TuneCore.com offers 34 iTunes Store downloads from TuneCore artists for free via this link. The songs are pre-selected and include tracks from Public Enemy, Dandy Warhols, Izzy Stradlin, and 31 other lesser-known bands. To get this deal: Click here to generate a code; and Click “Redeem” in the iTunes store to enter the code.
I only recognize two other bands besides the biggies mentioned above; namely, Tacks, The Boy Disaster (featured here on my Guide) and Maureen McCormick (Marcia from TV’s The Brady Bunch). I think her new album of songs might be Christian/Inspirational and/or Country flavored.
Back with a few mini-posts – ‘little bites of different things instead of lots of one!’
The inimitable Tom Middleton is out with a new disc, his debut solo album “LIFETRACKS”, from our friends at Six Degrees Records. The DJ, producer, remixer extradordinare and recording artist in his own right offers up a taste of what we can expect with this release by saying: “”Eno, Vangelis and Tomita are big inspirations. In the same breath, I’d name check the likes of electronica producers The Boards Of Canada, early Aphex [Twin], Black Dog, Zero 7, Air, Massive Attack and The Orb. Classical, electronica, jazz and pop, all clues to my musical personality and those apparent subconscious influences.” Check out the very pretty and swirly Shinkansen instrumental for yourself. It’s a FREE MP3, naturally.
(Former?) Dirty Vegas frontman Steve Smith has a new solo album out, and the good people at Frantic are making the bangin’ electro/retro track “Hit Me Up” available as a FREE download. Grab it here.
Guide reader Manuel from Belgium kindly directed me to not one –but two!– FREE MP3 compilations from German site trndtunes. The site’s not in English but the tunes can be easily accessed by clicking on the “1.0″ or “2.0″ album images in the lower right-hand corner. I’ve downloaded them both but have yet to give them a good listen. As soon as I do, I’ll update this post. Thanks, Manuel!
Incidentally, have you heard the new Seal track “Amazing” yet? It’s all that and a bag of chips! The Thin White Duke mix in particular is really spectacular. Damn that Stuart Price can do no wrong and it’s a nice return to form from a ‘killer’ artist who got a little too ballad-y for my taste in recent years. NOT FREE but soooo worth it! (I will say this though, “Amazing” has a very similar sound to Madonna’s “Get Together”.)
Almost forgot about this one… Mrs. Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson has recorded a single for her directorial debut, a short film entitled “The Trap”. The song, “Lessons Learned” isn’t bad, all things considered. Sounds an awful lot like an Indigo Girls tune to me. It’s all part of of Glamour magazine’s Reel Moments project that funds films for women, by women and directly benefits Film Aid International. But it’s FREE and that’s what I’m here for! And for every download, Glamour magazine will donate $1to Big Brother, Big Sister organization. You can download it here.
Really late to the game on this one! One of my favorites, the unusual and unique Róisín Murphy (pronounced Row-sheen), is back with a new album “OVERPOWERED” and is offering up a b-side to whet our collective whistles.
I find Róisín’s vocal stylings can’t easily be categorized; she’s one part chanteuse, one part avant garde hipster with a flair for the theatrical. (Think Liza if she never left the Studio 54 era.) My impression is that she’s more of a songstress-slash-storyteller than just a plain singer. I love that Róisín’s medium of choice for telling those stories is in this genre of music which we —for better or for worse— call electronica. I also like that she takes a lot of risks sonically, especially with her remixes/remixers. Along those lines, “Modern Timing” is a minimal, groovy track that could easily be a sequel to Madonna’s “Music” – just listen for the refrain of Nonstop boogie / Don’t stop / Nonstop living / Can’t stop. It’s not straight-up dancefloor electro a la Goldfrapp nor is it too Björk-like weird; it’s simply appealing, interesting and very, very listenable. After taking a preview listen of two other “OVERPOWERED” cuts, the title track “Overpowered” and “Let Me Know” (a collaboration with Groove Armada), I’m tremendously excited for this release. “Let Me Know” is simply fantastic with a terrific hooky chorus.
Back with another edition of Bits ‘n Bobs – ‘little bites of different things instead of lots of one!’
SAMANTHA JAMES » “Breathe You In”
I am loving this! It has to be one of my more favored tracks to come through my inbox in a long, long while. Heretofore unknown to me, DJ Samantha James, is following in her labelmate DJ Colette’s footsteps by being in front of the mic. This silky smooth house number is pitch perfect in every way. It’s simple, classy and utterly listenable. Get the FREE MP3 here.
AMAZON.COM launchesAMAZONMP3beta
Online superstore just launched it’s (supposed) iTunes killer, AMAZONMP3beta, featuring cheaper songs at a higher bit rate that are also DRM-free. I haven’t tried it out yet ’cause none of the big name artists featured actually float my boat but I’m curious to know what you think. Specifically, how well it works with a Mac. I’m also curious to know if you think their launch was “quiet” or covered everywhere; right now, I feel like it was a 5 out of 10 in terms of coverage. I definitely heard about it from several different sources but I didn’t feel beaten over the head… which was nice for a change.
10.3.07 UPDATE:
Be sure to sign up for the weekly AmazonMP3 newsletter! They’re already offering FREE tracks.
And lastly, as mentioned in this post, one of the best tracks of the summer finally arrives at the iTMS. Grab ROGUE TRADERS’ “World Go ‘Round” here.
PMBMusic is kindly giving away a FREE MP3 of Glambeats Corp.’s “Shooting Star” via download.com. Glambeats Corp. is a new addition to the PMBMusic roster and shows a lot of promise. At first listen, one might be stuck by similarities to Kate Havnevik, Psapp, Sia, Feist or even Guide favorite Tracey Thorn, but Glambeats appears to be charting just a slightly off-kilter course while still respecting those that came before them. I’m quite partial to the handclaps that appear throughout the song, too.
Traxsource.com and Delcious Vinyl Records have teamed up to offer 10 FREE MP3 remixes of Brand New Heavies tracks “Let’s Do It Again“, “All Fired Up“, “We’ve Got“, “Right On” and “Get Used To It“. The mixes range in style from dub and reggae, to R&B and a few instrumentals. I’m quite partial to the Jan vs. Players Please remix of “Let’s Do It Again” (in the player below) yet the Philippians remix is distinctly different but just as groovy.
Grab ‘em here but get ‘em fast… they’re up for a limited time only. You don’t even have to register for a Traxsource account!
Germanic fashion giant Hugo Boss is offering 4 FREE electronica MP3 tracks off their brand new compilation series “HUGO TRACKS” which is available as part of their web publication, eMag. The exclusive tracks have a distinctive clubby sound; my favorite of the four being TREKSTAR’s “Starter Seven“. Painless registration is all that’s required to get the goods. I’ll bet you’ll come out a tad more stylish on the flipside and none the worse for wear. Thanks to eagle-eyed Guide reader Robert for alerting me.
Isn’t it funny how one can put a question out to the cosmos and it will answer back? Just yesterday I lamented that there was nothing new or listenable to post… and along came this in my inbox courtesy of OM Records. Colette creates something that’s at once sparkly yet deep and smooth. I’m less interested in the need for Black Spade on this record though, but otherwise it’s a very playable summer number. Grab the guilt-free download here.
The super nice nice folks at Nordic imprint Labrador Recrods are making their massive (and massively cool) Summer Sampler FREEly available. It’s 68 tracks in all, comprised of the best-of-the-best their roster has to offer, including Guide faves The Legends, Club 8 and Acid House Kings. Follow this link and then download the torrent. You’ll need a bittorrent client (like Xtorrent for the Mac) to actually get the goods.
There’s nothing better than beating the heat with cool tunes!
It’s with a little bit of sadness that I report Mercedes-Benz is wrapping up its always fantastic Mixed Tape compilation series with this last installment, Vol. 18. The latest is literally a “latest and greatest” featuring its most popular tracks from the previous seventeen editions. Each volume of the Mixed Tapes has been consistently featured over the life of my Guide and I’ve discovered many terrific tracks and new artists; Alice Russell’s “All Over Now” immediately comes to mind. I’ll be sorry to see it go but we’re assured in the first track by the curator Sven that Mercedes will be producing more projects like Mixed Tape – just not any more Mixed Tapes. We can only hope that whatever is next carries on it the fine tradition of its predecessor.
By the way, at one point I had found a blog that archived all the Mixed Tape volumes for download. After some googling, I was unable to find it. If anyone knows of such a thing, please drop me a line. I’d like to post it here.
UPDATE:
Guide reader Torben came to my rescue with this link for a MB Mixed Tape archive.
The now-solo voice of EBTG is offering her latest single for FREE through her website. All you have to do is fill in the simple form to join her mailing list (it takes just thirty seconds – and you can always opt out afterwards). Those familiar with Tracey’s oeuvre will instantly recognize her signature brand of mellow folktronica and her ability to transform a concise, pointed message into catchy memorable hooks. For me, there is no more defining voice of the electronic era than Tracey. She brings warmth, intelligence, grace, pathos and yearning to the songs she sings… sometimes all in the same stanza. Her and her husband, Ben Watt, seemingly have so much musical talent between them that it almost seems unfair to others. But luckily for us, both of them are still making music, albeit separately. Visit Tracey Thorn’s site here to get your FREE download.
Thanks to the fancy footwork of one sharp Guide reader, Amanda, I got a leg-up on Justice’s most excellent number “D.A.N.C.E.“ a full two weeks before Apple made it their FREE iTunes Single of The Week. I highly suggest you download it now before it’s gone by the 19th. It took me a few listens to really get the full brilliance; I thought it was an awfully bad joke song at first… now I’m hooked. Fans of Frano-disco, and DAFT PUNK in particular, will like what they hear. I hope more good recommendations will be forthcoming from Amanda, too!
6.20.07 UPDATE:
Arjan just posted remixes of “D.A.N.C.E.” at his site. I’ve really been digging the smirk-inducing Tittsworth remix for several weeks now and it is even more boss than the original, if you can believe that. I’m assuming if Arjan is posting it, it is with the consent of the artist or the label. Hopefully, I’m not violating my own tenet by directing you there, but they are just too good to pass up!
Run, don’t walk to get 25 FREE tracks at the iTMS courtesy of BPM Magazine. Just click this link, copy the code, click on another link to open iTunes and there you go!
There’s a preponderance of hardcore, IDM and spoken-word electronica (what?!?) in this group but best of the bunch is Smith & Mighty’s “Small World“ featuring Alice Perera. There are a few other stand-outs: Toktok vs. Soffy O’s “Too Late / Redeemer“, the 2 tracks by Arthur Oskan and the 3 tracks by Lismore, especially “Valentines Day“.
The voice of Concrete Blonde, Johnette Napolitano, has a new album out and it features more of her signature spin. “Tomorrow Wendy“ was one of my favorite late 80s/early 90s cuts – I even went so far as to see Concrete Blonde in concert at the Hollywood Bowl – but I’ve never bought any of their albums, strangely enough. I’m going to give “SCARRED” a good listen. But in the meantime, download the acoustic guitar ballad “When I’m Gone” for FREE.
I was going to do a full, in-depth post on these guys who, after being dumped by their record label, are graciously giving away their entire third album, but I’m afraid I’m not so much a fan. Some visitiors here may like it for the novelty of a full length album for FREE. Others whose tastes lean more towards mine may not. And it’s not so much that it’s not good or well-produced, it’s more that SECRETS OF THE WITCHING HOUR is just bland indie rock. There are plenty of fair-to-middlin’ acts out there that are successful, so why not them?
The adventurous can download the album here. And if you disagree, tell me so.
It’s been a while, but I’m back with another edition of bite-sized posts-a-plenty! Let’s dive in, shall we?
• New (to me) store BeatsDigital.com has an abundance of FREE tracks for you to download, 14 MP3s in all. More than half I actually find listenable – and more than half is always good odds when it comes to digital music in my opinion. I’m really digging “Supergirl” by TINYLOU with it’s plucky intro and mainstream 2-step sound (take a listen below). Other tracks worth taking a listen are “Cupcake” by Chicken Skin, “Getcha Talkin” by Rex Kwondo, “High Radiate” by The Evil Crew, the downtempo “Missing Time” by SySteMic, the evocative “M.A.S.H.” by TNT, “Open Minded” by Cristian Paduraru and “Strict Rulin” by Da Funk. There’s also a sweepstakes for a trip to Ibiza which you can tell your “friends” about by giving out their email address to give you additional chances to win. I simply used 3 of my junk mail addresses to give myself a total of 4 chances.
• Domino’s Pizza is getting into the FREE music downloads game, for reasons that are beyond me, with dTracks. (If they try to proclaim that fast pizza is a “branded lifestyle”, I’ll know the end is neigh.) But hey, free music is free music so I’m not complaining. It’s probably no surprise that of the three genres they offer, I’m partial to the Campus Mix. Hoops Mix (hip hop/rap) and Race Day Riffs (country) are the other two genres). I found “Hello California” by Salme Dahlstrom and “Sleep Is On The Way” by Arthur Yoria to be the best of the bunch. I wasn’t really expecting edgy electronica from Dominos given that it’s more of niche but it woulda been nice to have some true variety. Registration is required but that serves a dual purpose… now you can order pizzas from your computer as well.
• The Fox station in Los Angeles is offering FREE music downloads, videos and behind-the-scenes vids from Fox shows at the Fox Digital Lounge in conjunction with wantmymusic.com. I wish I could tell you that they had great, recognizable artists to offer but unfortunately the registration process is wacked. There’s a promotion going on for free AppleTV and iPod Shuffles but no where is there a “promo code” which is required to be entered in the contest at the time of registration. After I registered, I was greeting with the “Success!” page to download the app but there is no hyperlink where the download button is for Mac software. Not only a bummer but severely irritating as well. If it’s not Mac-compatible or even Mac-ready, they should really take it down or not have put it up yet. And there’s no way contact either corporate entity for support question or problems. If anyone out there has success with the Fox Digital Lounge, please drop me a line or post a comment!
• Simply Audiobooks is offering FREE MP3s of another kind. There are several full audiobooks to choose from, including classics from Mark Twain, Jack London and T.S. Elliot. Be literate and download some books! In this lazy, convenience-driven world, the very least you can do is have someone read TO you and still consider it reading.
• Here’s a sneak peek at an upcoming full-length post:
