Video: Alexico - "Arañas"

There’s so much going on inside Alexico’s mind–uncertainty, ghosts, and insecurities–and that can be disturbing but, in a certain morbid way, enjoyable. “Arañas,” first taste of the bizarre crafter’s upcoming EP, is a song seeking new meaning, a bright trail channeled through holy yet deplorable renaissance, and an ultra-vigorous teaser that encounters the Monterrey native in a new metamorphosis of glowing landscapes blackened by pessimistic life analysis (“Crees tener muchos amigos, pero son trolls comiendo rivo”). Besides those wasted, carrilleros junkie buddies, Alexico pours an unstable observation of a creator's crisis where distrust to the work achieved is evident, even painful (“Tu sentido de estética está perdido/Báñate en gasolina y cerillos”). This anxiety has overflowed in the agitated "Arañas," where he enters Cut Copy territory while maintaining a particular gloomy aesthetic. The video, directed by Cargo Collective’s Joshua Cox, was originally recorded for a take from Alexico's last release. The shots found in this celestial sci-fi clip, where Alexico goes for an Aladdin Sane cover look, position him as an angelic ascending figure, evoking rebirth and clicking with this newly found form of freedom.

Video: Alexico - "El Nombre del Perro"

When you get a video with a crimson-colored disclaimer, you know things will get interesting. Particularly if the clip also happens to be animated. So does it live up to the warning premise? Well, there's puking, bloody kitchenware, and even some cosmic penetration. Monterrey’s Alexico is known for leaving open ends to many of his songs, perhaps for future nurturing. Rising animated group Crómpëfk have injected glorifying motion to “El Nombre del Perro,” making something huge out of it. This galaxy-hoping adventure finds Alexico and his dog immersing themselves in the cavities of worlds they can’t quite understand. They are, however, naturally curious. Alexico has always struck me as someone who probably grew up watching/imitating Pinky and the Brain (Warner Bros’ most scientifically-introspective and erotic cartoon), this fantastical clip assures my theory.

Videos: Alexico - "Extraña Silvestre" + "Róbame el Dinero”

CF writer Pierre Lestruhaut hit the jackpot in describing Alexico’s latest Acosador de Media Noche (Episodio No.2), as a “polarizing” record, where he “values consistency over previous thick experimentation.” It’s crazy, almost irrational, to put Alexico and ‘consistency’ in the same sentence, but for those aware of his profile, you’re probably nodding your head right now. As we informed you before, Acosador de Media Noche is an EP trilogy released by Melodias Belafonte that happens to be out of sequence. Episodio No.1 is now out available for free download, and according to the label, it’s Alexico’s most personal album yet.


Two out of the five tracks in Episodio No.1 have been given visual motion. The first clip “Extraña Silvestre” is directed by Patricio Hinojosa parallels insanity with floating heads. The second video "Robame El Dinero" is helmed by CF friend Cuauhtémoc Suárez (designer of the Fonogramaticos Vol.8 album cover) and brings a much more sober Alexico enjoying el Distrito Federal (through the eye of a flip), and looping the very appropriate “Goold Ol Boys” from Dukes of Hazzard.

Alexico - Acosador de Media Noche (Episodio No. 2)

Acosador de Media Noche
(Episodio No.2), Alexico
Belafonte Melodías, Mexico
Rating: 70
by Pierre Lestruhaut

An adjective we’ve used quite often to describe Alexico is “interesting”. Because without still entering into the inevitable subjectivity of judging his qualities as a musician, there’s no denying he’s a very interesting character. The guy’s already built himself an enfant-terrible reputation, particularly for his idiosyncratic approach towards uncommon subjects of interest such as religion, blood and corpses in both his lyrics and the jaw-dropping video of the irresistible pop tune “Mis Amigos Y Yo Te Amamos”. Added to the fact that he’s also part of two other CF approved acts, the abrasively danceable Selma Oxor and the abrasively frenetical White Ninja, though his solo work falls more under the line of electronic production exercises.

Although, whereas most electronic musicians would rather focus in finding a particular palette of sounds or persistent thematic through which they can properly develop what could be called their own personal aesthetic, four years ago this guy from Monterrey seemed way more interested in being consistently inconsistent in his display of sounds and ideas. His debut album Dios Es Lo Máximo had him easily jumping from drone obsessive to dance floor pop enthusiast, from glitchy experimentation to musique concrète efforts, which kind of felt like a weird attempt to densify all experimental electronic music ever made in a 40 minute album. Fast forward to 2011, and the first thing that comes to mind while listening to the new Alexico record Acosador de Media Noche (Episodio No. 2) is an evident decision to shorten his sonic palette, valuing consistency over previous thick experimentation this time. It’s still something we wouldn’t qualify as particularly accessible, but if you make it past its half-IDM half-glitch introduction, you’ll be treated to some heavily pounding beats, a continuous deluge of catchy synth lines and some pretty weird lyrics sung in a dance-punk style, elements very reminiscent of the DFA catalog.

“Gordo Grande Y Marica” with only its title already seems to suggests that Alexico shares an ethos fitting with the ironic self-mockery of James Murphy, while lines like “¿Qué es lo que te ofrece un precoz después de 5 minutos? / Quiero intentar escuchar por qué no puedo follar” along with others like the repetition of “Tú quieres eyaculación, yo quiero menstruación” in “A Mí No Me Dieron El Don” could very well fall under that similar approach but oriented towards twisted sexual addiction, or they could also simply be dismissed as nonsensical repetition from a really eccentric artist. Overall the album works best when observed as a an enjoyable dance-punk trip, simply appreciating small details like the great “Na na na....” melody in “Nombre del Perro”, or the shift from the gritty and frenzy screaming to the docile synth soundscape closure in “La Sombra”. Because trying to understand and share Alexico’s worldview and intentions is something very few would probably claim to be easy to appreciate. With this guy most things are just really paper thin, even polarizing, though eventually quite "interesting."

♫♫♫ "Nombre del Perro"
Download EP

Video: Alexico - "Gordo, Grande y Marica"

Monterrey’s enfant-terrible Alexico is back in business. It’s been four years since the release of his outstanding debut Dios Es Lo Maximo!, which was basically an enraged essay on the Catholic Church fragmented into 33 tracks (“Mis Amigos y Yo Te Amamos is unforgettable). In the last few years he has kept himself busy working on other cool bands like Selma Oxor and White Ninja. New indie label Melodias Belafonte has announced a trilogy of videos titled Acosador de Media Noche. “Gordo, Grande y Marica” is the youth-revealing & sexually frustrated leading single (and episode II in the trilogy). The video has some great Michael Haneke coloring aesthetics, and Alexico sure knows how to rock like a well-behaved kid (nice sweater & haircut).

MP3: Celesta en la Cesta - "Hasta que me olvide de tu existencia"

Celesta en la Cesta is the solo project of Laiza Onofre, a member of Monterrey’s indie-pop band Uvi.Lov. She makes sweet, affordable lo-fi songs, something uncommon considering she belongs to the much heavier bands we’re used to hear from the Monterrey-El Garage scene (now called Workshop). Some of you might recognize her from the MtyMX fest as she stepped in for Jovenes y Sexys’ Loocila who was out sick, joining Cheky in what many called one of the fest’s highlights. Grabaciones Analogas is a tiny but adorable EP from Celesta en la Cesta, recorded live in conjuction with Yo Garage and Alexico. “Hasta Que Me Olvide De Tu Existencia” is superb, short but steady, the kind of well-spirited song sure to lighten your day.

♫♫♫ "Hasta que me olvide de tu existencia"
MySpace

MtyMX --- by Cheky (Jóvenes y Sexys)

A lot has been said about the first edition of the MtyMx festival in Monterrey, Mexico. I think it has already been covered extensively in reviews by NY Times, Impose, Stereogum, etc. Yes, there was trouble with the organization and logistics. Yes, like one third of the bands in the line-up didn’t show up. Yes, there were issues with the transportation. Yes, there were only a few hundred people in the audience (Monday afternoon was a little depressing, with 20 people or less watching High Places). But let me tell you, I was there, I watched all the bands but two (including after parties), met a lot of people, lived the whole experience, and the truth is I had one of the best times of my life. That being said, I can now talk about the music, focusing on the Iberoamerican bands.

DAY 1:

The first Mexican band to take the stage was Yo! Linares, with an energetic performance. People's reaction to El Resplandor's set took me by surprise. They managed to hypnotize us all with their primitive, minimal, raw, sort of tribal music. Lázaro Valiente made the whole audience get involved in the show, giving us all little toys and instruments to collaborate with by the end of his set. Guadalajara's Soho Riots sounded really tight, giving us a lengthy, noisy, improvisational ending. The guys from Quiero Club weren't so happy with their show, since they had some monitoring problems, but it was a lot of fun. The set mainly covered songs off Nueva América. By the time Los Planetas were playing, I was frozen and my legs weren't responding, so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. But there were a lot of fans singing the songs. I was excited to see Chikita Violenta getting on the stage and setting up their gear, but shortly after they had to get off because of time issues. Bummer.

Kría Brekkan's show was beyond beautiful. Das Racist are incredible. Explode into colors, The Coathangers, Coastings and Teengirl Fantasy had us all dancing. Acid Mothers Temple was epic. Male Bonding are a personal fav. Adventure and Drawlings opened the festival on an experimental mood. But actually one of my favorite moments of day 1 happened at the after party: Aa.

DAY 2:

Piyama Party opened the second day of MtyMx with a great set. White Ninja was disastrously refreshing, marking the first on-stage appearance of Alexico of the festival. Los Llamarada were good, but their music never managed to get my attention entirely. Le Macabre Party was a pleasant surprise, I couldn't stay still with their fast dance punk. This was Alexico's second appearance. Antoine Reverb was for me, no joke here, one of the best moments of the festival, the show was beautiful. Then, XYX took the stage for a few couple of songs, when they decided to quit the show because they couldn't hear anything on stage (besides, Mou's drum kit was falling apart, he plays so damn hard!). It was a shame, it was sounding really good. Los Margaritos' show was amazing, this is a band that has to be seen live. Los Fancy Free brought us one of the biggest rocking moments of the whole festival. They played a 15+ minutes cover of a Paul McCartney song that ended with like 20 people from the audience on stage, dancing, stage diving and playing the band's instruments.

Dan Deacon's show was one of the best I've ever seen. I had never felt so involved in a show. Telepathe were sweet and awesome. Banjo or Freakout was more of a rock band than I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot. Ringo Deathstarr didn't sound so good, but they delivered good songs and great shoegazer moments. Andrew WK was fun, but I feel like people didn't know what to expect.

DAY 3

Sr. Amable & Mr. Raccoon played a rocking set, joined by members of En Ventura. They even played En Ventura's "Ingenuo", presented by Sr. Amable as "one of the best songs of the last decade". Too bad people didn't really connect with them. Mentira Mentira's set was excellent, but mainly because of singer/guitarist Gaby doing crazy things like playing between the audience, climbing the lighting structure, taking his pants off, running around barefoot, etc. Alexico's fourth and final appearance on stage (third one was as a translator of an impromptu comedy show by Dan Deacon's mate, Mason, the previous day) was to play his solo songs, in collaboration with Luxor, from BamBam and Selma Oxor. In fact, she presented the show as Alexico + Selma Oxor, and I think the match went great, fun times. I didn't have the chance to enjoy Mockinpott's show, because I was busy setting up mine, but the little I got to hear sounded pretty nice. Then, at dusk, it was Jóvenes y Sexys' turn. I'm not going to review my own show haha. Loocila couldn't finally make it, so I got some help by Laiza (Celesta en la cesta, uvi.lov) and Lázaro Valiente. Next, I ran to catch one of the bands I was expecting the most: BamBam. I was sad because they only played two songs off their self titled album (both amazing), but the new ones sounded pretty awesome. Ratas del Vaticano had some sound issues, but people were reacting well. Then Neon Indian, one of the main acts, brought us a very fun and great sounding show. At the after party, XYX had a second chance to play and I'm glad they did. This band rocks very much. It reminds me of Lightning Bolt (that's a compliment).

International favorites of the night? Hands down, HEALTH. This is unbelievable. High Places opened the day with a beautiful show, mostly playing new songs. Best Fwends was a lot of fun, ultra energetic and funny. Lemonade was great! Some serious dancing here. Indian Jewelry finally made it, putting a dark, powerful live show. I was too tired by the time Liars took the stage, but it was really good too.

So yeah, I was depressed because half of the bands I wanted to see pulled out, but I'm happier because of the quality of the bands I did see. I hope the organizers don't feel defeated (I'm sure they don't) by the missteps of this edition, and that they learn from their mistakes, because I feel this festival has to be done every year, and it'll only get better. I want to thank Yo Garage's crew, Todd P and his friends, and all the volunteers for making this happen and for inviting us. And I want to say that I feel honored because Jóvenes y Sexys was the only Venezuelan band, and the only Latin, non-Mexican band to play at this inaugural edition of the festival, it means a lot.

On a note aside, I don't feel like being controversial, but I'm having a hard time trying to understand the bands that pulled out of the festival because of fear. Maybe it's because in my country we're so exposed to violence daily and we're sadly getting used to it, I don't know. There was some bad timing with this festival due to isolated events, but people have to realize Latin America is not the Wild Wild West.

Text and photos by Cheky.

Guácala Los Modernos y Su Electro, White Ninja

GUACALA LOS MODERNOS Y SU ELECTRO, WHITE NINJA
Records Are Dead, Mexico ****
Rating: 86
By Carlos Reyes

Ripping soaring tracks prove to be more than pure cacophonous noise in White Ninja’s opera prima, the revealing Guacala los Modernos y su Electro is nothing short than exhilarating. Frenzied from beginning to end, this is an accessible and complex first album, one of those rare findings that although tiny on the surface, bring variation to Mexico’s exceedingly modular rock scene. White Ninja is a project by Leo Marz who is also member of Monterrey’s very own pop extraordinaire band Album, he has also recruited Richi Garage in the drums and Monterrey’s terrible-enfant, religiously messed up kid Alexico, who adds crazy random, and not so random lyrics to these songs.

White Ninja is urgent and quantized, loud but melodically logical, sings of math rock as opposed to mad rock. From the album cover, one learns to register a sense of sequencing, expect this kind of continuum in six cerebral pieces that seem to desire liberation from their own quantization. Not that these songs are constrained per say, but they’re folded and outspreaded marvelously. In this sense, we can think of Guacala Los Modernos y Su Electro as a self-resolving album. Luckily, the aesthetics here still hold up a confrontational stance on evenness which makes the record much more exciting. This is less gritty and loud than the stuff from Nene Records, but there are plenty of pedals and variations to embrace it as a post-punk kind of record.

The album is skillfully organized following a theme: “No Retreat, No Surrender.” Each track is separated by two-second intermissions shouting the theme over and over. Perhaps they lack a bit of the scene-locality esteem that a bands like New Age have, but this it sure compromises to Monterrey’s hot indierock scene. Such is the case in “MDTCS” with Alexico screaming “hay muchas bandas que cantan en ingles”, it never goes deeper than that but they do register such trend and have a blast doing so. After a deferment intro, White Ninja quickly embellishes its sound in “Zombie Town”, one of the album’s peaks so huge (as huge as T.I.) that it can only been seen as a track assembled (rather than thought) on blueprint ideas, layers and roars.

The band could be described as a series of adrenaline rushes, well backed up by jammed technos and unbounded clutter. “Shizzleizzle” is a nice place to determine if the band’s over hyper approach is adequate or exhausted; there’s no fatigue here, those many layers and sequence repetitions acquire a purpose, to blow or maybe scratch those modern minds of yours. “Vitacilina” captures the modern listener’s chances for/to information, “todo esta en la red, bájalo tu mismo.” The most serious age arrives with “Fuck B”, a highly explosive track with cut-above bold measures. The final track, “No Retreat No Surrender” encloses the album’s feed on momentum, accidental and impulsive urges. Sick!

♫♫♫ "White Zombie"
Download EP

Alexico - "Cadáver Fresco"

Halloween Post #2 belongs to Alexico. This kid is so genuinely demented and the most brilliant way. You probably know him for “Mis amigos y yo te amamos” (and its jaw-dropping video) and his band Selma Oxor. I can’t think of any other day in which his Dios es lo Maximo! EP could sound better; it’s imaginative and scary as hell. The fact that it has 33 tracks (if you can even call them tracks) suggests this is more of an experimental ride. Religion is scary in its nature; it only gets more trembling after Alexico’s bloody approach towards it. “Santisima Trinidad” for example, is a loud erratic track of Alexico screaming “Dios se hizo hombre, se llama Jesus, despues murio, se fue al cielo, y ahora es un pajaro.” But the song I really want to emphasize today is titled “Cadaver Fresco” and it’s creepier than Calle 13’s “John El Esquizofrénico” and Burton’s Sweeny Todd combined. “A-L-E-X-I-C-O se comió a un señor, ALEXICO tiene mucha comezón de cerebros dulces, con mucha sangre, se come tu carne, se come tu carne muscular, y después baila en las noches sin camisa!”

♫♫♫ "Cadaver Fresco"
MySpace

Music Alliance Pact : August

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
Selma Oxor - Abrazame Demonio
Selma Oxor is the vindication of a blasted youth that has fun exploring rock, techno and pop, an all-in-one distorted vision that according to their MySpace sounds like "a cow giving birth". From their self-titled debut album comes "Abrazame Demonio", a moment of useless exertion perhaps, but it's one of the few perfect songs we'll get to hear this year. It effectively transitions its noisy punk into some kind of urban channel, uprising the song into the heavens.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Baby Scream - Ups And Downs
Baby Scream is a musical project led by Juan Mazzola, with the ocassional collaboration of friends such as Cristian Basualdo, Sebastián Rubin and even Gilby Clarke's bassist Muddy Stardust. Mazzola writes pop songs with a strong influence from classics like The Byrds, The Beatles and The Replacements. This beautiful acoustic ballad was taken from the album with the same name, released last year in the US by Recording Records.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The Frowning Clouds - Time Wastin' Woman
Geelong boys The Frowning Clouds are so 60s and very fun. Lead vocalist Nick (a dead ringer for George Harrison) and his poncho-wielding counterpart Zack rotate between singing and rhythm guitar duties. The coarse vocals of Zack lend backbone to Time Wastin' Woman, oozing with the sounds of the Stones' early catalogue.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Copacabana Club - Just Do It
They're pretty, uber-cool and hyped. Justin Timberlake likes them. Channel Fox uses their song in a commercial. Do you want more or is that enough to make you see that Copacabana Club are a band to pay attention to? Last year the five-piece band (two women and three men) released their first EP, King Of The Night, from which Just Do It is taken. It's dance and kinda new-rave style make people think about CSS, but it's better to listen and judge for yourself.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Centretown Cripplers - Eat The Bee
Centretown Cripplers are a seven-piece. I only mention this because they're a garage rock band, and bands in that genre typically have a much more minimalistic approach to line-ups. As Eat The Bee shows, however, in this case size doesn't matter. Centretown Cripplers are loud, raucous, primal... and awesome.

CHILE: Super 45
Mostro - Moha Moha
Mostro, one of the cornerstones of the Chilean indie music scene, are Carlos and Jaime Reinoso, two mutant brothers who deliver an intense and creative musical experience. Playing, in their own words, "evil pop" with a guitar, drum and small keyboard, they attack you (yes, literally attack you) with a mix of minimal electronica and raw, intense rock that simply knocks you down, just like American duo High Places were when both bands recently shared a stage. Moha Moha, taken from their second LP Consumido Por Pájaros ("Eaten By Birds") is a small appetizer of their genius insanity while we await their third album.

CHINA: Wooozy
Sonnet - A Nice Song
Sonnet are a disco/indie rock band from Shanghai. As one of the few third rock generation in Shanghai, they've just independently released their second demo S-File. One of the band members is now helping the SOMA indie label host live shows at the Dream Factory venue in their native city.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Jong Pang - Liar Liar
Jong Pang aka Anders Rhedin released his lauded debut solo album Bright White Light just last year and already he's got the follow-up ready and out. It's titled Love and it is a magnificent alternative pop-rock effort from which I'm happy to present irresistible first single Liar Liar.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
The xx - Crystalised
Although they went to the same school as Four Tet and Burial, don't go making too many assumptions about The xx, a group of four teenagers from South London currently making waves in the UK ahead of the release of their debut album later this month. They may share similar influences (dub, R'n'B) but they take their songs in another direction with magnificently minimal production, all of which is done by themselves.

FINLAND: Glue
Astrid Swan - Unrelated
Earlier this year singer Astrid Swan dumped the piano (and along with it, the dramatically adorned songs) and took the guitar to compose simple, but sincere and personal pop songs that she recorded with a new band, The Drunk Lovers, for her soon-to-be released third album Better Than Wages. There we can find this synth-pop gem about erroneous encounters.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Mama's Mule - Globe Trotter
The Mule and Venom met during a studio session in 2007 and they immediatly clicked. For about a year, they kept seeing each other every now and then between concerts, studio sessions, taking the dog out, vacations and soccer games. Meanwhile, Jessy Rakotomanga and Sylvain Moreau pledged allegiance to the secret society. January 2009: tadaaaam. First demo. Three tracks. Viagra for your ears. Just listen.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Timid Tiger - Are You Gonna Go My Way (feat. Ludacris & The Notorious B.I.G.)
Perhaps Timid Tiger are globally more famous for their remixes than for their regular songs. And hell yeah, this Lenny Kravitz cover does indeed kick ass. So enjoy it - but don't forget that this band from Cologne is creative and inspired in their own work, both on record and live.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Film - Filter
After a two-year period of experimentation in the studio, Film are releasing their third album. Persona is a dizzyingly beautiful set of delicate atmospheric songs with cinematic aesthetics and a detailed production. It signifies a different, more inviting musical direction that is influenced by the compositions of Vangelis Papathanasiou and summons lush combined voices, pop melodies, electronics, sparse strings and brasses. An album that is best taken from start to finish, where the songs will uncover its manifold delights, endear and impress.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Agent Fresco - Above These City Lights
Agent Fresco formed in early 2008 with the goal of competing in the Músíktilraunir contest, a sort of Battle of the Bands, which they subsequently won. The quartet write complex songs with lots of rhythm changes and received the Brightest Hope (Best Newcomer) Award at the 2008 Icelandic Music Awards. The band, who released a five-song EP called Lightbulb Universe last December, are currently working on their debut album.

INDIA: Indiecision
Sridhar/Thayil - Bring Me Rain
The project of theatre actor and singer Suman Sridhar and poet Jeet Thayil, Sridhar/Thayil's lyrical pop takes thematic Indian music sensibilities and combines them with an urban swagger in the vein of early Björk and, occasionally, Tom Waits. Bring Me Rain is a perfect example of their dirty-sexy feel, taking traditional Indian sounds and cooking up something that could work equally well at a nu-jazz club or a grimy bar. Sridhar/Thayil have been around since 2007 and they're currently working on releasing their debut album.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
The Wispy Hummers - My Love
The Wispy Hummers is a singer-songwriter who is much influenced by The Zombies, Bright Eyes, Destroyer, Death Cab For Cutie and, above all, Bob Dylan. She has released two EPs, both recorded at home, creating a signature lo-fi quality that makes the songs more honest, heartfelt and nostalgic.

IRELAND: Nialler9
The Dying Seconds - The Ladder Drops
"To some people electronic music is impersonal. It's just an orgy of numbers, dancing together and doing as they're told. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you took apart the machine and tried to replace the motherboard with a human heart?" The Dying Seconds' own description says it better than I could. This is taken from their 2009 EP Some Grand Romantic Gesture. Lovely stuff. Download their album here.

ITALY: Polaroid
Fitness Forever - Vacanze a Settembre
It's August, everyone down here is on holiday and Fitness Forever are the perfect soundtrack, with their glamorous sound inspired by Burt Bacharach, Armando Trovajoli and classic 60s lounge-pop. They recently released their first album on the Spanish label Elefant Records and played a joyful set at the Indietracks Festival in the UK, making Derbyshire feel warm like a Mediterranean spot.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Nuito - NeKoMaJiN vs
Nuito are a post-rock experimental trio who formed in Kyoto in 2004. With tapping guitar, slap bass and hard drum, Nuito rapidly change beat and rhythm while they play, and make an immediate impression. Their experimental attitude is not about musical destruction or collaboration, but reconstruction.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Sora Shima - Hello Big Sky (Radio 909 remix)
Sora Shima are a four-piece instrumental group from Hamilton who specialise in the kind of start quiet, end apocalyptic epics that you hear from the likes of Explosions In The Sky or fellow countrymen Jakob. Hello Big Sky is from their third EP, Destroy Electronica. You'll find links to free downloads of the previous two releases on their MySpace. The five tracks on Destroy Electronica see the band experiment more with the form, adding variety but losing none of the power.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Casa Murilo - 19th Floor
Casa Murilo are the perfect band to present on a global project like MAP. They are based in Norway, originally from England and started making music together in Brazil. Two Englishmen, Chris Winfield and Dan Hesketh, met, lived and worked in Brazil for two years. They fell in love with two Norwegian girls. They moved to Oslo and started a band, Casa Murilo, with two Norwegian friends. They are currently in the studio recording their debut EP, The Waldemar Thranes Debacle.

PERU: SoTB
Serpentina Satelite - Nothing To Say
Serpentina Satelite formed at the end of 2003 in Lima. Their sound oscillates among calm, violence and ecstasy, in the spirit of space-rock and Krautrock. Their second record Nothing To Say, released on the Trip In Time label, is an extended five-track epic in which Serpentina Satelite bring us a turbulent and more powerful, rough sound. For the title track Nothing To Say, you better fasten your seatbelts - this is a high energy rock 'n' roll freak-out!

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Ölga - It's Alright
Ölga formed in 2001, as a quartet, from the ashes of another band. In 2003, they won an alternative rock contest and were invited by an indie label to release their first EP, Ö, in 2004. Their cello player left the band and their sound, as a trio, became more rock oriented. Their first LP, What Is, was released in early 2005. In 2007, they started recording their new record, La Resistance, which will be released in September. It's Alright is the first single and it is, at this time, only free and legally downloadable through the Music Alliance Pact.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
The :Egocentrics - Mystic Initiation
Loose jams, goosebumps, trance and therapy. These are the reasons why the three-piece instrumental band formed in Timisoara in early 2007. Combining stoner-rock vibes, 60s psychedelic, 70s rock 'n' roll with hints of old prog rock and post-metal - along with colourful, hypnotising visuals in a live setting - the band take an almost shamanic approach to music, acting like an intermediary between the listener and that mysterious and far away realm behind your eyelids.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
My Cousin I Bid You Farewell - What We Are Eating Tonight
If this song is anything to go by, My Cousin I Bid You Farewell are cooking up something rather tasty. As a statement of intent for a band who have been around for less than a year, it reveals the scale of the ambition from within. It is big and it is clever. The Kate Bush-style piano melody, the brooding guitars and Jonathan Sellar’s haunting vocals - which resemble Win Butler’s - propel What We Are Eating Tonight into an anthem for the restless. Cracking song, cracking band.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Jonathan Chan - Water Line
Taking a step back from the catchy power-punk of his band Plainsunset, Jonathan Chan comes forward with a more intimate and soulful musical offering with his EP, Pencil Tracings. An illustrator in his own right, Jonathan perhaps did not find it uncomfortable to show a more earnest, intricate side to his music. With Water Line, he seems right at home sketching out a brief outline of the world going by, with a guitar in hand and a somber voice, singing of life's constant love.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
LAN - In The City
Head-bopping, dance-inducing beats are what LAN are about. LAN (Local Area Network) are the live representation of two DJs (CodecVSTheSound). The band formed in late 2008 and are made up of Gerald and Raffael (who are Codec and TheSound) on synths, percussion, vocals and samplers with Chris Slabber on drums. They call their music a mix of anything from 70s funk to booty bass all dropped over the latest electro tunes. With their song In The City showcasing their many influences and what they have to offer, their new material is sure to set the dancefloors alight.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Sunkyeol - I'll Write When I'm There
Kyoungmo Kim of Especially When has a new band and their name is Sunkyeol. Equipped with great melodies and a bit of experimentation that leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling, Sunkyeol are currently looking for a label to release their first single. I'll Write When I'm There was co-written and recorded with Joe Hollick of Wolf People in a joint project that never took off.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Erik de Vahl - Running
Erik de Vahl describes his new record as "the straightest pop songs I've ever done but also some more experimental pieces". You can hear both influences on the single song Running. It has a Memphis slow jam feel with instrumentation that reminds me of a classic Ann Peebles track, but it's layered in such a way with so many found sounds and samples that it does sound truly experimental.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Happy Family - Cups
Baltimore's Happy Family, sandwiched somewhere between Panda Bear and Atlas Sound, are the latest in a group of like-minded lo-fi psych-pop outfits (Memory Cassette, Neon Indian, Washed Out) to be picking up buzz around the blogosphere. Cups is one of my favorite jams of the summer, taken from the recently-released Sound Farm EP which you can grab as a free download here.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto Musical
Mr. Swing & The Bongo Clan - Mi Camino
Mr. Swing & The Bongo Clan are a new band that gathers nine talented musicians from the Conservatory of the City of Barquisimeto, the same place where the famous music director Gustavo Dudamel came from. After almost 10 years of work, these guys released their debut album Ska*Jazz Venezolano, merging two musical genres with a wonderful result. Mi Camino shows the real soul of this band.

Download all 31 songs HERE.

"Mis amigos y yo te amamos" - Alexico

This is probably an excuse to present a brilliant second video from Dios es lo Maximo. As an equally devotee of music and cinema, it will always be fascinating to find someone with his rare vision, when I heard “Mis amigos y yo te amamos” I pictured an old, scary and cold house located at a distant village from the city, I left my visualization behind as I’m never fulfilled with music videos, in fact I tried to put up a Top 10 videos list for 2008 and fell short, but Alexico surprises again. The track and its illustration are cerebral, immediate, and extremely visceral. The dark opening shot, with the open door with red all over it, a roof that seems to be leaking blood, a floor not only covered in blood but asking for some more, Alexico’s reaction is to celebrate such circumstance, with boots and a sombrero!. Shot in hand-camera, the cinematographer perceives the same feelings, but through severe claustrophobia, winking to the outside to catch some girl dancing happily outside. The dance starts at the most appropriate moment, disclosing a triumphant visual interpretation of a bizarrely cute song. Talking about gore, a genre I deeply respect and admire, it’s never a bad idea to visit my friend Aaron Soto @ Cinemainc, unless you’re easily disturbed? 

"Mis amigos y yo te amamos"

Club Fonograma Features: Alexico

It’s only been a few months since I turned old enough to ‘legally’ drink, and yet this next feature makes me feel old. Alexico is part of the exciting new wave of acts from Monterrey Mexico, probably the most fast-tuned out of all. He took the risk barely two years ago; I feel this is one to keep an eye on. His EP Dios Es Lo Maximo is an experimental ride that breaths youth, and it’s as wild and mad as it can get. He will be releasing a new album later this year, meanwhile enjoy “No Se”, which oddly enough, I find extremely relatable. The video itself is a jewel; you can do so much with so little, or vice versa. 

Club Fonograma Features:
ALEXICO.
Track: "No Se" 
Album: Dios Es Lo Maximo
Label: Unsigned
Country: Mexico
>>>MP3
MySpace