Cool Hunting

Ghostly Swim: Interview with Sam Valenti
For years, Ghostly International, the indie juggernaut of Avant-Pop music, has been redefining the record industry with innovative collaborations and a brand awareness that puts most labels to shame. On 21 April, the fruits of their latest collaborative efforts paid off in the release of "Ghostly Swim", a 19-song compilation made exclusively for Adult Swim and available for free download. The kicker? Ghostly mascots...

Radio Village Nomade
Beginning in May, experimental composers Marie-Claire Brycztwa and Sudhu Tewari will host a seven-month "audio play" called Radio Village Nomade. Broadcast daily from a makeshift village in La Corbière, Switzerland, the 214-day project will feature live performances, as well as audio submissions from sound manipulators the world over. The concept is to let people define for themselves what constitutes a moment in time and...

All My Pretty Ones
All My Pretty Ones are a six-member group from the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by songwriter Derek Schmidt, the band plays richly-orchestrated, folk-influenced music. Songs rely heavily on acoustic guitar and piano, with occasional flourishes from a wide array of instruments like oboe, upright bass, mandolin and glockenspiel. Their debut EP, "Handsbreadth," was released last year and includes five songs combining lighthearted melodies...

The Kiss Off
Though they formed last year in Brooklyn, The Kiss Off could easily pass as Manchester natives from the early '80s. The band was founded by guitarist Adam De Rosa and bassist Nathan Lithgow, who lay distorted melodies over catchy drumming and synth drones. Sam Tyndall's vocals complete the band, which sounds something like a better-produced Joy Division or a more brooding Franz Ferdinand. The...

Tallulah Rendall
Currently making quite a murmur on the London music scene is Tallulah Rendall. This singer-songwriter has been quietly honing her craft over the past few years, playing the odd festival here and there, but it wasn't until she was invited by the legendary Shirley Bassey to sing at her 70th birthday party last year that things really started to take off. Last week Tallulah...

Appaloosa
She may well have the backing of Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) but Paris-native Anne-Laure can well and truly hold her own when it comes to delivering quality electronic-pop. Her debut EP, produced by Germany's Max Krefeld, is an eclectic mix of '80s beats, synth electronics and haunting, distinctive vocals. A woman of many talents this pint-sized Frenchie had put music on the back...