Every month, international bloggers and publications pick their fave new music from their local scene and share it with the world. The Unfold Amsterdam selection for January is below, along with recommended tunes from 35 other countries.

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 36-track compilation here.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Hospital Bombers – Traditional Maori Fight Song #9
This self-proclaimed stadium-folk outfit have been in hiding for too long, sitting on a wealth of new material that they’ve struggled to shape into that ‘difficult second album’. Thankfully, this month they’ll finally release the sequel to 2008′s Footnotes – the grandly titled At Budokan. Their lovingly lo-fi folk-pop is always rougher and rawer in the live setting, but this new collection again shows them up to be masters of careful songcraft, albeit unashamedly quirky songcraft that’s emblazoned with handclaps and violins.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Nubes En Mi Casa – Aceleremos
Nubes En Mi Casa is an indie-pop band led by singer Josefina Mac Loughlin. Aceleremos is a preview from their upcoming second studio album, Me Suelto y Vuelvo. The song sounds like an instant hit and we’re sure it will become one of our favorite tracks of 2012, so we can’t wait to hear the rest of it.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Sures – The Sun
The Sun is a short burst of sunshine from Sydney duo Sures. It sounds like a Beach Boys outtake, which might sound boring given the number of bands out there paying homage to Wilson and Co. Fortunately, The Sun is just two minutes of harmonising over a dull melody – it’s a catchy tune that will have those of us in the southern hemisphere pressing repeat throughout summer.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Diver – Illusions
Quiet is the new loud. Diver, a folky trio from various places in Austria and Germany and now based in Vienna, play beautifully melancholic songs with three acoustic guitars and lyrics that go “everyday reality is an illusion of possibilities”. Illusions is the opener of their first full-length album Kites, which will be out later this month. In the meantime you can listen to their self-titled debut EP on Bandcamp.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Bixiga 70 – Balboa Da Silva
Bixiga 70 is what happens when you combine African beats, jazz and Brazilian swing in a city as hectic as São Paulo, where they’re from. Their first CD was released last year and is available to download at the band’s website.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Honheehonhee – We Only Go
There’s more than a hint of early Arcade Fire to We Only Go but, as someone who misses early Arcade Fire, I don’t see why that’s a strike against Honheehonhee. Besides, this song (not to mention the rest of their debut, Shouts) is exuberant, unhinged fun, and the world can always use more music like that.

CHILE: Super 45
Los Embajadores – Peso
From all the tips made in the Chilean music scene for this year, Los Embajadores is one of the most interesting. Romantic goth-pop songs reminiscent of Cocteau Twins as well as the darkest hours of Miguel Bosé. Faisanes is the name of their soon-to-come new album, and Peso (“Weight”) is its first single.

CHINA: Wooozy
Elenore – Psycho Man
Beijing-based Elenore formed in late 2009 and have developed a sound influenced by bands such as Oasis, Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The single Psycho Man fuses 60s swing drum loops, fuzzy guitar riffs and a Middle Eastern instrumental chorus which became a hit on China’s popular site Douban. In February, Elenore will release their first EP both on CD and the band’s own digital distribution site.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Nelson Can – Apple Pie
Danish girl-trio Nelson Can release their eponymous debut EP this month as part of a triple EP release with The Freudian Slip and Echo Me. Punk aesthetics spoon with pop flair and hipster cool on their first single Apple Pie, which reaffirms that apples are indeed a good thing. Like the girls on Facebook and check out the video for Apple Pie on YouTube.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Money – Who’s Going To Love You Now
A four-piece based in Manchester, Money are part of that city’s tradition of earnest young men, “the weight on their shoulder”, as Ian Curtis once sang. They quote Austrian poet Rilke, while their Facebook features a “eulogy for the death of everything”. A recent Guardian New Band of the Day article contended that they “have a similar air of mystery and cerebral intensity to Wu Lyf, with a vocalist who can do enigmatically gruff as well as fervid and angelic”, positing them as the Mancunian Manic Street Preachers, with a shared sense of the sacred and intense.

ESTONIA: Popop
Zebra Island – Falling Through
Mysterious Zebra Island rocketed into blogs and social networks at the very end of 2011 and everyone in Estonia seems to love them, although no-one knows much about the band. Zebra Island is led by Rasmus Lill from Kosmofon (featured in the March 2011 edition of MAP) and beautiful vocals are provided by Helina Risti. Falling Through, their first and only song so far, is a lovely, pulsating electro-pop masterpiece that keeps you wanting for much more Zebra Island.

FINLAND: Glue
Greymouth – The Boy
Singer and songwriter Elisa Husu founded Greymouth in the summer of 2011 to recreate her folky songs with a full band. The Boy is the first taster of this project and highlights Elisa’s beautiful voice on top of epic acoustic sounds with a marked Fleet Foxes influence.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Concrete Knives – Brand New Start
A perfect title for the first song of the year, Brand New Start is a highly enjoyable pop song, so good it’s featured in a commercial, and so fresh with its choir and upbeat sound, I would name it song of the year. Very good proof that the French indie scene is better than ever.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Apparat – Ash/Black Veil
This month we’ve got one of the most discussed German artists of last year. Apparat’s 2011 album The Devil’s Walk took the concept of Sascha Ring, the man behind the moniker, further. The soundscapes created feels like a cairn, carefully layered and poised, yet built to last; but Ring has decided to use his falsetto, which has caused controversy with reviewers. Decide for yourself if this concept works well on Ash/Black Veil. I think it does!

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Hristos Lainas – H Thlipsi To Brady
Hristos Lainas’ first solo album, I Agapi Tha Lampsi (“Love Will Shine”) is stuffed to the brim with alluring pop melodies, drenched in skittering 12-bit samplers, filtered vocals, warm and luscious analog synths and infused with a pleasant aura of drowsiness. Lainas assembles an array of sounds and textures, adds sporadic splashes of static atmosphere and in the process creates a magnificent listening environment of rose-tinted optimism and disenchantment. H Thlipsi To Brady (“Sadness In The Night”) submerges a sense of intense feeling within its 80s fantasy electronic ether and instantly takes hold of your ears.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Toggi – Let Them Bleed
This catchy little song, taken from the Iceland king of pop’s second album Wonderful Secrets, should be the anthem for any self-respecting Occupy movement. Feeling a need to protest? Then let Toggi’s tune occupy your mind and fire you up.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Belkastrelka – Pujian Ekspatriat
Belkastrelka are an eccentric electronic duo who sample sounds from various sources – windows, the library, television, nature and everything else. Combined with the tiny but wild vocals of Asa Rahmana, they create feral dance music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Collie Collins & Monto – How Does?!?
A collaboration indicative of Ireland’s growing insurgency against genre borders, Keep Her Lit is an EP which was released last year from Dublin rapper Collie Collins. Teaming up with producer Monto for four tracks of electronic-infused rap, the result is something wholly Irish yet globally progressive. It’s a free download too.

ITALY: Polaroid
Esperanza – Aliante Giallo
Three skilled musicians and DJs put together a project devoted to an idea of music with no barriers. The sound ranges from chillwave to house, from trip-hop to psychedelia, and becomes a wide landscape. Featuring a collaboration with Banjo Or Freakout and released on the prestigious German label Gomma, this album works magic when the bpms slow down and the electronics becomes warmer and warmer.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Praha Depart – Portrait Man
Praha Depart demand attention, the Tokyo band mixing constantly morphing guitar with drum smashes to create mesmerizing tracks that reveal new sonic details with each new listen. All of those elements appear on Portrait Man, but the highlight of the song is lead singer Mai and her jittery voice. Over the course of Portrait Man, her vocals bring to mind Lydia Lunch before zigging towards a style reminiscent of Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Dolls For Idols – Run
Dolls For Idols are an electronic band underpinned by indie and pop sensibilities. Their music embraces 80s-inspired synthesised sounds and the 90s rave generation, all served up with an attitude that is very much rooted in the here and now.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Los Mundos – Ni Un Segundo Más Sin Música
Los Mundos is a long-distance collaboration that perfectly speaks about musical memory and desertic solitude. The title of this lush pop-shoegaze song means “Not a second more without music”. Indeed, it’s the urgent need of a music lover: to spend all their time in a record store (how nostalgic), living their days wearing headphones with an obsession for everything that spins – very accurate for a band whose name in Spanish translates as “The Worlds”.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Billie Van – On My Knees
Billie Van’s music makes me reminisce back to the 50s and the 60s, when country music was good and Nancy Sinatra was the one; when rock ‘n’ roll meant four chords and terrific songs; when guitar solos were mandatory and slapback echo came from the amps. Her music is all of this – great pop songs, tearful country ballads and hip-shaking rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s also new and done in a refreshing way.

PERU: SoTB
Chico Unicornio – Triángulo
Once again, it is the independent scene that gives us another interesting musical proposal. Chico Unicornio is a one-man project that combines acoustic folk sounds with a nice Andean instrument called a charango. The music that this young man makes is new to our local sound, giving it a freshness and novelty.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
We Trust – Time (Better Not Stop)
We Trust is André Tentugal’s one-man band. In 2011, Time (Better Not Stop) was one of the most-played tracks by a new independent artist on Portuguese radio. We are proud to have it here, exclusively, for download for MAP readers. You can also find it on We Trust’s debut album, These New Countries, which was released in November.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Coughy – Precambrian
Coughy are an experimental duo residing in Bucharest, featuring former and current band members of The Amsterdams. Therefore it is regarded as a creative playground where everything is accepted as a form of expression without the self-censorship required when playing in a regular and quite popular indie-rock band.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
M A Y Г L E Y – Farfour
M A Y Г L E Y are getting ready to strike Russia’s cruel winter with an ancient God’s spell, drowned in a wall of sound. Religion, symbolism, adrenaline, isolated genres and the naked language of post-Stalin 60s influence this psychedelic shoegaze project, who have made a great record.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Make Sparks – Your Heart’s On Fire
Scotland’s rock scene is firmly in the spotlight thanks to the wildly successful exploits of Biffy Clyro and young pretenders Twin Atlantic. For those looking for the next band to follow in their footsteps, two contenders stand out: Make Sparks and LightGuides (featured in the July 2010 edition of MAP). Catchy choruses are fitted as standard on Make Sparks, who are making all the right noises with their relentless touring and recording ethic, slick promo videos and a vivacious pop sensibility.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Riot !n Magenta – CTRL
Do androids dream of electric sheep? One thinks of such things when the contrast between the organic and inorganic meld together into a primordial blur of passion. Riot !n Magenta gently slip into the stream of your thoughts with Hayashida Ken’s dark, pulsing rhythms and Eugenia Yip’s wispful and forlorn vocal delivery. There’s tension in every stem as the words haze through: “I try to take it slow, you go faster…You need control…”. Definitely hoping to hear more from this special duo.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Jeremy Loops – The Gypsy Opera
Jeremy Loops is not a traditional band. He creates music on the spot with his gamut of loop pedals and impromptu collaborations. With The Gypsy Opera, he brings together his delicate mix of folk, hip-hop, bluegrass funk and blues all by using his guitar, ukelele, harmonica and beatboxing skills. It is something rather magical to behold.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Galaxy Express – As Time Passes, Always Been Good
Galaxy Express is one of the best rock bands in Korea and have been for quite some time. During their Wild 30 project in 2010, a 30-day quest during which they recorded a piece of music for their Wild Days album every day, they showed that they put on the best of performances, even just going to karaoke. In late 2011, Galaxy Express released split EP Naughty Boy with Korean punk pioneers Crying Nut, which contained a re-recording of the somewhat atypical but gorgeous and engaging As Time Passes, Always Been Good from those wild days. Look out for more from Galaxy Express in 2012 as they’re heading for a US tour in March and playing SXSW for the second time.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Dolores – Volcán
Dolores are four, they’re from Madrid and they are certainly one of the best hopes for noise-rock made in Spain. Post-punk and shoegaze are two of the genres Dolores mix for achieving their sound (which is also spiced up with a touch of good ol’ pop and loads of energy). A good bit of that power can be heard on Volcán (“Volcano”), whose stunning rhythm will invite you to dance the hell out of yourself. And you won’t be able to refuse.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Blanket – Hailey Fought The Law
Want to watch a video starring the runner-up of the figure roller-skating world championships dressed as a rabbit? Here you go. Given that Blanket’s accompanying song is a fragile and psychedelic piece of awesomeness, we obviously have a win-win situation.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Haossaa – Holgar Godoni
Last year, Ozan Aktuna, Enis Özbek and Tolga Güldallı, three-pieced avant garde noise band Haossaa, became legends in the indie scene of Istanbul, mostly for their extraordinary live performances. And when their debut LP came out last September, their reputation finally got crowned.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Fantasy Island – Avenue
One of 2012′s more promising American groups is Fantasy Island, a Los Angeles duo responsible for a pair of intriguing, soulful jams since their formation in late 2011. They’ve got a new single out on UK label Stroll On Records and a debut album on the horizon. With a song like Avenue (and the equally fantastic Breaking A Heart) it’s hard to keep wild expectations in check… guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the rest of the year cooks up.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Okills – Nube
Okills is a band that started in mid-2010 and fuses alternative indie-rock with other genres, resulting in some fun music. In September 2011, they released their Iniciando Transmisión EP for free via the web in a pack that includes six songs, illustrations and photos of the band.

Every month, international bloggers and publications pick their fave new music from their local scene and share it with the world. The Unfold Amsterdam selection for December is below, along with recommended tunes from 35 other countries.

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 36-track compilation via MediaFire.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Spoelstra – Pallets
An alternative to the schmaltz of typical Christmas sounds, enjoy a dose of Spoelstra. He’s a collaborator with Dutch experimental label Narrominded, which specialises in all sorts of fantastic non-profitable sounds, from full-on noise rock to electronic warbles. And Spoelstra is a perfect fit, as he’s proven capable of both. His latest album Pallets was released earlier in the year. Packaged as a cassette and a book about everything you can imagine about pallets, it showcases a full rack of effects and a wonky mind. Part chip tune, part drunken country improv, part toy noise, this uneasiness is how Santa feels come Boxing Day.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
The Empire Of The Moon – Transition
The Empire Of The Moon is the new project of Juan Sábato, a former member of Brian Storming, a band that was featured in the first edition of MAP (and, by the way, the grandson of writer Ernesto Sábato). Transition is the first single from The Empire Of The Moon’s just-released debut EP, Saturday Children, for which he wrote all the music, lyrics and beautiful pop arrangements.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Tim Fitz – The Line
Tim Fitz is a 21-year-old producer/instrumentalist/singer from Sydney. He put out his first EP, Infinite Space, in March but his latest release, Beforetime, is definitely a rich picking. Some might hear genre spanning and others will hear indecisiveness, but there’s a great feel to this collection of tracks. The Line is a good example of Fitz’s kaleido-instrumentals. Just as the flouncy percussion gets into the proper swing of things, we get bombarded by drive-high fuzz around the one-minute mark. Fitz’s sound is original, but the way he has put his sounds together is still familiar enough to catch on to.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Nana Rizinni – Nice Figure, Dangerous Heart
It’s almost 2012, but listening to this song from singer/drummer Nana Rizinni can take you back to the 90s with an awesome “sounds like The Breeders feeling”. Nice Figure, Dangerous Heart is from her first album, I Said, which is available to download from her website.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Fevers – Passion Is Dead (Long Live Fashion)
Fevers’ debut full-length (which is currently free via Bandcamp) is a wonderful blend of disco-pop and ambient Stars/Young Galaxy-style space-rock. This song, the title track from the album, falls firmly into the former category. It’s five and a half minutes of a glorious, life-affirming, wave-your-arms-in-the-air anthem, and it sets the stage for one of the best albums of the year.

CHILE: Super 45
Tio Lucho – Ilusión Rebelde
Even though Tio Lucho had an aggressive, non-conformist punk sound when they started, it has developed into a more danceable and, clearly, more passive format. Produced by Chalo González, their new album Innombrable, released through Cazador, has a strong new wave influence. Ilusión Rebelde is its first single.

CHINA: Wooozy
Mini Train Heart – Just This Feeling
Formed in 2009, Mini Train Heart is a peculiar band based in Wuhan. The band is noted for their unpredictable drumbeats and manic vocals. Also, you can’t easily tell who their influences are. We recommend you just drown in the lo-fi atmosphere and enjoy their uniquely dry humor in how they see this generation.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Anchorless – A Step Too Steep
Comprising members of bands such as Lack, The River Phoenix and The Fashion, indie-rock six-piece Anchorless are currently finishing their debut album, which I assume will be released early-ish next year. Until then dive in, dig and download A Step Too Steep from their six-song eponymous 2010 debut EP, which you can in fact download in full through this link.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Citizens! – True Romance (Populette remix)
This is an exclusive remix of the debut single, True Romance, by a London-based five-piece who have just signed to French electronic/indie label Kitsuné. Their debut album, due early next year, has been produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. The video to the single was directed by LA’s High5Collective, the team behind shorts for The Weeknd and Odd Future. And they believe that “pop is not a dirty word. It’s a holy one”. For Citizens!, pop is something David Bowie did in the 70s – they conflate glam-era Bowie and Bowie in Berlin with some of the tart arrogance of Suede and louche energy of Franz.

ESTONIA: Popop
Shelton San – Well-Behaved
Noise-rock band Shelton San started rocking the small Estonian indie scene in 2002 and, almost 10 years later, they are stronger than ever, creating massive, raw, hypnotic atmospheres, always polished, but never sterile. In 2006, they received the Estonian Music Award for the best punk/metal artist. Shelton San’s second LP was released on December 12.

FINLAND: Glue
Zebra And Snake – Burden
Matti and Tapio, best known as Zebra And Snake, positioned themselves as the next big thing in Finnish electro-pop in 2010 and since then, the duo has been carefully crafting their debut album while playing anywhere from Iceland to Indonesia. Burden, the first single off Healing Music (out in spring 2012), is an epic pop song with a Blood On The Dance Floor beat, analogue electronic hooks and powerful Bowie-esque vocals.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Marauders – Galley-Slave
Marauders formed in the late 80s in Strasbourg, and have been making garage rock ever since, before it was cool and re-popularized by The Black Keys. The quartet, who have released two LPs and appeared in various compilations, play short, edgy songs and are pretty awesome live. Galley-Slave is a sweet, soft-rock ballad that deserves some attention.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Kraków Loves Adana – Silver Screen
The Black Forest, a myth. Since Kraków Loves Adana come from Freiburg, we can all speculate whether the forest has its influence or not. Hence, the sound of this duo is outstanding. The voice of Deniz Cicek is remarkably dark and complex, the use of the instruments is deliberate, creating deep and slightly ominous songs. Silver Screen is a MAP exclusive from their upcoming second album, which will be released in early 2012.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
2L8 – Let It Go
A collective led by K the Clown and comprised of talented Greek musicians, 2L8 is a bold and electrifying project that has come to be categorized by their radical stylistic shifts between albums. New Battles, Without Honor And Humanity is packed with feverous instrumental intensity and florid arrangements based on bursting guitars, pounding drums, subtle and luminous climaxes, dramatic strings and brass, hypnotically simple melodies, inner monologues and trembling, frantically passionate vocals, desperate and bleak lyrics about resistance, equity, freedom, love and equality coupled with a sense of hope.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Low Roar – Friends Make Garbage, Good Friends Take It Out
Low Roar is the personal project of Ryan Karazija who, almost two years ago, moved from San Francisco to Reykjavík to follow the love of his life. His self-titled debut chronicles the challenges of starting anew in a foreign land and the struggles to acclimatize, find work and support his family in the Icelandic winter. Friends Make Garbage, Good Friends Take It Out, one of the highlights of the album, is a haunting, emotive and slightly melancholic song with a melody that will undoubtedly keep playing in your head long after the song is over.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Stars And Rabbit – Worth It
Stars And Rabbit are probably one of this country’s most promising indie acts. The duo mix some soul from Joan Baez, the cuteness of Lisa Mitchell and the playful touch of Björk to produce catchy, beautiful pop songs.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Come On Live Long – Elephants And Time
Formed last year, Come On Live Long have picked up a steady pace in no time as evident on the release of their latest EP entitled Mender. They make far-reaching alternative songs with considerable melodies, synths and a strong singular sound. Production by Nouveaunoise electronic maestro Conor Gaffney helps too. Ones to watch.

ITALY: Polaroid
Distanti – Astronomie
Distanti sing in Italian, but even if you don’t speak our old and praiseworthy language, I’m sure you’ll understand – in fact, you will totally feel the way Distanti tear up their post-punk sound. Visceral. Urgent. Clever. They just released a new EP, Mamba Nero, which you can get at To Lose La Track. And try to catch Distanti live, they’re amazing.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Love And Hates – Party Trash
Love And Hates is a collaboration between Yuppa and Moe, two of the best indie artists in Japan today, from HNC and Miila And The Geeks respectively. Love And Hates finds them teaming up to make rap music with indie-pop touches, or kindergarten hip-hop as they dubbed it. Party Trash, with its cutesy chopped-and-screwed intro and solid structure, is not a lame dorm-room joke but rather a fun, appreciative stab at the genre. UGK they are not, but they still feel like a blast.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
nosnow/noalps – Far Into The Night (Without You)
nosnow/noalps began its journey over mountainous terrain in early 2007 with their poppy indie-rock seasoned with punk, reggae and ska. Soon after, the quartet hit the live circuit with an energy and force comparable to an avalanche at a Swiss ski resort. The band’s first EP, Just Rock, came out in 2008 and they released their debut album, Romantikpolitik, this August.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
3Ball MTY – Ritmo Alterado
The city of Monterrey, in northern Mexico, is struggling in a war against drug-mafias: despite the violent context, a new musical genre is rising thanks to 3Ball MTY. Led by veteran electro-cumbia DJ Toy Selectah and a crew of skillful producers in their early 20s, the collective have created a new sound by merging polka, reggaeton and acid-tribal-techno. But the most peculiar thing about this trend is the style of dancing – like dodging bullets – while wearing ultra-long pointy boots. Curious? Just google ‘Pointy Mexican Boots’.

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
The Eversons – I’m A Conservative
Fronted by Mark Turner (ex-Little Pictures) and with Chris Young (Insurgents, No Aloha), Tim Shann and Blair Everson, The Eversons have a crisp, clear garage-rock vibe that strongly recalls Art Brut and American college rock with its undeniable catchiness and the immediate satisfaction this brings. With classic guitar riffs and day-in-the-life-style lyrics, their debut five-song EP is instantly likeable. This is one of those bands that doesn’t muck around, delivering a top-class release very early in their career, which makes us excited about future things to come from them.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Sunturns – Hallelujah (Christmas Is Here!)
Sunturns can perhaps be labeled an indie supergroup – or not just an indie super group, but a Christmas indie supergroup. It’s something as rare as a full-time Christmas band and is comprised of some of the best musicians from the Oslo indie scene, with members from bands such as mylittlepony, Monzano and The Little Hands of Asphalt. They sing about both the nice and the more melancholic sides of Christmas. Their debut album, cleverly titled Christmas, is out now.

PERU: SoTB
Gris Volta – You Go Behind The Truth
Formed at the beginning of 2008, Gris Volta have too many influences to place the band into one genre – you can find anything from indie-rock to jazz themes and experimental music in their songs. Their debut record Monochrome is without doubt one of the best Peruvian albums released this year.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Julie & The Carjackers – Mr Williams
One year ago, Julie & The Carjackers released their debut EP. Now the first album by João Correia (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Bruno Pernadas (guitar), with the help of some friends (none of them called Julie), is available. Parasol has been warmly welcomed by Portuguese press and blogs as a surprising and refreshing debut in the local indie scene.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Absurdcus – Puppy Slippers
Absurdcus is the solo project of Transylvanian bass player/multi-instrumentalist Laszlo Demeter. His music has been a continuous work in progress since 2003, when he first started recording bits and pieces under this pseudonym. His music stylistically ranges from alternative rock and funk to electronica and even metal. You can download his debut album here.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Arktor – Pier ft. Didjelirium
Just like the original story by Philip K. Dick, Arktor’s album Retreat Syndrome recreates the atmosphere of madness and insanity, combining truth and despair with the skills of his mate, jazz pianist Ilz. Pier is recorded with a special guest, Shanghai rapper Didjelirium.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Café Disco – Terra Nova
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Terra Nova by Glasgow-based newcomers Café Disco. It was on a shaky YouTube clip filmed in June 2011 during one of the band’s earliest gigs. “Contains the peachiest guitar riff I’ve heard in ages” is how I described the song on my blog back then – and that verdict hasn’t changed with this studio recording, which was funded by The Pop Cop for the sole purpose of giving it away through the Music Alliance Pact, together with this rather fun promo video.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Sonicbrat – Bed Of Forty Winks
Sonicbrat is the enduring moniker of sound artist Darren Ng, whose work is characterised by an intricate tapestry of field recordings and found sounds, strung together by subtly processed acoustic instrumentation with a classical bent. Gentle, stirring and complex, Ng’s music is the sort that invites itself into and comfortably inhabits one’s imagination. His latest release, Hana, is his musing on the life of a flowering plant and is available as a free download on the Totokoko label.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
The Frown – The National (Yesterday’s Pupil remix)
The Frown makes a curious mixture of folk and electronica. With their song The National, Yesterday’s Pupil’s remix adds a special touch to it, with a heady mix of soaring strings and orchestration, low tempo colliding beats, dark and menacing basslines and the fragile yet commanding vocals of Eve Rakow. Ethereal and enigmatic, it’s one of the year’s most exciting songs.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Kim Mok In – Scene
Kim Mok In started out as the guitarist of playful lo-fi folk quartet Cabinet Singalongs over a decade ago. This month he released his first solo album, Song Of Musician’s-self, with an updated sound and better production that still shouldn’t leave any old fan disappointed. Scene is a song about the Korean music scene which finds Kim Mok In’s voice and guitar accompanied by a sturdy piano.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Doble Pletina – Cruzo Los Dedos
Doble Pletina, a five-piece from Barcelona, were born from the ashes of Abrevadero (a one-of-a-kind cover band that would play songs of almost any genre). Thanks to their simple yet carefully crafted melodies and everyday life-inspired emotional lyrics – as in their latest single Cruzo Los Dedos – they have broken into the city’s local independent scene. They are, basically, what we would expect from a good indie-pop band.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Let’s Say We Did – Galaxies
If your idea of Swedish music is something exotic like Lykki Li, First Aid Kit, Little Dragon and/or Jens Lekman, the music of Let’s Say We Did might surprise you. On the whole, the new record hews closer to Big Star meets Wilco dad-rock than the drum and bass electronica music coming out of Sweden of late. Sebastian Fors is one of the main men behind the band. He has been contributing to the Swedish music scene for a few years in multiple projects. Let’s Say We Did’s new self-titled album, though, is some of the best stuff I’ve heard from him.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Alejandro Jiménez – Die Fragestellung In Frage Stellen
Alejandro Jiménez is actually more poetry slam than singer-songwriting. He also had the honour of playing in the most famous theater in Switzerland for cabaret artists. On his second record, Nabelschau, he recorded 11 songs which have one thing in common: they’re raw and personal.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Toz Ve Toz – Kara Mamba
Founded in November 2007, Toz Ve Toz make experimental songs that combine elements of jazz, surf, punk and Turkish classical music. The trio use guitar, synthesizer, drums, harmonica and bağlama – a Turkish instrument with three double strings. They have released two albums – the first featured music for a theatre play called Sahici İnsanlar Plastik Ölümler (“Real People Plastic Deaths”) in 2009; the second is a home recording called Ev/Home. Their third album will be released from their own record label soon.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Gracie – Sisters
Philadelphia’s Gracie is an intriguing project to say the least. There is bedroom pop and garage rock, but the vibes coming from Gracie match more of a bomb shelter banger sound. Haunting, effervescent, glitchy, mesmerizing echoes, and driving beats that propel your ears forward straight through tangles of sonic cobwebs. Can’t wait to snag this unique release via Small Plates soon.

WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER
OT301, 20.30, €8, free for Subbacultcha! members

The Babies started as nothing more than a side project for Vivian Girls Cassie Ramone and Kevin Morby of Woods. Two years down the line they’re still going strong and have compiled enough material to create their first full length, self-titled album as well as release a few 7″s along the way. Originating from Brooklyn, Ramone and Morby lived together for a year and, since they were both musically inclined, it was only natural that they began collaborating. What evolved from those elementary song-writing sessions was what we now know as The Babies, give or take a few band members…

They’re now a four piece, with drummer Justin Sullivan having been roped in from his full-time band Bossy, as well as Nathaniel Stark from Bent Outta Shape – yet another Brooklyn outfit. This bunch know how to play, that’s for sure, and deliver their jangle indie-rock with nonchalance and flair. Ramone’s lilting, stretching vocals don’t have to be perfect to make you smile and with elements of punk, as well as their classic shouty, lo-fi Brooklyn sound, surely you can spare a few bob to come out and see ‘em. It’ll be worth it!

THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER
Trouw, 20.30, €15/€17 at door

Junior Boys return to Amsterdam for the second time this year, after their brief stint at Pitch Festival during summer. They’re renowned on the scene for their successful mix of electronica, techno and disco with an R’n’B influence thrown in, and this they Thursday hold court in the cavernous room at Trouw as they tour in support of their new album It’s All True.

The duo, originally from Hamilton, Ontario first formed in 1999, and have come on leaps and bounds since then. Their most recent offering draws influence from unexpected role models – Orson Welles and Carl Craig to name a few – and showcases their range of talents and ability. They’re not just two men and some synths you know.  It’s easy to get sucked in within minutes of the first listen – the slick synth-pop and expertly mixed beats are definitely worth the €15 cover and if you go early enough you’ll really get your money’s worth by catching the support Diamond Rings, another Canadian electro dude who’s one to watch.

Josh T Pearson is ready to testify

FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 
CROSSING BORDER (DEN HAAG)
De Duitse Kerk, Bleijenburg 3b, 22.30

Originally known for Lift To Experience‘s 2001 cult classic The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads, Josh T Pearson spent the following decade losing his faith and mind in the Texas back country.  Having finally pulled himself from purgatory, the preacher’s son is now touring his heart-wrenching solo effort Last Of The Country Gentlemen and will play at this year’s Crossing Border festival in The Hague.

It’s pretty well known that your father was a Pentecostal preacher. Did church music influence you in any way?
Not in a conscious way. But the church music I grew up with is all about being lost in the epiphany. All the worship services lead to one particular moment where it washes over you. All the people and instruments take on their own melodies in the same key. I think when that’s ingrained in you from a young age it will always filter down – even to the acoustic guitar.

There was a huge gap between The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads and your solo record. What were you doing in between?
I was living in small town Texas south of Dallas in the middle of nowhere. I was working locally for different cowboys and cut myself off from pretty much everything. I didn’t want to be part of the business side of the music industry at all. It was a pretty conscious decision. After that I hit the road for a while and specifically didn’t put anything out. I needed to walk the Earth for a while to see where my headspace was at. Then gradually I began to play some songs live again along the way.

Given that your playing in Lift To Experience was awash with guitar effects, what made you switch to acoustic for your solo album?
I was basically just on the road and brought my acoustic because I couldn’t bring any amps along. But I started out on the acoustic way before I was in the band. I only switched to electric after Loveless came out. That was the album that made me go out and buy a Jaguar and a bunch of effects pedals. But part of the goal of this solo record is to play it as bare as possible. It’s an album that can rip your heart out.

You’ve described recording Last Of The Country Gentlemen as a ‘painful process’. Why did you decide to record it? Was it also therapeutic?
I was going through a terrible time and I wrote about it because I thought it would be cathartic, although it didn’t help me at the time. But I also didn’t have a goal in mind to make an album, which gave me a certain freedom to be truly confessional.  In most therapy people are made whole and better by confession, that’s something not just limited to Christianity.  So I took the collection of songs and made it into one straight piece. I wanted to have it as a confessional love letter from beginning to end.

How long did it take to actually record?
It took two days to do seven songs live. I went in the first day and it was a painful experience, almost like a documentary. It destroyed me. About twelve days later I felt strong enough to do it again and finished off the the remaining three or four songs. Then I didn’t get out of bed for about 8 months after.

You’ve joked at previous shows that your audience is only made up of  ‘ heartbroken dudes’. But is it rewarding that your music brings people together in a shared sense of experience?
Yeah, I’m glad about that and it’s been healing for me. It’s good that it’s out there for people. But I also haven’t thought about it too much. I just hit the road and haven’t looked back too much since. I’m still surprised I even recorded the album. Maybe next year I’ll see more perspective on it. But now I’m just playing the songs and figuring out what to do next.

So are you looking towards recording another album already?
I still have to figure that out.  I’m in a much better spiritual place than I was a few years ago. I played with a couple of drummers recently and it was sounding good. So I’d like to paint on a different canvas for a while. I seem to be doing ok mentally in terms of not being an asshole. I may go back to Texas and try out some songs on the electric and see what happens.

Every month, international bloggers and publications pick their fave new music from their local scene and share it with the world. The Unfold Amsterdam selection for November is below, along with recommended tunes from 34 other countries.

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 35-track compilation via MediaFire.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Moon & Sun – Hunt (Gavin Russom remix)
Although based in Amsterdam, Moon & Sun is very much an international concept. At its core is artist/musician Monica Tormell, who’s originally from Sweden but who wrote and recorded her debut album, The Wild Things, in Curaçao, the Swedish woods and also back in Amsterdam. That original collection emerged last November, offering bouts of atmospheric and tribal folk. One year on, a number of its tracks have been reworked by a host of international collaborators. This remix by DFA artist and LCD Soundsystem collaborator Gavin Russom draws on the heavily percussive elements to create electronic patterns reminiscent of Swedish peers The Knife and jj.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Fútbol – El Asedio De River
El Eternauta is an amazing science fiction comic created by Argentine comic strip writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published from 1957 to 1959. Los Ellos is a tribute compilation to this work and its author, one of 30,000 people who disappeared during the dictatorship that ruled the country between 1976 and 1983. The album contains 18 original tracks written by independent bands from La Plata and Buenos Aires. El Asedio De River is one of them, an instrumental track from alternative rock trio Fútbol.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Feathers – Cat Burgler
Cat Burgler is a sweet new jam from Brisbane’s Feathers, taken from their forthcoming 12″ Hunter’s Moon, out through Bon Voyage. The song showcases this all-female four-piece’s ability to intertwine whimsy and hooks into irresistible tunes suited for both Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Kassin – Calça De Ginástica
Kassin is a producer who has worked with some of the most creative artists in Brazilian contemporary music. He has also played in some bands and projects and this year he released his first solo album, from which Calça De Ginástica is taken. The electronic pop is combined with funny lyrics in which a man tells of his desires with a girl he knows (such as having sex with her in a paraplegic’s bathroom while wearing his gym clothes).

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
First Rate People – Someone Else Can Make A Work Of Art
Someone Else Can Make A Work Of Art is a dance song, but only in the way that, say, All My Friends is a dance song. It’s got incredibly catchy beats and a wonderful vocal performance, but it’s held together by a genuine emotional core. It, and the album it comes from, are currently free for download from Bandcamp, so there’s really no reason not to go get it right now.

CHILE: Super 45
Fernando Milagros – Carnaval (feat. Christina Rosenvinge)
San Sebastián, the third album from singer-songwriter Fernando Milagros, is, in simple terms, a masterpiece. Although in his early days as a musician Milagros pointed towards a more contemplative kind of folk (a big reference here would be Nick Drake or the calmer moments of Devendra Banhart), in his newest album he explores South American music, creating denser pieces, darker yet more powerful. Carnaval, the first single from the album, features guest Spanish musician Christina Rosenvinge.

CHINA: Wooozy
Tong Dang – Don’t Let Me Cry
Tong Dang formed in 2001 in Chengdu. Their name is derived from the Chinese word meaning “Young Gang”. They started off as a melodic nu-metal band and gradually added elements of pop-punk and emo. Tong Dang are known for their explosive performances which features catchy hooks and melodies. Don’t Let Me Cry is taken from their album Far Away, released in 2007.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Echo Me – Darkest Hour
It’s alternative pop-rock with a folksy touch. It’s Echo Me aka Jesper Madsen. It’s an eponymous debut album. And it’s great.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
WooWoos – Fizzy Lettuce
WooWoos are Nicky, Tasie and Jess, three London girls shaping up to be the new Sugababes – only the Sugababes when they were good, when Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan were in the group, not the three ciphers they’ve got in now. They’re funny, they’re sassy, and their debut single, Fizzy Lettuce, is 90s trip-hop revisited with a solid chorus that suggests there in a substantial musical base below the fizz and pop. We still don’t know what is a Woo Woo, or indeed what is fizzy lettuce, but at least they’re getting us thinking, these sugar-babes with subversive intent.

ESTONIA: Popop
Ewert And The Two Dragons – Jolene
Ewert And The Two Dragons, consisting of Evert Sundja, Erki Pärnoja, Ivo Etti and Kristjan Kallas, sky-rocketed into the Estonian music scene in autumn 2009 with their debut album The Hills Behind The Hills. 2010 was a busy year for the Dragons: they performed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, including noted festivals such as Tallinn Music Week and Positivus. Their smooth sounds and melodies have been praised both at home and abroad. Their second album, Good Man Down, came out in April and has enjoyed tremendous success.

FINLAND: Glue
The Saturnettes – Girl Named Sue
The Saturnettes, from Tampere, blend in a refreshing way the 70s glam rock sounds of David Bowie and T. Rex with a touch of new wave and synth-pop. Girl Named Sue is the very catchy first single off their debut album.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
1995 – La Source
Ask someone from France if they like French rap and they will most likely answer ‘no’, but ask if they likes old-school rap and the answer is most likely to be ‘yes’. And that’s what this month’s band is all about: old-school rap, with modern lyrics. 1995 (or “un-double-neuf-cinq”/”un-neuf-neuf-cinq”) is a young rap collective (five MCs, one DJ) hailing from Paris who released an extraordinary, well-received EP, La Source, last June. The EP is a work of art for people disappointed and bored by gangsta-like music, and is almost a miracle for the purists as well, thanks to the return to basics, the flow and the instrumentals. You can buy La Source on Amazon or iTunes.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Jolly Goods – If I Were A Woman
When you listen to Jolly Goods’ second album Walrus, released recently on Staatsakt, you should be prepared for some serious disarray. Their songs, especially their lyrics, bear testament to a deep doubt in the world as it appears to these two sisters; they capture emotions like anger, trepidation and a little bit of hope in an extraordinary way.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Sugar Factory – 440
Sugar Factory have unleashed their luminous, lilting, lovely debut single, the double A-side 440 / Explosions. It’s an insular instrumental experience, casting intrigue in the minute details, an immersive and inevitably cinematic gem rich in fuzzy memories, nostalgia, melody and atmosphere, with woozy accordion that accentuates the underlying emotions, guitars and samples with an otherworldly quality that lingers with you. Listen to 440, a perfect mood piece as the night begins to draw in.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Polka Wars – Horse Hooves
Horse Hooves is an echoey, spacey song made by a collective of young boys influenced by the current fuzzed and mopey music scene. You’ll love their simple interpretation of what we call humble music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
We Cut Corners – Go Easy
Go Easy is a fine example of what to expect from Today I Realised I Could Go Backwards, the debut album from Dublin duo We Cut Corners. Restricting themselves to drums, guitar and voice doesn’t hamper John Duignan and Conall O’Breachain in the construction of their direct songs. Rather, they find new ways to create unique songs from a limited palette. They might Go Easy but they will go far.

ITALY: Polaroid
Horrible Present – Cloudy Talks
Nicola Donà used to sing in the band Calorifero, now he lives in London and writes music under the moniker Horrible Present. His new songs are more lo-fi, bedroom pop-oriented, ranging from synth-driven experimental tunes to romantic acoustic guitar ballads, but always with a big shining love for melodies. And the love is returned. Expect a debut album in early 2012.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Avec Avec – Kuzuha No Sunday
Avec Avec is one of the most promising young artists to emerge in a burgeoning electronic scene based in the Kansai region. Kuzuha No Sunday stands as one of the best tracks from this fledgling movement, a stuttering beat-driven song reminiscent of Bibio or Cornelius that sounds like a perfect sunny Sunday. The sweetest part comes via that glitchy vocal sample, one of the most joyous sounds to come out of Japan this year.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Cable 35 – Cow Head
Formed in 2006, Cable 35 have become known for their highly energetic performances and are arguably Malta’s tightest band. The three-piece is made up of singer and guitarist Jeffrey Zerafa, bassist Kriz Zahra and drummer Chris Mallia. Following a couple of EPs, the band released their aptly-titled debut album Louder three months ago and are currently touring Europe to promote it. Louder brings back Bleach-era Nirvana to your ears.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Antoine Reverb – You As A Fish
The tradition states that Guadalajara is the quintessential land for Machos and Mariachi in Mexico. But Antoine Reverb (actually a quintet, not a person) doesn’t belong to their time and place. On their splendid second album Everything Is A Foreign Language To Me, the band sets their inner clocks backwards on a swirly Victorian time-travel in a quest to reach the land of the Pet Sounds, rabbit-holing on a twee-gaze mood (reminiscent of Broadcast in the 90s), finally sliding on a spiral that leads to confusing atmospheres that resemble the soundtrack for the Czech vampire film Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders. Antoine Reverb are not only strangers in their own land, but in their own dreams.

NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal
Fabulous/Arabia – The Ballad Of State Highway 1
James Milne (Lawrence Arabia) and Mike Fabulous (The Black Seeds) unveiled their collaboration last month and surprised many fans by presenting an album of nu jazz songs – combining elements of funk, soul and jazz, while quite obviously retaining Lawrence Arabia’s indie-pop influence. Their debut album is a mixed bag, each song exploring a different path. The most obvious reference is British downtempo DJ Mr Scruff, courtesy of Fabulous’ wonderfully unusual instrumental experimentation. Their debut album Unlimited Buffet can be downloaded from Bandcamp.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Bendik – Igjen
Bendik is a lush, ambient electro-pop band signed to the great Trondheim-based label Riot Factory alongside the likes of Scarlet Chives, Dråpe, Angelica’s Elegy and Pelbo. It started as Silje Halstensen’s solo project but has now grown into a trio. They have played at some of the biggest festivals throughout Norway, such as Øyafestivalen, Pstereo and Slottsfjell, and their debut album will be released next year.

PERU: SoTB
Division Mayday – Lugar Seguro
Division Mayday formed in 2008 and their sound ranges from post-punk to electro-pop. A mix of electronic guitars, intimate lyrics, an intense rhythmic base and electronic sequences are the raw materials of their musical proposal.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Rose Blanket – Feel My Way Around
Nothing Ahead Nothing Behind is the third album from Miguel Dias’ project Rose Blanket, recorded between 2008 and 2011. For this double album, he collaborated with several Portuguese musicians and two American vocalists, Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields) and Dana Schechter (Bee And Flower). Feel My Way Around features Jennifer Charles.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
East Roots – S.O.S.
East Roots is not a conventional dub/reggae band. As the cardinal points, each member comes with a new direction: drum ‘n’ bass, reggae, ska, dancehall and even trip-hop, you will find it all in their music.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
Valotihkuu – Two Shadows
Valotihkuu’s Flutter EP is made up of 15 tracks which collect memories and emotions of a full year, filled up with nostalgia, old vibes, cassette tapes, weird samples and a unique feel that might remind you of Madlib and Monster Rally.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic (Unravelled)
Rarely has the word “timeless” been more appropriate for a record. It took seven years for King Creosote and Jon Hopkins to make their first collaborative album, the Mercury Prize-nominated Diamond Mine, and it handsomely captures delicate snapshots of unhurried, everyday life in rural Fife – literally, with the sound of coffee shop chatter, running streams and chirping seagulls. Here’s an exclusive free MAP download of their reworking of album track Bats In The Attic, taken from their Honest Words EP.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Magus – Riders On Psychedelics
Magus is a new collaboration between Mark Dolmont and Leslie Low, the latter best known for his work with Humpback Oak and The Observatory. Their debut effort is fittingly the first release by Ujikaji Records, a new independent label and distro focusing on experimental music in the region. The album, titled Sun Worshipper, presents a dark and spiritual brew of kraut-inspired psychedelia which makes for an addictively harrowing pilgrimage through the deepest of valleys.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Laurie Levine – Six Winters
Six Winters is the lovely first single and title track of the third album by acclaimed Johannesburg singer-songwriter Laurie Levine. Piano and acoustic-driven, twinkling and atmospheric with an electric tinge, it all makes Laurie’s heady blend of folk coupled with her captivating vocals one that has earned her critical acclaim and a growing audience.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Coedwig – Let Her Go
Street folk artist Neofolk has gotten himself a band member and formed the unit Coedwig. Let Her Go is one of the indie rock numbers on the recently self-released first EP, which also contains a couple of acoustic tracks – a sound that is very popular in Korea at the moment.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Lasers – Solar System
Lasers are a cosmic pop three-piece from Barcelona. Influenced by acts such as Animal Collective, Fuck Buttons, locals Delorean and label mates The Suicide Of Western Culture (featured in September’s MAP), Lasers have learnt to create extraterrestrial atmospheres using “samples, tireless cyclic sounds, breeze melodies” in their music, which can be both obscure and optimistic at a time or, as they call it, “noise and poetry”. Lasers will release their first album Juno through Irregular in December, from which Solar System is taken.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Halina Larsson – Puget Sounds
Halina Larsson is an expat from Sweden who has lived in LA and now resides in Brooklyn. She has a diverse sound and a variety of influences including Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Erykah Badu, Feist and Elliott Smith. Halina is a trained jazz vocalist who, on her latest Fires & French Horns EP, falls somewhere between indie folk songstress and new soul chanteuse. It’s an odd combination but on certain songs and in certain styles she can pull it off.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
laFayette – Heavy Rain (feat. Lena Fennel)
Since their launch in 2009, Basel boys Jascha Dormann and Simon Hauswirth have found their place in the Swiss electronica scene. Musically, laFayette boldly go into the deep end of a pool filled with electronica, hip hop and techno music. Their debut EP Sputnik was released in September.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Saskatchewan – Skinny Dipping
Orlando, Florida’s Saskatchewan are masters of slow-built dream pop, lush vocal harmonies and melodies that are damn near impossible to ignore. Skinny Dipping is their latest single, available for free on Bandcamp. Look out for an album sometime in early 2012.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Carlos Angola – Hasta Mañana
I first saw Carlos Angola at a festival called VirgenFest which was being held in a public square. The atmosphere was magical, it felt like Woodstock. On stage there was this boy with glasses, an acoustic guitar and a great voice. Carlos Angola used to be part of a ska band called Skabiosis, but now he is displaying his talents as a solo artist with his album Rompecabezas which guarantees total relaxation no matter when you listen to it.

FRIDAY 11 & SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER
Paradiso

The line-up for London Calling might be described as eclectic to say the least – Dum Dum Girls mixed with Hard-Fi and Washed Out – but it surely just means there’s something for everyone, no? With many of the acts already quite cemented in the underground scene, it’s about time for them to bring their heads above ground a bit more and play along side the big guns.

Labelmates Veronica Falls and Spectrals both play on the Friday night, giving anyone a bit of a warm indie pop lift after the bitterly cold week we’ve had in Amsterdam. Wind down with some chill-wave from Washed Out, before bringing yourself right back up again with Wise Blood and the Dog Day Disco afterparty to get your weekend started.

If you’re lucky enough to have bought a passépartout then Saturday night won’t disappoint you either. Look out for Friends, with their punchy drums and woozy guitar, as well as Caged Animal, chill-rock with a hint of surf doo-wop to bring it all together.

The main surprise is bound to be Hard-Fi, who most people would agree were up-and-coming about six years ago and are now, well… just there I suppose. But it adds a familiar name to the programme and they’re bound to deliver bag-fulls of energy – or they’ll pay.

SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER
Museums in Amsterdam, 19.00-02.00, €17.50

Another year, another night, another Museumnacht. Yip, despite an unaffiliated PR stunt declaring 2010 to be the final in its line, the annual cultural event is back, bigger than ever. Forty-five museums are onboard this year, proposing an array of music, performance, dance, art, alcohol and more.

Having written about Museumnacht for numerous years and acted as a programming judge last year, I recommend just a few hearty rules to stick by.

1. Go to more than one museum. Many people don’t. They’re missing out.

2. Don’t go to five museums. Even with a pass that lets you skip the queues, five museums is an exhausting challenge if you intend to make the most of the programming.

3. Don’t be afraid of the bigger museums that attract queues. Just catch them earlier or later when there’s less waiting time.

As for programming tips…

Scheepvaartmuseum

It’s been closed for renovations for years, but it’s back and it’s where this year’s party officially launches – hopefully with a bottle of champagne crashing onto the hull. ‘Sonic Architecture’ is the theme, and from 6.30pm visitors can enjoy a 360 degree soundscape designed by Robin Koek.

Foam

Covering the future of photography (with Jefferson Hack, Lauren Cornell, Erik Kessels and Alison Nordstrom) and the future of objects in a handy 3D printing workshop. Subbacultcha! people will also be on hand to make good noise and bad noise. (Don’t forget that there are multiple Foam locations at the moment.)

Van Gogh Museum

One of the bigger names and bigger queues, but not a museum to be taken for granted. Their Friday Night programmes mean the museum is experienced at mixing up their exhibitions with other cultural entertainments. This year ties in with their Snapshot collection, so be sure to have fun with their camera obscura experiments. Plus there’s live music from Capeman and Renkas – one of which you’re likely to find interesting.

Castrum Peregrini

This former WWII hideaway is now an intellectual playground. The actors of ‘Het Geluid’ will be working hard all night, there’s authentic wartime beer, plus live contemporary classical music.

NIMk

This wonderful yet threatened museum of the digital arts has been criticised in the past for not fully branching out of its known ‘friends circle’ for Museumnacht, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fine time here. You can build a little robot from a toothbrush, experience the new world of CrowdDJing (but you may have to dance in public), and there’s music from Atom TM, the DNK folks and some, erm, fruit.

For the complete programme see www.n8.nl.

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER
Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €26

So I once made Owen Pallett cry. I’m not quite ashamed of it. Sometimes I’m almost proud of it, seeing as so many words I’ve thrown out into public in the past decade have faded away rather than splintering and wounding. You take what you can from this job…

The occasion was a Final Fantasy show in Paradiso, too many years ago to remember. Andrew Bird was playing in Haarlem on the same night. Of the latter, I was a huge fan and he was still innovating with his loop-layer violin techniques and heartfelt singer-songwriter moments. On the other hand, I had seen Pallett’s Final Fantasy being thrust up into indie stardom due to his hook-up with Arcade Fire and I just wasn’t impressed. I’d even seen him in support of Arcade Fire in Rotterdam and found his counter violin looping to feel utterly flat in comparison to Bird. As I still had Amsterdam Weekly as a voice in those days, I told my modest readership quite bluntly to jump on the train to Haarlem instead. Funnily enough, Pallett somehow came across the article and later blogged about the crisis in confidence I had caused.

Don’t worry, there was a happy ending, of sorts. Both shows found their own audience and confidence was restored. What’s more, I’m older, wiser (even more jaded) and both artists are suitably separate in their careers that I can recommend this orchestral night in Muziekgebouw. As part of the series ‘Listen to This’, Pallet is teaming up with the Noord Nederlands Orkest to showcase the potential of mixing experimental pop with experimental classical. The blend is aided by Berlin conductor/Gorillaz collaborator André de Ridder. Plus there’s extra performances in the foyer before and after.

FRIDAY 4 NOVEMBER
De Verdieping, 20.30, €5

Following the success of FIBER Festival at the turn of the year, the organisation is back to present a new audiovisual event called FIBER Features 01; a night with both young talent and established artists, whose audiovisual performances exemplify how digital technology enriches contemporary art.

Featured artists vary from the audiovisual controller by Erfan Abdi, to the eclectic electronic style of live performer Julien Mier, to the exhilarating live performance by the band Distant Drummers – all forged together with visuals by, amongst others, Born Digital & Daan Kars and a presentation of the ‘Moving Mapping’ project by WERC.

On the same night the Dutch techno label Delsin is taking over the upper floor of Trouw with their night Bleep Into The Future.

FRIDAY 11 & SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER
De Brakke Grond, (Fri) 19.00-23.00, (Sat) 13.00-23.00, free

For the third year in a row, the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and De Brakke Grond will stage the unique Rietveld UnCut. Part performance, part installation and part interactive artwork, Rietveld UnCut places the students at the mercy of the audience and of this year’s theme: ‘The Living Object’.

This shall lead the participating artists to investigate the relationship between humans and other objects, and the influence of materials on an artist. How can you bring the (im)possibilities of materials into new dimensions? What does this say about the soul of an artist?

While fulfilling these facets, the show provides the artists the opportunity to both experiment and interact with a real audience away from academic surroundings.

TUESDAY 1 NOVEMBER
Paradiso (Kleine Zaal), 20.00, €10 + membership

Acoustic music – be it bluegrass, folk, country or what have you – sounds best at night, around a bonfire, with the participants all howling at the moon, arm in arm and in perfect harmony. There’s no technology and the balance of instrument and voice is skilfully controlled by the players themselves (having a few beers under one’s belt certainly doesn’t hurt either).

Chatham County Line’s contemporary take on bluegrass and country might send the purists running for their shotguns, but the passion and energy delivered during their live shows highlight their love of playing and a deep understanding of the genre. While all are smoking instrumentalists – with guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and double bass – it’s their tight harmonies that set the room on fire. The sight of these four North Carolina lads huddled around one microphone, singin’ like angels and playin’ like the devil is what makes them a live act not to be missed. And yeah, keep your Mumford & Sons, thank you very much!

THURSDAY 3 NOVEMBER
Vondelkerk, 20.30, €15

If you’ve ever been absorbed into a song by Arab Strap, you’ll understand all too well how poetic and dark, yet also utterly authentic, the lyrics of former frontman Aidan Moffat can be. In the years following the split of the Falkirk-based outfit, Moffat has found it easier to step away from the dark, swirling drama associated with his past work, giving a voice to modern life as he sees it. One recent escapade focussed on love and relationships - 10 Short Songs For Modern Lovers – squeezing ten brief tales onto a 7″ single. But he’s visiting with Amsterdam with Scottish jazz multi-instrumentalist  Bill Wells, promoting the beautiful concept album Everything’s Getting Older.

Touching intimately on birth, love, sex and death, it’s primarily a softer side to the gruff vocalist – give or take a few unavoidable moments of lasciviousness. Partly it stems from the beautiful piano play of Wells, who, while far from being in full jazz mode, creates roomy textures for these natural tales. It’s also that this album includes a number of tracks that aren’t purely disconnected fictional pieces, but instead capture emotionally raw moments of joy and sadness.

Support comes from RM Hubbert, an amazing songwriter/guitarist, who we last spoke to when he came through Amsterdam in support of Mogwai. Formerly the creator of wiry, baffling riffs in bands like El Hombre Trajeado, he took to flamenco guitar techniques as a way of dealing with depression and emotions. Now he uses his instrumental performances as a means of reaching out, telling stories about the music and presenting songs that have looped beyond flamenco into more mesmeric and intimate compositions with lives of their own. In Vondelkerk you can expect a blend of acoustic tracks from debut album First & Last and new pieces from the upcoming Thirteen Lost & Found.

Fancy free tickets to this pretty little gig in Vondelkerk? Email win@unfoldamsterdam.nl and tell us the best thing about getting older.

SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER
Stadsschouwburg, 19.30, €25

The article below is compiled from and inspired by the book Next Nature (Actar Press, November 2011). Learn more about natural marketing, anti-depressant yoghurt, pig farms and in vitro meat at the Next Nature Power Show this week in Stadsschouwburg.

A Next Nature Tour of Albert Heijn

Genetic manipulation, selective breeding, international shipping, lab-derived flavours and colours, global laws and same-day shipping from the tropics: Albert Heijn is the best evidence that we’re living in the future. Here, the packaging tastes better than the food. The fruits are more cultural than natural. And anything that is authentic is really, really fake. Let the people of Next Nature take you on a tour of the strangest place you’ll visit all day.

Dutch carrots are weird

Cart your empty basket over to the produce section. Consider the standardised, day-glo hue of the carrots. These root veggies used to come in white, yellow, red and purple, yet in most countries, the commercial varieties of carrot are bright orange. In fact, orange is not even the ‘natural’ colour for carrots. While carrots have been cultivated for nearly 1000 years, the first concrete evidence for orange carrots only comes from 17th century paintings.

It turns out that they may be this colour for entirely political reasons. Legend has it that Dutch farmers in the 16th century cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange – who led the struggle for Dutch independence – and the colour stuck. Legend or not, a millennium of multicolored carrot history was wiped out in a generation. Nowadays, carrots in other colors are only available from specialty farmers.

Intelligently designed bananas

Now, walk a few steps to the fruit section and marvel at the bananas. Bananas fit perfectly in your hand, are easy to peel, and their packaging turns yellow when it’s time to eat. Some creationists have argued that they’re evidence of intelligent design, and they are – our own. Archaeological evidence suggests that banana cultivation goes back to at least 5000 BC. The modern banana has been modified from its wild ancestor, which was small and filled with hard seeds. Humans have made the banana hypernatural: better than anything found in nature.

Make sure to pick up a bunch. You might not be able to enjoy the perfect fruit much longer. Nearly all domesticated bananas are clones of the Cavendish variety, making them prone to disease. In the 1960s, Panama Disease wiped out the main commercial banana cultivar at the time. Some experts argue it’s only a matter of time before the same thing happens to our Chiquitas and Doles.

Fruit2Day

For the final stop in the produce section, take a look at the refrigerated fruit juices. Portable, prepackaged, and single-serving, fruit is the ultimate convenience food. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be improved.

Fruit2Day eliminates all problems of eating two pieces of fruit by sticking them in a bottle. But this convenience comes at a cost. The package of juice is twice as expensive as two pieces of actual fruit. Not to mention that ‘cherry-grape’ consists mostly of apple, banana, and pear purée .

As with many convenience foods, the packaging has replaced the product as the most important feature. We consume images before we consume food.

Bloodless sausage

Now, walk over to the meat aisle, with its stacks of plastic-packaged chicken, pork and beef. Stuffed in sausages and sliced into strips, supermarket meat is already pretty disengaged from the animal. So why not take it further?

In 1936, famed carnivore Winston Churchill predicted that ‘we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.’ According to Mark Post, a professor at the University of Maastricht, lab-grown meat may soon be produced on an industrial scale – no living animal necessary. If it looks like pork and tastes like pork, will you care if it came from a petri dish and not from a pig?

Pringles aren’t potatoes

On the way to the freezer section, take a detour through the snacks. Ignore the bagged potato chips – they’re too authentic – and grab a can of Pringles. Proctor & Gamble, the maker of Pringles, successfully argued in a British court that their product is not a potato chip. The company’s lawyers pointed out that their product has a shape and colour not found in nature, and that it is less than 50% potato by weight. A ruling otherwise would have resulted in a valued-added tax that is normally added to potato chips. This may be one of the only times when a corporation was proud that their food has strayed so far from ‘wholesome’ and ‘natural’.

Where fish sticks come from

Now, in the freezer aisle, pull out a frosty box of frozen fish sticks (fish fingers). You might not know a pollock from a haddock, but you know a fish stick on sight. Brands are easier to distinguish than species. Nearly all children in developed nations know more corporate logos than they do local plants or animals. Human representations of nature have become more important than nature itself. Fish don’t come from the ocean, but from Captain Iglo and Euroshopper.

Buying Nature

While you’re waiting to pay, look down in your basket and look for phrases like ‘Farm fresh’and ’100% natural’. Does the packaging use images of pastoral farms or contented livestock? Do your free-range eggs give you a warm, fuzzy feeling while thinking about those happy hens? In the outlandish world of Albert Heijn, tigers offer you sprinkles, goats sell beer and pigs promote candy.

Nature is the greatest marketing tool of our time. It might be real, it might be invented, but it’s always there, persuading you to buy more.

SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER
Bitterzoet, 20.30, €15

This Canadian trio are a weird bunch. At least in the sense that they sound lovingly (or sometimes dangerously) spooky in whatever they do. Their roots lie in folk and blues but their songs twist and turn like the dead branches of an ancient tree. Reminding of the originality of Richard Hawley, the lulling nature of Tindersticks and the charms of Nina Simone, they certainly stand apart from their Canadian guitar pop peers – perhaps one comparison would be if Arcade Fire stripped away all the bombast and replaced it with an understated yet natural flamboyance. But then a whole lot creepier… What’s more, their most recent album, Creep on Creepin’ On, is actually one of the most captivating things we’ve heard this year.

More about Unfold’s previous Timber Timbre poster here…