Monica

Lasers: Lasers EP

Here is how you enjoy Lasers' latest self-titled EP; insert your earphones, turn up the volume, close your eyes, and forget that you’re in the real world. Currently based Utrecht, The Netherlands, João Pedro Costa, better known as Lasers, is a Portuguese beat-maker that has been recently creating a lot of buzz on the online music scene. Released under Bad Panda Records, this EP offers 11 tracks (including some tasteful remixes) that plays along the territories of electro and ambient.

Nightlife: Nightlife EP

Darin Rajabian and Caroline Myrick return to the FrostClick scene with their self-titled debut album released last January 2011. Nightlife-EP boasts six infectious tracks that are strictly more disco-sounding than their second album Radio which was also featured here. There is a distinct brand in Nightlife’s music that you wouldn’t hear in any other band. The musical fusion of Darin’s euro-disco tunes and Caroline’s soft vocals make a solid foundation to the collection.

Shattered

Experience a young man’s dream and nightmare in Shattered, a short film by renowned Aspen-based photographer and cinematographer Tyler Stableford. After summiting the impossible, an elite climber finds himself empty. Shattered and alone, he searches a fulfillment higher than a mountain peak. This five-minuter film has already garnered international recognition including an official selection for 5 Point Film Festival and New Zealand Mountain Film Festival, and Mountain Film in Telluride, among others.

Various Artists: These Shaky Isles

There’s both a sense of well-known comfort and exploring foreign territories in These Shakey Isles, a mixtape by various artists released by Lil’ Chief Records. Lil’ Chief Records is a New Zealand independent record label that aims to achieve a specific aesthetic to pop music. Since their first release in 2002 (Hold Hands Feeding Ducks by The Brunettes), the record’s dream of a pop collective has already taken shape with numerous releases from their growing numbers of artists, and a two-page article on the London’s Sunday Times.

The Astronomer’s Dream (2009)

Mark Sutherland brings another visual spectacle to the screen with The Astronomer’s Dream. Written, directed, and animated by the talented Sutherland, this 11-minuter short animation envelopes a fantasy that would take you to the outer space. As the website describes it, the film starts with a hungry astronomer who falls asleep while working on a problem. He then discovers a solution not in outer space, but in the surreal food chain of his subconscious mind.

Brit Laurén: Autoportraits II

Equally eclectic and catchy, Brit Laurén’s new album Autportraits II is a flavourful gem with some salt and pepper on the side. Hailing from Los Angeles, Brit Laurén is a vocalist, performing artist, and actor rolled into one. Released last October 11, 2011, Autoportraits II offers six tracks of undeniably good pop and r&b. Autoportraits II opens the album with a sneak peak of the artist’s musical brand. It also serves as an intro for the whole album.

Kim Boekbinder: The Impossible Girl

Listening to Kim Boekbinder reminds me of a young Kate Bush - playful and electrifying. A performer, composer, musician and visual artist rolled into one, the Canadian-born singer lives up to the title of her full-debut album Impossible Girl. Released last December 2010, the 17-track collection had already garnered prominence among famous music fans including Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Rosanne Cash, to name a few.

Birdboy

Based on the 2007 graphic novel PSICONAUTAS, Birdboy by Pedro Rivero and Alberto Vásquez offers a dark fairytale on love and suffering. With positive reviews after its release, the 13-minute animation has already garnered awards and recognition such as being pre-selected for the 84th Academy Awards. The short film tells the story of transformation of a beautiful island to a graveyard due to an industrial accident. Birdboy, an outcast of society, tries to escape the god-forsaken place with his fantasies of flying with the one he loves.

Shaking Through: Selected Tracks Vol 1 & 2

When emerging indie artists collaborate into a pristine musical project, you can only expect nothing but the best. Produced by Weathervane Music and WXPN in Philadephia, Shaking Through: Selected Tracks Volumes 1 & 2 is part of a documentary series that shows the birth song of 10 indie bands each year. This particular album is a selection from well loved tracks from the first two installments.