Rubik. An indie-pop treasure hailing from Helsinki, Finland. I couldn't define this 8 piece-band in any other way after hearing "Solar", their third album, a brightly shimmering, joyful collection of tunes, where The Postal Service meets Of Montreal, or Grandaddy fuses with Modest Mouse. Their music is a roller coaster, a cascade of sounds and rhythms where everything is possible, from warm electronic envelopes to anthemic trumpets or handclapping. Sounds messy on paper, but trust me, what a fun and addictive mess it is.
Francis International Airport. More quality indie-pop, this time from Wien, Austria. "In The Woods", their second album, is a moody, at times reminiscent of the atmospheric sound of The Cure ("Solaris" for instance), intricate affair mixed with occasional glimpses of effervescence (check the single "Amnesiacs"). Sophisticated yet catchy, melancholic and with a very particular ambience. A very powerful record, one that offers you many different listens, endures and always rewards.
A Classic Education. A 6 piece-band, half Italian (Bologna), half Canadian, that define their sound as "nocturnal music for lazy afternoons". And indeed these delicious EP, "Hey There Stranger", with misty pop tunes like "Gone To Sea" or "Terrible Day", evokes quiet hours spent in warm beaches and breezy parties under the moon light. With the exception of the infectious melody of "What My Life Could Have Been", a reverb-less Pains of Being Pure At Heart approach, A Classic Education prefers to distille elegance and subtleties to their indie-pop, with excellent results. 
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