Climber is one of the most compelling indie bands I've run into lately. The group from Portland, OR has been making music since 2001 when they first got together as a group of friends in one of their basements to jam and make music. Climber fuses melodic rock with atmospheric electronica that is somewhat reminiscent of Imogen Heap, Thom Yorke and Coldplay (sans Chris Martin's whiny vocals). The group's band name is quite appropriate. With singer Michael Nelson's arresting emotive crooning, Climber's music captures a positive, propulsive energy that takes you places. Highly recommended. Check out Climber's web site for more free MP3 downloads or order their EP at Amazon.com. [source]
Download Climber "Always Right" [mp3]
Download Climber "Escape" [mp3] 
Australian group Glovebox serves up an infectious slice of pop music on their groovy new self-titled album. The band was formed 8 years ago by by producer/arranger Grainger K. Lock and singer/songwriter Mishka who moved from Brisbane to London to start making music. The duo set out to create pop melodies that are not quite pop productions. It is a sound that they have dubbed "electrorganic" with its inclusion of live instruments and Mishka's distinct vocals.
Glovebox has now taken the bold move to release their new record independently in the States.
The group has built a steady gan base in Australia and New Zealand over the past years few years. Mishka, who is openly gay, has performed during several Gay Pride events to drum up support for Glovebox.
Download "Superstar," the first track from the album on the group's MySpace page. Their take on pop music is nothing new, but it has plenty of melody and crunch to keep you listening again and again. You can stream and download more tracks here.
Download Glovebox "Superstar" [MySpace] 
Hip hop and rap is no longer purely a North American affair. Over the last decade, hip hop music has spread around the globe and many local artist have created their own unique blend of the popular genre. Case in point are Swedish hip-pop-hoppers Highwon who combine smooth raps in their native language with typical Swedish melodic sensibilities. This is a fun, breezy track that you might like to check out even if hip hop is usually not your thing. According the dictionary,"Sena Ntter" translates to "Mustard Trim," which doesn't make a lot of sense unless it is slang of some sort. Read more about Swedish hip hop here. [source]
Download Highwon "Sena Ntter" [mp3] 
Last night I listened to an advance copy of Nelly Furtado's brand-new album Loose that will hit stores worldwide on June 20. The record was initially slated for release in May but due to Nelly's tour dates in Europe, Geffen decided to delay the release until after her concert commitments.
Fan message boards have been buzzing for months about Nelly's new musical direction after the singer started working in a Miami studio with hip hop prodigy Timbaland on her third record. After hearing the album in its entirety, I can conclude that Loose presents a whole new side of Nelly. But fans can rest assure. The album maintains the singer's qualities, individuality and idiosyncrasies that made her a star in the first place.
At first listen, Loose is an explosion of pure, raw energy. Continuing her "Fora," Nelly and Timbaland gather big beats and cheeky raps with lots of dance floor-ready production tricks. This album is primarily a hip-hop and urban pop album in the same vein as recent material by Gwen Stefani and Missy Elliott. With this effort, Furtado adopts hip hop in her own unique way to push the genre further into the mainstream, especially overseas.
Good examples of Nelly's new vibe are the first singles "Promiscuous"(for the USA - a saucy, ghetto fabulous duet with Timbaland) and the irresistible club track "Maneater" (for the rest of the world). The album version of "Maneater" is longer than what has been leaked to radio stations so far. It features a very cool, extended techno outro (similar to what Pet Shop Boys did on "Go West"). Another hip hop track on the record is "Glow." Just as on "Whoa, Nelly!" and "Folklore," the GRAMMY winner experiments with different ethnic influences on "Loose." And this is what the singer does best. Furtado includes Middle Eastern instrumentation on "Wait For You" and she even has recorded the sweeping "No Hay Igual," a full-on Spanglish reggaeton song. Daddy Yankee be warned, because this is a hot one.
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