyang Music has samples for every track on the album.

Following several months without nothing, Pastel Music released a 5CD compilation called How To Fall In Love : Pastel Music Meets TV CF on March 4. As the title implies the CDs are full of music from Pastel that has been used in commercials. The tracklist holds both licensed and original Pastel artist titles including some that have not previously been released on CD: Yozoh's Sweet Step and Honey Honey Baby, both Taru and Sentimental Scenery Bling Bling songs, and a couple of Sentimental Scenery Superrunner songs.

A couple of days ago, March 18, indie sensation The Black Skirts' popular debut album, 201, was re-released in a special edition. To make it special, not only have all songs from the original release been remastered, but three bonus tracks have been added: A Korean version of Stand still from 2007; a recording of I like watching you go - a title that could also be found on My Feet Don't Touch The Ground (And I'm So Winded I Can't Sing For You Today) released under Bryan's own name last year; and a song called Fling; Fig from france. If you have somehow missed out on Bryan's catchy powerpop tracks till now, I'd suggest a visit to MySpace to hear the original 201 versions of 좋아해줘 (Like Me) and Stand still.

On March 25, there'll be more music from the lovely lovely Julia Hart as EP B gets a release. Both songs from perfect indie pop single 돌아와 / 한국소녀의 겨울 can be found on the 7 track strong tracklist. Listen to those two songs on MySpace and visit Hyang Music for a preview of new sweet song 하얀 마법 속삭임.

Not just reviews, but interviews and other things that might be of interest has shown up online recently.

Eshe has written a bit about her 10 favorite artists for Groove Korea: A Bellydancer's Guide to Seoul Indie Music

Philip Gowman of London Korean Links has finally had the chance to meet up with one of his favorite artists for an interview: A meeting with Nah Youn Sun. Much like last year, jazz songstress Youn Sun Nah is playing several dates in Europe this spring. Check out the schedule on the official website for details!

Violet Sweets offers the news that indie rock band Phonebooth will have a new guitarist when recording their second album: [Phonebooth] Guitarist leaves

Janet has added another overview to make-shift cartology: artist overview: Hey [해이]

If you understand French well enough, I'd recommend a visit to seoul.paris for what seems like a thorough piece on this month's South Korean Music Alliance Pact artist, including interesting paragraphs with information gathered during a personal encounter with 3rd Line Butterfly leader Sung Kiwan: 3rd Line Butterfly, Nine Days Or a Million.

And if Portuguese happens to be a language you're comfortable with you might like to read this translation of the 10 interview with Peppertones over at Sarangingayo: [ENTREVISTA] Banda indie Peppertones fala de seu 3º álbum

Another week has seen another round of reviews published online.



As usual Chris Park offers a fair bunch of new reviews via wakesidevision:
- 차이나 몽키 브레인 (China Monkey Brain) – Monkey Garden Review
- Daydream – A Land of April Review
- 해이 (Hey) – Vegetable Love Review
- Loveholic – Invisible Things Review
- Mellow Year – The Vane Review
- Psychedelic Sun – 더러운 욕망 Review


refresh_daemon of Init_Music too has shared his thoughts on some albums:
- Replay: Clazziquai - Instant Pig
- Inbox: Lune - Absinthe


And Janet has posted a new review over at make-shift cartology:
- Sentimental Scenery vol.1 - Harp Song + Sentimentalism


Recently Gom Pictures has seen a revival with old material re-posted. While primarily focused on movies, one of these posts is a review of one of my all time favorite EPs: Bloody Cookie – 無毒花 (Nonpoisonous Flower).

For more on awesome female rock trio Bloody Cookie, that go by Storyseller nowadays, you could read what I wrote after making my first ever interview: A meeting with Bloody Cookie.

Not that much new music on Bugs' indie chart this week, but what appears to be three splendid returns from gifted artists can all be spotted in the top 10.

Bugs Indie TOP10 - March 18, 2010
1. Fin - YES [MV]
2. Moonlight Nymph - 축배
3. Siberian Husky - 안녕, 레옹 [MV]
4. Sorri - 그럼 그렇지 [MV]
5. No Brain - 수원의 전사들이여
6. Misty Blue - 기억은 겨울보다 차갑다
7. Mono Diary - 추억이라 부르는 이름의 노래 [MV]
8. Nell - Stay [MV]
9. Broccoli, you too? - 앵콜요청금지 [@ MBC nanjang]
10. Gogoboys - 비가 내리네 [live]

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
11. Fin - 비밀산책
18. TV Yellow - Cashmere [audio]
35. Sorri - 좋아 [MV]
38. Sorri - 산책 [@ GMF 2009]
66. 3rd Line Butterfly - 스물 아홉 문득 [MV]
82. Hockee - 일요일

See the full top 100 list here.

After disappearing from the top 10 late December, mellow singer/songwriter Fin is now back with YES - title track from the digital single with the same name released March 11. Like his two previous singles, 3rd single Yes is a two track release and B side 비밀산책 too was fairly popular this week. As was some of his old songs as they've re-entered the chart on lower positions.

On March 11, singer/songwriter Sorri has made a return with her bossa nova infused music as her second full length album, Mingle, got a digital release. Five days later, March 16, the CD version was out and if the videos above are not enough, Hyang also offers a short sample for new album track Boa Tarde.

March 17 the time had come for the final part of modern pop band Misty Blue's 4 EP series, winter's 4/4 Sentimental Painkiller - 겨울은 봄의 심장. Even before release rumor had it this was the best part of the series, and comments from fans seem to indicate this is indeed the truth.

A couple of days late, but here is the most recent Indieful ROK top artist chart of the week - as determined by the listening habits of members in Indieful ROK's last.fm group. In order to also have a few samples, artists names are accompanied by a YouTube link for the song from that artists all last.fm users have listened to the most recently.

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 10, 2010
1. Nell (-) [기억을 걷는 시간 MV]
2. Peppertones (re) [Ping-Pong MV]
3. Taru (re) [Night Flying TV live]
4. W & Whale (new) [RPG Shine MV]
5. Jaurim (-) [Carnival Amour MV]
6. Epik High (re) [Run MV]
7. Han Hee Jung (re) [오늘만 YT audio]
8. Humming Urban Stereo (-2) [Luv Sauce :Audition MV]
9. Donawhale (re) [Running YT audio]
10. Casker (-8) [Cross The Roads (no link)]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

Hello again everyone! Hope you have been well.^^
To play the playlist, just hit play and video hop back and forth using the arrows on the sides of the box.
Videos older than this month will have a * next to them.



In order of appearance:

TV Yellow - Faster [MV]
From their first album, Strange Ears.

Amateur Amplifier - My Sweet Chocolate [home video]
A nice little song about delicious chocolate and different cities of the world.

DaishiDance - Planetarium [live clip]
He is finishing up a tour of release parties for his newest album, Spectacle. Performing alongside him was Oh Ji Eun among others.

Pink Elephant - Romantic Tutu [live perf.]
From their 1st EP, Mayday.

Outsider - Confined Person [MV]
I really enjoy this nerve-igniting music video. Outsider's fanbase has flourished over the last few months thanks to this song, congrats to him. ^^  His rhythmic poetic lyricism over rich and beautiful music is hard to ignore. I am so happy to finally have his 2nd album. This song is on his new mini-album, 2.5 The Outsider.

Moonlight Nymph - 절룩거리네 [MV]*
As you may have noticed earlier on, this song made an appearance on the K-Indie music charts recently.
This song is from their 1st album, Infield Fly.

Magic Hat Parade feat. Kim Jong Jin - Simply Said [MV]
The video left a lasting impression on me. This song is on Magic Hat Parade's first album, 마술모자퍼레이드.

Royal Pirates - Disappear [MV]
This band out of Fullerton, California started gaining recognition for their excellent rock K-Pop covers. They do however write their own music, and this is their first ever official MV! They are fantastic and still unsigned.

Epik High - Run [MV]
From their new album, Epilogue.

The Koxx - ACDC [live perf]
This eccentric band reminds me a bit of Hot Hot Heat, also included is their performance of Tori [live perf.]. I sadly do not have album information for this band.

NY Fish - Love Again [MV]
From his second album, Forest of Truth.

The Quiett - Be My Luv [MV]
I am pretty sure this is The Quiett's first ever MV. From his 4th album, Quiet Storm: A Night Record. According to his blog, it was filmed in New York City.

EZ Hyung - Everything [live perf.]*
Yes, EZ Hyung released his new album this month,봄의 기적 티져 (which I was lucky enough to pick up)! 'Everything' is from his 2nd album, Spectrum (picked that up too!^^). A teaser for 봄의 기적 티져 is included too [teaser]*. He performed live recently and his hair has grown quite long! Sadly I could not find any videos to post here of those performances.

Siberian Husky - 안녕, 레옹 [MV]
From their 2nd album, 네 번째 아이. Also included is their online album showcase which lets you briefly sample each track [showcase].

GogoBoys - 비가내리네 [live perf.]
This song is from their EP, Go Go Play Music.

Burning Hepburn performing at World Cup Opening Cermony in Seoul. [live perf.]

Taru - Kiss Kiss [live perf.]*
This sweet rendition of the original song by Matsuoka Hidaeki is available on the album, Hommage to Moonrise Pastelmusic Presents.

Vidulgi Ooyoo - 너의 눈으로 나를 본다 + Murmur's Room [live perf.]
Yes, this shoegazing band is still active! These songs are from their first album, Aero.

Coin Classic - If U Smile [MV]*
As profiled by Luminosity earlier this month. Also included is Claire [MV]* Both songs are on their single, If U Smile.

Heum - JJ [MV]*
This nujazz band was also brought to attention by Luminosity. This song is on their first album 흠.

Apollo18 - Discharge [live perf.]
With dance performance by Eshe(always an enchanting combination). This song is from The Red Album.

Thanks and credits go to: Anna, MardiLuminosity, koreanpride2 and all other uploaders.

As ever, your comments and feedback are welcome.

Another month with the Music Alliance Pact! This month we're joined by Israel, which means that you will now get a total of 36 songs hand picked by music bloggers from all over the world if skipping down to the end of the post to grab that zip file. If you'd rather just grab a few of the awesome tracks below, thanks to MAP founder The Pop Cop you can now stream before you download. In my opinion, this is the best MAP month yet. Check out the comments for a list of my very favorites!

Courtesy of Beatball Records, this month the act chosen to represent South Korea is 3rd Line Butterfly. I had a chance to catch the Seoul date of their Nine Days tour during my recent visit, although I can't recall actually hearing the song Nine Days played then. Either way that happens to be the song available below. It reminds me of some of my favorite songs from what was once my favorite Swedish singer/songwriter, Lars Winnerbäck, and has this quality that makes me think it'd make for a great soundtrack while driving during the night.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Modular - Femme Fatale
Listening to Modular's music is like a journey back to a time when lounge and space-age pop were present on almost every soundtrack and TV show. This track is their own rendition of the great song Femme Fatale by The Velvet Underground, taken from a recent free EP called Yoga Para Extraterrestres (which you can download from here). Don't miss Requiem Para Robert Moog, another great track from this EP.


AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Otouto - Astronauts
Exciting new trio Otouto from Melbourne have released a new single called Astronauts on their own artist collective label Two Bright Lakes. You may recognise singer Hazel Brown's voice from Whitley's song Killer. So catchy.


BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Eddie - Gafieira No Avenida
One of the founders of the mangue beat movement in northeast Brazil in the 90s, Eddie play a mixture of frevo (a kind of folk music usually related to carnival), rock and jazz. Gafieira No Avenida is taken from the band's latest album, Carnaval No Inferno ("Carnival In Hell") and highlights some of Eddie's influences, such as Fela Kuti and Lee Perry.


CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Yukon Blonde - Rather Be With You
There are all kinds of great power-pop bands from decades past that could be referenced when talking about Yukon Blonde. But you know what? As songs like Rather Be With You show, Yukon Blonde are a lot more than their influences, and it's not hard to imagine that it won't be long before future bands are referencing them as an influence.


CHILE: Super 45
Inverness - Nubes
Inverness has its heart divided between Santiago and England. The band flirts a lot with shoegaze revivalism but succeeds in avoiding a lame emulation of the sound, instead delivering a rich, lyrical world full of dreamy scenes. Their second album Illuminaciones was inspired by the far-away landscapes of southern Chile and received massive critical acceptance last year. The band faces the challenge of doing it again for the release of their next album this year.


CHINA: Wooozy
PB33 - Dance With Me
Formed in 2005, PB33 independently released their first album Disco Boys & Girls Night Out. It's about youth, happiness, love, life, friendship and party. They are a band with a punk attitude. Are you ready for them?


COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
ChocQuibTown - En Circulo (Sa Rissa)
ChocQuibTown is the most successful urban fusion group in Colombia with two Latin Grammy nominations. The band try to mix hip hop music with native sounds of the Pacific coast. Their new album Oro has just been released.


DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Bronson Brothers - Ancient Land
Pop, decadence, France and the 1960s are keywords when it comes to Clyde and Ted Bronson's musical universe. The excellent Ancient Land is taken from the duo's freshly-released debut album The Melody Bronson, the title a nod to the 1971 concept album Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg, who is also found among The Bronson Brothers' influences.


ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Stairs To Korea - All Of Your Friends
The awesome one-man band and king of the offbeat tweets, Stairs To Korea is a battery of lo-fi electronic effects, good tunes, wry lyrics and ace guitar solos. And behind his bushy beard there's a reluctant rock god edging his way out. His new single All Of Your Friends, on the excellent Brainlove Records, is another in the gradual drip-feed of fine releases which should eventually see him with one of the best singles compilations of 2012.


ESTONIA: Popop
Honey Power - Get Country
This light, fresh and melodic indie tune from four-piece Honey Power carries a real country vibe and, as an early taste of the Tartu-based band's long-anticipated second album, demonstrates good taste and an impeccable arrangement.


FINLAND: Glue
Flannelmouth - Sharp Paper
Sharp Paper gently opens Flannelmouth's second album and leads the Helsinki indie band into a collection of intense and diverse pop songs, with intelligent arrangements and a good sense of melody, underlined by the dominant voice of vocalist Tuomo Kuusi. Rather than limiting themselves to the classic four or five-piece band template, Flannelmouth draw their songs with a diverse palette including subtle sounds of ukulele, pedal steel and a variety of other instruments to build an addictive romanticism.


FRANCE: ZikNation
Saycet - Easy
Saycet is a French electronic artist made famous by his album One Day At Home in 2006. Pierre Lefeuvre, the man behind Saycet, is a daydream music specialist. His songs carry the listener away in a cocoon universe where nothing can hurt you and every little noise is a delight.


GERMANY: Blogpartei
Kissogram - Rubber And Meat
The death of German indie labels continues. This month Berlin-based Louisville closed its doors, leaving a bunch of the most influential and significant German bands on their own. One of these is Kissogram, whose last album Rubber And Meat got a lot of positive reviews. To bid a fond farewell to Louisville, we are able to present its title track exclusively. Thanks for all the music!


GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Electric Litany - February
Preferring patience and restraint over explosive blasts of atmospheric wailing, Electric Litany slowly build up tunes that glimmer with hauntingly melodic ideas and climax with rhythms that capture the traditional musical heritage of Eastern European countries. Their debut album, How To Be A Child & Win The War, offers a sonically cinematic experience that will leave you feeling both elated and emotionally drained. Gorgeous sounds are pulled from within the deepest recesses of the human soul, while vocals full of intuitive swells and fades rise over piano, synths and tremolo guitars. A work of mesmerising beauty, like a tender touch on a sad day.


ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Sometime - Heart Of Spades
Sometime, a band formed by Icelandic music veterans, puts catchy dance-infused songs on the menu. Ingredients are the strong voice of frontwoman Diva De La Rosa plus the inventive drums of TheDanni, flavoured by turntable whizzkid DJ Moonshine and manipulated by Oculus. You can taste it while listening to the single Heart Of Spades from the album Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.


INDIA: Indiecision
The Circus - FOPS
The Circus are an alternative rock act from New Delhi. The band's music is Incubus-inspired, effects-driven fuzz that makes no bones about what it is and where it finds its roots. FOPS (an abbreviation of Full On Party Scene) comes from soon-to-be-released debut album From Space. It's wholesome, angular alternative music executed without much fuss. Turn it up, get your party started.


INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Sajama Cut - Paintings/Pantings
Sajama Cut are praised for their lyrics and unusual songs arrangements, with influences ranging from Echo & The Bunnymen, The Beach Boys, Guided By Voices, R.E.M. and tons of obscure singer-songwriters. Paintings/Pantings comes from their new album Manimals, a record which has a varied approach in songwriting, with most of the lyrics taken from Marcel Thee's journal.


IRELAND: Nialler9
The Cast Of Cheers - Derp
The Cast Of Cheers came from nowhere last month and quickly became Nialler9's favourite new band. Their downloadable album (get it for free here) is a fully-formed 33-minute blast of post-punk, looping post-rock, tightly-wound songs with echoes of Battles, Foals and Death From Above 1979.


ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Orphaned Land - Sapari
Orphaned Land's latest album The Never Ending Way Of ORWarriOR is a sonic tapestry that flies a completely different path than the usual Western metal fare of Europe and the States, though there are common threads. The influence of acts such as Paradise Lost, Iron Maiden and The Beatles are evident, but Orphaned Land weave elements together that run the gamut from blacker-than-black demonic intensity to let-the-sunshine-in hippie flamboyance. The band categorizes itself as Middle Eastern progressive metal with dreams of instilling peace through their music.


ITALY: Polaroid
Heike Has The Giggles - Robot
Before you ask, the name comes from a character in an English grammar book the band used to read at high school. Heike Has The Giggles are three young kids who play sharp and dry rock 'n' roll in the vein of PJ Harvey and early Gossip. They just released Sh!, their forceful debut album, and you can't listen to it without starting to dance and play air guitar.


JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Omodaka - Kyoteizinc (Video Mix)
Known as an electro/techno artist, Soichi Terada teamed up with a few visual directors and has started the collaborative music project Omodaka. Omodaka's sound is characterized by the seamless mixture of Japanese traditional Geisha songs and electro music. Omodaka will appear live at the Japan Nite showcase at this month's SXSW and will also go on tour the US with Red Bacteria Vacuum and Okamoto's.


MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Los Macuanos - Pueblo Muerto (feat. Scout Klas)
Is there such a thing as ethno-dubstep? London's urban soundscape has been well charted by dubstep - how about Tijuana's? Los Macuanos are a duo formed by Moises "Moih" Horta and Moises Lopez, and this is their nu-electronic post-nortec mix of blurry Mexican folkloric crumbs with cyclic dubstep. Pueblo Muerto was recorded by Moih and gloomy artist Scout Klas (from Sweden via Vietnam) in his recent visit to the Red Bull Music Academy in London. The song portraits the hypnotic fumes spreading from ghost town Tijuana to the whole stratosphere.


NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam Event Guide
The Stutters - Starlight Love
Top musicians as well as first-class artists, this three-piece group have it all going for them in 2010: new songs, more gigs, screaming fans and some very fancy dancing. After the critically-acclaimed first EP back in 2008, their 2010 release Viva La Stutters has got a lot of people excited. First listens see the trio go for a slightly heavier feel than their previous singles but they still stay true to their indie-rock sensibilities, keeping it very rock 'n' roll and danceable. Make sure you catch them on their European tour scheduled for early June - we'll be at the front!


NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
An Emerald City - Seizuretron
An Emerald City's first album Circa Scaria is the stuff of legend, being recorded in a cave on a storm-swept coast. Even without that back story their music is memorable for combining a traditional rock line-up with lute, violin, tablas, violin and sitar. Their songs start off quiet then build in scale and grandeur to create huge Eastern-influenced instrumental soundscapes. Surprisingly, Circa Scaria reached the New Zealand top 40. After a few months in Berlin, An Emerald City have released Seizuretron as a taster for their forthcoming second album.


NORWAY: Eardrums
Solvor Vermeer - Final Hour
Three years ago, I stumbled upon Solvor Vermeer's music. I was amazed by the delicate and fragile beauty she managed to create with only her voice and the piano as her tools. Since then, Vermeer has developed her sound. She has a rare gift for composing and can make something really complex become catchy and accessible. On her upcoming four-track debut EP, her sound is richer and more orchestrated, with her musician friends having added strings, horns, layered vocals, glockenspiel, etc. The EP will be released this spring on her own Bloksberg Music label in partnership with UK-based Lazy Acre Records.


PERU: SoTB
Pipe Villaran - Sinnerman
When members of the band Los Fuckin Sombreros went their separate ways, Pipe Villaran began to compose new songs, preparing for what would be his new project, called Long Player. His style is still rock 'n' roll, to which he has devoted his whole life, influenced by classic rock and some blues touches. Sinnerman is a preview of the direction his new band will take when their debut record is launched in May.


PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Peltzer - A Story To Tell Me
Peltzer used to be Rui Gaio's one-man band. Today, there are more members but they continue with their electronic sound and cite the new wave movement, Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips as their influences. They have released tracks digitally and on three Portuguese compilations. A Story To Tell Me, from their new Outdated EP, is an exclusive MAP download.


ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Hot Casandra - Chroma
Hot Casandra is a new project behind which we can find Paul Ballo (the drummer of last month's featured band, Kumm). It's a personal playground, where no compromises will be made and everything will sound as wanted. The first song, Chroma, is a dark electro track with beautiful, haunting vocals.


SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Admiral Fallow - Squealing Pigs
It's hard to say what Admiral Fallow's greatest strength is. It could be the luscious melodies which burst out of their songs, or the thick Scottish brogue that defines Louis Abbott's strikingly unhurried delivery, or perhaps it's the fact they have the sort of craft and invention their peers could only dream of. MAP exclusive download Squealing Pigs whisks through the speakers with a bundle of verve and is taken from the band's forthcoming debut album Boots Met My Face, which at times sounds a lot like Elbow.


SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Sidd & His Self-Esteem - Occupation
I've been informed that the frontman of Sidd & His Self-Esteem is a nervous individual, so much so that it inspired the naming of the band. Well, if Sidd finds his solace in the sheer gregariousness of his other band members, then this must surely be a case of strength in numbers. All inhibitions seemingly fall away as they deliver brilliantly on this stellar Led Zeppelin-esque track, with confidence swelling in each instrument and the vocals deliberate and full of conviction. Occupation pays homage to lo-fi garage rock, with the mix perfectly balanced for your ears to take in everything.


SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Will Mono - Seks Vir Plesier
What Will Mono does when making music is slightly different to most - he collaborates with other artists by adding their vocals to his music. In this case Will Mono worked with Jan Joknie and Seks Vir Plesier was born. It is Afrikaans electro-pop at its best. Draw conclusions where you will with regards to the content but as for the song as a whole, it's catchy electro genius.


SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
3rd Line Butterfly - Nine Days
3rd Line Butterfly has been one of the most loved Korean indie-rock bands since 2002, when their music became known through drama series Ruler Of Your Own World. Following the release of their third album in 2004, the band went on a long hiatus, returning only late last year. Earlier this month, their out-of-print albums were re-released in remastered versions, but Nine Days is a beautiful, melancholic Americana-style folk track from new EP Nine Days Or A Million.


SPAIN: Oscuro Magazine
The Closers - Come Down
The Closers are an industrial rock band from Zaragoza similar to Nine Inch Nails or Filter. Their first work was called The End and is a preview of four songs from their forthcoming debut album. It is a very catchy and addictive work that could make a real impact beyond our borders. Come Down has touches of Primal Scream, but the powerful guitars and killer choruses are more like the best works of Trent Reznor.


SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Holy Family - Whatever There's To Know
Holy Family is an electronica trio from Göteborg. The fuzzy beats and glowering vocals on their song Meathooks remind me of some of the heavy industrial music from the late 80s and early 90s, while the lighter, more accessible sounds on Whatever There's To Know hint at a band that could expand their sound and possibly cross over.


UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Javelin - Vibrationz
Javelin are an eclectic duo currently residing in Brooklyn by way of Providence, Rhode Island. Their electronic jams have been turning heads for quite some time, yet their upcoming LP, No Mas, and tour dates with Yeasayer will catapult this funky duo to the forefront of independent acclaim.


VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Los Paranoias - No Sueltes Al Murcielago
Los Paranoias have a sound that resembles the 80s post-punk and 60s Britpop scenes. No Sueltes Al Murcielago is the second single from their album Aqui Fue, which was inspired by the troubled times our country is going through. The song is a happy rock 'n' roll tune with a contagious rhythm - a symbol of Venezuelan optimism.


To download all 36 songs in one file click here