News from the noise front: Kyle Parker, an obviously rather introverted guy from Highland Park, California, who used to produce music as Gator Surprise, has released his debut full-length under his new moniker Infinite Body. Carve Out the Face of My God appears on Post Present Medium, the label founded by No Age's drummer Dean Spunt.

Please prepare to float through time and space.

News from the noise front: Kyle Parker, an obviously rather introverted guy from Highland Park, California, who used to produce music as Gator Surprise, has released his debut full-length under his new moniker Infinite Body. Carve Out the Face of My God appears on Post Present Medium, the label founded by No Age's drummer Dean Spunt.

Please prepare to float through time and space.

Beware of mysteries on Mondays. Or whatever. Monarchy, a duo apparently hailing from London, have been fooling around for a while now, releasing an almost ridiculously hyped limited 7 inch on indie pop hipster label Neon Gold in February. The identity of the folks behind the project is so secret that even their myspace does not provide any further information. The Neon Gold people claim that they don't know anything about Monarchy, either. It has been suggested that the music's masterminds must be some seriously high profile producers, but after all we can't be sure.

So we'll have to stick with the music, and I guess that's more or less the message behind this rather odd behaviour. Synthpop. Dark and gloomy, a high dose of melancholy mixed with melodies more beautiful than the 80s could've ever been.

The song posted below is the single's b-side. The name says it all. For what it's worth, sadness has rarely been expressed with more elegance and style.

Beware of mysteries on Mondays. Or whatever. Monarchy, a duo apparently hailing from London, have been fooling around for a while now, releasing an almost ridiculously hyped limited 7 inch on indie pop hipster label Neon Gold in February. The identity of the folks behind the project is so secret that even their myspace does not provide any further information. The Neon Gold people claim that they don't know anything about Monarchy, either. It has been suggested that the music's masterminds must be some seriously high profile producers, but after all we can't be sure.

So we'll have to stick with the music, and I guess that's more or less the message behind this rather odd behaviour. Synthpop. Dark and gloomy, a high dose of melancholy mixed with melodies more beautiful than the 80s could've ever been.

The song posted below is the single's b-side. The name says it all. For what it's worth, sadness has rarely been expressed with more elegance and style.

The amazing Dan Snaith, the Canadian artist better known under his moniker Caribou, has a new album coming up. Swim will be released by City Slang on 20 April. The stunning first single Odessa is an excellent appetizer, a dynamic piece reminiscent of Hot Chip with a little more psychedelia.

Caribou will come to Germany in April:

27 April 2010: Munich, Kranhalle

28 April 2010: Berlin, Berghain

29 April 2010: Hamburg, Docks

In Berlin, he will be supported by the glorious and rising bedroom producer Gold Panda from London, England. Actually, this guy alone would be reason enough to attend.

The amazing Dan Snaith, the Canadian artist better known under his moniker Caribou, has a new album coming up. Swim will be released by City Slang on 20 April. The stunning first single Odessa is an excellent appetizer, a dynamic piece reminiscent of Hot Chip with a little more psychedelia.

Caribou will come to Germany in April:

27 April 2010: Munich, Kranhalle

28 April 2010: Berlin, Berghain

29 April 2010: Hamburg, Docks

In Berlin, he will be supported by the glorious and rising bedroom producer Gold Panda from London, England. Actually, this guy alone would be reason enough to attend.

My dear Anglophile fellows, I promise to readopt posting about promising shiny pop music from the Kingdom soon, but right now I'd like to add another promising talent to our beloved lo-fi roster from across the pond.

Frederick Allen, a 21-year-old hailing from the Sunshine State, makes that certain kind of laid-back and sun-drenched bedroom music that we all so desperately need in this never-ending European winter. He has just released a collection of songs recorded in the last couple of years, aptly called Frederick Allen 1. It's available for free via Mediafire.

Listen to one of the album's highlights below:

My dear Anglophile fellows, I promise to readopt posting about promising shiny pop music from the Kingdom soon, but right now I'd like to add another promising talent to our beloved lo-fi roster from across the pond.

Frederick Allen, a 21-year-old hailing from the Sunshine State, makes that certain kind of laid-back and sun-drenched bedroom music that we all so desperately need in this never-ending European winter. He has just released a collection of songs recorded in the last couple of years, aptly called Frederick Allen 1. It's available for free via Mediafire.

Listen to one of the album's highlights below:

What did I tell you about the Garden State? This new video from one of my favourite bands right now (along with The Art Museums, did I mention that already?) proves that I was absolutely right:

Real Estate - Suburban Dogs (via pitchfork.tv)

What did I tell you about the Garden State? This new video from one of my favourite bands right now (along with The Art Museums, did I mention that already?) proves that I was absolutely right:

Real Estate - Suburban Dogs (via pitchfork.tv)

He is weird. His shows are said to be so poor that the audience starts to boo on a regular basis. The critics don't really like his albums. After all, he is a rather puzzling individual.

Still, the guys from Animal Collective are downright fond of him.

But even more important than that, L.A. musician Ariel Marcus Rosenberg aka Ariel Pink has beyond doubt become one of the most influential figures in contemporary underground music. Being one of the masterminds behind the latest variation of lo-fi pop (along with James Ferraro and Spencer Clarks, perhaps), be it called hypnagogic pop, chillwave, glo-fi, or whatever else could come to mind as redundant genre tags, his real impact only recently started to manifest itself, with hyped artists like Nite Jewel or Washed Out evidently building on Ariel's styles and techniques.

Together with his Haunted Graffiti project, he finally appears to be heading towards the realms of mainstream, too. Signed to legendary British indie label 4AD now, he will have a new album out this spring.

Below, you can listen to the first single, to be released 26 April.

He is weird. His shows are said to be so poor that the audience starts to boo on a regular basis. The critics don't really like his albums. After all, he is a rather puzzling individual.

Still, the guys from Animal Collective are downright fond of him.

But even more important than that, L.A. musician Ariel Marcus Rosenberg aka Ariel Pink has beyond doubt become one of the most influential figures in contemporary underground music. Being one of the masterminds behind the latest variation of lo-fi pop (along with James Ferraro and Spencer Clarks, perhaps), be it called hypnagogic pop, chillwave, glo-fi, or whatever else could come to mind as redundant genre tags, his real impact only recently started to manifest itself, with hyped artists like Nite Jewel or Washed Out evidently building on Ariel's styles and techniques.

Together with his Haunted Graffiti project, he finally appears to be heading towards the realms of mainstream, too. Signed to legendary British indie label 4AD now, he will have a new album out this spring.

Below, you can listen to the first single, to be released 26 April.

This Saturday, last year's critics' darlings (that is, except for most of the German press) Girls are finally back in Berlin, playing at Magnet Club.

This is an excellent opportunity to promote their latest 7 inch, Album's standout track Morning Light, available now.

Even more interesting is the single's b-side, Girls' splendid take on an old American classic. The beautiful The End of the World, originally recorded by country singer Mary Frances "Skeeter" Davis (1931-2004) in 1962, perfectly fits Christopher Owens' despair.

This Saturday, last year's critics' darlings (that is, except for most of the German press) Girls are finally back in Berlin, playing at Magnet Club.

This is an excellent opportunity to promote their latest 7 inch, Album's standout track Morning Light, available now.

Even more interesting is the single's b-side, Girls' splendid take on an old American classic. The beautiful The End of the World, originally recorded by country singer Mary Frances "Skeeter" Davis (1931-2004) in 1962, perfectly fits Christopher Owens' despair.