Porcelain Raft: Drifting In and Out

Porcelain Raft is signed to my favorite label, Secretly Canadian. Porcelain Raft is the alter ego of Mauro Remiddi, who specializes in both recording and performing live, utilizing electronics, keyboard, voice, guitars, loops and sampler.

Blackmill featuring Veela: Let It Be

Blackmill is a native of Highlands, Scotland who produces melodic dubstep. Veela is a 17 year old focused on electropop hooks and dance rhythms. Their collaboration produced a chilled out track with deep bass, high melodies and a far out feel.

Keljet remix of The Temper Trap: Love Lost

Keljet is an indie-disco project involving Netherlands natives, Koen Mestrum and Teun Pranger, who have produced various original and remixed songs with astounding awesomeness. The indie-disco ideology that they indoctrinate songs with is infectious, and I don't have an antidote.

The Temper Trap is an Austrailian indie-rock band from Melbourne, though now relocated to London, England. 

Say Lou Lou: Better In the Dark

Say Lou Lou is what twins Elektra and Miranda Kilbey are better known as, though they've been steeped in music since conception, as their father is The Church's Steve Kilbey.

"It feels better in the dark
I feel closer to your heart and nothing can come between us."

Daughter: Youth

Daughter (Elena Tonra) is from North London, UK. Tonra's voice and lyrics are lofty and something that you'd imagine bouncing from cathedral rafters. 

Holy Ghost!: Dance A Little Closer

Holy Ghost! is a synth-pop pair from the city of Brooklyn, New York. What they've done with Dance A Little Closer is a strange little dance bit that if you can sit still during, you probably should see a mortician...because you're obviously dead. 

Arion remix of Diddy featuring Skylar Grey: Coming Home

Arion is a Mississauga, Canada based fellow who's specialty is rap & hip hop, but is renown for his dubstep work, which includes a dubstep Pokémon remix. His use of electronics in this piece enhances the song beyond recognition, and changes it so that it stands on it's own legs rather than leaning on the original.

Skylar Grey's voice is about the only original element, which is about 127% okay, as her Mazomanie, Wisconsin-raised voice is heavenly, as her popularity and her fan-base is soaring towards the heavens. She's rather versitile, being a grammy-award-winning artist for multiple instruments and songs...she's written for Rob Thomas and Avril Lavigne and collaborated with more than I care to list. 

Slow Magic remix of Satellite Stories: Sirens

Courtesy of +Kristen Shive, I discovered a band that's been creeping around my music library since September of last year, with the release of their new album Pine Trails. Satellite Stories is a Oulu, Finland based indie-rock band packed with energy. My ear detected similarities between the new album Pine Trails and Two Door Cinema Club's 2010 album Tourist History, and I like it a lot.

Slow Magic is music from "your unknown imaginary friend." 

Ben Nichols: The Last Pale Light in The West

Ben Nichols is the front-man for the alternative-country Memphis, Tennessee-based gig, Lucero. The Last Pale Light in the West EP was released in 2009, and showcases Nichol's unique voice. The song was recently featured on season 4, episode 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead: Live Bait. 

Coma Cinema: Caroline, Please Kill Me

Coma Cinema is the stage name of Mat Cothran, South Carolina-native indie rock musician.

"Caroline,
I miss you more than I ever wanted
I don't know you but I know you are beautiful."

Rosie and Me: Come Back

Rosanne Machado accidentally started a viral sensation when she released her homemade songs on the internet. Her crisp, clean sound resulted the song "Darkest Horse" being featured on the season finale of OTH, Season 8. The sensation spread into an invitation to perform at SXSW 2012, and she has since been a wildfire across the world, originating in Curitiba, Southern Brazil, using the accelerants of pop-country tunes and heart-filled lyrics to blaze across everyone's hearts and ears. 

Star Slinger remix of Alpine: Icypoles

I've already written about both Alpine and Star Slinger, and I'm still an avid fan of both, as evidenced in this mellow autumnal tune that just keeps spinning and spinning.

Suckers: It Gets Your Body Moving

Suckers is an experimental rock band founded in New York, New York in the grand ol' year of 2009. The merry band of lads is currently comprised of  Quinn Walker, Brian Aiken, Austin Fisher and a fellow named Pan (probably not the half-goat fellow from Greek mythology, but for the love of God, don't quote me). This song is the epitome of movement and the catalyst for life.

Vitamin Strings Quartet cover of Macklemore: Thrift Shop

Vitamin Strings Quartet, chief among other string quartets, is literally the best idea ever. "Hey guys, let's do popular things but without lyrics and on strings!" The result is astounding...and as catchy as the original.

DannielRadall remix of Keep Shelly in Athens: Running Out Of You

DannielRadall is a Mexican producer of...New Wave. I'm sure that's not what you were thinking I was going to type, but nonetheless. He's also a former jam producer from Miami Vice, and he's known as the leading edge of New Wave in his country, being one of the few from the area to actually receive recognition, through the use of some chill electronics.

Big Scary: Twin Rivers

Fade in: start the scene. The setting is 2006. Melbourne. Duo Tom Iansek and Jo Syme, armed with just acoustic guitars and egg shakers, start playing songs together in the living room of Jo’s parents’ house. After a bit of a break, the two reconvened in 2008, this time, with an arsenal of instruments—electric guitars, drums, piano, mandolins and ukuleles—and a bolder, more expansive vision. What began as a few rainy-day acoustical ballads in their first incarnation soon grew into an all-encompassing, genre-defying sound. Before long, the newly named Big Scary were writing whatever they damn well pleased—fuzzed-out garage rock; piano-led pop; intricate, pastoral instrumentals—each piece imbued with an effortless pop sensibility and lightness of touch that would quickly see the duo attract a strong following.

These gifts translated onto the stage where, from the outset, Big Scary proved themselves a remarkably fluid and compelling live act, capable of not only bringing their songs to life, but also of adapting their set to suit the moment.

Gauntlet Hair: Out Don't

Gauntlet Hair is a relatively unknown pair of dudes who are named Andy and Craig, now residing in Denver, Colorado. The pair garnered a fair amount of attention after being part of the Rhinoceropolis-curated block of Denver-based bands that played at the post-SXSW Mexican extravaganza MtyMx. The band’s track “I Was Thinking…” is a pretty insatiable guitar stomp that throws some R&B and soul into the lo-fi revival pot, mixing heavily-reverbed guitars with a simple, but undeniably booty-shaking beat. Add in some Animal Collective-style vocal melodies and you got something that's pretty fantastic.

A Great Big World: Say Something

A Great Big World is the project of Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino, both based in New York. The band, a 2011 viral hit with the song "This Is The New Year", became a rapidly growing sensation, solidified in the world of indie-pop instantaneously. This song, "Say Something", is a quiet little song which simultaneously hits the hammers to the strings of the piano and our hearts. 

Gem Club: Polly

So, you know how back in March I was all excited about Gem Club? I still am. Seriously excited and moved by the gorgeous strings and vocals.