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This album is the 50th release of the netlabel 12rec. from Germany. It covers the range of the label which mainly publishes experimental guitar music with a touch of folk. 17 different tracks wait to be discovered. I present my three favourites in the following.

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Merry Christmas! This release doesn’t at all sound like snow flakes or a silent night, but is a furiously vibrant example of a fusion of extremes. Rock guitars, electronic chord clouds, funky bass lines, disco-like beats seamlessly blend together to a very distinct listening experience which casts feelings of euphoria and nostalgia. But just listen yourself to some tracks of this exceptional Bypass netlabel release.

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Stay Ali is a trio from Sweden founded in 2006 by then 15-year-old guys. They produce an energetic mix of techno, electro and disco music. They remind me of Fatboy Slim; especially this release sounds like it was influenced by Justice. If you want some good dance music for a party, get this album! But I better present you two tracks which represent the range of this release:

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Phew, what a nice electro release! Amish82 remind me heavily of The Knife and Fischerspooner. While this release is very simplistic in construction, the resulting arrangements sound surprisingly rich and danceable. Some kind of “flaw” are the remix version tracks (6-15) while there are only five original tracks. But those five tracks deliver enough quality for many hours of joyful listening. But hear, judge (and download) yourself…

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This is the first review I write in which my opinion about the music is ambiguous. Santa Inferno has released this very intense rock album, yet in a – probably artistically justified – horrible sound quality. While I find this style fitting for their more aggressive tracks it spoils my listening experience. Let me show you what I mean by two representative tracks which well cover the scope of the whole album.

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Take Nightwish’s voice, add a Cello played like Apocalyptica and mix it with a skilled hard rock band and – voilà – you can imagine how the Diablo Swing Orchestra sounds. Their music is a wild mixture of (partially Symphonic) Metal, Rock, Jazz, Swing and Blues; sometimes they make me think of Mr. Bungle (another great Band, by the way), yet they always stay within the limits of melodic music.

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This album popped up at Jamendo when I was searching for free Breakbeat music. This genre is most prominently occupied by artists like The Chemical Brothers or The Crystal Method. While there are some similarities, the obviously German artist of this release has his own characteristic style. The essentials are all there: punching drums, ultra-cool bass riffs, synthetic sound effects. But as I said, something is different:

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This week’s release comes from the netlabel Sutemos. It features experimental ambient electronic music. This remix album features several versions of some very good songs; the general sound is a calm soundscape blended with instrument samples whose appearance structures the songs. Well produced vocals with whispered voices are the label’s distinct feature. Read on to see which tracks I like most.—A technical novelty in this review is an integrated flash player for quick previewlisten of two tracks without the need to leave the page.—(Artwork by Leon Somov)

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As a “thank you” to their fans, Coldplay released a live album on their homepage on 15th May which can be downloaded for free. The album features the hits Clocks, Viva La Vida and concert atmosphere.

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One of the best moments during music discovery is the one when you hear an album the first time and instantly are addicted to it. To know that you will hear it over and over again, that after hours of mediocre or boring music you found a new pearl in the ocean of music.

The independent rock band Pandoras.Box from Lower Bavaria with their album Barriers gave me the last incarnation of such a moment. The album could as well be sold on CD, the quality of song-writing and production does not need to hide behind commercial releases. I would be surprised to not see their next release in stores.

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