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CLASSICAL / PIANO
Ivan Ilić: Dazzling Classical Piano
American pianist Ivan Ilić has recorded his 7th album for Magnatune, entitled Godowsky and Ecstasy, 22 Chopin Studies. Godowsky was a celebrity in his day. Artur Rubinstein said that "it would take him 500 years" to acquire Godowsky's technique. Rachmaninoff wrote that "Godowsky is the only musician of this age who has given a real, lasting contribution to the development of the piano". Following Godowsky's death in 1938, his compositions were largely ignored until the year 2000, when super-virtuoso pianists such as Marc-André Hamelin and Boris Berezovsky began to record and perform his works in concert. Ivan Ilić is the latest pianist to rise to the formidable challenge. His album focuses on the 22 Studies for the left hand alone, considered among the most difficult pieces ever written for the instrument. This album is a tour de force of virtuosity and musicianship.

ALT ROCK / PUNK
Midway Still: Sensitive and Loud, Punk with a Pop Center
Noise and melody working together to make a pop-punk gem. Midway Still packed this album full of songs that equal or surpass the band's earlier efforts, with plenty of Hüsker Dü-like pathos and flashes of Byrdsian vocal harmony adding a joyous innocence to proceedings. As in their earlier work, there's the gruff vocals, aggressive yet melodic guitar, Keith Moon-style power drumming and the catchiest hooks since, well, the last Midway Still album. After releasing their second album, "Life's Too Long", into the post-grunge world of 1993, Midway Still returned to the studio after a mere 17 year gap to record "Note To Self".

WORLD
Kitka: Eastern European Women's Vocal Music
Mysterious, yet joyful and celebratory as well, the close harmonies of the Eastern European women's vocal music ensemble, Kitka, provide a moving and deeply satisfying listening experience. The album, Nectar, features eighteen earthy and ethereal Balkan and Slavic folksongs including Kitka fan favorites such as "Shto Mi E Milo," "Dumai Zlato," "Tsintsharo," and "Hopp Ide Tiszt-n."

JAZZ / EXPERIMENTAL
Maurice and the Beejays: Music for Imaginary Films and Television Shows
Music of Maurice and the Beejays features jazz harmony, shifting time signatures, real and programmed instruments and found sounds. Influences range from Charles Mingus to Brian Eno and 60's and 70's British television shows such as "Randall and Hopkirk deceased".
The original idea for this album, Last of the Species, was to write songs about aspects of criminality:
Part 1 (Tracks 1-7) - Based on Shaft and set in the 23rd Century. Mr. Sex Millions controls the multi planet "prawnography" trade. Our hero doesn't make it.
Part 2 (Tracks 8 - 14) - Relaxed and jazzy with some vocal harmonies. Soundtrack for a day in the life of Alain Delon who is visiting the south coast of England to see his friend Hercule Poirot. A bright winters day in Bexhill on sea when something happens. Only the events have been changed to protect the guilty.

AMBIENT / ELECTRONIC
Sampson-Carroll: Lush and Minimal; Melodic and Drone-Like; Pastoral and Edgy
Mind-bending, relaxing, soothing, inner-peace inducing, meditative, endorphins for one's imagination -- they all apply to this collection of thoughtful and mature compositions. Your journey over the hill and far, far away from life's rough segments is only a listen away. Following gracefully in the sonic footprints left by their previous three albums, Sampson - Carroll's Ease brings the listener to a pinnacle point of ethereal loveliness.
DJ Squirrel

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JAZZ
Andy Gabrys: Classic Jazz Guitar
Modern compositions, classic jazz guitar, an oak-tree thick acoustic bass courtesy of Dan Loomis, and the swinging colorful drumming of Brian Adler, make Constant a great album for any occasion. The album comes from a 5 year period during which Andy lived in New York city and played at various venues with up and coming jazz artists. Andy's original music on this album is both forward-thinking and respecting of the jazz tradition, and while his guitar sound might be compared to Kenny Burrell or George Benson, his playing and composing approach shows the subtle shading and rich harmonies of Romantic era composers.

CLASSICAL
Spark: Flautists with Finesse, Intelligence and Grooves
Spark began in 1992 as a small ensemble group in the Tokyo University Flute Circle. The members, all graduates from Tokyo University, now live in various cities throughout Japan, from Kyoto to Hakodate. J. S. Bach Laboratory, an all-Bach album, features original arrangements that seek to capture the spirit of Bach's original ideas. It was recorded in Hakodate City Art Hall and was first released in 2000 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Bach's death.

ELECTRONIC
Joey Fehrenbach: Gorgeously Sculpted, Uber-Melodic Downtempo
The album Mellowdrama captures what it sounds like to fall in love, to remember old friends, to feel lonely, and to feel at peace and safe indoors on a rainy day. Electronic dance music artist Joey Fehrenbach uses intricate melody and atmosphere to create sonic backgrounds that capture the essence of the human soul. This is the one thought-provoking laid back electronic album not to miss.

FOLK / WORLD
Steve Eulberg: Mountain and Hammered Dulcimer
Inspired by a Jean Ritchie poem of the same title, I Celebrate Life! is the title track of this collection of original songs and tunes written for Mountain and Hammered Dulcimer by award-winning singer-songwriter and musician, Steve Eulberg. Known nationwide as the host of the annual Colorado Dulcimer Festival, Steve Eulberg weaves old-timey with blues and contemporary tunes adding original songs into a tapestry of "smile-inducing, toe-tapping folkgrass" that captivates and energizes audiences of all ages.

POP / ROCK
Tiny Little Blackouts: Dreamy, Slightly Mournful Indie Pop
Jangly relaxed alt rock, perfect for the grey days where you don't *want* to feel up and happy, but instead settle into self-indulgent melancholia. This San Francisco based band has been described as "Elliott Smith meets the Cocteau Twins". On this debut album, Idea of Alice, expect a shoegazer meets dream pop sound -- female vocals, lazy, bluesy fuzzed out guitars, a warm deep bass line. Bands like Belly, Curve, The Gathering and The Cardigans come to mind.

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PUNK / HARD ROCK
Delko: French Stoner Rock
Meet Delko, a French rock band from Haute-Loire. Influenced by Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Johnny Cash, their powerful and dark melodies will drag you into an artistic world that sounds like a post-teen delirium. Delko 321, released in 2011, is their first LP. All tracks are orchestrated by a classic squad -- bass, drums, and two guitars. This album brings together their first 3 EPs, standing as a documentary about four years in the life of the band.

NEW AGE / WORLD
Olexa Kabanov: Strings Slowly Plucked From the Soul
Ukrainian artist Olexa Kabanov is influenced by a wide range of musical interests, including the European Middle Ages, Eastern tradition, and Slavic ethnic, from jazz to folk-rock and world music. Describing the album Dale of the Muses is not easy. The sounds organically meld together -- the lyre, the deep Ukrainian violin, the Indian percussion, the mandolin with the drymba. Listen to the album to find many unexpected combinations and hidden gems.

ROCK
Arthur Yoria: Catchy, Whip Smart Alt-Rock
Ten playfully wicked songs make up Arthur Yoria's full length debut, I'll Be Here Awake. Yoria says it's a straight-forward rock album that was written from the point of view of a "nasty, egotistical fictional character" that he vicariously lives through from time to time. However, Yoria's natural warmth makes this character charming, in the way that cads can be when they're also talented, funny, and smart. "Call Me" gives insight into the mind of the chronically unavailable male, while "P.S.A." may be the most beguiling little ditty about onanism ever written. "Sevilla" describes a seething jealousy in the most lilting possible tones. "Here To Stay", the highlight of the entire album, is a patiently delivered, doggedly inspiring pop shanty.

JAZZ / PIANO
Antonio Ciacca Quartet: Jazz Played with Earthiness, Fire and Intellect
Driemoty is the first album of Antonio Ciacca, released in 1996, early in his brilliant career in the world of jazz. Antonia Ciacca plays with elements of Thelonious Monk, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, and Bobby Timmons, recalling the most creatively vital and yet oddly neglected schools of jazz. Nowadays the New York based pianist and composer Ciacca enjoys his work as Director of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center. If you enjoy his music, be sure to visit his website http://www.antoniociacca.org/

R&B / SOUL
Ty Gibson: The Spirit and Soul of A Woman
R&B/Soul singer Ty Gibson hopes to make a difference with her debut album, Goin' My Way. Finding inspiration in the works of legendary singers such as Nina Simone, Denise Williams, Whitney Houston and Minnie Riperton, Ty offers her listeners a taste of what's on the inside of all of us -- a passion to live, love, and just be taken seriously. One of the notable tracks on this album, "I'll Be Home Soon", was written with the men and women of the military in mind. Ty is actually singing a letter that a soldier wrote to his loved one back home.

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JAZZ / BLUES
Eternal Jazz Project: Gentle Jazz from Sweden
Handmade is the third Eternal Jazz Project album, mainly recorded in one of Sweden's most famous jazz studio recording facilities - the Swedish Broadcast radio. The feel is relaxed and down to earth, with a Scandinavian touch. EJP is still a fairly traditional jazz band with its roots in '50s and '60s jazz (the piano player and composer, Lars Lundell, is a big fan of Bill Evans). Compositions on this album range from the soft and beautiful "Hey June" to the swinging "Jamaican BBQ". No matter how Scandinavian, there's always room for surprises and groovy improvisation.

ALT ROCK / POP
Amycanbe: Alternative, Pop, Electronic, Rock, Trip-Hop from Italy
Being A Grown-Up Sure is Complicated is beautifully elegant. These songs are stunning journeys of indie folk pop with little twinges of minimalistic electronica. Each song tells a story, and this album is like a book with lots of little chapters waiting to unfold. From the folky bounciness of "Down Under" to the delightful beat of "The Song Of Matthew and Mark", the album sketches a picture of inner peace and happiness.

AMBIENT / ORCHESTRAL / ELECTRONIC
Emmalee Crane: Ambient, Orchestral Drone Music
Crux is the debut album from Canadian-turned-Californian musician Emmalee Crane. It is a soft yet majestic wash of instruments ranging from woodwinds and cellos to analog synthesizers and circuit-bent electronic toys. While Emmalee herself describes it as "drone", that hardly does justice to the orchestral swell and intricate melody that weaves throughout the album. This critically acclaimed work has been described as "an absolute success...built upon passion and love and emotion," and "as beautiful as it is inventive."

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POP / ELECTRO ROCK
Emma's Mini: Glamorously Femme Electropop
Emma's Mini is a duo based in Seattle, WA. In April of 2003 they self-released this album, "Beat Generation Mad Trick". Taking their cue from bands such as Lamb, Massive Attack and Moloko, Emma's Mini seamlessly blends Suzanne McClean's rich, lush vocals with Demian Shoemaker's innovative beats and soundscapes.

CLASSICAL / CHAMBER MUSIC
Colin Booth: Solo Harpsichord Music
Peter Philips, one of the great musical geniuses of the age of Queen Elizabeth I, was forced into exile in Europe because of religious intolerance in England, following the failed Spanish Armada. Not only did he become a famous composer throughout the continent, but his music, unlike his person, was celebrated in his home country. This album, "Peter Philips - The English Exile", has received enthusiastic praise from reviewers. Listen to Colin Booth play the music of Philips on a large and unusual harpsichord -- a copy of an Italian 17th Century instrument with two keyboards.

AMBIENT / ELECTRONIC
Dr. Sounds: Spacey Ambient/Dark New Age
Dr. Sounds is Alexander Forselius, a Romanian-born artist, creating spacey, ambient/dark, new age tracks using mostly free software packages. Alex has Aspergers Syndrome and feels he is a little different in thinking about and experiencing the world. "I think my brain values mathematics and logic before feelings...I mostly feel integrated with the computer, and feel a deep relationship with it...my experience in childhood, and autistic experience of the unorganized social world, is transmuted to unique, illustrative, ambient soundtracks that don't follow a given musical genre."

PUNK / ROCK
Rocket City Riot: High Energy Rock and Roll
Snotty punk rock reminiscent of the Sex Pistols. This 10th-anniversary redux of "We Name the Guilty Men" is raw and vital rock and roll that shakes your teeth. You will hear songs about love, death, and drinking, the holy trinity of punk rock. This is not the kind of music that RCR makes anymore, so get it while the getting is good.

WORLD / FOLK
Kara Nomadica: A Fresh New Sound Driven by Traditional Arabic and Turkish Rhythms
Kara Nomadica is a fusion of ancient and exotic instruments from the Middle-East, North Africa, and Australia. This album is driven by traditional iqaat (rhythms) and maqamat (micro-tonal scales) of Turkey and the Arab world. The band explores original compositions and breathes new life into a select repertoire of traditional Middle-Eastern classics. Denver music reviewer John Zwick says, "Kara Nomadica is what happens when you bring together a mess of overqualified music geeks with Middle Eastern instruments you've never heard of...it's a damn captivating sound."

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BLUES / JAZZ
Bluesboy Jag: Authentic 1920's Solo Blues Guitar
Pared down to the down-home marrow of their bluesy bones, the twenty-six acoustic tracks of "Four Strings" are like an ultra-pleasant visit to guitarist Jag's front porch, where he plays for you on his hand made cigar box guitars. Intimate, unvarnished, authentic. Iced tea or lemonade with that?

CLASSICAL / OPERA
Philharmonia Baroque: Historically-Informed Classical Orchestra
Celebrated Dead Man Walking composer, Jake Heggie, has a fascinating take on the Persephone myth. In this recording, Philharmonia Baroque brings the tale to life with the help of Broadway superstar Patti Lupone and soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian. "To Hell and Back" traverses an impressive amount of musical territory in just five scenes—a turbulent overture, a dulcet duet, a potent cabaret number, and a penetrating aria among other things. Heggie uses these stylistic choices to develop his disturbing, deeply affecting portrait of spousal abuse and the familial denial that perpetuates it.

HIP HOP
Jay Love Baby: Booty Shakin' Baby Makin' Music
Atlanta-based B-Boy/breakdancer/deejay/producer/artist, Jay Love, delivers his new release, Ego Centric, a great party starter album packed with dance floor classics. It's highly energized with the feel of the Black Eyed Peas, beats like Timbaland and a vocal flow similar to T Pain and Flo-Rida. Booty shakin' is guaranteed.

FOLK / NEW AGE
Lydia McCauley: Intriguing Piano Compositions with Dynamic Accompaniment
ForeignLander is a collection of innovatively arranged pieces from 17-20th Century British Isles and Appalachia, beautifully performed by Linda McCauley and her Ensemble, along with special guests. A well known artist in the Celtic and New Age worlds, she slightly detours on this album by taking traditional Appalachian melodies and working her magic on them. While careful to preserve Appalachian traditions, Lydia creates a fresh sound that pleases both traditional and progressive music audiences.

ALT ROCK / EXPERIMENTAL
Kavanah: Eclectic Intense, Industrial Ethnic, Classical Phrasing, Soundtrack, Cirque
This soundtrack to the hit traveling circus show, Cirque Montage, is an eclectic mix of World Music, Electronica, Jazz and Cirque. Composer Martin St-Pierre and vocalist Kate St-Pierre are both Cirque du Soleil and Dragone (Le Reve) alumni.

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FOLK-ROCK
Robin Grey: Gently Experimental Nu-Folk
Robin Grey writes beautifully ironic, poetic-based tracks for the story-lover in all of us. His voice and attitude harkens back to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, with masterful lyrics and deadpan delivery. Strangers With Shoes is colored with acoustic guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, piano, double bass, organ, percussion toys and any other instruments he can fit into his little London studio. As one reviewer stated, "Grey is one of those wonderful talents that could recite the phone directory on record and you'd still be enthralled".

WORLD
Daniel Berkman: 21st Century Ambient African Kora
A wonderfully laid-back album, Calabashmoon blends Daniel Berkman's gorgeous kora playing with subtle beats and other little touches of vocals from regional performers for an overall feeling of sunny, world-influenced goodness. Berkman is known for his innovations to this 21-stringed instrument. In this collection of crafty and poignant pieces, he expertly weaves together a tapestry of sounds that gives the listener a sort of relaxed acoustic portrait of modern West Africa, from whence it comes. Be sure to check out the excellent title track, "Mystery Box House."

CLASSICAL
Sergio Azzolini & Vito Paternoster play Mozart and Haydn
Can a cello and bassoon form a duo? Three different composers thought so. W.A. Mozart composed a beautiful sonata for cello and bassoon, F. Danzi transcribed some of the most beautiful Mozart melodies, and F.J. Haydn composed two duets for cello/bassoon. Italian bassoonist Sergio Azzolini and Italian cellist Vito Paternoster demonstrate how these pieces continue to enchant, delight and amuse listeners today.

METAL / INDUSTRIAL / HARD ROCK
The Wretch: Painful Ambient Industrial Noise
Fantastically dark and elegantly industrial, Cyst by The Wretch is a surprisingly nuanced album that favors dynamic variation over mindlessly repeated loops. It's a hybrid of noisecore and drum 'n' bass, but with really smart rhythms and a noise-ambient wash that lends a huge amount of atmosphere and depth. The juxtaposition of totally glitched out, ever-changing beats with the eerie ghost calls and dystopian waveforms in the background works really well. The opening track "Turned" and "Do You" are great. "This is Terror" is beautifully brutal, and don't miss "Feel The Burning."

AMBIENT / NEW AGE
Tilopa: Healing Magic of the Japanese Zenflute
Pared down and austere, Tilopa's album, By The Way, sounds like serenity itself. The Japanese zen flute (kyotaku) is occasionally accompanied by monastic sounding vocals, and the overall effect is very subdued and meditative. "Red Fullmoon" is a particular standout on this album, a track that makes evident why this type of music was once favored by sects of wandering Buddhist monks. Most of the pieces on this album have that same type of traditional Zen sound, but there are a few more modern pieces here too, such as "Amigos De Viaje," which features acoustic guitar as accompaniment to the kyotaku.

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JAZZ / DOWNTEMPO
Drop Trio: Groove-Oriented Organ-Based Funk Jazz
Deliciously mathy structures overlaid with highly original, funk-tinged instrumental grooves are what you'll get on Big Dipper by the award-winning Drop Trio. Influenced by avant-garde jazz, this group thrives on improvisation. The overall vibe here is loose, but the chops are tight and the structure is never neglected. This is a great album to put on in the afternoon while you're working, or in the evening when you're ready for happy hour.

CLASSICAL
Three Holies Church Choristers: Ancient Eastern Church Music
Gorgeously solemn and reverent, Hymns of the Ancient Church features a number of very rare chants representing the three main canonical singing traditions of the Eastern Church: Byzantine, Georgia and Old Rus. These ancient, holy songs served as the foundation not only of later religious singing, but also classical choral music. All the chants are performed by choristers of the Three Holies Church (Kharkov, Ukraine) conducted by Igor Sakhno—one of the great experts in this form.

POP
Spoons: Retro 80's Music
Formed in 1980, this band made Spoons a different kind of household word. Their unique brand of upbeat, danceable music quickly became anthems to legions of fans. Now, more than two decades later, who could have predicted the phenomenon known as "retro 80s", when old and new fans alike would rediscover these classics? Unexpected Guest At A Cancelled Party is packed with previously unreleased recordings and concert favorites, from the vintage 1982 - 1985 years. Listen to Spoons again, or for the first time, and enjoy.

WORLD / FOLK
Sherefe: Balkan and Middle Eastern Music
Sala Sala is a full 78 minutes of eastern Mediterranean soul food with gorgeous songs from Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Bulgaria. Sung in native tongues and using traditional instruments, these songs are elegant and danceable. Well honed from hundreds of performances at concerts, festivals, weddings and private parties, Sherefe's rich sound is a melding of cello, bouzouki, oud, gadulka, saz, double bass, Middle Eastern percussion and evocative vocals.

ROCK / DARKWAVE
Opened Paradise: Intense Goth Rock From An Ancient City
The incredible, hollowed out grandeur of the songs on Occult bring you straight into the darkly glorious and melodic world of Opened Paradise. Frontman Periklis E's voice is so evocative and intense that it gives Peter Murphy a run for his money. Babis on guitars and Constantinos on drums lend a dire, driving sound to the album that is the perfect counterpoint to the cavernous vocals. So strong and excellent is the overall mood of this album that we strongly recommend turning off the shuffle play for an hour in order to listen to it all the way through, the first track to the last. Dark, dramatic feelings guaranteed.

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HIP HOP/ RAP
Marginal Prophets: Smart-Alecky, 'Semi-Conscious' Hip-Hop
San Francisco Bay Area favorites and indie best-sellers The Marginal Prophets have performed with Black Eyed Peas, De La Soul, Spearhead, Fishbone, and many other rap and rock royals alike. Their hugely entertaining hybrid of hip-hop and garage rock is smart-alecky and sultry, perceptive and playful -- kind of like what the Beastie Boys might sound like if they were being backed by Beck. Bohemian Rap won a California Music Award for Outstanding Rap Album and is a masterpiece of witty, riffy perfection.

CLASSICAL
Viviana Guzman: Virtuosic Flutist
Elegant baroque flute fantasies made alluring and modern. Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 - 1767) was a prolific, popular German Baroque music composer. The Telemann Flute Fantasies are miniature sonata gems. Published in 1732, each fantasy has a playing time of approximately 3 to 5 minutes. On this recording Viviana Guzman showcases her 9K Muramatsu Flute, giving the Fantasies an added golden touch.

ALT ROCK
Anton Cosmo: Rock Superstar to Be
Anton Cosmo, a native of Upstate New York, was raised in a home filled with music. He is the son of Fran Cosmo, former singer of the band Boston. On his album, The In Between, Anton gives a nod to influences such as U2 and Incubus, as well as echoes of visionaries like Peter Gabriel. Anton's lyrics and soaring pop arena rock sound have a dark edge, with some songs influenced by the public's current fascination with vampire sagas such as Twilight, and the popular HBO series True Blood.

WORLD / INDIAN
Suchita Parte: Ancient Indian Songs in a Modern Blend
Wow. Designer Bliss really brings out the natural softness and femininity of Suchita Parte's incredibly beautiful voice. The opening track, "Tvamekam Sharannyam" is deeply pretty, as are "Pandurangashtakam" and "Narayanam". The entire album is a very successful, subtle pop update of a classical Indian style. Completely sublime, highly recommended.

AMBIENT / NEW AGE
Paul Avgerinos: Beautiful Ambient Space Music
A glowing, watercolor wash of angelic choirs and ancient Greek chants, Gnosis is based on the Gnostic tradition and wisdom of ancient Greek mystery societies, and features perfectly integrated sounds of tabla, oud, sarangi, and cello. Allmusic.com named Paul Avgerinos "one of the giants of ambient music," and the stellar sound design on this release makes apparent how he earned the title. Standout tracks include the mellow "Journey To Now" and the title track, "Gnosis."

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HARD ROCK / METAL
Atomic Opera: Progressive World-Influenced Hard Rock
With dark, heavy grooves and a big, sweeping sound, Atomic Opera is firmly rooted in a rock and metal tradition that began with Black Sabbath and was continued by Metallica, but adds lilting, irresistably Beatles-ish melodies and unexpected, towering harmonies evocative of prog rock bands like Rush and Yes. Add the presence of Frank Hart's sophisticated arrangements for cello, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, organ, recorders and hand percussion, and you get a stellar old world art rock sound with a progressive folk metal edge. This brooding yet accessible music was born of same fertile Houston scene that produced Galactic Cowboys, The Awful Truth, and King's X.

POP / ELECTRO ROCK
The Kokoon: 1980's Style New Wave
For a decidedly new wave album, there's a lot of passion and emotion on Erase. Danyx's brooding, Nico-esque voice carries highlight tracks like "Face," "Delicate," the Cure-tinged "Tied," and "Take Me to the World," a bittersweet but ultimately upbeat song. Or try the band's second release Berlin. It's just so damn sexy. Angular, androgynous, pouty? It's a Bowie/Siouxsie-influenced urchin of an album that'll have you strutting around the house like a Milanese model on a Fashion Week catwalk. Highlights include the smouldering opener "Impressions," possibly the world's only New Wave drinking song "We Didn't Go," and the deliciously disaffected "Tap At Floes." No 3 is The Kokoon's most recent album - check that one out too.

WORLD
Middle-Earth Ensemble: Sultry and Percussive Mid-East Fusion
Middle-Earth Ensemble creates a unique gypsy infused sound inspired by music of the Mediterranean and Middle-East. Their music has fueled the hips of many a belly dancer. Their latest album, Passage, emphasizes their original material while continuing to draw on traditional and fusion styles as varied as Arabic, Turkish, Moorish, Spanish, Gypsy, Celtic, and Classical. The title track includes Indian tablas and exemplifies the fusion that Middle-Earth has created. Belly dance aficionados will surely recognize the new renditions of " Rompi Rompi" and "Tamr Henna". This release transcends the belly dance genre and includes a variety of styles and sounds that would be sure to please anyone interested in or curious about Middle-Eastern music.

ALT ROCK
Seconds Before: Minneapolis Modern Rock
Seconds Before fuses high octane rock, memorable pop sensibilities, and progressive arrangements into a sound that's as hard to pigeonhole as it is to resist. These five music junkies have a wealth of experience as songwriters and performers, and their enthusiasm and professionalism come across both in their recordings as well as their explosive live shows. Change Is The Only Constant features songs that you just might not be able to get out of your head (in the good way, not the annoying way). Give the newest Seconds Before album a spin, but don't get too comfortable, because change is... well, you know.

JAZZ / NEW AGE
Ehren Starks: Piano and Cello
Lines Build Walls, the second album from pianist Ehren Starks, is both strikingly modern and completely evocative. Cleanly elegant piano compositions show great attention to both structure and melody, and Starks demonstrates deep fluency and depth of feeling for his instrument throughout. There's an internal logic to this music that calls to mind contemporary architectural forms, yet it's incredibly lyrical too—the streamlined poetics of a young master. Highly recommended.