I will abstain from starting a pointless discussion about why there are so many musical endeavours this year that feature members of other hotly tipped bands, but in any case right now it appears seriously in vogue to act out your deepest creative desires by gathering some like-minded pals around you and just start playing. Needless to repeat, most of these desires are deeply drenched in hazy retrospection.

Among those, LA-based Dunes is definitely one of the actually exciting projects popping out the indie draft pool. In 2009, Mark Greshowak of Seattle art-punk trio Talbot Tagora, Kate Hall of the now-defunct LA noise girls Mika Miko, and Austin all-female rioters Finally Punk's Stephanie Chan met in the City of Angels to write music quite far away from their respective musical home turfs, and recorded it right away in their living room. Though still heavily embracing noise, their songs come quite close to 80s dream pop heroes like Siouxsie and the Banshees or the Cocteau Twins. Their myspace files the music under "easy listening" and "psychedelic", which is actually quite accurate, as its underlying ethereal and woozy vibe makes it perfect for lazy summer afternoons spent in open fields while gazing at clouds in the sky.

Dunes' self-titled debut EP will very soon be released on our favourite Brooklyn imprint Mexican Summer.

Evan Abeele: a neo-classical composer. Denise Nouvion: a photographer. A recording name that's a dedication to German/British composer Max Richter's seminal work. Canadian duo Memoryhouse may at first listen sound like a lot of bands or projects in 2010, dreamy, lo-fi, based on blurred synth patterns evoking distant memories of youth, music reminiscent of an old photograph's fading colours. Still, there's something that detaches their songs from this year's predominant chillwave hype, and it's most likely the fact that we're talking about actual songs here. Memoryhouse are not only aiming at creating a certain atmosphere that carries the listener to a state somewhere between sleeping and being awake (the association that inspired critic godfather David Keenan to come up with the term "hypnagogic pop" in The Wire #306), but it's about having something to say, too. The washed-out melodies never get carried away, and above all, it's Nouvion's beautifully clear voice that makes the duo something very special among the rising bedroom projects, actually leaving Memoryhouse closer to Beach House than to Memory Tapes.

In a way underlining their intentions, their song Lately (Deuxième) is built on a sample of John Brion's Phone Call from his soundtrack for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the movie par excellence about the fragile nature of human memories. The new official video for the song, directed by Church and Steak, is a symbol-laden masterpiece, too.

In a new version, Abeele has removed the sample, without taking away the song's magic feel. Memoryhouse have announced the release of their aptly titled first full-length Looms of Youth for sometime this fall. Their wonderful debut EP The Years is still available as a free download via Arcade Sound.

Edit: Inflated Records has kindly asked me to announce that in addition to today's video premiere, the label is putting out Lately as a 7 inch, and apparently it's their first-ever release. And of course, it's a pleasure. So go here and pre-order the single, and you'll be blessed with a Teengirl Fantasy remix on the b side which is, experience tells us, worth it.

Cherish your siblings. If you listen to this guy's songs, you can't help but thinking that he obviously likes what his older brother and his pals are doing. And honestly, who wouldn't if your older brother was Joshua Tillman, drummer of the mighty Fleet Foxes? Exactly.

Pearly Gate Music is the band or rather musical project of Zach Tillman, and almost every note he plays sounds like some mystic outtake of one of the Foxes' earlier sessions. Of course that's quite a bit of an overstatement, as there are clear-cut distinctions between the two artistic endeavours. Still, it's remarkable to see how Zach, too, uses the structures and patterns of traditional American folk music to come up with something almost transcendentally ethereal. And just like the Fleet Foxes' debut, the result are songs incredibly intriguing from the first listen that still somehow manage to grow every time you come back to the LP. So, it's not enough to state that if you like the Fleet Foxes, you'll enjoy Pearly Gate Music, too (though that's true beyond doubt), but we're in fact talking about one of this year's great debuts here.

By the way, apparently we're also witnessing quite intact family relationships, as Joshua plays drums for his brother when he's performing, and at the same time Zach supports his brother as bass player on his touring band when being on the road with his own solo project. Happy family.

Pearly Gate Music's self-titled debut album will be released by Seattle's Barsuk Records and is due May 18.

I'm late again, I know. In this case at least, it doesn't really matter, as no one really knows anything about Cults anyway (well, except for Pitchfork probably), the NYC couple doesn't even have a myspace. So suffice it to say that yes, just like everyone else on the net right know, I can't get enough of the duo's breezy 60s-inspired summer tunes, and as regards purest pop goodness, alongside Twin Sister and Kisses it's the band this blog is perhaps most excited about at the moment. That being said, let their music speak for them.

Welcome May, hello sunshine. Listen to this week's edition of NFOP's very own radio show either here on top of this site or, I know you know, here.

2. Twin Sister - Lady Daydream (Cassette Version): A dreamy, stripped-down take of one of the songs on the upcoming Color Your Life EP, out May 25 on Infinite Best.

3. The Concretes - Good Evening: Speaking of Swedish pop music, Stockholm band The Concretes are gonna have another album out in October, WYWH, and this beauty is its first teaser.

4. Memory Tapes - Green Knight (Visions of Trees Remix): A stunning and rather dark rework of Dayve Hawk's best track by London electronic du Visions of Trees, immediately compelling.

5. Blondes - Spanish Fly: Taken from Brooklyn dance duo's debut Touched EP, out June 28 on Merok Records. Mesmerizing.

6. Treasure - Canada: This one's just fine. London resident Hari Ashurst's premiere is a treat suitable for the sunny side of life. His debut will be released by Waaga Records sometime this year.

7. Julian Lynch - Just Enough: We've already introduced this guy, and his new album Mare will be out any day now on Olde English Spelling Bee.

8. Best Coast - Far Away: A short new piece to make the longing for Cosentino's solo debut slightly more bearable.

9. Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl (Demo): Wonderful all-girl lo-fi hiss from London Town. Last year's debut single is already sold out, but watch out for their debut full-length on No Pain In Pop.

10. Silent Diane - Juliet the Painting: Dark synth pop for late hours from Austin, Tx. This is the b-side of debut 7 inch Riverside, out now on Answering Machine.

11. Crystal Castles - Celestica: Panic at the disco. Because Toronto's principal creepy weirdo's (again) self-titled sophomore LP leaked earlier last month, their label Fiction decided to bring forward the release significantly, thus making it readily available. The album itself can legitimately be called a leap forward, and this one is arguably their best track so far.

No, not him. But watch the video for Jack Tatum aka Wild Nothing's new song Chinatown, put together with scenes from the 1969 short film Clown and you'll know what I mean.

And again, be sure to get hold of Wild Nothing's debut full-length Gemini, out May 18 on Captured Tracks. This wonderful song will be on it.

Grimes is the moniker of Montréalaise Claire Boucher, a bedroom producer creating haunted yet blissful lo-fi pop beauties in a way I guess she'd make friends with LA's whole Ariel Pink posse quite easily. Arbutus Records has just put out her cassette-only debut release Geidi Primes. If you should order one from their site (it's strictly limited, so be quick), you'll be able to witness 21st century DIY attitude in progress, something we'd almost forgotten already:

The tape comes packed into this beautiful bag of Montréal's very own St. Viateur Bagel Boulangeries (I promise I'll stop by if I should ever make it to Ville-Marie),

has a charmingly handmade and painted case,

and heartwarming hand-written labeling. The best thing though is the accompanying personal letter, expressing the overwhelming gratitude for the fact that you've decided to actually buy the piece: