Kid A
This Virginia musician released an imaginary movie soundtracks last year with lyrics mostly in Japanese. That may sounds pretentious but the English-sung BB Bleu sounds like something Massive Attack might have made if they were still making Blue Lines material.

Nite Jewel
Ramona Gonzalez has been releasing lo-fi pop-funk for four years now but her new and second album One Second Of Love has seen her add some bite and swerve to her sound.

Amanda Mair
At just 17, this young Swede has eschewed the reality music TV route and signed with the cool Scandanavian label Labrador. Popjustice hailed her previous single as one their favourites of 2011 and Sense, her new song finds the middleground between radio-friendly and indie-appeal.

Madeon

Hugo Leclercq, a 17 year-old “pop house” producer from France has established a reputation based on tracks posted on Youtube and Soundcloud recently. His first big single, the big pop electro rush of Icarus should see him hit the mainstream.

2:54

Moody shoegaze rock from two Irish sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow who grew up in the UK. The single You’re Early will fill any Warpaint-sized holes you may have.

Algiers

An “experimental gospel no wave soul pulp band” (of course), Algiers debut single Blood is all of those things plus a big dose infection of voodoo blues.

Mia Sparrow

Pairing post-rock guitar lines with melodious vocals, this three-piece Dublin alt-rock band released their debut album for free on Bandcamp last week. Lovely noise.

Oliver Tank
Daydreaming folk songs played with modern instruments is 21 year-old Sydney musician Oliver Tank’s modus operandi. His emotive rasp is reason enough to stay under a warm duvet with his Dreams EP playing in the background.

Trust
The drummer from dark synth pop band Austra Maya Postepski and her friend Robert Alfons have a not too dissimilar musical project entitled Trust which would sound perfect in a creepy midnight disco.

Fun
Calling your band Fun is pretty is a pretty brazen move but judging by their song Some Nights, a modern jukebox pop hit which sets the harmonious bravado level to “QUEEN”, it may well signal the iconic intent of this new US chart-topping band.

Chromatics
Fans of the Drive soundtracks should delve into the back catalogue of these Italo disco revivalists. They also have a new album forthcoming entitled Kill For Love which has already spawned three video singles, most notably the muted atmospheric funk of Lady.

Hundred Waters
A promising Gainesville, Florida band who specialise in scattered and skittered pop music somewhere between the dream pop and eclecticism of Twin Sister, Stereolab and Múm. Their debut self-titled record also arrives at the end of the month.

SpaceGhostPurrp
One of the new breed of rising rappers, Miami’s Spaceghostpurrp dropped his new God Of Black Volume 1 mixtape showcasing his mind-warping blend of cosmic blunted Southern rap.
Listen at Soul Culture

Burial
Electronic music’s most revered anonymous producer returned with a new EP of spooky atmospherics entitled Kindred this week. No-one does dark and haunted inner city soundtracks quite so well.
Listen at Hyperdub

Julia Holter
Over the course of one afternoon last week, LA electronic musician Julia Holter’s song In The Same Room spread all over the music blogs. Its ethereal billlowy synths and sweet vocals proved irresistible to many.

John Talabot
Balearic dance music from Barcelona is the perfect tonic for these cold February mornings and Talabot’s new album entitled ƒin is just the right dose of heady house and electronica that works on headphones or the dancefloor.

NCAD Girl
Benny Smiles and Ballz Deep team up for an Irish R&B jam about the fine art of getting it on with an elusive Thomas Street art college student.

Miike Snow feat. Lykke Li
Superproducers Miike Snow return with fellow Swede Lykke Li for the atmospheric and building arpeggiated synth tune Black Tin Box. It’ll appear on their second album Happy To You in March.

Tennis
First capturing the attention of bloggers in 2010 with their “couple live on a boat and make music while sailing the Atlantic” shtick, Tennis are back with a second album of more full bodied breezy indie pop songs. Set sail.
facebook.com/tennisinc

No Ceremony
Reverberating piano chords and twisted vocals combine to devastating and uplifting effect in HurtLove, the disintegrating new single from Manchester’s No Ceremony.

Iggy Azalea
She’s been called the Australian Nicki Minaj. She’s also been called the Australian Kreayshawn. She’s also been called a “femcee”. Let’s not utter that word ever again. Time will tell on that who she really ends up like but for now, enjoy her bad-attitude rap style on My World.

Santigold
Santi White is back with a block-rocking frenetic new single called Big Mouth in which she calls out Lady Gaga and appears alongside her awesome SG1 dancers in a crudely animated video. Santigold > M.I.A.

SlowPlaceLikeHome
Keith Mannion from Ballyshannon in Donegal is the lone creator behind SlowPlaceLikeHome, a project of rich instrumental electronic music which could be described as expansive, pensive and seductive. Music to watch fields by.

Alt-J
Described by one music blogger as “the dubstep of indie-rock” and counter-acted by The Blue Walrus with “pigeon-hole these Leeds boys at your peril”, Alt-J are actually ambitious in doing their own unique thing. One of this year’s ones to watch…

Canadian born folk via Alan Lomax field recordings from the young Al Spx, whose voice has a rich blues, soul and folk heritage.
soundcloud.com/coldspecks

The Beatles 8-Bit
After tackling the music of Kraftwerk in chiptune form, the Gameboy-obsessed 8-Bit Operators are back with a collection of Beatles covers called Wanna Hld Yr Handheld, Vol. 1 which focuses on the avant-garde and electronic side of the Fab Four.

Nujabes

Jun Seba, a Japanese producer who sadly died in a car crash last year has posthumously released his final album Spiritual State of uplifting instrumental music to much acclaim.
hypem.com/artist/Nujabes

WZRD

Rapper Kid Cudi has been immersing himself in punk rock of late and his WZRD project and collaboration with Dot Da Genius and Brake is the first taster of that absorption with its stoner rock histrionics.
Listen at Earmilk

Florence covers Drake
Florence Welch shows her love for the title track from the Canadian rapper’s North American chart-topping Take Care album. The original features production from Jamie xx as well as vocals by Rihanna. Florence’s version injects it with her typically airy orchestral arrangements.
Listen / Watch at When The Gramophone Rings

Darkside
Already acclaimed for his own solo ambient electronic compositions thanks to debut album Space Is Only Noise from earlier this year, Darkside sees Nicolas Jaar team up with his live guitarist Dave Harrington for a slowed-down disco funk side project.
Listen at Nialler9

Caveman
Fans of Grizzly Bear, Local Natives and generally, any type of North American alt-folk bands should investigate Brookyln’s Caveman and their debut album of rich harmonious chamber pop entitled Coco Beware. I’ll eat my mouse if they’re not selling out venues this side of the Atlantic by this time next year.
cavemantheband.com

Kool Thing
From Sydney and Dublin via Berlin comes Julie Chance and Jon Dark armed with synthesizers, guitar and an art-dance ethos. Listen to The Sign and wait for it to kick in. Gratifying.
bit.ly/koolthing

First Rate People
Someone Else Can Make A Work Of Art is a gentle and catchy dance-rocking tune from Canadians First Rate People. The technical term is an earworm. The whole EP is also a free download from Bandcamp and it includes the uplifting autotune-assisted Summer Job.
firstratepeople.bandcamp.com

The Antlers x The xx
While Rihanna and Drake are the latest artists to plunder from The xx, The Antlers provide an alternative and fresh take on the band’s hit VCR.
bit.ly/antlersxx

Members of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem team up with Planningtorock for a new musical project in the form of a distinctly bright pop band who release a very limited three-track EP this month.

bit.ly/newbuild1

Tennis

The nautical-loving Denver couple return from the high seas of, ahem the recording studio with new material from their second album, the delightful singalong Origins.

Listen at Gorilla Vs. Bear

Lethal Dialect

Irish rap continues to improve with this Blanchardstown rapper and his professionally-done video for the knowledge-dropping Keep It Real.

Emeli Sandé x Disclosure

Underage Londoners remix rising Scottish R&B singer Sandé and the result is a post-dubstepping club pop hit.

Listen at Soundcloud

Tipped by the always on the money pop blog and label Neon Gold, NYC producer St. Lucia’s We Got It Wrong sounds like the Pet Shop Boys put through a modern electro-pop filter.

Listen at Neon Gold

DOOM & Radiohead

Celebrated masked rapper teams up with Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke for the unfortunately-named Retarded Fren for Lex Records’ 10th anniversary album Complex.

Listen at Soundcloud

Factory Floor

Two Different Ways is a twisting and pulsing dark and long live band techno jam that sounds made for warehouse parties. The London trio’s single comes out via James Murphy and all at DFA Records this month.

Listen at Nialler9

Phantogram

A bumping pop song with iridescent brass samples and floaty synths, Don’t Move marks the return of New York duo Phantogram with their Nightlife EP.

Listen at Soundcloud