Flunk - Kemikal Girl (buy at Amazon.com)

Flunk is a Norwegian electronic band consisting of producer Ulf Nygaard, guitarist Jo Bakke, drummer Erik Ruud, and vocalist Anja Oyen Vister. Not much to say, except for the fact that after listening to Flunk (stumbled upon them several years ago), my interest in discovering new music got a huge boost.

Pizzicato Five - Baby Love Child (buy at Amazon.com)

I was watching Futurama the other night and I stumbled upon a beautiful song by a Japanese pop group Pizzicato Five (a duo of Maki Nomiya and Yasuharu Konishi). The group, widely credited with spearheading the shibuya-kei movement of Tokyo in the 1990s, is known for eclectic and energetic compositions that often sound like “new” releases from the late 1960s hipster scene.

Handsome Boy Modeling School - Breakdown (buy at Amazon.com)

Two of the most unapologetically eccentric and undeniably skilled producers in hip-hop, Prince Paul and Dan “the Automator” Nakamura came together in 1999 to form Handsome Boy Modeling School. Handsome Boy Modeling School has parodied and acted as a commentary on vain, consumerist, materialistic, and self-absorbed members of upper class society, such as supermodels and people from old money. The pair often satirized upper class snobbery and perceived beauty.

Nightmares On Wax - Mind Eye (buy at Amazon.com)

Wholly inviting, this British act’s distinctive brand of trip-hop keeps heads nodding with blunted beats and strutting vibes. Stirring up chunky bits of electro, soul and hip-hop, George Evelyn’s choice and placement of hooky samples is discriminating and precise. Relaxingly funky rhythms shake up the dance floor with gritty melodies borrowed from a dusty August evening in the South, plus clunky beats and soulful rap and urban lyrics. These tight, downbeat hip-hop grooves are attention-getting fare that’s likely to keep lingering bodies swaying, but they’d also make excellent background-enhancers at an intimate house party. - Melissa Piazza, Rhapsody.

The American Dollar - Anything You Synthesize (buy at Amazon.com)

“Cinematic post-rock for people who don’t actually like post-rock. The Technicolour Sleep showcases the type of music that would be played during the quietly sentimental moments of movies…The band’s music fits so well in this moving and dramatic context because this post-rock duo has mastered the art of composing straightforward and emotional instrumental music. The American Dollar concentrates their efforts on developing beautiful music that reaches the depths of a variety of human emotions.” -Libby Wait, cdreviews.com

Opgave - Writing In Silver (buy at Amazon.com)

There are musical elitists in every genre who boast in their embittered obscurity, underrated talent, and find little complacency lurking in the shadows of their betters. Most are pretentious, some are just ambitious, and few are true artists.  Opgave is arguably the latter. Opgave’s tracks are moody and dark, but lightly decorated with a humble, hopeful melody. For the technically acute ears, the backdrop of drumbeats comparable to few (a steady march with a fluid groove that you can’t help but bop your head to), the horns, strings, and other subtle samples pervade a rare mirage of hidden gems.

Xploding Plastix - More Powah To Yah (buy at Amazon.com)

Xploding Plastix is the musical child of Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard Hagen. Both based in Oslo, they started making music together somewhere late 98-early 99.

Xploding Plastix has a very organic sound; throwing saccharine analogue melodies to foreground the acoustic quality; imposing a distinctive live feel. A certain raw edge. An oeuvre of an ear-opener: Zipping and unzipping the beat, a beat-science out-of the ordinary. Emphasizing the flowing warmth and organity of the rhythms. Triggering flailing, skittering, skipping and spinning breaks, makes this pure nigthvision!

Quantic - Snakes In The Grass (buy at Amazon.com)

Will Holland is a Worcestershire native, but Colombia-based musician, DJ, and record producer. He records under various guises, namely Quantic, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, and The Limp Twins. His music draws upon elements of salsa, bossa nova, soul, funk and jazz. Holland plays guitars, bass, double bass, piano, organ, saxophone and percussion. Much of his sound is original composition with little in the way of sampling of other artists’ material.