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

At the beginning of the year Russian dream-poppers Galway released a couple of demos that left me yearning for more. They’ve spent the past few months recording their first album and developing a collective of like-minded musicians in Moscow. With a frustratingly small community of musicians the city, they say it’s hard to be distant from other artists (they’re tight with my first Russian dream-pop obsession White Wishes). Now, just as winter’s shadow begins to drape over the early afternoon, I’m ready to sit down settle down and get cosy with something new from my favorite Russians. Last night they sent over their their debut album entitled Mria. The twelve-track release includes crisp re-recording of their earlier jams as well as a host of new gorgeously spaced-out tunes. Infectious guitar riffs, atmospheric sonar pings, invigorated drums and lofty vocals drift through out Mria. Pay what you’d like for Mria over at Galway’s bandcamp.

Galway - Justine

Galway - Sunrise 1991

Swedish duo Korallreven just released a glorious new take on their jam ‘As Young As Yesterday.’ A drawn out affair, the seven-minute tune builds from ethereal whispers and grows into the soundtrack of one of those moonlit balearic nights. Check out the rendition, entitled ‘The Final Fantasy,’ below. Snag An Album By Korallreven over yonder.

Brendan Canty of Feel Good Lost crafted this beautiful video for Blackbird Blackbird’s jam ‘Tear’ off his upcoming Boracay Planet EP. Full of blended layers and sprinkled with splattering bokeh, these images match the tune perfectly. •

Blackbird Blackbird - Tear

Sincerely Yours‘ Eric Berglund recently released his White Magic Epilogue— a trio of remixes off his album from last year. Balearic bliss, baby •

‘in times when people do whatever necessary to become part of something they are not, a family affair feels extra rad.’

ceo - Illuminata (D. Lissvik Remix)

This summer Finnish pianist and electronic artist Aaro Vahtera added the beautiful vocals of his classmate Sanni Pesonen to the ranks of his solo project Loft Apartment. They’ve recently crafted this swell cover of Lana del Ray’s song Video Games. The duo is currently working on a new release which shall drop in the coming months. Make sure to check out Loft Apartment’s first release, Aaro’s solo effort from almost a year ago, a four-track EP entitled Kolipri which set the foundation that Aaro and Sanni continue to build off with their forthcoming release. Keep an eye out for new tracks and demos from the Finns over at their soundcloud.

Video Games live (Lana del Rey cover) by Loft Apartment