Another monthly installment of the listening party where 38 of our blog pals from around the globe drop by to let us in on the best new tunes. Apart from our pick for September (Bad Dreems), definitely also recommend checking out the offerings from Iceland, Russia and Turkey.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the whole 38-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Sobrenadar – 1859
Born in Chaco, Paula García relocated to Buenos Aires for the first time in 2006 to study music production. Since then, coming and going between Chaco and the capital, she adopted the Sobrenadar identity, developing it through two LPs and three EPs, self-released digitally. 1859 is her latest album, and the highest point of that constant evolution. Released through Bandcamp during the first half of this year, it has already obtained several reviews that name her as one of the most promising new local electronica artists. The song 1859 is a bonus track from a special reissue by Mamushka Dogs Records.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Bad Dreems – Too Old
Any of our overseas friends who are fans of The Twerps, do tune in. Adelaide four-piece Bad Dreems are one of the best Australian bands at the moment (in our humble opinion). Too Old is about a fizzling relationship, with a nod to the humdrum routine somewhere in between. Its delivery is anything but boring, though. Loose treble riffs, vocalist Ben Marwe’s casual drone and arguably the catchiest hook being passed around all make this track so great. If only everyone else took a cue from these guys and stopped trying so hard to sound good. Downer-pop at its best.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Dust Covered Carpet – Fragile Soul / Heavy Heart
“A rooftop above concrete or a cliff above the shore or an accident on the street.” The first lines of Fragile Soul / Heavy Heart set the tone for the rest of this strangely calm, reduced and peaceful song that is, after all, about suicide. It is no surprise, then, that Dust Covered Carpet are based in a city with a well-known affinity for all things morbid: Vienna.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Dibigode – Mariposa (A Lagartixa E O Urubu)
Dibigode is a creative band formed by five young multi-instrumentists who make post-rock music full of melodic lines and dynamic sounds. This version of Mariposa (A Lagartixa E O Urubu) is part of the new remastered version of their debut album, Naturais E Idênticos Ao Natural De Pimentas Da Jamaica E Preta, available for free download at the band’s website.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Evening Hymns – Arrows
On his second album as Evening Hymns, Jonas Bonnetta has made public his very private and personal response to his father’s passing. There are moments of sentimentality and sweetness, and there are times when raw nerves are exposed, stinging with pain and heartache. Arrows is a touching, haunting song about the ghosts that linger long after a loved one has passed away.

CHILE: Super 45
Ases Falsos – La Sinceridad Del Cosmos
Ases Falsos present their debut album Juventud Americana (Arca Discos), a collection of songs that refer to the Latin American ideology yet manage to sound contemporary at the same time. The classy use of synthesizers, the meticulous vocal harmonies and the melodic wrapping are, along with irony-filled lyrics but with a strong political and social meaning, the highlights of this work. Our pick is La Sinceridad Del Cosmos (“The sincerity of the cosmos”), a song that questions police brutality… from an animal’s point of view.

CHINA: Wooozy
Baby Formula – Warm Song
Baby Formula, currently the only shoegaze band in Beijing who plays dream pop live, are formed by an artist who dedicates himself to being a loser, a senior who doesn’t know where to get a master’s degree and a writer who hasn’t sold any piece of work yet. Their music is influenced by a wide range of bands from Slowdive to The Radio Dept.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Bomba Estéreo – Pa’ Respirar
After four years of waiting, electro-cumbia group Bomba Estéreo returns with a more reflective album in which they explore their essence, but without forgetting their Caribbean power. Pa’ Respirar means “to breathe”, a theme that reflects the band’s new vibe, where you can feel the world they inhabit.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Indianna Dawn – I Always Miss You
There’s been a new wave of Americana and country music sweeping Denmark in the past few years (I say ‘new’ – I don’t really think there ever was one before) and one representative of this is the quintet Indianna Dawn, centered around singer and songwriter Dianna Dønns. MAP exclusive download I Always Miss You is from their great debut album Somebody’s Dead.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Duluc – La Mano Partía
From the depths of rural laments, La Casetera’s first MAP submission is all about Dominican folklore. José Duluc is part of our musical history, playing alongside iconic rock star Luis “Terror” Días for many years. His nostalgic approach to peasant work on his latest song, La Mano Partía, makes us contemplate the aspirations of the less fortunate and their longing to be generously rewarded someday.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Woodpecker Wooliams – Crow
Woodpecker Wooliams aka Brighton girl Gemma Williams is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and for once that term is true: the former midwife plays harp, kora, omnichord, keyboard, harmonium, electric organ, accordion, penny whistle, clarinet, bells, glockenspiel, electric shruti box, recorder and drums. She’s also more Björk than Beyoncé, a kookstress with a high chirrup of a voice and a back-story involving a bird obsession and a bee fetish. Don’t expect wall-to-wall cute, though. On Crow, one of several avian-related titles on her The Bird School Of Being Human album, she sings about building “a great funeral pyre” as the music becomes increasingly clanging and industrial. Prepare to be haunted long after it ends.

FINLAND: Glue
Skip Zone – Leaving Planet Boredom
Skip Zone is a six-piece folk-rock band from Helsinki that performs mid-tempo cosmic Americana songs with some outstanding vocal harmonies and catchy pop melodies. A little bit early Wilco here and a little bit Ryan Adams there create well-crafted songs. Skip Zone’s debut EP can be heard on SoundCloud in its entirety.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Aud – Violets
Aud is a folk-pop duet hailing from Nancy, heavily influenced by Patrick Watson, Sufjan Stevens, Beirut and other indie acts. Their first EP, Origami, released in 2010, brought them much success and Violets is taken from their second one, The Death Of The Stag God, released on September 14. Not only are they brilliant lyricists, but also exceptional multi-instrumentists who use guitars, drums, pianos, glockenspiel and harmonica to create a diverse spectrum of sounds and feelings.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Stabil Elite – Hydravion
Let’s conclude our series on new Kraut with this fine trio from Duesseldorf, whose debut Douze Pouze had quite an impact on German music scene. They combine the charm of monotony and repetitive patterns with distinctive lyrics reminiscent of Neue Deutsche Welle. But Stabil Elite is not just one of those retro bands – it’s mature, handmade music with a great range of originality.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Monotown – Can Deny
Monotown just finished their debut album in a collaboration with four-time Grammy-winning mixing engineer Michael Brauer. While the album’s narrative may have roots in their motherland, its sound will be equal parts American western film score and Beatles psychedelia, flavored with haunting textures reminiscent of contemporary indie-rock bands.

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