Björn Kleinhenz creates pleasant folk-pop with a romantic edge. Like a Swedish version of something by Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, “The Mountain Pt. 2″ features a soft acoustic guitar, finger-plucked to a calming bliss and accompanied by beautiful vocals. Kleinhenz coos: I am a mountain now, I am the sea and sky, I am a puff of smoke coming through your window in the chorus. Musical and vocal, “The Mountain Pt. 2″ hits all the right notes.

“Modern Drift” is a lot moodier than a lot of what you’ll hear on earlier Efterklang, but the orchestral and pop sensibilities found on those earlier releases, Parades and Tripper, remain steadfast. Efterklang is still very much in the business of creating some of the best experimental pop around. A consistent piano backing sets the stage, accompanied by monumental percussion and deep horns. Perhaps most surprising is the lack of multiple vocalists, which was instrumental in the greatness of songs like “Caravan” and “Cutting Ice To Snow”. …

I’ve lived in the land of tulips for damn near two years now, tucked away comfortably in the Skagit Valley, hidden in the northern and western most part of the continental United States. Aside from the more known K Records artists that reside in the nearby Anacortes, I know very little truly local music, which is quite a shame. Enter Marc, a resident of this region and an old roommate from my Pullman grad school days. He recommended checking out Rooftops, a math-y rock band from the …

Portland bedroom pop group A Weather is back with their second full-length album and follow-up to Cove, Everyday Balloons. Though the album came out last week on Team Love Records, we’re just now getting a taste of what it has in store for us through “Third Of Life” and “Giant Stairs”. With these songs, A Weather shakes some of the bedroom softness for a sound slightly louder. The increase isn’t substantial — say, from a 2 to a 3 — but on the volume scale, it’s noteworthy. …

Last year, Dinosaur Feathers impressed me with their superior experimental style. Somewhere between electronic and pop, the band mixed styles familiar to bands like Animal Collective and Yeasayer, thanks to clever somewhat barbershop-quartet-like harmonies and tribal beats. They’re back this month with Fantasy Memorial, their debut LP and follow-up to Early Morning Risers EP. “Vendela Vida” is off the new album and it has hints of a Latin-influenced shuffle while remaining true to the sounds they defined on last year’s EP. This song is further proof at …

You could snuggle with “Sweetness”; it’s just that warm and fuzzy. No wonder Dan Deacon told Pitchfork “The music she writes is like a favorite blanket wrapped around you” about Air Waves‘ lead singer Nicole Schneitt. Like everything off last year’s Air Waves EP, “Sweetness” is packed with sunny California guitar pop perfect for the beach. Rapid percussion and an equally quick guitar strum featuring pretty much just two chords, and the song is practically complete. Add simple lyrics that are filled with lovable hooks, and …

Portugal. The Man never seem to tire out. It hasn’t been a year since they released The Satanic Satanist, and already they will be releasing their fifth album, American Ghetto, this May. This promises to be another giant step forward for these hard working rock and roll vagabonds. Their first single “The Dead Dog” finds The Man running through another terrifying tale with a catchy hook and wonderful experimentation of instrumentals, the likes of which have not been heard of in some time. If the spirit …

Tobias Fröberg mixes folk and pop with the electro side of both genres in his new song “When We Go To War”. The video compliments the song’s electronic elements thanks to outstanding performances by dancers Kage Mulvilai and Azumi Oe. Filmed by Shane Sigler and directed by Petter Ringbom, “When We Go To War” is a classic good versus evil, light versus dark, carnal and savage portrayal of the human spirit and its brute animalistic heritage. Bringing performance art into a music video is an excellent concept …

Dark and dreamy, “Falls City” is the first track available from the new Venice Is Sinking album, Sand & Lines. The song is a testament to this band’s versatility and ability to create a diverse set of music. Recorded using only two microphones in Athens’ Georgia Theatre, which burned down a few months after it was recorded, the album is set for a June 2010 release — one year after a fire destroyed the building. All proceeds from the album will go to the theater.

In 2009, the world found a new love for garage pop and garage rock artists, from the gritty, raw, lo-fi noise to the more experimental. Some of the most loved artists channeled a sound common to 80s indie-pop and the twee movement. Surprisingly, one band that seemed to get overlooked was The Silent Boys, a band neither new nor channeling. They were part of that original movement, and they continue to pump out great tunes that hint of their early years.