MAP

MAP March 2014

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Our submission for the MAP March edition comes from Yon Yonson with their track ‘Culver City’. If you haven’t heard the full record, do yourself a favour and listen to the album stream, stat. Alternatively, if you like what you hear and would prefer to listen to the record set to photos of musicians in traditional Mongolian costumes trying to have it at each other, check it out Yon Yonson’s photo set from their Siberian travels on our blog.

On the subject of voyaging, if you know of any Australian bands residing in the general UK/EU region, we’d love to hear from you. Mail us – editors@whothehell.net. 

FInally, if 28kbps isn’t doing you any favours and you ain’t got time to listen to the full MAP compilation this month, our very own Robbie Ingrisano hosts the MAPCAST podcast – a quick bite of the best from this month’s MAP list. Stream/free download the podcast at our Soundcloud.

 

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 full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Plein – Madera & Fuego

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Plein started almost seven years ago as an excuse for a group of friends to gather and play their favorite songs. After several years of playing live and participating in different compilation albums, this indie-rock band from Buenos Aires released their first record in 2012, with songs recorded using a method of pre-established rules inspired by Lars von Trier’s film The Five Obstructions. Madera & Fuego is taken from their 2014 EP Número Uno.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Yon Yonson – Culver City

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Childhood friends Andrew Kuo and Nathan Saad are Yon Yonson, an experimental pop duo from Sydney. Their sound is ambitious and unpredictable – listen no further than their latest release Hypomantra to understand. As the band designed the record to be played as a continuous set, each track on the record is incredibly malleable, both in sound and score. Culver City, with its origami beat samples, is a glimpse of Yon Yonson’s standout oddities which show that this talented duo’s output is just as diverse as their intention.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
The This Many Boyfriends Club – Only Trying

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“We are a mercurial bunch,” says Casimir Frederic Coquette Kaplan, guitarist and vocalist for The This Many Boyfriends Club, since by the time you hear Only Trying, vocalist Veronica Danger Winslow-Danger will have sung her last lo-fi “dandy punk” show with the band. A new single will also be up for the offering, signalling yet another shift for this ever-evolving Montreal band. I’ll follow this club wherever they want to lead me. You will too.

CHILE: Super 45
Cóndor Jet – Igual Que Ayer

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Antonio Favero, Nicole L’Huillier and Tomás Vidal are Cóndor Jet, a trio that has refreshed the indie-rock scene in this country. They play psychedelic dream-pop, so they were a perfect fit to open for Tame Impala last October in Chile. Igual Que Ayer is taken from their debut album Anillos.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Goli – Tú y Yo

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Goli is the project of Sara Rodas, born in Medellín, who is remembered for being the singer of synth-pop group Mr. Bleat. Now Sara shows us her other side, in which we perceive something more intimate and romantic. Tú y Yo is taken from her debut album released this month. Don’t miss the limited edition handwoven version.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Shiny Darkly – Dead Stars

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This edition of MAP marks my fifth anniversary as Denmark’s representative in this great music blog alliance. It’s a special occasion so I’m happy to be able to mark it with a track from some of my all time favorites, Shiny Darkly, who will release their long-awaited (and excellent, I might add) full-length debut, Little Earth, in Denmark on March 31 and internationally on May 5. A MAP exclusive download, Dead Stars is the nine-plus minutes of awesome post-punk album closer.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Sin Fin, Realidad & Lugo Santiago – La Expropiación Legal

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Several hip-hop artists united to record a tribute album for Juan Antonio Alix (available as a free download on the link above), one of the most influential poets of the Dominican Republic and a master of “décimas”, ten-line poems that usually satirize social, political and religious themes. One of the poems, La Expropiación Legal (written in 1876), attacks communism directly, accusing the government of seizing private properties for their own benefit. Rappers Sin Fin, Realidad and Lugo Santiago add their rhyming skills to turn this song into one of the most memorable moments in the album.

 

Hit ‘read more’ for the full list.

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MAP February 2014

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As much mixed press has been riled around Sochi 2014, it’s still clear that these kind of seemingly trivial global get-togethers do have some significance in bringing people together to fight over some small coin.The Music Alliance Pact kind of works in the same way, except we’re all much less competitive – instead working damn harmoniously to bring you the best new stuff from each part of our world. Along with us, there are over 26 blogs who take part in MAP each month. All the tunes you’ll hear below are as diverse as they get.

This month, our submission on behalf of Aus is a track by Promise Land, the new project of visual artist Johann Rashid (Home Travel, Eastlink) and producer Paul Harmon. Don’t forget to listen to Robbie’s accompanying podcast for this month’s Mapcast! This month, Mapcast features an extra tune from Russia to celebrate topical Sochi, the qualifying Jamaican bobsled team (the Cool Runnings dream!) AND of course, the Russian Police Band delivering a rather illustrious version of Get Lucky’.

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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 full 26-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Jimena Lopez Chaplin – Hombre Estrella

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Jimena Lopez Chaplin is one of the finest emerging voices from the local scene in Buenos Aires. She has been a part of different musical projects, including the Varias Artistas collective formed by Lucas Marti. However, in order to fully appreciate her songwriting and musical talents, you should listen to her two solo albums, Ojos De Plástico (2009) and El Espíritu De La Golosina (2013). Hombre Estrella is a magnificent rendition of David Bowie’s Starman, with Spanish lyrics and arrangements by Jimena.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Promise Land – Recall

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Promise Land is the new project of visual artist Johann Rashid (also a member of Melbourne post-punks Eastlink) and producer Paul Harmon. Their first single Recall has just been released on Hole In The Sky, the imprint run by Modular band Canyons. The track aims to inject a bit of the occult into contemporary urban life, with deep noir production from Harmon featuring eerie vocal samples and an agitated no-wave tick. Meanwhile, Rashid delivers a slick, strained flow that’s almost closer to chanting than song.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Look Vibrant – Sweater In The Lake

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The battlefield is set: an infantry of soldiers carrying swords made of static, a volley of cotton candy-covered cannonballs and the melodic noise of instruments imploding. This is the sound of Montreal’s Look Vibrant in their element. Surrender now and face aural annihilation.

CHILE: Super 45
Jumper Joy – Calma Que No

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Jumper Joy is the moniker for musician and composer Diego Palma who, since 2013 and after being a member of El Último Dinosaurio, decided to go solo on this playful power-pop project, splattered with references to psychedelia and shoegaze. Calma Que No is taken from his second EP released in January.

Listen to the full MAP list below.

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MAP – January 2013

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MAP – the giant worldly music compilation behemoth we’ve helped chip at for 5 years has arrived again for January. Cool tunes from where your ears wouldn’t usually take you. Argentina and India’s picks are particularly impressive this month. Also, if you haven’t heard our recent MAPCAST wrap-up podcast from Robbie, scoot over to our Soundcloud.

We choose our MAP submissions by the 25th of each month. If you’re an Australian artist and think that the folks from Brazil to Iceland should hear your stuff, submissions are welcome – editors@whothehell.net.

Right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

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ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Queridas – Drama Bomb

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Andrés Yeah is the lead guitarist of Mi Nave, an up-and-coming band from Rosario’s independent music scene. Queridas is his solo project, full of songs with melancholy, reverb and shoegaze guitars. Drama Bombo is one of our favorites.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Head Clouds – Mirror’s Image

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Head Clouds are a Gold Coast band who have been busy working on their debut LP for more than a year. Mirror’s Image may be the first track we’ve heard from them but it’s definitely no wallflower. Jaykke Maddison is a less erratic version of Wild Beasts’ Hayden Thorpe; there’s hardly room for shirking away with that falsetto. A glorious trumpet crescendo and thoughtful lyricism lights up this track. A band to watch.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Boogarins – Lucifernandis

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Os Mutantes, the psychedelic tropical band from the 60s, is one of the main influences of Boogarins, besides affinities with contemporary artists such as Tame Impala and Of Montreal. Lucifernandis is the opening song of their debut album, As Plantas Que Curam, released in 2013.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Teledrome – Boyfriend

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Calgary, Alberta, best known as the home of an annual Stampede and being firmly rooted in cowboy culture, may be the last place you’d expect a synth-based power-pop-punk outfit to emerge from. But Teledrome is the latest cultural contradiction to come from Cowtown, and perhaps one of its finest. Boyfriend is a sample of the synth-laced solemnity offered up on their soon-to-be-released album.

CHILE: Super 45
Kinetica & Motivado – Hoy Quiero

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Kinetica & Motivado brings together Chilean producers Emiliana Araya and Mario Martinez. Although we have previously highlighted both projects separately, their joint work deserves its own limelight. Mixing Kinetica’s mysterious, nocturnal vocals with Motivado’s tropical beats, their collaboration gives rise to sensual, intelligent electronic music. Their first single, Hoy Quiero, was released on Chilean label Discos Pegaos.

Click below to hear the full playlist.

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MAP December 2013

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Joining the MAP pack this month from Aus are House of Laurence with their track ‘Just Don’t Move Me’. Plenty of new music action from our blog friends around the globe below, keep scrolling. Our latest MAPCAST podcast is now streaming over at FBi Radio online too.This month’s podcast is coming soon. If your patience is waning already – stream and download last month’s compilation over at our Soundcloud.

 

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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 full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Cam Beszkin – Cucharita De Manual

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We came across Cam Beszkin’s music when she was a member of Las Bailarinas Anarquistas, Mariana Bianchini’s solo band. This song is from Cam’s sophomore album Este Amor Ya No Es Para Tanto, in which her potent vocals adds up to a solid guitar and drum rock duet.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

House Of Laurence – Just Don’t Move Me

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Let’s be real – if the industry was a caste system, psychedelic/prog music would sit on the lower rung. Thankfully, we don’t fear throwback in this country. We embrace it with open arms and wild, flailing John the Baptist hair. Just Don’t Move Me is the brand new track from Melbourne band House Of Laurence. If the image of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker in a white pressed suit, struttin’ (barefoot) down the Fremantle boardwalk makes your insides feel like goo then this is dedicated to you.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Hella Comet – Tinker Boat

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The post-punk sound of four-piece Hella Comet calls for Sonic Youth comparisons, although their freshly-released second album Wild Honey, from which Tinker Boat is taken, is not afraid of pop either. Hella Comet were selected as one of 18 bands to represent this year’s focus country Austria at Europe’s most important music festival/conference Eurosonic.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Castello Branco – Necessidade

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Necessidade is taken from Castello Branco’s first album Serviço. It’s typical of the easygoing feeling he generates to make songs that speak directly to our souls.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Rebekah Higgs – Loneliness

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Rebekah Higgs’ new release Sha La La is shot through with the spirit of 60s girl groups minus the innocence and politeness of those times. Higgs gets down and dirty climbing Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. She throws classic doo-wop pop down an echo chamber and what comes out the other end is a gauzy, hazy doo-wop/drone-rock hybrid that’s utterly compelling. Loneliness has never sounded better.

 

(click after the jump for the full list of tracks…)

 

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MAP November 2013

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While we only post stuff from this small corner of the world, For those new to MAP (Music Alliance Pact), it’s that time once a month where our hormones go rioting for month new music from around the globe. Us and a whole selection of fun blog-ly types get to assert our supposed internet authority by picking the best tracks each month. It’s a compact version of Eurovision without the spandex, violence and soviet subtitles.

MAP is also available in podcast form curated each month by our very own Robbie Ingrisano. Listen to the latest edition of MAPCAST over at our Soundcloud account here.

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 full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Onda Vaga – Tataralí

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Since their inception in 2008, Onda Vaga have avoided the steps that independent artists usually take in order to be a part of the music industry. It was a wise call. Thanks to word of mouth from a public that follows them whenever they perform, this folk-rock band have become a huge success, both locally and internationally (they made quite an impression at last year’s Fuji Rock Festival in Japan). Tataralí is the first single from their recently released third album, Magma Elemental.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
La Mancha Negra – Belango Twist

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It’s easy to imagine that Belango Twist might have been found inside a dusty shoebox containing a mix of rhythm and blues cassettes somewhere in the Deep South. Surprisingly that’s far from the case. Sydney swamp-rockers La Mancha Negra (which loosely translates from Spanish to “The Black Stain”) recently delivered their second album. Packed with blues ooze and reverberated hollers, Belango Twist is a tune that’s ideal for cruising… and smashing out a few letterboxes on the way.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Robotra – Morninglight 2

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Don’t let the noisy, distorted lo-fi shell of Robotra songs trick you. This three-piece band from Graz and their pop melodies will catch your attention and make you want to sing along immediately. Morninglight 2 is taken from their full-length debut Tinker, which was mixed and mastered by Wolfgang Möstl (Mile Me Deaf, Sex Jams, Killed By 9V Batteries).

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Marcelo Jeneci – De Graça

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In Marcelo Jeneci’s new psychedelic/pop-influenced album, the single De Graça is one of the weirdest and greatest songs. Strong influences of the earliest works of Caetano Veloso and Arnaldo Antunes (with whom Jeneci still plays keyboard) can be easily heard, as well as Jeneci’s talent for making catchy melodies that create the kind of feeling when everything is just fine and you don’t worry about anything.

Click after the jump to for a full list of tracks…

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MAP October 2013

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MAP (Music Alliance Pact) – the global new music initiative we’re lucky to be a part of is back for October! It’s easy to get caught up in our little ‘scene’ happening here, but it’s really exciting to hear all the other wonderful music pursuits happening around the world.

While you’re there, make sure you check out MAPCAST,  a free podcast of Robbie’s favourite picks from this month’s list! Robbie’s whipped up this month’s podcast at a ridiculous pace – listen/download/update your playlist pronto HERE.

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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 full 29-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Juani – Déjame Entrar

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Juani’s involvement with music began during his teenage years and it hasn’t stopped since. Songwriter, singer, musician, producer, cultural manager… you name it. In between his multiple projects (one of them being involved with Rosario’s biggest independent label Planeta X), Juani managed to pull out a new solo album called La Paz Ciencia (a pun between the words “peace” and “science”), with songs that range from Argentine folk to pop and acoustic rock. Déjame Entrar is our favorite track but you can download the whole thing from the website.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
White Caves – I’ve Lost

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White Caves is the new venture from Melbourne songwriter Darren Cordeux. The former Kisschasy frontman has completely left behind the acoustic teen psyche of 2006 for a much looser sound. I’ve Lost carves a completely uplifting vibe out of sombre song content. Thanks to some clear-cut production, soaring vocals and a vibe that sounds like MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden fronting a slacker-pop band, White Caves is lending a new dimension of fun to typical ‘pop-jams’ right here.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Amere Meander – Something I Am Not

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Three kindergarten friends form a band and make pop music. Viennese Amere Meander appeared out of nowhere with songs that are sometimes dreamy and sweet, sometimes mysterious and noisy, drawing inspiration from anything from shoegaze to Fleetwood Mac. Always catchy but never unpredictable, Something I Am Not is taken from their debut album To Lead Astray.

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MAPCAST September

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Our new September MAPCAST podcast is out! The podcast features the best new tracks from around the world picked by Robbie x the Music Alliance Pact bloggers.

Download the podcast for free HERE.

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MAPCAST SEPTEMBER – TRACKLISTING

His Clancyness – ‘Zenith Diamond’ (Italy)

A Fase Rosa – ‘Casa’ (Brazil)

Mood-Fu – ‘Perros De Fu’ (Mexico)

Manor – ‘Architecture’ (Australia)

Poetrip – ‘Aşa Ceva’ (Romania)

Iván Fajardo – ‘Me Voy Dejando’ (Peru)

Worldwide Collaboration Company – Crying Launer Remix (China)

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Don’t forget to listen to all 29 tracks from our original MAP September post + visit us on Soundcloud over yonder.

 

 

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