After selecting trailers for a year at Nalden.net within the Trailer Trash topics we decided to bring this topic to life and created a moment to spend quality time with quality movies amongst friends. A moment to re-establish good friendships, a moment to escape the daily madness of work.

Each month we’ll select a movie accompanied by trailers we prefer to watch. The Ketelhuis cinema in Amsterdam is kind enough to host the Amongst Friends series with comfortable chairs, a big screen and a massive sound system. We’ll announce the movie we selected in front of the friendly audience which makes this event far more exciting, like a sneak preview.

Bring your friends, pause your busy lives and spend quality time together. Let’s watch a movie!

Yours truly,
Hein van Joolen & Nalden”

Website: http://www.amongstfriends.net

Facebook

First date on the agenda is at the Overtoom 301 coming at you loud and proud on the 6th of May. We’ve got UK breaking at Fiction playing as well as tip top support act Katadreuffe to make sure you hit the dance floor hard and party until your head’s hit the ceiling.

To get you in the mood and ready for all that Future Pop Nights has to offer, we’ve put together this killer playlist for you consisting of the best in ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, LOFI, NEW WAVE, 60′S GARAGE, SURF STYLES, GARAGE REVIVAL, ELECTRO BEATS.. ALL GOOD MUSIC & NEW TEEN PUNK SOUNDS!

MIX #1 includes …

Bumblebeez (AUS), Late of the Pier (UK), Zea (NL), Data Rock (US), Nikoo (NL), Not Cool (UK), Yuck (UK), Health (US).. and loads more!

ENJOY IT HERE!

Amsterdam Event Guide’s Queen’s Day Survival Guide:

Queen’s Day is like no other birthday of a royal (you wouldn’t catch Queen Eliz of Britain throwing one of these parties, trust). It’s a festival on proper festival scale but instead of being in a field, its in a city and that city is Amsterdam, hurray.

Queen’s Day and the night before, also known as Queen’s Night, can also be an over whelming place, especially if you’ve never been before and don’t know the canals from the streets from the parks. And when their is beers and whatever else involved, that’s easily done!

Never fear!! We are here to give you a run down of everything you may need and everything you probably won’t need to enjoy this 24 hour party mayhem on the 29th and 30th of April.

What to wear –

Orange.. not the most flattering colour for the average Joe but it is Holland’s national colour so if you want to go with the crowd, go for it. Anything goes on this day of days, big glasses, funny hats, wigs.. these kids are ‘crazy’ (sigh)… lord help us. Dressing up is not a necessity. Our tip is to wear something plain, that way you can adorn yourself throughout the day with bits you buy on the street. Now that’s classy!

What to bring –

some monies, some friends, sunglasses (it might get sunny, you never know)

Where to avoid -

every where is going to be busy on Queen’s Day! An extra 3 Million people come to Amsterdam for 24 hours so be prepared as the main streets and tourists hubs are a god damn joke. Taking 45 mins to cross Rembrandt Square is not the best way to spend your time so try get through crowds via the little streets, it’s more fun that way and you get to see more.

Street Drinking –

Allowed, encouraged. You can buy beers from vendors on the road and most bars will have an outdoor stand next to their venue so you will never be far from your next beverage.

Hiring a Boat –

Be ready for some loud techno, house and trance if you are planning to take to the canals. That’s what the Dutch love and that is what they will play.  Though if you manage to get on a boat it can be stupidly fun, every one is partying like crazy and you move so slowly you can always hop off and hop back on again later.

Buying stuff -

Queens Day is actually 24 hour straight hours to sell anything you ruddy well want (as long as its legal). Therefore from 5.00am on the 30th (when many are staggering home from Queen’s Night – note: Queen’s Night is before Queen’s Day) you will see the very keen sellers out already assuring key spots to get their goods on the ground and ready for selling. To get the best buys, GET THERE EARLY and haggle! Or simply get there mid-morning, take 1euro each with you and see who can buy the best bit of tat… send us pictures of what you find!!

Selling –

If you want to sell stuff, get a rug, get your mates, get a small float of change and away you go. Best places are the main canals for the best foot traffic. If you are with kids you are allowed to set up camp in Vondelpark (there is come cutesy stuff to be found there), if not leave it and aim for somewhere else. Anything can be sold, ANYTHINGGG.

Most of all HAVE FUN, STAY SAFE and BUY SOME GORGEOUSLY CHEAP TAT..

AS THEY SAY ONE MAN’S RUBBISH IS ANOTHER MAN’S QUEEN’S DAY GOLDMINE!!!

Check out our top tips for Queen’s Night and Queen’s Day, we’ve got it covered!

Our entry this week…

NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam Event Guide
Tree House – Water And Pyramid
Delightfully experimental and blissfully tuneful at the same time, this Amsterdam-based act is just one of numerous Dutch groups that have drawn inspiration from the world around them, added electronic beats and tropical rhythms, rolled them about together, included a freaky live element to the performance and truly made musical art. If Holland needs a new musical direction, let it be this. Watch out for similar music on Cottage Industry Records.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Ivana Berenstein – Ahora
The songs of young singer-songwriter Ivana Berenstein follow certain traditions from Argentine folk music, bossa nova and bolero, but add modern textures and harmonies to it. Ahora is the first single from her debut album No Te Duermas and has Coiffeur (check out MAP December 2009) as a guest vocalist.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Flight Facilities featuring Giselle Roselli – Crave You (Bxentric remix)
I don’t know much about Flight Facilities, and I don’t know much about 19-year-old Giselle Roselli either, except now that I’ve heard this song, I definitely want to know more. According to her MySpace, she has contributed vocals to Flight Facilities and Seekae and recorded her own material, some of which you can listen to on the site. As if that’s not cool enough, she has had a song featured on British TV series Skins. How she does it and remains unchampioned by the blogging world, I don’t know. But I hope you keep your ears out because we are going to hear more about this girl very soon no doubt.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Maquinado – SP
Maquinado is the side-project of Lucio Maia, guitarist of Nacao Zumbi (probably the most relevant band in Brazil in the ’90s that is still active). In this project he works with some artists from the country’s new music scene, especially the ones from Sao Paulo, the city where he lives and pays homage to in this song, SP. It is taken from his second album Mundialmente Anonimo – O Magnetico Sangramento Da Existencia, released last month, and features a heavy guitar sound that recalls the time when Lucio was a member of Soulfly (the band created by heavy metal singer Max Cavalera when he left Sepultura).

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Old Crowns – Keep Calm
Old Crowns describe their sound as “stoner country”, and on this song – like the rest of their recently released debut – it’s easy to see why. Twangy vocals and folkie strumming sit comfortably alongside squalls of feedback and fuzzy guitars, with the end result being something that sounds familiar and comfortable and fresh and exciting all at once.

CHILE: Super 45
Los Mil Jinetes – Un Lugar Desconocido
Los Mil Jinetes (“A Thousand Horsemen”) is the band of Cristobal Briceno y Andres Zanetta, two guys plus some live assistance. They have released two records from which we can see a clear evolution in their talent when it comes to mixing several influences (folk, indie-rock, bolero and romantic ballads). Fortunately, they do this avoiding soulless pastiche, creating a unique style of colorful melodies and friendly lyrics. Un Lugar Desconocido is taken from their latest downloadable album, Reconoceronte.

CHINA: Wooozy
Kamutang – Whirlpool
At the beginning of 2007, a group of young kids came together through their passion for rock music and formed Kamutang. It is their idea and emotion. Their songs have been compiled into Lighting Of Tomorrow, released by Pilot Records.

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Lil’ Poeta – Nina Estupida
A rude girl from the hood is probably the best way to describe Lil’ Poeta, a songwriter from Medellin. With no fear to speak the truth in her songs, Lil’ Poeta tries to offer an alternative lyrical sound in a saturated musical world.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Let Me Play Your Guitar – Beauty
At the turn of the last decade, Let Me Play Your Guitar self-released their debut EP Doing Rainbows (get it on Bandcamp) with five 1960s-tinged folk-pop songs. Fronted by brothers Emil and Jeppe Davidsen, LMPYG excites with sweeping yet mellow and intimate pop arrangements from an enchanted land bordering Fleet Foxes and Simon & Garfunkel – one excellent example being the MAP exclusive Beauty.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
David Thomas Broughton – Walking Over You
This month’s entry is a song that’s five years old because recorded material from David Thomas Broughton is fairly hard to come by. Not that he’s lazy, it’s just that live performance is more his thing and that’s where he’s best experienced. Those of us who live in London are lucky because we get most chances to catch his unique shows, which have to be seen to be fully appreciated. My words here are not adequate. That said, he can write great songs too, as this one ably demonstrates.

ESTONIA: Popop
QueeNNaive – My Soul
QueeNNaive are a lo-fi disco duo formed in 2007 by lead vocalist Sandra Z originally as an anti-pop movement. Now, ironically, with lo-fi becoming more mainstream, QueeNNaive have ended up wrapped in the world of pop music, still remaining somewhere between stand-up comedy and Italo disco. Their ear-cracking mono ’80s sound, easygoing lyrics, glam image and crazy performances have become their unique signature.

FINLAND: Glue
Kartsy – Round The Roundabout
For more than two decades, Kartsy Hatakka has been the leader of the experimental metal band Waltari, exploring anything from death to symphonic metal. But now it is time to fly solo and Kartsy has put together a new band to record a bunch of pop metal songs for his first solo album which will be released on May 26. Heavy guitar riffs with catchy melodies and sparkling piano in a cross between Foo Fighters and HIM.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Smooth – Friendly Yours
When listening to Smooth’s music you get the strange impression of meeting an old friend or a road companion. Their music draws on our own imagination where it moulds itself, each day, each rainy season, with pleasure or ecstasy. The trio borrow and mix sounds and rhythms from their forefathers, which they put back together with inventiveness, jubilation and sensuality. Friendly Yours starts off Smooth’s new album The Parade at a wild pace.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Like A Stuntman – MC Sensation
This four-piece from Hamburg is loaded with creativity. Like A Stuntman merges elements of playful ambient, psychedelia and sincere indie to a quite distinctive sound unmatched in Germany. Discreet but nethertheless catchy, MC Sensation is an outstanding song from their album Original Bedouin Culture.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Playground Noise – The Divers
Infusing melancholy with a tense, literate sense of foreboding, Playground Noise strikes the perfect balance between moody, underground noise and melody. Drama and dark dollops of synths, brass and strings swarm beautifully around the vocals, guitars soar into the stratosphere, and intense crescendos linger over delicate, breathy passages. They create a shadowy veil of sadness, shot through with hopeful transcendence. Playground Noise has crafted a statement of intent, one that hopefully suggests a continuingly bold future.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Eliza – Hopeless Case
London-based Eliza Newman Geirsdottir was the lead singer of the all-girl band Bellatrix (Kolrassa Krokridandi) and the rock band Skandinavia. She’s a trained opera singer and also plays violin, guitar, ukulele and piano. In 2007, she released her first solo album Empire Fall on Lavaland Records. Hopeless Case is from her second solo album Pie In The Sky, released on the Smekkleysa label last year.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Bottlesmoker – Free Hugs
Bottlesmoker are an electronica-pop duo with a passion for glockenspiel, keyboard toys and other funny instruments to create humble compositions of simple orchestration. And even if they have not yet released any physical release, they have a fanbase that is growing steadily while the duo keep spreading free music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Yes Cadets – Rufio
This Belfast quartet make sweet nuggets of danceable indie-pop that worms in your ears and stays there. Rufio is taken from their self-titled debut EP and has hooks galore. By the time the cascading female vocals come in, you’ll be sold.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Babylon Awaits – Primal
Industrial cyber-metal from the Holy Land introduces biotechnological talons into your nervous system with infectious beats and catchy melodies reminiscent of acts from Information Society to Nine Inch Nails and everything in between.

ITALY: Polaroid
The Record’s – Rodolfo
If you agree that a perfect mixtape for the spring should include Vampire Weekend, some Britpop anthems and The Beatles then De Fauna Et Flora, the second album by The Record’s, is going to be the bright soundtrack you’ve been looking for.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
NJ – La Sakura
Cherry blossom season is almost over here in Japan. Its beauty is too short for us. But we have one good J-pop song about it called La Sakura by Tokyo duo NJ, who consist of female singer Jun and guitarist Nori. It has an oriental melody and sound texture with a traditional Japanese flavor.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Liber Teran – Lola
Even if Mexican ska gang Los de Abajo were heralded by BBC Radio 3 as the best artist of the Americas, back in 2003, frontman Liber Teran knew it was time to start his own path. With a fistful of pesos, the self-proclaimed gypsy-cowboy recorded his first solo album, Gitano Western, in 2008, clearly following Joe Strummer, David Byrne and Manu Chao’s steps with songs that evoked a rootsy and dusty atmosphere. This year, he decided to look for the origins of his own genealogical tree, hiring the horn section of a Sinaloa schoolband trained in polka and teaching them to play Mediterranean, Turkish and Slavic rhythms. Tambora Sound System is a dark collection of nine unza-unza vignettes.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
The Renderers – Deep Deep Sea
For two decades the husband and wife duo of Brian and Maryrose Crook have been creating music that brings together a country fragility like that of Bonnie Prince Billy (who they have have played backing band for) with an alternative guitar feedback maelstrom. From their latest album Monsters And Miasmas, the song Deep Deep Sea showcases both elements and is a return to the ocean theme the harbourside-residing band have visited throughout their career.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson – To Sit Down Or To Follow, So I Follow
Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson released their self-titled second album earlier this year on How Is Annie Records. It’s probably easiest to place them in the post-rock or dream-pop category – long, beautiful and atmospheric tracks with a strong focus on the melodies. On the new album, YPoFH have been working with producer Sjur Lyseid (Little Hands of Asphalt, Monzano), and if you know his own work, it’s easy to hear his influence. YPoFH is one of those rare bands who have been around for a long time but still manage to develop their sound.

PERU: SoTB
Theremyn_4 – Milnueve84
Theremyn_4 are considered by the public and the critics as one of the most important electronic live acts from Peru in recent times, even with their 10-year career. Based in Lima, their style combines experimental textures, urban life, science fiction and the spectacular visual effects that accompany their concerts. Last year they released their sixth album, Inflamable, which recycles beats of previous works, making something completely new. It is made for the dancefloor so grab your partner and move.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Youthless – Golden Age
Youthless are Sebastiano Ferranti (vocals, bass) and Alex Klimovitsky (vocals, synths and drums), an American and a Brit who made Lisbon their homes. They have played in another band but it is with Youthless and its electro-garage rock sound that they have gathered more media attention and a faithful legion of fans. Telemachy is their debut EP and can be downloaded for free here.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Mono Jacks – Maria
Mono Jacks are an alternative rock band based in Bucharest. The vocals and the lyrics remind me of Snow Patrol or Placebo, and the strong bass lines have something of Interpol’s angst. Their roots are clearly in the last decade of indie-rock. Their frontman is a former member of AB4, a great Romanian alternative act in the 90s.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Washington Irving – The Magician
Named after the American author who wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, the music of this Glasgow-based group isn’t as bookish as their moniker might suggest. Instead, they deliver irrepressibly wild, rambunctious folk-rock that taps into the raw energy of The Pogues, which explains why Washington Irving’s live shows never fail to win them new fans. The band have just finished recording a new EP which will be released this summer.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
B-Quartet – A Dull Taste On My Tongue
B-Quartet’s music is a graceful concoction of progressive rock and whimsical poetry. Homaging rock greats Radiohead with the odd influence or two, the sextet hold their own in a sea of soundalikes. Fresh out of the oven, A Dull Taste On My Tongue is a cascading spiral of polyrhythms laced with beautiful guitar work and Bani Haykal’s ever fleeting vocals until it comes crashing into a momentous clash of instruments before switching back effortlessly into a state of zen. With B-Quartet, there are no compartments, no defined roles of what should or shouldn’t be done in music, only what they choose to say, and what we choose to make as simple truth.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Wrestlerish – Bad News
Wrestlerish are a four-piece that blend rock, country and folk as if these genres should have always been one. Bad News, taken from their first full-length album The Rude Mechanical, is a sincere serenade that shows off their creativity. They have the ability to capture the listener after just one listen and are a band that is going to go far. Mark my words.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
National Pigeon Unity – Whan
National Pigeon Unity don’t just have a fantastic name, they have a fantastic sound to go with it. Mixing post-rock with emo, modern rock with hardcore, pop-punk with grunge – usually all at the same time – their first full-length album Empathy, released in March, has proven strong enough to withstand weeks of repeated listening. Whan is a wonderfully moving, primarily instrumental song on the post-rock side.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
The Eyeshades – In The Basement
I don’t know how I stumbled upon The Eyeshades from but I’m glad I did. The band is an odd combination of pop and rock with a little electronica added to the mix. They play a wide assortment of instruments and it’s this diversity of sound as well as the (at times) unusual compositional structure that make the band interesting.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
My Heart Belongs To Cecilia Winter – Eighteen
In the past two years, this Zurich-based trio gained the reputation of an irresistible live band and stepped up from being a local phenomenon to an international insider tip. The band’s catchy yet erratic indie-folk songwriting with a rock ‘n’ roll heart, combined with their intuition for atmosphere and glamour, soon led to comparisons with Arcade Fire and earned them an ever-growing fanbase. Scott Matthew and Rufus Wainwright like them, concert-goers sway in euphoria and their debut record Our Love Will Cut Through Everything is a masterpiece.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Avi Buffalo – What’s In It For?
Having recently watched Avi Buffalo perform for the first time at SXSW, I’ve since been unable to avoid spinning their material. The young group from the coastlines of California have an eclectic sound and a self-titled debut LP coming out at the end of April. All indications point toward it being quite the treat.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Karma Coma – Si Te Digo
Karma Coma is a musical concept that fuses electronic trends with instruments such as acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, cello and violin. The musical genres explored by the band go from downtempo and electro, passing through breakbeat and big beat, to jungle and drum and bass. And it is all spiced with a big dose of rock ‘n’ roll, some bossa, Venezuelan folklore and Far and Middle-Eastern sounds.

To download all 35 songs in one file click here

KRUNO JOST | GIJS BORSTLAP - QUASI QUASI

Quasi Quasi brings melancholy, neurotic noise and partly cerebral postrockish sounds together in 40 minutes of sound travel. Unpretentious from improvising to post-production, it all has a taste of uncanniness. A parallel world pictured trough sound.

Quasi Quasi is a project of Gijs Borstlap (NL) and Kruno Jošt (CRO/HR) both involved with multiple sound/music projects, such as Impromondays, NoiseWall, LiveNoiseTupi, kaisergrutva, In Process Of Reason, The KGB and Tom Kinksi. Quasi Quasi reflects a need to experiment and improvise without traditional jazz or rock attitude. Both musicians are attuned to improvising through making systems come together, then letting them fall apart, just to create a new occasion to consolidate them again.

CD is coming out oh so very soon so be sure to check the website for a release date!

Upcoming events from Narrowminded artists:

friday, april 2 2010: katadreuffe, fata ‘el moustache’ morgana – galerie schijnheilig, amsterdam

saturday, april 3 2010: boutros bubba, hunter complex – tegendraads festival, lvc, leiden

sunday, april 4 2010: puin + hoop, asra raymond dijkstra & timo van luyck, roro – overtollig vet iv, worm, rotterdam

saturday, april 10 2010: spoelstra – tegendraads shop, rotterdam

tuesday, april 20 & wednesday, april 21 2010: narrominded orchestre du musique sauvage (coen oscar polack, hosenhausen, miamia, roald van dillewijn, spoelstra) – playing a live soundtrack to rené laloux’ la planète sauvage (1973), delicatessen, amsterdam

friday, may 21 2010: spoelstra, crowd surfers must die, nekromantieker, a.s.h. – no fucking labels festival, sub071, leiden

Line Up:

Zombie Nation (UKW Records/Turbo Recordings)
Orgue Electronique (Bunker Records/Creme)

The Benelux (NON Records): Four musicians with a vintage sound. This unity plays rock solid livesets due to their healthy amount of stage experience. Their danceable and energetic songs will surely get the audience moving. Tracks with a clear buildup, a beginning and an end. This band is good on a record, but the live show is even better. The Benelux will release some original tracks, but remixes will also be available.

Palmbomen (NON Records): Palmbomen is a live act with a lot of stage presence. The psychedelic jungle sounds and the low pitched drums are once again colored by old desolated studio equipment. Palmbomen is surrounded by synthesizers and a lightshow and has a very recognizable voice, which completes the poppy electronic songs very well. When you listen to this music, images of Vietnamese rainforests and the Amazon will haunt your mind.

Bear (NON Records): Full sounding electro filled with pop music cliches, that are marinated, toasted and burned before they end up in the track again. Song structures stay very clear though, thanks to the clearly understandable lyrics. These lyrics are always generated at decadent locations without any soul; the Paris Hilton environments of this world. Most of our favorite pop stars get their inspiration there too.

Starts at 23.00 and costs 11 euros + membership

To enter the competition to win 1×2 tickets for the night and an lp from Renkas, Palmbomen or Bear simply tell us

How many Evil Dead films are there in the Evil Dead Trilogy?

Answers including a name and number to info (at) amsterdameventguide.com

NON-info:

NON Records is a young label based in Amsterdam that a broad spectrum of music brings together a standard saturation and warmth. The music ranges of Voyage disco, Italo, noise, pop to funk neon cassette casanova.

You can download artist mixes via their Myspace page here. We recommend this mix by Palmbomen which includes Washed Out, Human League, Neon Indian and Kraftwerk.

Palmbomen Mixtape exclusively for Vice by nonrecords

Hurrah the Music Alliance Pact, the world’s greatest compilation tape, is back and this month is a corker of a FREE download. For our entry we’ve submitted an Amsterdam based gem, The Stutters, who after almost splitting up, foreign land relocations, reforming and line-up changes they’re at their strongest yet and 2010 will be their year to shake down the European art-rock scene. 

  NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam Event Guide
The Stutters – Starlight Love
Top musicians as well as first-class artists, this three-piece group have it all going for them in 2010: new songs, more gigs, screaming fans and some very fancy dancing. After the critically-acclaimed first EP back in 2008, their 2010 release Viva La Stutters has got a lot of people excited. First listens see the trio go for a slightly heavier feel than their previous singles but they still stay true to their indie-rock sensibilities, keeping it very rock ‘n’ roll and danceable. Make sure you catch them on their European tour scheduled for early June – we’ll be at the front!

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Modular – Femme Fatale
Listening to Modular’s music is like a journey back to a time when lounge and space-age pop were present on almost every soundtrack and TV show. This track is their own rendition of the great song Femme Fatale by The Velvet Underground, taken from a recent free EP called Yoga Para Extraterrestres (which you can download from here). Don’t miss Requiem Para Robert Moog, another great track from this EP.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Otouto – Astronauts
Exciting new trio Otouto from Melbourne have released a new single called Astronauts on their own artist collective label Two Bright Lakes. You may recognise singer Hazel Brown’s voice from Whitley’s song Killer. So catchy.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Eddie – Gafieira No Avenida
One of the founders of the mangue beat movement in northeast Brazil in the 90s, Eddie play a mixture of frevo (a kind of folk music usually related to carnival), rock and jazz. Gafieira No Avenida is taken from the band’s latest album, Carnaval No Inferno (“Carnival In Hell”) and highlights some of Eddie’s influences, such as Fela Kuti and Lee Perry.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Yukon Blonde – Rather Be With You
There are all kinds of great power-pop bands from decades past that could be referenced when talking about Yukon Blonde. But you know what? As songs like Rather Be With You show, Yukon Blonde are a lot more than their influences, and it’s not hard to imagine that it won’t be long before future bands are referencing them as an influence.

CHILE: Super 45
Inverness – Nubes
Inverness has its heart divided between Santiago and England. The band flirts a lot with shoegaze revivalism but succeeds in avoiding a lame emulation of the sound, instead delivering a rich, lyrical world full of dreamy scenes. Their second album Illuminaciones was inspired by the far-away landscapes of southern Chile and received massive critical acceptance last year. The band faces the challenge of doing it again for the release of their next album this year.

CHINA: Wooozy
PB33 – Dance With Me
Formed in 2005, PB33 independently released their first album Disco Boys & Girls Night Out. It’s about youth, happiness, love, life, friendship and party. They are a band with a punk attitude. Are you ready for them?

COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
ChocQuibTown – En Circulo (Sa Rissa)
ChocQuibTown is the most successful urban fusion group in Colombia with two Latin Grammy nominations. The band try to mix hip hop music with native sounds of the Pacific coast. Their new album Oro has just been released.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Bronson Brothers – Ancient Land
Pop, decadence, France and the 1960s are keywords when it comes to Clyde and Ted Bronson’s musical universe. The excellent Ancient Land is taken from the duo’s freshly-released debut album The Melody Bronson, the title a nod to the 1971 concept album Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg, who is also found among The Bronson Brothers’ influences.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Stairs To Korea – All Of Your Friends
The awesome one-man band and king of the offbeat tweets, Stairs To Korea is a battery of lo-fi electronic effects, good tunes, wry lyrics and ace guitar solos. And behind his bushy beard there’s a reluctant rock god edging his way out. His new single All Of Your Friends, on the excellent Brainlove Records, is another in the gradual drip-feed of fine releases which should eventually see him with one of the best singles compilations of 2012.

ESTONIA: Popop
Honey Power – Get Country
This light, fresh and melodic indie tune from four-piece Honey Power carries a real country vibe and, as an early taste of the Tartu-based band’s long-anticipated second album, demonstrates good taste and an impeccable arrangement.

FINLAND: Glue
Flannelmouth – Sharp Paper
Sharp Paper gently opens Flannelmouth’s second album and leads the Helsinki indie band into a collection of intense and diverse pop songs, with intelligent arrangements and a good sense of melody, underlined by the dominant voice of vocalist Tuomo Kuusi. Rather than limiting themselves to the classic four or five-piece band template, Flannelmouth draw their songs with a diverse palette including subtle sounds of ukulele, pedal steel and a variety of other instruments to build an addictive romanticism.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Saycet – Easy
Saycet is a French electronic artist made famous by his album One Day At Home in 2006. Pierre Lefeuvre, the man behind Saycet, is a daydream music specialist. His songs carry the listener away in a cocoon universe where nothing can hurt you and every little noise is a delight.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Kissogram – Rubber And Meat
The death of German indie labels continues. This month Berlin-based Louisville closed its doors, leaving a bunch of the most influential and significant German bands on their own. One of these is Kissogram, whose last album Rubber And Meat got a lot of positive reviews. To bid a fond farewell to Louisville, we are able to present its title track exclusively. Thanks for all the music!

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Electric Litany – February
Preferring patience and restraint over explosive blasts of atmospheric wailing, Electric Litany slowly build up tunes that glimmer with hauntingly melodic ideas and climax with rhythms that capture the traditional musical heritage of Eastern European countries. Their debut album, How To Be A Child & Win The War, offers a sonically cinematic experience that will leave you feeling both elated and emotionally drained. Gorgeous sounds are pulled from within the deepest recesses of the human soul, while vocals full of intuitive swells and fades rise over piano, synths and tremolo guitars. A work of mesmerising beauty, like a tender touch on a sad day.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Sometime – Heart Of Spades
Sometime, a band formed by Icelandic music veterans, puts catchy dance-infused songs on the menu. Ingredients are the strong voice of frontwoman Diva De La Rosa plus the inventive drums of TheDanni, flavoured by turntable whizzkid DJ Moonshine and manipulated by Oculus. You can taste it while listening to the single Heart Of Spades from the album Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

INDIA: Indiecision
The Circus – FOPS
The Circus are an alternative rock act from New Delhi. The band’s music is Incubus-inspired, effects-driven fuzz that makes no bones about what it is and where it finds its roots. FOPS (an abbreviation of Full On Party Scene) comes from soon-to-be-released debut album From Space. It’s wholesome, angular alternative music executed without much fuss. Turn it up, get your party started.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Sajama Cut – Paintings/Pantings
Sajama Cut are praised for their lyrics and unusual songs arrangements, with influences ranging from Echo & The Bunnymen, The Beach Boys, Guided By Voices, R.E.M. and tons of obscure singer-songwriters. Paintings/Pantings comes from their new album Manimals, a record which has a varied approach in songwriting, with most of the lyrics taken from Marcel Thee’s journal.

IRELAND: Nialler9
The Cast Of Cheers – Derp
The Cast Of Cheers came from nowhere last month and quickly became Nialler9’s favourite new band. Their downloadable album (get it for free here) is a fully-formed 33-minute blast of post-punk, looping post-rock, tightly-wound songs with echoes of Battles, Foals and Death From Above 1979.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
Orphaned Land – Sapari
Orphaned Land’s latest album The Never Ending Way Of ORWarriOR is a sonic tapestry that flies a completely different path than the usual Western metal fare of Europe and the States, though there are common threads. The influence of acts such as Paradise Lost, Iron Maiden and The Beatles are evident, but Orphaned Land weave elements together that run the gamut from blacker-than-black demonic intensity to let-the-sunshine-in hippie flamboyance. The band categorizes itself as Middle Eastern progressive metal with dreams of instilling peace through their music.

ITALY: Polaroid
Heike Has The Giggles – Robot
Before you ask, the name comes from a character in an English grammar book the band used to read at high school. Heike Has The Giggles are three young kids who play sharp and dry rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of PJ Harvey and early Gossip. They just released Sh!, their forceful debut album, and you can’t listen to it without starting to dance and play air guitar.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Omodaka – Kyoteizinc (Video Mix)
Known as an electro/techno artist, Soichi Terada teamed up with a few visual directors and has started the collaborative music project Omodaka. Omodaka’s sound is characterized by the seamless mixture of Japanese traditional Geisha songs and electro music. Omodaka will appear live at the Japan Nite showcase at this month’s SXSW and will also go on tour the US with Red Bacteria Vacuum and Okamoto’s.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Los Macuanos – Pueblo Muerto (feat. Scout Klas)
Is there such a thing as ethno-dubstep? London’s urban soundscape has been well charted by dubstep – how about Tijuana’s? Los Macuanos are a duo formed by Moises “Moih” Horta and Moises Lopez, and this is their nu-electronic post-nortec mix of blurry Mexican folkloric crumbs with cyclic dubstep. Pueblo Muerto was recorded by Moih and gloomy artist Scout Klas (from Sweden via Vietnam) in his recent visit to the Red Bull Music Academy in London. The song portraits the hypnotic fumes spreading from ghost town Tijuana to the whole stratosphere.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
An Emerald City – Seizuretron
An Emerald City’s first album Circa Scaria is the stuff of legend, being recorded in a cave on a storm-swept coast. Even without that back story their music is memorable for combining a traditional rock line-up with lute, violin, tablas, violin and sitar. Their songs start off quiet then build in scale and grandeur to create huge Eastern-influenced instrumental soundscapes. Surprisingly, Circa Scaria reached the New Zealand top 40. After a few months in Berlin, An Emerald City have released Seizuretron as a taster for their forthcoming second album.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Solvor Vermeer – Final Hour
Three years ago, I stumbled upon Solvor Vermeer’s music. I was amazed by the delicate and fragile beauty she managed to create with only her voice and the piano as her tools. Since then, Vermeer has developed her sound. She has a rare gift for composing and can make something really complex become catchy and accessible. On her upcoming four-track debut EP, her sound is richer and more orchestrated, with her musician friends having added strings, horns, layered vocals, glockenspiel, etc. The EP will be released this spring on her own Bloksberg Music label in partnership with UK-based Lazy Acre Records.

PERU: SoTB
Pipe Villaran – Sinnerman
When members of the band Los Fuckin Sombreros went their separate ways, Pipe Villaran began to compose new songs, preparing for what would be his new project, called Long Player. His style is still rock ‘n’ roll, to which he has devoted his whole life, influenced by classic rock and some blues touches. Sinnerman is a preview of the direction his new band will take when their debut record is launched in May.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Peltzer – A Story To Tell Me
Peltzer used to be Rui Gaio’s one-man band. Today, there are more members but they continue with their electronic sound and cite the new wave movement, Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips as their influences. They have released tracks digitally and on three Portuguese compilations. A Story To Tell Me, from their new Outdated EP, is an exclusive MAP download.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Hot Casandra – Chroma
Hot Casandra is a new project behind which we can find Paul Ballo (the drummer of last month’s featured band, Kumm). It’s a personal playground, where no compromises will be made and everything will sound as wanted. The first song, Chroma, is a dark electro track with beautiful, haunting vocals.