We’re coming up to the 25th track I’ll have posted as ‘Ireland’ on Music Alliance Pact, and I must admit I’m still really quite besotted with this as a concept. Naturally, many music-lovers are hooked on a combination of big acts, hype bands and the best of our local scene, and what I find so great about MAP is that it’s like having those eyes on a local scene that isn’t yours (and for me, the local scene – the acts I watch develop before my eyes – are the ones I care about most). MAP is rammed full of small-time gems that probably don’t operate on a big marketing budget (by their very nature, they probably wouldn’t be posted here if they did), and with many of the selectors running music blogs that operate with way more dedication and regularity than my own, there’s some serious quality to be found (so if you haven’t downloaded one yet, do – there’s nothing in it for me apart from getting pleasure in other people hearing how great some of these tracks are).

My choice this time around is a rare case of a band contacting me (I hear from a lot of bands and PR, but most emails – for obvious practical reasons – go unanswered), and my loving what I heard – in the past I’ve almost exclusively chased down bands myself to feature here. I don’t know a whole lot about Tuath, and I don’t speak the language (Irish) that a lot of their music is in. As it happens, the track they’ve offered up for MAP doesn’t contain any Irish anyway, but go and check out some of their other material here, too, as it’s exceptionally listenable even to someone who doesn’t understand a word.

Of course, there’s the usual hour-plus listening from around the globe, too. Download away…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 16-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Tuath – Casting Shadows Over Sun (Shammen Delly remix)
Typically an Irish language post-punk act, what makes this locally-leaning remix from Tuath interesting is in part that it’s so atypical of them. A remix of fellow Donegal act Shammen Delly, this is an atmospheric bit of slow-building, fuzzy electronica that is decidedly not post-punk. Fortunately, it offers great evidence that Robert Mulhern is not a man to be pigeonholed, once again exploring rhythm and texture, simply through an entirely different medium.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Rosal – John
Rosal are one of our all-time favorite bands from Buenos Aires. Led by singer Maria Ezquiaga, they have been around since 2002 delivering indie-pop gems with fine arrangements and catchy lyrics, such as John, a track from their first album. Rosal just released La Musica Es Mi Eje, which features live versions from their five albums and some great covers.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The Delicates – Chimera
Exactly the type of song you’d expect to hear come out of Australia in the middle of our long, hot southern summer. The Delicates are five wallflowers from the Gold Coast who play soothing, understated jangle surf-pop with a hint of the type of melancholy that you only get from bands born outside the hustle and bustle of a major metropolis. Chimera will drift in and out of your headphones without much of a fuss but not without leaving you feeling a little lighter in the process.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Rodrigo Ogi – Aventureiro
Aventureiro is the opening track from RÁ!, one of the most acclaimed Brazilian albums of 2015. Rodrigo Ogi raps about life in São Paulo, its challenges and experiences. For those who do not speak Portuguese this track speaks for itself with its strong beats and flow.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
P’ARIS – Focus
The identity of P’ARIS is currently unknown but one thing is for sure, they know how to write a pop jam. This totally channels the essence of fellow Canadians Tegan and Sara.