It’ll be no surprise to anyone that having a new baby in the house is not conducive to a gig-going habit. But although night-time pursuits are off the agenda for now, any withdrawal symptoms I have are being staved off by Pure Groove’s lunchtime gigs. A couple of weeks ago I went to see Broadcast 2000.

I already had their self-titled debut album on regular play and had really warmed to it. Joe Steer’s fine songwriting abilities were established on 2008’s Building Blocks EP, and are confirmed again. But it wasn’t just his knack for a tune that stood out on the new record, it was the song’s arrangements that lifted them from the merely good to the exceptional. And seeing them live, it was even more apparent. Joe has gathered an excellent band around him, and everything worked perfectly, from the string section (two violins and a cello on this occasion), through the percussion to the gorgeous harmonies and backing vocals. And something I’ve never seen in any other band before - a guy whose only job is to play glockenspiel, which he does spectacularly well. For a few short songs, as the band played unamplified in a silent and reverent bar, everything seemed sublime. If this is the sort of thing I can get for lunch, I can hold off the evening gigs for a while longer.

mp3: Broadcast 2000 - Rouse Your Bones
mp3: Broadcast 2000 - Pep Talk (acoustic)

The album Broadcast 2000 is out now - buy from the band’s website. They’ve also got a ‘superfan bundle‘ including a t-shirt, badges and erm, a baseball cap. Or download it from emusic.

By the way, Rouse Your Bones is from the new album, the original version of Pep Talk is on Building Blocks.

Victoria & Jacob are messing with you. They almost had me fooled. Take a look at the picture and remember their name. You’re thinking whimsical acoustic-folky stuff aren’t you? No? What’s that - electro pop? Surely not?  Well, not quite, that’s a bit misleading. Don’t expect to throw any dance moves, but do expect to be seduced by some woozy synth-infused melancholic pop music in which they mess about with voice manipulation without veering towards the horrors of autotune. New single With No Certainty is a good showcase for what they do, with its filtered samples and easy, laidback melody. And the dreamy slow-building b-side There’s a War might be even better.  Now that you’ve read this, Victoria & Jacob may not have the element of surprise, but they’ll still win you over.

mp3: Victoria & Jacob - Clash
mp3: Victoria & Jacob - With No Certainty (Bright Light Bright Light Uncertain remix)

The single’s out on 5 April on Voga Parochia, which brought you the wonderful Feet to the Sky by Lulu and the Lampshades. Buy the seven inch from the label’s myspace. I’m not posting the single tracks for obvious reasons, but you can have their previous single Clash and a remix of the new a-side.

When it’s time for the lo-fi indie pop Olympics this year, it looks like the Americans are the early favourites. They’re already got the established big litters like Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the Vivian Girls strutting around like the medals are theirs already. The new blood is on the way too as the likes of Harlem are being considered for elibibility to compete. But what of team GB? Well, we have plenty of excellent, excitable youngsters like Internet Forever well up for a go. But best of all we have the ultimate secret weapon in the shape of Veronica Falls. With them on our side, we can’t lose.

mp3: Veronica Falls - Found Love in a Graveyard

The 7 inch is out this week. Buy from Pure Groove

There are loads of ways to reinvent a band, but surely the easiest is to just change the name. It worked for the  Kaiser Chiefs. It may well work for Ex Lion Tamers who obviously thought a new name would suit them better, so called themselves Wild Palms. Good move.  Thankfully they’ve opted to leave aside the cheesy geezer statium singalongs in favour of excellent stormy guitar noise and a bold Bjork cover.

mp3: Wild Palms - Human Behaviour

New Single, Deep Dive b/w Human Behaviour is out on One Little Indian on 19 April.

Drivetime. The time to leave work, get into the car and turn on the radio. There a DJ will keep you lightly entertained with smooth MOR tunes and some inane chat all the way home. I like to think there’s another reality where people will slide in a Mat Riviere CD and as their car slides into the darkness, they’re menaced by crunching, wheezy machine music and lyrics which promise a whiff of cryptic violence. Given a choice of Scott Mills and Mat Riviere, they’ll always choose the bleaker option. Of course all this won’t apply when the summer comes. There’s a few weeks to go till the clocks go forward. Enjoy the Evening Drive while it’s still dark.

Mat Riviere - Evening Drive by brainlove

Mat’s new Evening Drive EP is out on Brainlove Records on 29 March, preceded by his debut album on 8 March.

So it’s official. The rumours were true. The BBC wants to kill 6 Music. No surprise after last Friday’s leaked story, but it’s been interesting to actually see the report that recommends the closure, and infuriating to see Mark Thomson trying to justify it on TV today. The problem with the report and what Thompson has been saying is that the arguments are weak, they makes little sense and there have been a mess of contradictions.

I’m going to be going on about this at great length below, but just to spare the casual reader, here’s a quick summary of what I’m saying,

• The proposals fly in the face of the BBC’s stated desire to have quality not quantity. 6 Music provides consistently high quality, distinctive output which is unique in radio

• It’s no good complaining that the audience figures are low when the station is only on digital radio and hasn’t been promoted extensively. And if you want to look at total budget/audience ratios, 6 Music offers more than double the value for money that Radio 3 does, and there’s no proposals for any cuts at that station

• The proposals don’t even make sense – there is a confusion about what will happen to 6 Music’s ‘most distinctive programmes’ and where their listeners should go, when vague and contradictory things are being said (both in the report and by its defenders in the media) about 6 Music and the future of Radios 1 and 2

• The assertions that BBC 6 Music does not have a target demographic and that it is encroaching a ‘commercially valuable audience’ are nonsense. 6 Music’s listeners are discerning people who love music and spend their time and money on music-related stuff (records, CDs, gigs, festivals) probably more than any other music radio audience. And there is no similar competitor for this audience or for 6 Music itself anywhere else on commercial radio or the BBC. I challenge anybody to find one.

• Ultimately though, this isn’t about audience figures or commercial competition – 6 Music (and Asian Network) are cheap and easy political sacrifices made by an ill-informed and cowardly BBC management who need to be seen to be making cuts. The BBC is a monstrous organisation and there are hundreds of places cuts could be made without having to sacrifice two excellent, distinctive radio stations.

This is what I’m probably going to be sticking in my email to the BBC Trust, who are the people who have the final say on the BBC’s proposals - and there may be a chance that they could say no. There’s a consultation from now until 25 May, so if you care about 6 Music, or even just about good quality music broadcasting, you should respond too. Go to the strategy review page and fill in the questionnaire, or send an email to the address given. Or do both.

Nerds and people with time to spare can now read on.

The Strategy Review’s big recommendation is “closing Radio 6 Music and focusing popular music output on Radio 1 and an increasingly distinctive Radio 2, using the resources released to drive digital radio”. I’m not sure what this actually means, and statements made elsewhere make it even less comprehensible. For instance, saying the Radio 2 should have 50% speech content may make it more ‘distinctive’ but makes a nonsense of the bit about ‘focusing popular music output’. Then…

“The BBC will also review how some of 6 Music’s most distinctive programmes can be successfully transferred to other BBC radio stations, and how its support for new and specialist music can be sustained across the BBC”

How is that going to work? Particularly if Radio 2 is going to have less music. Or are they just going to make the little music they have left more eclectic? This is where things get really confused. Thompson said that that “a broader range of music would be broadcast on Radio 2 under the proposals, in which there were ‘big changes afoot’”. OK then, I’d like to see where Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone is going to fit into the Radio 2 schedules. But then he also said that the station should continue to serve older listeners and should not suffer from “age creep” towards a younger audience. This is nonsense. How can he have both?  Radio 2’s average audience age is 50. 6 Music’s is 37. How there be any combination without ‘age creep’?

So if 6’s listeners aren’t going to be heading in Radio 2’s direction, will we be off to Radio 1 then? I doubt it, since there’s nothing about changing Radio 1’s focus away from the under-25 age group that they’re so determined to conquer. The truth is more likely to be that no effort will be made to accommodate either 6 Music’s most distinctive programmes or its listeners elsewhere.

The main recommendations for 6 Music are on pages 11 and 12 of the report. Here’s a quick breakdown, with some comments.

“Radio 6 Music presents a different challenge. Although small in audience, reaching around 700,000 listeners a week, it plays a wide range of music that listeners do not hear elsewhere and it introduces many listeners to music that is new to them. The BBC Trust’s recent review of Radio 6 Music confirmed that it is popular amongst its fan base and its music offering is distinctive.”

All well and good.

“However, although it has achieved good growth in recent years, it has low reach and awareness and delivers relatively few unique listeners to BBC radio. Thompson said that it was “expensive … given its relatively small audience”.

Well duh. It’s a digital radio station which hasn’t exactly been extensively promoted by the BBC and it would no doubt have a far larger listenership on FM. And looking at just how much is spent on other BBC radio stations (via this lovely diagram), surely Radio 3 with its budget of £51m and 2 million listeners represents far worse value for money for the licence payer ( £25 per listener) than 6 Music with its budget of £9m and 700,000 listeners (£12 per listener).

“And whilst 6 Music does not have a target demographic audience, its average listener age of 37 means that it competes head-on for a commercially valuable audience.”

This seems to be saying that there’s plenty out there for 6 music listeners in commercial radio land, and it’s unfair for a publicly-funded broadcaster to be barging into this market. This is where it’s impossible to take the report seriously. The report’s authors must have made no effort to find out anything about 6 Music or its listeners. 6 Music does have a demographic – people over 25 who care about music. Sure we like to be entertained, but we listen to 6 because we want to hear enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable DJs play a great range of music. And where is the commercial alternative to that? It could be argued that XFM is a competitor, but that’s like saying that Radio 3 competes directly with Classic FM and 5 Live and Talksport are jousting for the same listeners. It’s also far easier to argue that Radio 1 and 2 are competing in a commercial space, because they have scores of similar stations across the country. Thompson argued on Channel 4 News last night that “both of them do things that no commercial radio station does.” Well, true (and they are probably both better than their commercial rivals), but take a look at the Radio 1 playlist and compare it with Capital’s.

The key difference though is what happens outside the playlist, and it’s here that 6 Music really excels. Where else can you hear Captain Beefheart at half ten in the morning?  Where can you hear far-out sounds like Stuart Maconie plays? Which other BBC station is making as good use of the BBC’s amazing music archive, a veritable history of rock music? And who else is providing the consistently excellent nightly live music sessions that Marc Riley does? No commercial station is. Neither is radio 1 or 2. If it’s a distinctive music station you’re after, 6 Music wins every time.

Even if 6 Music is “taking audiences away from its struggling commercial competitors”, as Mitch Benn said on Twitter today, “isn’t it the commercial competitors fault for being shite?” followed by “Is there a clearer example of cultural cowardice than culling off the exceptional so that the average feel less threatened?” Spot on.

But ultimately, Thompson doesn’t really give a toss about the commercial competition. 6 Music and Asian Network are political sacrifices, so Thompson and his other highly-paid BBC executives can show that they’re cutting costs on their publicly-funded behemoth by getting rid of two of their national stations with relatively low listener figures (not the lowest mind, if that were the case 1 Extra and 5 Live sports extra would be for the chop) thinking that there won’t be much of a fuss. If that’s the case he’s going to be wrong. There’s already a huge stink brewing among 6 Music’s faithful listeners but it hopefully won’t be long before this spreads to the industry.

Because surely the industry isn’t going to be happy about 6’s demise. More than any other BBC Music station, 6 Music helps build the careers of new bands at an early stage in their careers. Take for instance Mumford and Sons, currently riding high in the top 10 album chart. Which station championed them from their early days, played their records and gave them live radio sessions? Whether or not you like this band doesn’t matter. The point is supporting new music and the industry knows this. And perhaps even more crucially, 6 music listeners are exactly the sort of people that the industry need because they’re pretty much the only demographic left who buys music regularly. Radio 1 listeners probably think that having to buy a download is an infringement of their human right to free music. Radio 2 listeners only buy one CD a year. Whereas the dear old 6 music listeners – testified to nightly on Marc Riley’s show – are the ones parting with cash for music they love, mostly music they first heard on 6 Music. So how about some top-level industry support – stars and record bosses – in support of 6? Can’t be that hard, eh? Come join us in the fight.

Not Squares seem like regular kinda guys. The sort of guys you might expect to find in a regular Belfast pub. They don’t look like posers. They’re the sort of guys who’ll just pop their hoods up and get on with business. Which is just fine, because then you can - like the people in their video - just concentrate on dancing like a lunatic to their mad party jams.

mp3: Not Squares - Asylum

Buy the Asylum 7 inch and other Not Squares goodies in their shop.

It seems like another age now, but back in early January I spent a very pleasant half hour one lunchtime at Pure Groove watching Tristram play a sparkling lunchtime set. My memory is a little clouded, but through the sleepless haze I can remember the place being unusually full for an artist that wasn’t very well known, and being solidly entertained by Tristram and the band (who share his name it seems) with their lovely acoustic folky pop songs.

There was a song about how Tristram will save you from a zombie holocaust, delivered so beautifully and sincerely that you really believe that he will. He’s got a song about a getting his bike nicked. And he’s got a nautically-themed one called Someone Told Me a Poem, which is actually out this week as a single and only 300 lucky people can have a physical copy. So even though although my Tristram blog post is long overdue, it’s now oddly timely. I’m expecting good things from this young chap. It’s hard not to like him.

mp3: Tristram - Someone Told Me a Poem (live)

This mp3 is taken from a short set recorded live at a gig in Brighton by Jonathan of the Assistant Blog. He has five more tracks on his blog post which reviews a Brighton gig last year - go get ‘em. And while you’re on Tristram internet business, make sure you order one of the EPs.

I had heard good things about Caitlin Rose before, but my first live encounter was still startling. Sandwiched between two Local stalwarts at their Christmas bash in December, her voice stood out starkly - pure, clear and strong, singing her fine songs and a few choice covers, all with a distinctly country feel. The set was sweet and way too short, so the least I could do was rush to purchase a 10 inch mini-album from the good lady herself after the gig, and she was lovely too. Turns out that this record was only officially released this week, so what better time to post this interview I did with her a few weeks back, before I got distracted by all things baby. After the jump, Caitlin talks giant stilettos, learning to howl and dreaming of Big Ben.

I saw your gig at The Local Christmas bash at the Big Chill House in December. Great set. How was your little festive tour of London? What was your favourite thing about our city?

The shows were great. I didn’t get to do much sightseeing, but I loved all the phonebooths and this giant sparkly stiletto heel outside a theatre that was put up for Adventures of Priscilla Queen of Desert.

I bought your vinyl EP at that gig. I like it a lot, and maybe because I listen to quite a lot of female folky stuff, it’s been a refreshing change to listen to a proper country singer instead. Do you see yourself as a country singer?

I don’t consider myself a proper anything because I don’t want to have to sing one thing. I want to sing all things. Country music is beautiful, but it’s not all I listen to and certainly not all I am influenced by.

What’s influenced your musical direction? The amazing Nashville musical heritage? Music you heard growing up? Something else?

Just making music and feeling it out. Country’s a good thing to cut your teeth on musically. There’s a lot of funny sadness to it. More of a “well… shit.” kind of attitude. When you’re sad you drink a beer, write a song and say “well, shit…” Sometimes that doesn’t work. More often than not. Certain things can only matter so much.

Speaking of which, who’s your favourite country singer?

Today it is Willie Nelson.

What are your current musical loves?

Amalia Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado. Her voice has that same Edith Piaf songbird  quality. I’ve been listening to the new Deer Tick record and a whole lot of The Replacements. Also Linda Ronstadt’s version of Tumbling Dice.

There’s a couple of great covers on Dead Flowers. What are your favourite songs to cover?

I love to sing Amarillo by Emmylou Harris and a Dillard & Clark song that Linda Ronstadt sang on an older record called He Darked the Sun. You Are My Sunshine is another favorite of mine.

When’s the new album coming out? Tell me a little about how it came about. What songs should I pay special attention to?

We’ve got a week of tracking to do in February so it’ll probably be out a couple months after that. Most of these songs are brand new and a couple had been previously recorded for a record that was never released. I went through a shitty six or seven months. I really learned how to howl last year and not in a musical sense. I got a few songs out of it. Shanghai Cigarettes is one of the new ones. sums it all up really.

Here’s one from a friend who’s known your music longer than me: did your previous band Save Macaulay ever record anything and if so, what?

Three years ago I started a record under the name Save Macaulay, but we put out Dead Flowers halfway through that project under my own name. I think I want to put out the other one and call it Save Macaulay.

When are you coming back over here again? Solo again or with a band? Which do you prefer?

I’ll be returning after the new record is done. Maybe April. I always prefer to play with a band though. I will sing songs by myself, but I much prefer playing with the band. Way more fun.

I visited Nashville briefly in 2006, but my stay was too short. When I manage to get back over there, what should I check out?

My favorite bars are Dino’s on Gallatin and The Melrose on 8th Ave. The Country Music Hall of Fame is pretty cool. I had a weird dream about it last night. Funny story, ever since I went to London my dream city scape has a new addition to it. Big Ben! It’s so bizarre. It’s half New York, half suburbs, half Nashville skyline with the clocktower right in the middle and I’m usually crossing a really long bridge on foot heading towards it all. It usually looks as far away as Oz on those painted backdrops.

mp3: Caitlin Rose - Shotgun Wedding

The Dead Flowers mini-album is out now on Names. Buy from Rough Trade.

Given my total absence from this blog over the past three weeks, I don’t suppose it’ll be any surprise to hear that I didn’t have time to contribute to this month’s MAP either. So for the second month in a row, my England contribution comes ghostwritten by MAP organiser Jason Pop Cop, who’s selected Jose Vanders (more below). Again, I probably wouldn’t have chosen her myself, but she’s alright and will do nicely till I get myself organised for next month.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Eloisa Lopez - Espiral
This is one of Zonaindie’s favorite tracks from 2009. It was taken from Eloisa’s third album, Por Un Paisaje. Maybe we like her so much because she manages to elegantly combine acoustic textures with native South American percussions and digital sounds. Espiral is a great example of this, and yet an unbelievably catchy tune that has Leo García as a guest vocalist. What else could you ask for?

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Kite Club - Royal Gums
Royal Gums is one of those tracks that grabs you straight away and drags you along for three minutes thanks to its chanting hooks and penchant for large-scale production. It opens with a beat lifted from Psychocandy and an explosion of layered vocals but then settles into a calming, meditative refrain, just letting the melody and harmonies carry the song. Kite Club (aka Nicholas Futcher) marries the laptop trickery to the tune without letting it control the song nor detract from its melodic core.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Barulhista - Indieota
When it comes to avant-garde music in Brazil, Barulhista (which means something like “noise follower”) is certainly an artist to keep an eye on. His electro-acoustic sounds encompass experimental electronica and more concrete music both in his solo songs and in the soundtracks he composes. Indiota (a mix of “indie” and “idiot” in Portuguese) is as close to pop as he has ever been.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Novels - No Hard Feelings
A supergroup of sorts featuring members of Born Ruffians, Tokyo Police Club and Will Currie & The Country French among others, Novels quietly released their self-titled debut EP into the world around Christmas. As No Hard Feelings (not to mention the other four tracks) demonstrates, it totally lives up to its pedigree. The album is full of catchy, 70s-inspired pop and it makes the EP well worth a (free!) download.

CHILE: Super 45
Moreno - Pica
Moreno is the new darling of Chilean indie-rock. With a powerful and psychedelic sound, Giancarlo Landini’s project - he plays every instrument on record and has a backing band for live shows - is inspired by lo-fi legends such as Lou Barlow (Sebadoh), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) and Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices), with a classic flavor.

CHINA: Wooozy
Mosaic - Sunshine Train
Mosaic are one of the new generation of bands from Chengdu. They were called GT6 before they changed their name in 2008. At the end of last year they successfully completed a tour of China through 10 cities. Although they haven’t released a full-length album, they are definitely worth a listen.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Rayo y Toby - Manitas Mágicas
After trying with different partners, Rayo and Toby finally realized they themselves were the perfect combination. The duo mix good urban music with a shot of melody and their approach is both fresh and unsettling.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Before The Show - Gabriel
Before The Show was originally a solo project by multi-instrumentalist Laurids Smedegaard, who often worked on his own songs just hours before he went on stage with any one of the numerous other bands he’s involved in (hence the band name). Now a quintet, Before The Show are working on getting their debut released and until that happens we can all enjoy this excellent taste of what’s to come.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Jose Vanders - For Now
Jose Vanders is a piano-playing chanteuse who is less eccentric than Regina Spektor and smarter than Kate Nash, but with even more doe-eyed, curly-haired cuteness. For Now shows off her gift for melody and picture-book lyrics, albeit on a ukulele instead of her usual piano. Jose has released three exquisite EPs in each of the past three years, aged 17, 18 and 19. Surely fame beckons at 20.

ESTONIA: Popop
Barthol Lo Mejor - Windshield Pfeiffer
Barthol Lo Mejor makes popdada music - experiments with electro rhythms and unconventional sounds including pieces of conversations, cliches, old movies and anime cartoons. His music is considered effective for recovering from hard drug addiction. Windshield Pfeiffer is part of the K8 MOSH EP, available for free download here

FINLAND: Glue
Kiki Pau - An Old Song
After their well-receive debut Let’s Rock, Kiki Pau return with a fantastic sophomore album to be released in early March. A MAP exclusive, An Old Song is the opening track of White Mountain and shows a more guitar-driven band with uplifting spirits. Those following the Nordic indie scene will hear about this band quite a lot this year because the whole album is a keeper that channels the classic sound of T.Rex, The Velvet Underground and left-field US guitar gods such as Pavement and Guide By Voices without forgetting a twist of Finnish pop.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Satine - Iron Güm
Drawing inspiration from northern poptronica (Under Byen, Mùm, Efterklang) and electro rock bands (Radiohead, The Notwist), Satine gave birth to their first intimate yet powerful tracks in 2004. Live, the band unfolds a dreamlike visual universe with video projections and light shows that make every concert a unique experience. But it’s always deep, beautiful and organic.

GERMANY - Blogpartei
Napoli Is Not Nepal - People Call It Mantra
Napoli Is Not Nepal is the solo project of Cologne-based Hendryk Martin. What he calls ‘electro nihilism’, I’d call outstanding ambient electro with some eclectic moments. Although People Call It Mantra was released in mid-2009 as part of the album Boredom Is Always Counterrevolutionary, it’s still quite a statement for the growing influence of music that sits between ambient and indie.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Etten - Clockwork Skies
Etten, former lead singer of the Greek band Film, weaves her tales of hope and dreams in a warm bearskin coat of pop sensibilities. Her voice offers the moods ‘light and shade’, while production touches colorfully paint enchanting pictures. Dark, but never needlessly so, I Know You’re Behind Me But I’m Not Scared is an intoxicating, addictive debut that offers a rich, distinct world of lullabies, spacey timbres and ghostly beauty. It blends brittle, 80s-influenced electro and Knife-inspired synths with buzzing basslines, guitars and samples in a sound that’s both atmospheric and richly textured.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Mammut - Svefnsykt
Mammut were formed in 2003 by two boys and three girls, aged 14-16. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine called them “a really good band”. They played SXSW in 2007 and toured with dEUS in Iceland and Germany. In 2008, Mammut released their second album, Karkari, through Icelandic label Record Records. Svefnsykt was its first single.

INDIA: Indiecision
Noush Like Sploosh - 3 Act Circus
Noush Like Sploosh is one of the most promising hopefuls of India’s growing, urban singer-songwriter scene. Armed with a dry wit and a musical sensibility falling somewhere between Regina Spektor and Imogen Heap, Noush Like Sploosh’s music is refreshing indie-pop that’s lyrical yet largely accessible. 3 Act Circus brings together myriad references, a laid-back ambient pop vibe and Ms Sploosh’s positively delectable vocals.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
RNRM - Zsa Zsa Zsu
RNRM are one of the finest electronic acts to have emerged from Indonesia’s underground and have earned praised in several music scenes, from punk-rock to high-class dance clubs. Their latest record, Outbox, was listed as one of the best albums of the last decade by Deathrockstar.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Autumn Owls - Raindrops In The River
Autumn Owls are a Dublin four-piece who have been honing their brand of nocturnal atmospheric rock songs since 2006. With two burgeoning and impressive EPs released and a debut album on the way, the band will travel to Austin this year to play the SXSW festival. Watch out for these guys in 2010.

ITALY: Polaroid
København Store - Strangers
The main quality of København Store’s music is its ability to build a layered and monumental sound with an incredibly strong emotional impact. There is something vast about the band, as if they could throw their songs for miles and miles. Strangers is taken from the forthcoming release, Hi. The new album will be the first chapter of a trilogy.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
LITE - The Sun Sank
LITE are one of the most enthusiastic live bands in Tokyo. They are often compared to Battles and Mogwai, and combine math-rock power and precision with emotionally-charged compositions. They will be doing a U.S. west coast tour with Mike Watt & The Missingmen in March. The Sun Sank is taken from their latest EP, Turns Red.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Furland - Quiero Ser Un Color
Furland are famous for having a huge grass-ball on stage, this Mexico City quartet dream of tripping to a place where strawberry fields stretch forever. On their proper debut, La Historia de la Luz, they explore the eternal message of love through light, sound… and a banjo. Quiero Ser Un Color is the first single off a 360-degree work filled with lush orchestrations, majestic vibes and acidic lyrics stuffed with cotton candy - food for thought.

NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam Event Guide
Moon & Sun - Ashes
To escape from the harsh winter we need some music that draws pictures of summer hazy beaches, endless days and warm nights. Enter the gorgeous Moon & Sun from Amsterdam. Their whimsical, sexy sound merges with a slightly more eerie tone of the vocal melodies and harmonies between frontlady Monica Tormell and her accompanying musicians. Playing a mix of piano, drums, guitars and steel drums, Moon & Sun have definitely got the 2010 sound down with their Caribbean sensibilities.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Pumice - Greenock
New Zealand’s best one-man band multi-instrumentalist psych-noise outfit is Pumice, the pseudonym of Stefan Neville. One of Pumice’s best albums, 2007’s Pebbles, is about to get a vinyl release on Soft Abuse Records. Wheezing organ and guitar feedback combine in album centrepiece Greenock, named after the Scottish village Neville’s ancestors originated from.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Team Me - Weathervanes And Chemicals
Team Me play warm and rich orchestrated pop music in the same vein as Sufjan Stevens, Efterklang, Hjaltalin or Sigur Rós. This used to be Marius D. Hagen’s one-man band - a recording project where he could play the songs that didn’t fit in his other bands. But Team Me has grown into a seven-strong orchestra and the fragile acoustic songs Hagen used to play have been transformed into a much larger and richer sound. Hagen is also a member of alternative rock band Jaqueline and half of semi-electronic pop duo SiN along with Tord Øverland Knudsen of English band The Wombats. SiN will release their debut album later this year and hopefully we’ll also get a release from Team Me in 2010.

PERU: SoTB
Rafo De La Cuba - Freak Profesional
Rafo De La Cuba has left anonymity to become an idol of Web 2.0. His home demos skip from ear to ear so it was no surprise that someone so talented could not stay hidden. Influenced by The Beatles, his songs tell simply of life - intimate stories turned into melancholic, but not sad, poetry. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to hear new material, with his debut LP due to be released soon.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Jasmin Jones - Lost In Rainbows
Jasmin Jones, whose mother is Portuguese, was born in Australia and lived in different countries during her childhood. She is a surfer and nature lover. Her debut album Beyond The Clouds will be released this year, even though she didn’t find a label to represent her. Jasmin currently lives in Lisbon and besides her solo career, she is the vocalist for Triplet, a rock band.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Kumm - Pop Song
Kumm started 12 years ago as an art-rock band. Much like their influences, Sonic Youth and Spritualized, they have developed a new approach to rock by constantly experimenting with various sounds and styles. Their latest album, Far From Telescopes, is a refreshing pop experience, a new episode of their music journey - far from their roots and closer to simpler things. This is a band that has grown up by getting younger.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Werd - Breakdown
Even if you’re just a casual hip hop listener, you owe it to yourself to give Werd a spin. The 22-year-old’s rhymes are as cunningly creative as they are uncompromising and he executes them with such furious, stylish precision. You can (and should) download everything the Edinburgh rapper has done for free from his Bandcamp page. In the meantime, the irresistible force of sub-two-minute track Breakdown will leave you wanting more… which is the point, yes?

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Stellarium - Chocolate & Strawberry
Stellarium are a shoegaze band, and that’s all you need to know. Instead of updating a familiar sound, they do something even more commendable by playing shoegaze as if it never went away. The moment the fuzz bass comes in during Chocolate & Strawberry, you’re caught in the band’s intricate web of white noise, ghostly reverb and cryptic vocals. Overall, the whole thing sounds like a long shutter exposure speeding past bright lights. Bliss.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Dans Republic - Afrikaans
Dans Republic is the coming together of two groups - Flash Republic, a band with the ability to set the dancefloors alight, and Foto Na Dans, who are breaking the boundaries of Afrikaans music with their own signature style. Their electro-tinged song Afrikaans showcases and merges the English and Afrikaans genre. It blends their unique styles seamlessly into something that is dreamy, indie, rock and electro all at once, yet never compromises each band’s sound.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
The Pony - Disturbance
Four-member indie-rock band The Pony released their first full-length album, Pony, last year. Full of well-produced tracks, it offers plenty of variety. Disturbance is a catchy, energetic song with great hooks to keep the listener coming back for more.

SPAIN: Oscuro Magazine
Estereotypo - The Big Fake
Estereotypo are one of those pop-rock bands with which you can’t remain indifferent. It’s best to see them live, where their power and presence are reminiscent of bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Faint, Foals or Delorean. Based in Santander, their second album, Love Your City, is out this month and The Big Fake embodies the powerful sound of this great indie band.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Staphan O’Bell - On The Rooftop
This song is great example of romantic swirling pop à la Rufus Wainwright. It’s one of three songs that are available from Stockholm resident Staphan O’Bell’s forthcoming album. If On The Rooftop is any indication then that album will be one to keep an eye out for.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Toro Y Moi - Thanks Vision
Toro Y Moi is the solo work of South Carolinian Chaz Bundick. Hailing from the college town of Columbia, Bundick creates distorted lo-fi pop music that warmly floats between your ears like something beautiful you’d stumble across while sifting through static radio waves.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Atkinson - Pais Tropical
Wincho Schäfer, Erik Aldrey and Rafael Cadavieco are musicians from famous Venezuelan bands Desorden Publico, Zapato 3 and Amigos Invisibles who decided to join talents in this interesting project called Atkinson. They launched their first production last March and since then they’ve been touring the country amazing new fans with smart lyrics and clean but catchy pop-rock. Pais Tropical is a musical explanation of the socio-political particularities of Venezuela.

To download all 35 songs in one file click here