Escucharemos

Over the past few years, Vancouver’s Teen Daze has released a host of EPs, but it’s all cumulated in the release of his debut full length All Of Us, Together, which drops May 22nd on Lefse. The new album has a more electronic, futuristic feel than his recent releases A Silent Planet and, under his other moniker Two Bicycles, Window. He explained the source of the album’s utopian inspiration to The Fader— “I came upon an old book at a thrift store called Utopian Visions, an encyclopedic volume of different views on what utopia might look like, which became a huge inspiration. Especially when considering the future of our world as it actually unfolds. We’re becoming more and more self-reliant, more and more separated from our communities. I wanted to make a record that sounded more synthetic but also inviting—this is futuristic music with a heart.” Check out the first single off the new album, an energetic yet dreamy track accompanied by the always lovely vocals of Steffaloo (Steph Thompson).

Algodón Egipcio (aka Ezequiel ”Cheky” Bertho— one half of Venezuelan duo Jóvenes y Sexys) released his debut album La Lucha Constante last year on Lefse. After a year of touring around Venezuela, Portugal and Spain (he’s trying to get a US visa), Cheky’s back with a new single off a limited run split 7” with Spanish band El Faro from the Canary Islands, it’s out now on Club Social. Stream Algodón Egipcio’s pair of dreamy jams off the single below.

In 2009 South Carolina’s Chaz Bundick released his first three EPs under the name Toro Y Moi. Now, three years later, Chaz is set to release an archival 7” box set entitled “June 2009.” It’ll be out April 24th on Carpark and will include ten previously unreleased Toro Y Moi gems. Check out a cut off the release, a song from 2009, “Dead Pontoon.”

Toro Y Moi - Dead Pontoon

Today, Canadian duo Memoryhouse gave us a second peek at their forthcoming album The Slideshow Effect. Following up last month’s single ‘The Kids Were Wrong,’ ‘Walk With Me’ recedes back towards the dream-inducing, reverb-laced Memoryhouse of old. However, quickly joined by some drums, the tune has a constant pulse— a beating heart that picks up half-way through. The Slideshow Effect is out February 28th on Sub Pop.

Memoryhouse - Walk With Me

‘it started when we were younger’

18-year-old Irish producer MMOTHS (Jack Colleran) released a reworked version of his single ‘<3’ (or ‘HEART’) featuring Sarah from Grecian duo Keep Shelly In Athens. Although the song is basically the same as the original, KSIA add some heartwarming vocals to the dreamy track. Check out the video for the instrumental version of the song, a beautiful re-scoring of Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 film Zabriskie Point. Listen to MMOTHS & KSIA’s creation below.

<3

Orca Orca (aka Jim Hewitt) recently released a redux version of ‘Underground,’ a demo that he recorded two years ago under the moniker Young Minds. The tune will accompany five new Orca Orca recordings on a limited edition cassette entitled Make Live, which will drop February 21st. Over the past year Jim has played a bunch of shows around Boston and he’s transformed Orca Orca from a simple bedroom pop musing into a more thought-out live band. Playing live has helped to develop the project’s sound and that will definitely be quite apparent on the new record. Check out the first single off next month’s release below…

Orca Orca - Underground

Halifax’s Southern Shores, a duo whose Atlantic EP captured my summer’s essence, is back with an end of the year gift in the form of a beautiful remix of Melbourne’s Wintercoats. Already immaculate, James Wallace’s ‘Forest of Lovers’, off his Sketches EP, gets a tropical rerub courtesy of his Canadian labelmates over at Cascine. The label had a awesome year, but next year looks promising with new releases in the works from both Southern Shores and Wintercoats as well as the debut EP from Swedish trio World Tour which drops next month. Download Southern Shores’ remix below.

Stockholm’s Daniel Sjörs, Joel Nyström, and Holm Mia Bøe have been working together for the past few months, releasing a host of stellar ambient electronic tracks as the trio Postiljonen (postman). Their music combines experimental, world, ambient and dance music to create what they describe as ‘heartbreaking electronica.’ Check out Postiljonen and friends mucking about and showing off their footy skillz in the swedish countryside in the video for ‘På väg tillsammans’ above. Take a gander at all their songs over at Postiljonen’s soundcloud or tumblr. 

Postiljonen - På väg tillsammans

Postiljonen - Hasard

Postiljonen - Kebnekaise

[The Apiary]

on the road together ∞

Edmonton’s Happy Trendy (Dylan Khotin-Foote) recently returned from a European journey alongside fellow Canadian Warren Hildebrand of Foxes In Fiction. They traveled from Portugal to Germany. A week ago, before their show in Leipzig Germany, Dylan preformed ‘January 6’ off his new album Die Young— check out an imitate clip from that night ›

Happy Trendy - January 6

Venezuelan singer Linda Sjöquist just released her first single under her moniker …al Cruzar la Calle on Maracaibo-based label Entorno Doméstico. The two-track release, entitled Romanticismo Ultravioleta (Ultraviolet Romanticism), features the stunningly heartfelt ‘Asuntos Internos‘ which I posted back in March, as well as the always dreamy title track. Download el disco metafísico for free over at Entorno Doméstico.

…al cruzar la calle - Asuntos Internos

The eagle transcends altitudes of 10,000 feet. 
His golden plumage breaks through the clouds 
and he escapes the bounds of this green earth. 
While some might say he flies too high, like Icarus, 
we believe that one day, we will all transcend,
and have our youth renewed like the eagle’s.

Yesterday The Apiary released a two-track EP from swedish artist Jesper Merrild aka Young Eagle. Earlier this year I came across Jesper’s covers of The Tough Alliance and jj as well as a wee pop gem from back in the day. Young Eagle’s debut release No One Is Holy Without Suffering goes just where I’d been hoping it would; it has the jj-esque balearic feel paired with a darker, sultry, rain-drenched Gotëburg mystique. Ära.

Young Eagle - No One Is Holy Without Suffering

Young Eagle - Jag Kommer Ihåg

Download EP