Bonjour Machines - Self-Titled EP

Indie rockers Bonjour Machines bring together elements of indie, emo, and post-hardcore in the same way contemporaries like Cloud Nothings would. Stream their new, self-titled EP via the widget above.

Folo- The Secret Message

Folo is a folk and electronic (folktronic?) group that hails from Israel. Now I wasn't really expecting to hear a blending of genres like these two, but what has been developed is something wonderfully atmospheric and eerie. The way that Folo uses vocal harmonies and electronic sampling creates a tense uneasy mood that I am particularly fond of. Though they are not the first band to have this kind of tone to their music it feels especially original here. It may be a part of living in Israel; having different sounds and feelings to bring into their art. Whatever it may be they pulled it off very well, I can see the influences of more recent Radiohead songs here, but I feel like these guys are much more successful than Radiohead has been of late in capturing this style of sound. You should definitely check this album out if nothing else it is a compelling listen all the way through.

Download TAMUTAMEN's Demo

Considering the Nordic countries commonly associated with black metal, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I heard this particular band, TAMUTAMEN, hails from Tel Aviv, Israel. However, I guess it's not such a big deal since bands like Liturgy, Krallice, Deafheaven, and Wolves In the Throne Room have done a lot in terms of making black metal about sound, not just culture.

So, if you're looking for something "trve" or "kvlt," you might want to move along, because TAMUTAMEN seems to focus more on energy and aggression than any sort of set rules and standards. While the band does have some great blast beats and tremolo picking--I wanna mention here that some of the lead guitars get pretty melodic and colorful, too--there's an undeniably strong hardcore punk influence in the handful of songs on this new demo of theirs. Find a download of all the songs right here. Check out a session performance featuring the band in the video below, too:

Stream Uzbeks' New LP

Despite what their name might suggest, Uzbeks are not from Uzbekistan. In fact, this five-piece garage punk outfit is actually from Israel. Their LP Goggles & Flipflops was released toward the end of last year, and features a really interesting take on classic, 70s-style punk music.

It's a humorous and fun record, with surprisingly clean production and tight musicianship. The gang-shouted hooks are memorable, the vocals are clean, and the lyrics are mostly indiscernible because of the singer's accent. Best of all, the melodies and guitar riffs on this record sound fresh and unique, which is probably because of the influence of Middle Eastern music undoubtedly affected the band's songwriting process. Whether that influence was conscious or not isn't that important; what matters is this doesn't sound like plain old American or British rock.

If you want quirky, self-aware punk with hilarious, semi-serious song titles like "Satanic Bible" and "Electro Man & High School," then Goggles & Flipflops is for you. Stream the record in its entirety above. If you want a physical copy of the record, head to the band's blogspot here.

It's also worth noting that Uzbeks will be playing a string of shows in Europe in the next few months with Trash Talk, OFF!, and Canadian hardcore luminaries Fucked Up. The tour starts in Wiesbaden, Germany on August 18th.