Alternative

AXXA/ABRAXAS is the music and art project of Ben Asbury, a 23 year old from outside Atlanta, GA. His experiences as a record collector and music obsessive from a very young age are easily evident in his debut release. Going full circle from being introduced to 60's pop as a kid, through his foray into punk rock at an early age, into post-rock and Elephant Six indie, right back into 60's Psychedelia, Ben has honed his influences (Neil Young, Television Personalities), into a cohesive blend to adapt his own take on psych-influenced art-pop. The label enlisted Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) to record and produce what would become Axxa/Abraxas debut. It's the artistic culmination of prodigious young songwriter putting it all together in an erudite way despite his tendency to write lyrics which are "...generally directed at myself, often criticizing my shortcomings..." No matter how he criticizes himself, one need only listen to the record to see he's quite confident in his music Record Label: Captured Tracks Style: Independent

After years of writing and performing, AVA LUNA has refined their doo-wop soul meets punk-as-fuck aesthetic into something bold and glaringly defiant in today's indie music landscape. Following the release of their critically lauded first proper full-length ,Ice Level", the band spent an intense 2-week period writing and recording in upstate New York. Unlike previous efforts that were meticulously mapped out, the songs that would become ,Electric Balloon" were ".a family effort." according to frontman Carlos Hernandez. For the new album, former Columbia composition student Hernandez relinquished the reins a bit, opting for a more organic approach to writing the material for what would become ,Electric Balloon". In the wake of "Ice Level", AVA LUNA's sharp edges have melted away just enough, making it easier to connect with their no-wave grooves and soaring harmonies. Distilling everything from James Chance and ESG to contemporaries like Dirty Projectors and Of Montreal, Ava Luna have landed on an aggressively unique sound that still manages to be accessible Record Label: Western Vinyl Style: Independent

Artist: Elephant Label: Memphis Industries

Artist: Dirtmusic Label: Glitterbeat

Artist: Colourmusic Label: MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES

Artist: Silver Snakes Label: Bridge Nine Records

Artist: Ezio Label: (Indigo)

Artist: Elephant Label: Memphis Industries (Indigo)

Artist: THE MELODIC Label: unknown

Record Label: Sun Arc/Drag City Style: Alternative

Style: Alternative

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Lo-Fang – aka Matthew Hemerlein – conceived and wrote his debut album Blue Film while traveling around the world and across the United States over the last three years. His passion for making music led him to pick up and play with musicians in Cambodia, Bali, London, Nashville, Tokyo, and other points along the way. Songs were written in transit, in hotel rooms, and anywhere the moment inspired him. Billboard’s Jason Lipshutz writes, “Blue Film funnels Hemerlein’s various vagabond experiences in 12 tracks of ornate, rhythmic electronica worth disappearing in.” A classically trained musician, Lo-Fang is fluent in diverse genres and styles of playing, which are juxtaposed throughout Blue Film. He sings all the vocals—his falsetto is soulful and often hypnotic—and plays every instrument, among them, violin, cello, piano, guitar and upright bass. The set veers from minimalist to intimately symphonic, including ten original songs and two covers. The tracks are sequenced into an atmospherically ethereal blend of shifting textures, beats, and moods that Dazed & Confused called a “brooding, quietly intense exercise in electronic torch song.” Lo-Fang says the initial template for record was based on a mix-tape called “Blue Film,” an assemblage of songs from various places and states of mind dating back to 2009. Some tracks grew out of events from his own personal evolution. Lyrics might come from a phrase spoken in conversation, or a fly on a wall that persisted as background noise—the ephemera of life. Like a novel written with elegant economy of prose, Blue Film evokes feelings beyond what the words convey. The merger of Lo-Fang’s classical background with his left-of-center approach to pop songwriting further deepens the punch. There’s mystery to the music, which aligns with his preference for each listener to arrive at their own interpretation. Blue Film was cut at studios in London, Nashville, and Los Angeles and finished at the storied Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Throughout, Hemerlein collaborated intensely with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Francois Tetaz (Gotye), who he says has “a vast encyclopedic knowledge of music” that illuminated and reflected his work at every step of the process. The album’s opening track, ‘Look Away’ is up-tempo, dreamlike and psychedelic, with a lush strings interlude mid-song. ‘#88’ opens with spare picking and swells to orchestral fullness. Lo-Fang’s cover of BOY’s ‘Boris’ adds an edgy darkness – likewise, his take on the buoyant Grease classic ‘You’re The One That I Want’ is fueled by both longing and menace. Both covers are true to Lo-Fang’s thoughts on reimagining songs – “I think of them more as remakes, like with movies. I take the same story arc, but everything is different—tone, colors, tempo. Like what Christopher Nolan does with Batman, that sort of thing.” Blue Film is 4AD’s first release of 2014. In spring 2014, Lo-Fang will tour with Lorde. Style: Alternative Rock

Artist: Max Graef Label: World

Artist: Dirtmusic Label: Glitterbeat

Artist: Various Artists Label: Diamant

Artist: Josef K Label: Les Disques Du Crepuscule

Artist: Exploited Label: Nuclear Blast Americ

Artist: The Shrine Label: Tee Pee Records

Artist: Colourmusic Label: MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES

Artist: We Are Catchers Label: Domino Records (Goodtogo)