International

La Monine: Fracciones

La Monine is the moniker of singer/songwriter, Karenn Gonzalez. With her hauntingly sweet and mesmerizing vocals, she easily conveys emotion and fantasy in her songs. The singer is based in Chile where she creates her beautiful mellow love songs. Filled with twinkly, fairy-like sounds along with sweeping classical instruments on occasion, her music easily ushers listeners inside her world. Fracciones is composed of tracks recorded between 2007 and 2009. It features a traditional Chilean carol as well as a Mars Volta cover.

Atupa: QuatribaRap

You don't really need to know a particular language in order to enjoy music. As trite as it sounds, music is a universal language. It communicates through emotions and sounds. Atupa's sound is one such example of music transcending the barriers of language. Even if you don't understand a shred of what the boys are rapping about, you're still in for a good listen. QuatribaRap was released last July 2012 and it's currently offered absolutely free over at the group's BandCamp page.

Paolo Pavan: Second

Beautifully endearing, Second is a record that soars with skillful piano work from Italian pianist, Paolo Pavan. Born in Rome in 1970, he grew up studying music and has been taken under the tutelage of teachers like Stefano Sabatini and Riccardo Biseo. He has a degree in piano as well as classical studies. Thanks to this early exposure, the artist has released several compilations containing his original compositions. Second, is the latest in his catalogue and proves to be a soothing, reverie-filled piano piece.

Grenadine: Grenadine

Grenadine is the solo project of French musician, Julie Branet. Initially trained as a violist, she started writing songs and became active with her music career in 2008. This self-titled debut carries four of her lovely tracks. Her upbeat and sweet French pop style is reminiscent of Canadian singer-songwriter, Feist, bearing catchy pop rhythms you'd want to spend time with on laid back happy days. She's also been touring to promote her sound. According to her bio, she's shared the stage with artists like Heart and The Pirate Husky.

Granell: Granell

Filling in your cravings for smooth indie pop rock; Granell is an independent Brazilian rock band from Braza. The group is made up of brothers, Enio and Jesue Torres on vocals/guitars and bass, respectively, along with their friend, Lucas Medina, on drums. Creating a great balance of pop, acoustic and rock, the band introduces a soft guitar driven sound that swells with rockish melody and harmony.