If This Is A Man - random acts of kindness have saved lives (Raamb, 2011)

Not much info about If This Is A Man, solo project of Jon White, recording songs in his bedroom, in the middle of England, Staffordshire, who at first is a fan of Radiohead, The Beatles, DJ Shadow, slowly contaminated by more underground stuff, would it be shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine), slowcore (The Red House Painters) or lo-fi (Daniel Johnston).

Algernon Cadwallader - demo (Be Happy, 2006)

Of course it sounds a lot like Joan of Arc, American Football or Cap’n Jazz. More dynamic and rapid than American Football – but definitely similar -, more melodic and joyful than (early) Joan of Arc and more refined than Cap’n Jazz. If fact, Algernon Cadwallader sounds like Algernon Cadwallader and never try to go out of this triangle.

Brave Bird - ready or not ep (2010) & it's my pride that i swallow (2011)

From Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, supposed to be one more of these local emo/punk/twinkle bands, but this EP proves they are so much more than that.

At first approach they doesn't sound so different from resurgence emo bands, such as Algernon Cadwallader or Dads, but as soon as you start to dig below you realize they much more belong the category of Penpal, Coate or Mountains for Clouds.

Dads - brush your teeth, again ;) (Get Into It, 2011)

Their music is identified as twinkle (emo). 

With screamo, emo.... so nineties and progressively devoid of their initial meanings and with the passing of time changing perceptions, it is often safer to invent and adopts other tags, in order to revive a certain innocence and authenticity, a right balance between spontaneity and elitism.

Deep Waters - self titled (2011, Diamond Wave Press)

Deep Waters, solo project of David Spalvieri-Kruse, was for me, a  huge discovery of last year, with his "Never Really Alone / The Stillness" two songs release.

He is back now for a eight track debut album including the two previous songs in very close, maybe just remastered, versions.

Bart & Friends - stories with the endings changed (2011, Lost and lonesome)

New Bart & Friends album, one year after the coming-back ep "make you blush" of this Australian band, which was a good surprise after a long break, and I'm even more pleased now to see Bart Cummings back in full action on a more developed release.

If "Make you blush" was based on short twee indie pop songs, he is instead writing here longer indie pop songs - in an almost classical Go-Betweens way - with a full band behind him. 

The OO-Ray - astoria (2011, Audiomoves)

The OO-Ray is the solo project of Ted Laderas, from Portland, OR, who defines himself as a scientist, amateur cellist, and electroacoustic composer.

Released on Audiomoves, "Astoria" is a selection from tracks written in 2009 and 2010. The project was to improvise a track a week, reflecting the mood and the atmosphere of short periods.

So it's not a "true" album, much more a collection of moments, of pictures not conceived initially as a part of this album but more as occasion to get to the point, to fix things, to smooth away remaining stress, events and tiredness.

Narrative - ep (2010)

Narrative is the solo project of Lewis Gorham, a musician from Melbourne, Australia, apparently 23 years old and that's all, no more info.

I'm not sure this EP has been properly released and I have no idea how I came across his Soundcloud page, but coming back to this bookmark as few days ago, I decided I wanted to know more about Narrative.

Yamamoto - summer songs for winter people (2010, Poni Republic)

Inconsolable we are, of the disappearance of Komeït, and very rare are those likely to take up the torch. We had Anois, now we have Yamamoto too, and both are rare, discreet and infinitely precious. 

The duo comes from Tijuana, Mexico, yes, not the place where you would expect such oversensitive and subtle bedroom pop, mixing perfectly electronics, male/female vocals and guitars.

Nobuto Suda - the locus of life (2011)

Nobuto Suda hails from Hushimi in Kyoto, uses an electric guitar and marries it with various field recordings to create ambient drone. 

All the money from this album is donated to the tsunami and earthquake relief via the Japanese Red Cross.

Sima Kim - texture (2011, Twisted Tree Line)

Three tracks, named Texture 3, 4 and 5, a debut EP for Sima Kim on the UK label Twisted Tree Line, so yes, the idea of texture is central, and the three tracks have different colors.

Sima studied music and explored personally different directions and techniques, citing references such as Arvo Part, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Sergei Profokiev or Karlheinz Stockhausen, with a focus on minimalist, combining silence and notes, elaborating layers to finally achieve textures.

interview: Apollo

An unexpected EP, a meteor in the Australian sky, four melodic sounds, with a warm maritime spacious sound, of dream and vaporous slowcore, Apollo is a nice discovery of 2011 on which big hopes can be built - listening to their song "Balancing" is like diving to the bottom of the swimming pool and resurfacing again more alive :

Empire! Empire (I Was a Lonely Estate) - home after three months away (2011, Stiff Slack)

I've been reluctant to write about Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) so far, because I cherish as icons some of their very very close references & influences : Mineral and American Football. even more, I admit their debut 7inch was, is and will stay a secret pleasure as it brings back each time a flood of (good) memories, but yes they were not bringing something new to the style ans the tag "resurgence band" of the emo scene is difficult to bear.

So, with my focus on letting my ears drifting in potentially new directions, I never seriously tried to listen to their subsequent discography. But, and that's my squirrel side, I kept a precise but discreet attention on them, maybe waiting for a harsh and strong winter and keeping them as a hidden supply for hypothetical shortage times.

Gurun Gurun - gurun gurun (Home Normal, 2010)

First album for this Czech trio, which strangely features three Japanese female singers as guest contributors: Sawako, Moskitoo and Rurarakiss, each one singing on two different tracks. They also use a sample of Daisuke Miyatani on another track and a few other musicians are adding clarinet, trumpet, violin, koto or viola da gamba.