February 7, 2012 Those fertile crosswinds blowing through South Africa's urban centers that produced Spoek Mathambo and Die Antwoord have spawned yet another exquisite monstrosity. Johannesburg electronic pop group The...
February 3, 2012 Who would have thought? As it turns out, Colombia’s top rapper is giant, unrepentant nerd.
You won’t see Jiggy Drama rocking shiny chains and big jeans – he favors oversize glasses, sweaters over collared shirts, and even the occasional bow tie. But...
February 3, 2012 How Connecticut gentry Elizabeth Grant reinvented herself as the gangster Nancy Sinatra is a good example of how the pop star game is played. Bae Young June of rising Korean electronic poppers W&Whale is another case in point. The veteran Korean pop...
February 2, 2012 The charges against Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel keep piling up. Yesterday, the artist was remanded (again) by Jamaican authorities for "attempting to pervert the course of justice" according to...
February 2, 2012 Sure, roots reggae was born in Jamaica, but if you want to see where its really flourishing today, check out French Guiana, where artists Prince Koloni and Little Guerrier and keeping it irie.
February 2, 2012 In 2011, The Obedient Wives Club made headlines throughout southeast Asia. It sounded like an Internet hoax, but was in fact a very existent, very small conservative Islamic group that reportedly ordered...
February 1, 2012 Laza Morgan makes the kind of reggae jams you could almost take home to meet your mom. Almost. His tracks like "Crank It Out" have the gleaming surfaces and clean, thumping beats required to seduce...
February 1, 2012 At the outset, Iyadede sounds like your typical Brooklynite. She makes and sells her own line of jewelry. She appears on an MTV show. She records hybridized, cutting-edge pop with a hint of soul. She's...
To infinity and beyond! Swag orbits outer space in Sole and the Skyrider Band's “Bad Captain Swag,” experimental hip hop from the year 3000. The Denver, CO quartet assembles a crew to comment on the...
Hurricane Love chairs a pretty people confessional in their single “Serial Liar.” The Malmö, Sweden pop rock sextet can’t hold the fibs in anymore – they release all their secrets with crawling keyboard runs and fun two-piece harmonies.
All hail Emicida, rap king of the São Paulo streets. “Triunfo” (or “triumph”) contains many well-deserved bragging rights – the 25-year old has built quite a reputation as a top freestyle emcee with enough word play to make his opponents weep. We bow...
Sniff, sniff…smells like good music. UK dubstep duo Stinkahbell scoops up a nice kind of funk with “Switch Up the Gears.” The trippy tune glues us to our seats with acid-laced graphics while the musicians perform behind revolving hypnotic eyes and 3D...
Emcee Emicida carries us to the infamous street of “Rua Augusta” in his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil. Backed by soulful piano and trumpet production, Emicida uses his relentless flow and a documentary-style mini interview to shed light on a local...
Reykjavík-based indie rock musician Low Roar presents “Give Up,” a three-minute movie – not a mere music video. The song’s dulcet vocals and softly strummed backing is already cinematic, but the Ali Silverstein-directed story of a lonely, aging man...
Forget a speech. Torgny, an electropop producer from Oslo, illustrates the most moving matriculation celebration ever in “Big Day,” a melancholy cut from his EP Trilogy. There’s always a little uncertainty after drinks are downed and caps are thrown,...
Letting it all out is an understatement for Twin Atlantic, four alt rockers from Glasgow. “Free,” from their debut of the same name, is just that – their vigorous drumming, generous helping of cymbal clashing, and in-your-face vocal jumps are bold...
