Division Kent is a Swiss electro rock duo named after a street corner in NYC where most of their songs allegedly came into being.
The duo consists of songstress Andrea B. and ex Swandive member Sky Antinori.
Their sound emits the new wave grooves of bands like New Order or Depeche Mode and the british pop feel of David Bowie.
The bands debut "Monsterproof" was released in 2005, their second album "Gravity" came out in 2007.

Download:

• Division Kent - No Kryptonite (Baxter Beez Remix)

• Division Kent - Gravity (Amazon)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/divisionkent

This band exemplifies how the Brooklyn music scene works: a singer from small-town Minnesota meets a guitar player from Iowa. The Williamsburg restaurant where the singer works is owned by a former punk drummer, who coincidentally knows a bass player from Canada. When joined by a calssically trained, private piano teacher, the Hype Of The States were completed. The members are Jezrael (Vocal, Guitar), Austin Raukus (Guitar), Kristina B. Nameless (Bass), Sandelicious (Drums) and Mike Weiser (Keys).
The Brooklyn based quintet released their debut EP "Some Like It H.O.T.S.", a collection of high-quality pop rock songs with an edge.
I'd describe their sound simply as: Really catchy and plain cool!
You should definitely give them a listen!

Download:

• H.O.T.S. - Sexxxy Stuff

• MySpace: myspace.com/hypeofthestates
  

The Birmingham trio Johnny Foreigner has been around for quiet some time on the local gig circuit. Last summer they signed a record deal with Best Before Records and at the end of last year they went to New York to record their debut album "Waited Up 'till It Was Light".
The debut features indie-rock influenced, lo-fi, pop-punk tunes with fast guitars, happy, upbeat vocals and some killer rhythm sections.
Johnny Foreigner's sound gives off the expression that not only is it great to listen, but they would probably be exciting to see live, which is sometimes hard to get from an album.

Download

• Johnny Foreigner - Salt Peppa & Spinderella
  

• on iTunes (US)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/johnnyforeigner

The Hotcakes are Erin Marsz (Vocals), Lee Leshen (Drums), Chris Hills (Guitar) and Eva Brooks (Keys).
Their lead vocalist Erin was a member of the Brooklyn based band "Tralala" which released two critically acclaimed albums and then split up.
Chris, the guitarist, also plays in a soul band called "Evergreen".
The Hotcakes first EP, released in march '08, is produced by Josh Peck who among other compositions wrote the new Knight Rider theme.
Anyhow, what comes out of this venture is marvelous. The songs are very melodic, 60s influenced, indie pop rock tunes. Erin's voice is lovely and very energetic, Chris plays great guitar solos and some bad ass riffs, Eva on Keys creates wonderful melody lines and Lee on Drums lays down some huge grooves.
All in all, an outstanding effort.

Download:

• The Hotcakes - Mister Mister

• The EP is currently only avaible on their live shows.
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/thehotcakesmusic

British electronica act Metronomy released a new EP "Holiday" on July 7. It includes the singles "Let's Have a Party", "Our Raid" and "Holiday Bedtime Dub".
There's also a competition going on; the hundred funniest holiday snaps posted in the Holiday Blog on their MySpace or Facebook win a Holiday Kit including sunglasses, beach bag, badges and a sexy beach vest. Deadline is July 14th.
However the new EP is excellent, I really enjoyed the groovy track "Let's Have a Party" with it's psychedelic synth parts.

Download

• Metronomy - Holiday
  

• Metronomy - Holiday

• MySpace: myspace.com/metronomy
  

Adron a.k.a Adrienne McCann is a 20 year old mademoiselle from New York City's most creative borough Brooklyn.
She's classically trained on the piano, she plucks her nylon guitar as if Baden Powell taught her and she also sings her self-written late '60s Brazilian Tropicalia' influenced songs.
Her self titled debut album, out on July 1 on New Street Records, is intelligent but at the same time remains accessible.
Songs like "String Song", which she sad is about her "feelings about string theory and the metaphysics of memory", or the simplistic and youthful "Bicicleta" really showcase Adron's talent and style.

Download:

• Adron - String Song
• Adron - Bicicleta (Chris Devoe Remix)
  

• iTunes (US)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/adriennemccann
• Homepage: adronmusic.com
  

The Mood is: Marco Argiro (Vocals, Guitars), Corinne Callen (Vocals, Keys), Kenton Langstroth (Guitar), Chris Bunatta (Drums) and Brian Karp (Bass).
This five-piece band has been making quiet a name for itself in New York City's music scene.
The formula for their success lies in the catchy melodies, the upbeat rhythms and their solid songwriting skills. I like the simple but graceful vocals and the Glockenspiel adds even more charm to their contagious pop rock tunes.
The new record "Synaesthesia" is out now on Outright Records.

Download:

• The Mood - In The Forest (zShare)
  

• Direct
• Also available on iTunes & CD Baby
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/marcoargiro
• Homepage: themoodrocks.com
  

Brooklyn-based electro-pop trio Mixel Pixel released their fifth album "Let's Be Friends" on June 3rd through Mental Monkey Records.
Reminiscent of new wave bands such as New Order and Duran Duran, Mixel Pixel creates simple and short songs with a twinge of kitsch.
The lyrics are accompanied by some smooth synthesizer melodies and lovely old school drum machine rhythms.

Download:

• Mixel Pixel - I See You In The Mirror (zShare)
  

• Order direct from Mixel Pixel
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/mixelpixel
• Homepage: mixelpixel.com

Bon Voyage are Jason Martin from Starflyer 69 and his wife Julie both hailing from California. They have already put out two records together (self titled "Bon Voyage" in 1998 and "The Right Amount" in 2002).
Their third album "Lies" is a timely and unique vision of pop inspired by bands like Blondie or My Bloody Valentine.

The LP hits record stores this month.

Download:

• Bon Voyage - Monster

• MySpace: myspace.com/bonvoyagemusic

Ponies In The Surf is a brother-sister duo from the city of Somerville in Massachusetts.
What Camille and Alexander McGregor are doing right now really stands out of the crowd of the other Indie-Pop releases.
Their style is truly unique, they stir together folk and pop elements with a hint of latin spice and a whole lot of intimacy, warmth and style.
The songs are dreamy and timeless-sounding. The writing is sharp and smart.

Their debut "See you happy" is out on June 9th on Darla Records.

If you live somewhere near Somerville, Massachusetts don't miss the release party tomorrow (28. June) at PA's Lounge!

Download

• Ponies In The Surf - Ventricle
  

• Darla Records: darla.com
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/poniesinthesurf
  

The Confusions from Sundsvall/Sweden consist of Mikael Andersson-Knut (vocals, guitar), Zarah Edström (keys, vocals), Mattias Löfström (drums), Henrik Svensson (guitar), Magnus Thorsell (bass) and Fredrik Hast (guitar).
In 2002 the band garnered some well deserved critical attention outside of Scandinavia with their stunning single "The Pilot".
Now they're back with their 5th studio album "The story behind the story".
With its catchy song hooks, the quirky guitar riffs and the simple but thoughtful lyrics the album is a delight from start to finish.

The album is available now on Massproduktion Records.

Download:

• The Confusions - The Pilot
• More songs, b-sides and live recordings can be found on: The Confusions Media Page
  

• iTunes (Europe)
• iTunes (US)
• Massproduktion Webshop (Sweden)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/theconfusions
  
• Homepage: theconfusions.com

Tokyo Pinsalocks bestow with fresh electro pop from the hip Tokyo underground scene.
The all-girl trio consists of Hisayo (Bass), Naoko (Vocals and Synths) and Reiko (Drums), all three are incredibly talented and extremely creative.
The group offers a tight sound comprising vibrant synths, heavenly rythms and Naoko's dreamlike vocals.
The music is crisp, varied and danceable. Their songs invoke a sense of well being and draw the listener into Tokyo's sunshine-inflected psychedelic pop underground.

"Planet Rita" is the bands third mini-album. It was released recently only in Japan through Kimono Records. But you can buy it digitally here on JapanFiles.com

My Space them or check out their official (Japanese) Homepage.

See them live:

The Morning Benders are California's latest Indie Pop Rock sensation. The band consists of frontman Chris Chu (Vocals, Guitars, Keys), Joe Ferrell (Guitars, Keys), Julian Harmon (Drums, percussion) and David Perales (Bass) from Berkley, California.
The quartet brings back the glory of 60s songwriting, with catchy melodies, lots of delayed harmonies, some blaring guitar parts and a tumbling rhythm. Most of the lyrics are about the ups and downs of young romance. They're all masterfully written and never appear tacky or contrived.

Their debut album "Talking Through Tin Cans" is released digitally today on +1 Records. Pre order it here.

My Space them or visit their official homepage.

Download legally and for free the songs:

• Boarded Doors here.

• Fancy Free here.

• Loose Change here.