King Ly Chee (Hong Kong)

"A couple months ago I was writing a history paper about the emergence of punk rock in China, and one of the bands I came across during that time was a Hong Kong band called King Ly Chee. I grabbed this mp3 from their website. It appears to be a song that's going to be on their first album that they're working on right now. The title is "Sau Kin Sau Mun", which is translated as "Sickened Eyes". It's an unmixed recording (and the vocals are going to be re-recorded), but still sounds rather good. Check this out if you've never heard HKHC or loud music screamed in (I'm presuming) Cantonese." - Tim Krysko of Punk International King Ly Chee - Sau Kin Sau Mun (MP3)

Adam: I forgot to post this last week. Expect two this week.

Man Alive (Israel)

"Last week we posted the North American tour dates for Israel's Man Alive, and this week here's a track from the CD they're supporting, called "Work In Progress". This track is called "Over You" and can also be found on a split 7" with Useless ID available at Interpunk. "Work In Progress" can be purchased at Indie Vision Music." - Tim Krysko of Punk International Man Alive - Over You (MP3)

Giddy Motors (England)

"We're returning to England this week for the sake of Giddy Motors, an abrasive but jazzy indie rock band from South London who are starting their US tour on July 3 in Madison, WI. The album they're supporting is called "Make It Pop"; It's available on Fat Cat Records and for sale at Interpunk. Here is one of my favorite tracks off it, called "Hit Cap"." - Tim Krysko of Punk International Giddy Motors - Hit Cap (MP3) Adam: Yes, this band and song were previously MP3 of the Week as well, however they rule enough to get a second mention. Click below for those tour dates.

Crash (Norway)

"I went off topic last week, so to make up for lost ground I decided to double-feature the band I had lined up for this week. They're called Crash, and they're from Norway. The two founding members formed the band in prison, and they have since released a 7" and a 10" on their label Firefly Recordings. The CD, which shares its name with the 10", is called "Young Boy Can I Help You Through Your Exams", and it contains all tracks from both vinyl releases, plus an unreleased one. Here's a track from both the 10" and the 7", and of course both tracks can be found on their CD as well." - Tim Krysko of Punk International Crash - Forever But Ending (MP3) Crash - No One Is Scared (MP3)

Sweatshop Union (Canada)

Tim Krysko's taking a bit of a detour from the usual Spotlight this week. Look for international coverage to return next week. As always, you can check Punk International or look through the Spotlight archives to get your fix:

"Every once in a while I need to take my eyes off the international scene for a moment and give some of local talent a piece of this forum. I decided to break from convention entirely for this week's spotlight by focusing on a group that is neither punk nor international, because they're a hip hop group from my hometown of Vancouver. Even though musically the Sweatshop Union is far from punk, their lyrics and attitude are in line with any politically or socially aware punk band."
Check out the track "Don't Mind Us" and click below for Tim's full post.

Mr. Zippy (England)

"For some reason, whenever I say this band's name in my head I think of the "Mr. Sparkle" episode of the Simpsons. I tend to say Mr. Zippy in that stereotypical Japanese accent. Moving right along, Mr. Zippy's new album, their sophomore effort, is called "Ambition Is Critical" and it's out on Golf Records in the UK. I really like this track "Not Beaten"; I can't resist fast, catchy skate punk with rapid fire vocals." - Tim Krysko of Punk International   
Mr Zippy - Not Beaten (MP3)

Nitrojuice (Italy)

"NH-N Records (which stands for Now Here, Nowhere) is a relatively young label from Geneva Italy. They've released the full-length album by the Bigoz Quartet and a split with two other bands: Evolution So Far and For I Am Blind. Their newest signing is a band called Nitrojuice from southern Italy that I am spotlighting this week. The debut is called "Dark Room Vernissage" and NH-N will be releasing it in September. Here is the single "Good Morning Syringe" - Tim Krysko of Punk International Nitrojuice - Good Morning Syringe (MP3)
If you're interested in what's coming out Europe these days, check out their cross-label sampler "Know Your Neighbours". It has bands from all over Europe represented by a variety of labels like Funtime Records, Slide Chorus Records, and RP-Punkrock.

The Apers (Netherlands)

"The Apers have been on the road in support of their new CD "The Buzz Electric", their second full-length on the Rotterdam-based label Stardumb Records, for the past few months. They've been all over the US and Europe, and are currently back in their home country getting ready to play a couple of shows there with their labelmates Wiseguy and the Groovie Ghoulies. If you live in the area, you probably need no introduction to this band, and thousands of people across the continents have already begun taking notice of the Apers as one of the best pop punk bands in the world today. They spent several weeks hovering around the top of Interpunk's best sellers charts. Not bad for a band without a US record deal. Check out an interview with Kevin Aper at Punk International."- Tim Krysko of Punk International The Apers - Love Me Touch Me Feel Me (MP3)

Running Potatoes (Argentina)

"This band from Argentina plays fast, melodic punk with a brass section, along the lines of Potshot. The lyrics are in English."- Tim Krysko of Punk International Running Potatoes - Wont Forget You (MP3) Punk International is currently running the first in a series of contests called "Pick Your Prize". The CDs to choose from this time around are Settlefish, 400 Blows, Anberlin, Darkest Hour, Fall Out Boy, and Pseudo Heroes. A new giveaways will start approximately every two weeks with prizes from a variety of different record labels to select.

Nudist Island (Indonesia)

"Nudist Island come from Bandung, a city on the island of Java in Indonesia. They sing some songs in English and some in Indonesian. I chose this one, "Menanti", because I think their Indonesian-language songs sound much better. It is a short and fast, minute-and-a-half melodic punk song. They are also featured on "Pangaea", and you can sample one of their other Indonesian-language songs right here." - Tim Krysko of Punk International Nudist Island - Menanti (MP3)