Like everyone else, I stayed up late on Sunday to watch Felix Baumgartner attempt some heavily branded backflips from space. Someone should have thought about adding some mood music during the live stream though. Would have made the whole affair a lot more compelling and a little less awkward in case his innards did blow out into oblivion in front of his mum. If I did get to push the power button for a few tunes, this astral track by Melbourne’s Amanita would have definitely been my choice to soundtrack freefallin’ over the stratosphere.

On first listen, ‘Adwaita’ easily assigns itself to the category of other-realm bedroom chill. ‘Adwaita’ begins slowly, creeping in with a metronome-like noise gradually edging on in the distance. While the first minute kinda reminds me of the built-up/dreamy unease cooped up in any Waters/Gilmour intro, I do admit all the spacial pacing back and forth makes me a bit anxious. It’s within good measure, since the track spends the other six turbulent minutes casting a hallucinatory smog over your headspace and making you think you should probably spend more time in the great outdoors.

Phenomenal stuff from this four piece, real curious to see how this would translate live.

_____

Amanita – ‘Adwaita’

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Your October dose of world music has landed. Mansion Alaska are reppin’ Aus for this month. Also, a big ¡bienvenido! to our new MAP pals from Ecuador blog Plan Arteria. Thanking your country for temporarily housing all our Aus-born hacker-activists and providing some good tunes in advance.

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 39-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Trebian – Modernidad
Trebian is a folk trio from Buenos Aires. Their songs are acoustic-driven with wood percussion and, above it all, the beautiful voice of lead singer Sofía Galarce. Modernidad is a preview from their upcoming second album, which will be released later this year.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Mansion, Alaska – Steps
If a ‘best of’ compilation was made featuring the top American indie tunes of the last four years or so, this track would probably sum them all up. Mansion, Alaska may be channelling a sound similar to Local Natives, Grizzly Bear or even Volcano Choir’s debut at times, but comparisons aside – what an impressive track from this young Melbourne band. Steps is seamless: beautiful harmonies, flowing piano arpeggios, sharp percussion and some dreamy guitar work gravitating around stratosphere level.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
B. Fleischmann – I’m Not Ready For The Grave Yet
Working in a bookshop and on various musical projects as well as composing scores for TV series, electronica veteran Bernhard Fleischmann is a busy bee. On his new album I’m Not Ready For The Grave Yet, he uses his own voice for the first time instead of inviting guest singers. Occasionally he also adds film snippets, such as in the album’s title track.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra – Afrodisíaco
Afrobeat is the sound of the moment in Brazil. Bands such as Bixiga70 and Iconili are presenting the genre to a new generation and in Rio de Janeiro the main representative of this trend is the Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra. Afrodisíaco is an example of the band’s trippy music.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
The Wilderness Of Manitoba – White Woods
Like their namesake, The Wilderness Of Manitoba is a Canadian national treasure, and one of our best kept secrets. Their lush harmonies, delicate melodies and sparkling arrangements seem to always be attuned to their environment, creating music that sounds like it’s sprung from fertile patches in the Canadian Shield, blooming against all odds. White Woods is taken from their new album, Island Of Echoes, which introduces electric guitars to give their music a whole new pulse and feel.

CHILE: Super 45
Shogún – Unciónextrema
Cristián Heyne, a producer whose output ranges from mainstream (Enrique Iglesias, La Ley) to indie (Javiera Mena, Gepe), has always kept his own musical project, Shogún, under a discrete, hermetic cover. With only a few limited edition records and a handful of shows, he has attained a faithful cult following that has endured the last 15 years. His complete recordings were recently released via iTunes, giving a new life to his previously hard-to-find and unavailable works. Unciónextrema is El Brujo’s opening track.

CHINA: Wooozy
The Gar – Love Will Lost Your Love
One of China’s most beloved cult indie bands, The Gar is without equal in both substance and acclaim. Wholly unconcerned with the trappings of stardom, they arrive, play their hearts out and exit stage left, blending seamlessly back into the crowds. On stage, however, the band transports audience members to a sonic wonderland coloured with soaring harmonies and unforgettable lyrics. The Gar just released their new EP, The City Of Burning Identities.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Ondatrópica – 3 Reyes De La Terapia
This is what we call a supergroup. The union between Colombian musician Mario Galeano, from Frente Cumbiero, and English producer Will Holland, aka Quantic, resulted in Ondatrópica – a musical research project through Colombian tropical sounds. Both Galeano and Quantic, scholars of Colombian and electronic rhythms, were given the task of recreating traditional sounds with vintage equipment and old recording techniques, but searching for its contemporaneity. Proof of this is 3 Reyes de la Terapia (“3 Kings Of Therapy”), featuring Juan Carlos Puello, which was made using a marimba, accordion and beatbox.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Kjartan Bue – Rosen And Danny
Half Norwegian, half Danish and raised in Denmark, Kjartan Bue debuts his five-track alt-country EP Man Riding Backwards on November 15 (I’ve heard it and it’s great). Here’s Rosen And Danny as a MAP exclusive download, and do make sure you also check out the title track and closing ballad Old Woman here – the latter is also up for free download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
El Gran Poder De Diosa – Moriviví
A Moriviví is a minuscule tropical plant that has an unusual reaction when touched: it folds up and “dies” then “comes back to life” after several minutes. This song by reggae/Caribbean-influenced band El Gran Poder De Diosa reflects that internal debate between life and death, good and evil, through soothing tunes and clever wordplay.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Clo Sismico – Cassette Pirata
Clo Sismico is a renowned musician, producer and MC. He is founder of two important bands in the local independent music scene, 38 Que No Juega (hip hop) and Punto De Encaje (hardcore). This year Clo Sismico released his second album, Cassette Pirata, which blends rap, funk and Latin music with explosive, direct lyrics.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Nadine Shah – Aching Bones
Straight out of Whitburn comes this singer and pianist-guitarist of Norwegian and Pakistani parentage who actually sounds more like the love child of Nick Cave and Polly Harvey. Shah’s tales of lust and loss, revenge and regret are female takes on Trent Reznor’s industrial blues, her voice redolent of the battle-worn Marianne Faithfull circa Broken English. The title track of her EP is vengefully dark business as usual for Shah as she roars over an insistent clang that provides the rhythm for the song. Her debut album Love Your Dumb And Mad, due early next year, should be a fiery, passionate hoot.

FINLAND: Glue
Paperfangs – Everyday
Paperfangs is a dream-pop trio that draws inspiration from old movies, visual arts, geometric shapes, late-night biking trips, vintage girl groups, chamber pop and shoegaze as well as the latest indie gems. A debut album will not be ready until next year, but in the meantime we can enjoy the band’s take on one of the greatest melody makers ever as the trio covers Buddy Holly’s Everyday.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Total Warr – xxx Hate xxx
Total Warr are not complete unknowns in the blogosphere, having been widely praised for their sweet electro-pop. Stereogum premiered xxx HATE xxx back in May and now that the Corbay EP is out, you don’t have any more excuses not to listen to it.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
VIMES – UpStairs
It’s getting cold really fast these days so let’s turn to some music which may give us comfort. Cologne newcomers VIMES is a duo with a penchant for vibrant electronic music. The voice of Azhar Syed gives the electronics of Julian Stetter a melancholic and yearning touch, thereby making VIMES recognisable. Live they are accompanied by VJ Till Beutling for a complete audiovisual experience. They are currently recording their debut album.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Circassian – Eastern Patterns
Circassian is a quartet formed in Athens in 2008. Their music demonstrates their traditions and habits, while their philosophy is based on bringing together experimental, neo-psychedelic patterns and forms of atonality along with ethnic melodies drawn from parts of Asia and Northern Africa. They create an eerie yet intimate atmosphere with a distinctive sound. Their second EP, Procrastinational, is available on Bandcamp.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Borko – Born To Be Free
Born To Be Free is Borko’s first single from his long-awaited sophomore album, also named Born To Be Free, released in Iceland this month through Kimi Records and on November 2 through Sound Of A Handshake for the rest of the world. Borko’s first LP, Celebrating Life, was released to rave reviews.

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