Artist: School of Seven Bells

Hails from: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Electronic, Pop, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Secret Machines, Blodne Redhead, Cocteau Twins

Why you should check them out:

School of Seven Bells is a chameleonic tapestry of darkly themed, futuristic electro pop. The trio helms otherworldly beats and fantastical melodies to create a distinct and mysterious mythos all their own.

Background check:

Guitarist Ben Curtis first met the Deheza twins, Claudia and Alejandra, while all three were on tour, Curtis in the Secret Machines, the sisters in On! Air! Library!  After a late night program about the mythical School of Seven Bells pickpocket academy in South America, the name inspired Curtis and the Deheza’s to eventually drop their current projects and hole up in a shared space to pursue SVIIB full time. After touring with Blonde Redhead and releasing the single “My Cabal” the trio came out with their acclaimed debut LP, Alpinisms, in 2008.

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

Wikipedia

MySpace

On Tour: 

JamBase

Artist: Miike Snow

Hails From: Stockholm, Sweden

Musical Style: Pop / Electro / Dance

For Fans of: MGMT, The Neptunes, Flaming Lips

Why you should check them out:

What happens when two award winning producers team up with a longtime singer/songwriter to perform their own brand of indie pop? If Miike Snow is any indication, the result is a whole lot of catchy beats and a nearly immediate fan following poised to dance it up through their ever escalating, chart topping status.

Background check:

After years of playing in bands and writing hits for the like of Britney Spears, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Ninnberg, otherwise known as the production duo Bloodshy & Avant, returned to the studio under their own direction and an unclear vision of exactly how far their new project would take them. And while the ambiguous moniker and jackalope insignia may have kept them under the radar for awhile, it was only a matter of time before both critics and listeners caught on to the trio’s tightly constructed flurry of dance pop perfection.

While writing hits for pop stars may have been their forte, the tracks off their self titled debut contain a distinct laid back charm, clearly distinguishing the feel of their new project from their previous mainstream hits. Regarded as easy listening, Miike Snow create their own division of electropop founded by their collective expertise and eclectic industry backgrounds. Piano driven arrangements are supported by wavering synth tones and highly danceable beats, while Wyatt’s smooth and sultry vocals take the songs from indie hits to full scale pop accessibility. And although Pichfork may have toted Miike Snow as sounding akin to “crying your eyes out to Phil Collins on a beach”  you just have to ask yourself, is that really such a bad thing?

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

Wikipedia

On Tour:

 JamBase

ARTIST: The Very Best

HAILS FROM: Malawi, France and Sweden

Musical Style: Alternative, Indie/Pop, Electronica

FOR FANS OF: M.I.A, Brazilian Girls, Vampire Weekend

WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT:

Malawi born singer Esau Mwamwaya paired up with the dancehall and grime step production team of Radioclit to create an uplifting, sunny and melodic record that borrows sounds from all over the globe.

BACKGROUND CHECK:

The Very Best first gained attention last December when they released a free mixtape on their Myspace page. It was part afro-pop, part sample-based electronica and it took critics by storm. The collection of songs managed to make it onto countless year-end lists, all while earning no money. Their reimaginings of Vampire Weekend’s Cape Cod Kwasa Kwasa and M.I.A’s Boyz offered glimpses of what this singer and production team could accomplish with a fully realized original album. Well now they’ve returned, almost a year later, with an album that has a more developed and mature sound, yet still retains all the contagious fun that their mixtape offered.

Their most recent record, Warm Heart of Africa, sonically follows the same formula as their mixtape: A vibrant and summery sound, with Esau’s vocals out front and Radioclits playful and thumping rhythms offering support. On their first recording they relied on samples of artists like Vampire Weekend and M.I.A, however on this record Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) come to sing alongside Esau in two new and original songs.

Most of the album is sung in Chichewa, the native language of Malawi, however the joy in Esau’s voice and the range of the musical compositions from Radioclit allows for an understanding that goes beyond words. If you feel like summer may have come and gone too soon, you should definitely spend some time with The Very Best, it’ll bring back the sun right before we head into winter months.

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

On Tour:

JamBase