The music group Dynamoe appears to be quietly but steadily doing the free and legal thing for awhile now. They have three full albums with the earliest going back to 2001, and two compilations of unreleased materials. I figured it is time to give these guys their due. They have a solid professional sound that ranges from electronica to trip-hop to soul jazz and are deserving of a bigger audience.

The interesting thing to me is how each album has a distinct sound. Jump Start is from 2001 and is clearly a electronic music album clearly in the Techno / House tradition. It is purely instrumental, heavily percussive, and sounds like it should be played onthe dance floor. Not my cup of tea but good for what it is.

Coming Home is from 2004 and more to my taste. The opening track”Absent” is out of the acid jazz/jazz fusion arena and features a soulful vocal and great Richard “Groove” Holmes styled organ. Most of the album stays in the groove with jazzy solos and urban beats. “Geneve” is an especially tasty instrumental with a good sax solo and some nice arranging. “Mistress of Spice” has a nice female vocal paired with a slow-tempo blend of soul and trip-hop. The entire album sets off a calming but groove-filled atmosphere. This is the one I would recommend most.

In the Wake of Time is the latest and was released in 2007. The band has now shifted to a more commercial sound of smooth jazz and trip-hop. Vocals are now in the forefront giving a decidely mainstream feel. Yet there is still a tight interaction with the band members. and good arrangements throughout. “You Convinced Me” has a Tricky influence while “Rita Come Here Quick” is a track ready for prime time. This is a good album for easy listening; not as good as Coming Home but more my type than Jump Start

Rounding up the pack are two compilation albums of unreleased materials from 1998-2000 and 2001-2003. Mainly electronic dance music, the first collection does have some really funky tracks. I especially like “Chinese Food” and “Yellow Cab”. The second collection has a lot of soul and jazz oriented materials such as the trumpet sampled “If it Twinkles Snatch it”. Like most collections of unreleased material there is an unevenness but still plenty of good tracks.

All albums are available from Dynamoe’s web site in either 128kbps or 192kbps MP3 format. If you enjoy the music, be sure to support the band by sending them a donation.

Download

Teren Delvon Jones aka Del The Funky Homosapien wasn’t happy just writing lyrics for his cousin Ice Cube. He went off on his own career in alternative hip-hop and if he isn’t necessary a household name, he still managed to put out seven good hip-hop albums with his own singular style. His new album Funk Man, subtitled “The Stimulus Package” is available as a free and legal download from the Bandcamp web site.

There’s not much I can say about this album. It is a immaculate effort with dense but tight production values unfortunately marred with violent, hateful and ego-centric lyrics. Hardcore hip-hops fans will dig this but I don’t think it says very much to anyone else. Still, Del is a talented rapper with a gift for lyrics that is hard to ignore so I offer this on Free Albums Galore for others to check out and make up their own minds.

Funk Man is available in 32okbps MP3. If you like the music, support the artist by buying his CDs.

Download

The unofficial sub-title of this blog is “Free and legal albums I like”. However sometimes I find an album that I do not like but think it is just too unique or weird to ignore. These two out-of-print albums, now available through Ubu, are a case in point. These two recordings feature the great poet Allen Ginsberg “singing” the poems of William Blake. They were collected originally as two albums, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. The idea of Ginsberg reading Blake would be an easily imagined delight but these attempts at creating actual songs from his poetry is just plain weird. It is also an unique project of the psychedelic sixties. In fact, I don’t think this project would have even been considered in any other time. Ginsberg is joined in the vocals by Peter Orlovsky who adds nothing but a little enthusiasm. The accompanying musicians include two of my favorite jazz artists, Bob Dorough and Don Cherry, yet you would be very hard pressed to be able to identify their contribution. If you must ask for one recommended track, I would pick “Little Boy Lost” because of its brevity and because Ginsberg is almost in tune. Actually, “Laughing Song” is kind of fun. The best thing I can say about these notorious albums is that they are an unique historical artifact and should be experienced at least once.

Both collections are available in 192kbps MP3. After you get your fill, I suggest you go down the page and listen to Ginsberg’s 50s poetry reading that include Howl. Now that’s a keeper!

Download

It’s nice to see You Are Not Stealing Records again. They disappeared for a short while but have resurfaced with old and new online albums. YANST is a long-time stalwart of the net label scene with a eclectic mix of surf rock, blues-rock, and unclassifiable electronic music . The new two volume Music of The Gods by Doctor Phibes & The Ten Plagues of Egypt is a combination of the familiar and the odd. The two volumes offer classical music played on organ (or maybe synthesizers?) with lots of distortion. It reminds me of the type of organ background played in theaters for silent movies but with a top of metal throw in for the hell of it. The first volume start non-classically with Bernard Herrmann’s suite for the film Psycho but then you get some perverse interpretations of music from Saint-Saens, Stravinsky, and Mendelssohn. The second volume gives you treats from J.S. Bach, Vivaldi and Beethoven. It is a bit eerie. I can see these tracks adorning a low budget horror music. Spooky but fun.

The two volumes are available in 256kbps MP3.

Download
Music of The Gods Vol. 1
Music of The Gods Vol. 2

Jay Bennett is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who is best known as a member of Wilco from 1994 to 2001. He separated from the band in 2001 and subsequently released five solo albums. Bennett passed away on May 24, 2009.

His last album was Whatever Happened I Apologize which was released as a free online album thorough the Rock Proper label in November of 2008. It is a sparse but intimate collection of songs featuring only voice and guitar. It sounds like a very personal effort and has a definitive power in its lyrics. This is a fitting ending for an artist who left us too early.

The album is available in 320kbps Mp3.

Download

Alban Berg was an Austrian composer associated with the Second Viennese School that also included composers Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. While fiercely modern, Berg’s music is a mix between 19th century Romanticism and Schoenberg school of twelve-tone composition, making Berg the most accessible of these challenging composers.

While I am a huge fan of his opera Wozzeck, I would admit his marvelous Violin Concerto is the place to start for the novice. It was composed in 1935 and was Berg’s last completed work. While Berg is consider by most to be a atonal composer the concerto, despite its modernity and dissonance, is perceived by my ears as a very tonal piece. His two movement is a feast of melodic but sometimes turbulent interaction between violin and orchestra. This particular performance was the first recording of the concerto. The violinist is Louis Krasner for whom the composition was commissioned. The performance is from December of 1940 and is played by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Artur Rodzinski. This is another fine transfer by F. Reeder from the original 78rpm album and is in the public domain. The MP3 bitrate is only 64kbps but it is still excellent sound quality for these old acetate discs.

Download

The two track self-titled album from German band Kodiak is a involved excursion into minimalist drones and post-rock. The first track “Beginning” starts out with a lone cellist repeating a five note theme and is soon joined by blaring guitars that play a slight variation. The 18 minute result is an ambient track that is not all that ambient but is more of a minimal form of noise rock and post-rock. “End” goes on for 21 minutes with a similar drone-like soundscape peppered with singular guitar blasts. It is a beautiful but slightly abrasive work. The two tracks that make up this album are not what I would call entertaining but they have an unmistakable sense of artistry and should be experienced at least once.

The album is available on Denovali Records in 160kbps MP3.

Download

And the winner of the Elliott Smith sound-alike contest is…

Actually there are some significant differences between Elliott Smith and Matthew Solberg. While Smith embodies a introvert Emo quality, Solberg is a bit more wistful and romantic. His free online album I Am A Fool delivers well crafted songs by a talented lyricist and vocalist. Asides from having a great voice his guitar work really stands out especially on the instrumental “Desirae and Dolores”. Overall, this is a lovely album of acoustic folk-pop songs.

The album is available for the artist’s web site in 320kbps MP3.

Download

The demise of Autoplate is a huge loss to the netlabel world. For seven years Autoplate has specialized in experimental electronic music introducing listeners to innovative artists like K. M. Krebs, Gultskra Artikler and Emil Klotsch. However, you can still find the Autoplate releases by going to this archive page on its parent label Thinner’ web site.

Phlow Magazine has put together this 18 track compilation of the best of Autoplate. Sebastian Redenz has carefully chosen these tracks to give an excellent representation of the variety of sounds this net label has placed into the public ears. Much of it, like the tracks by Taavi Tulev, Arrial or Affective Disorder, is surprisingly melodic despite their unusual sounds. Other offerings, such as the ones by Kenneth Kirschner or Gultskra Artikler, have strong post-classical leanings borrowing from the traditions of Stockhausen and Cage. Hans Appelqvist’s odd vocalized ballad mixes a blend of orientalism and electronic experimentation, making this my favorite single discovery on the collection. Tlon and Emil Klotsch turns field recordings into exciting ambient experiences. The choice of music on this anthology is quite excellent and is the perfect introduction to this already missed netlabel. Listen to it, find your favorites and then explore the Autoplate albums. There won’t be any more!

The collection is available from The Phlow Magazine web site In 192kbps MP3.

Download

Kismet is another good Dutch indie band from the Beep! Beep! Back Up The Truck net label. Kismet has a bit of an edge only slightly mellowed by crisp “Matinee Idol” harmonies. Standouts tracks from their debut full length album titled Hiatus include s”We Are All Busy”, “Holiday” and “TV on”. This is top notched rock and roll of a caliber that amazes even me for a free and legal on-line album.

Hiatus is available from either the Beep! Beep! Back Up The Truck web site or through Jamendo from the link below.

Download

Trio Argentino de Bajos (The Argentine Bass Trio) is an unusual Latin jazz group for the fact it consists of three electric bass guitars. I expected a rather narrow sound but instead I was surprised by the range and the fluidity of the playing on their online album titled El orden de los bajos no altera el producto. “Baile del sol Mediterraneo” sounds as if it is two guitars and a bass rather than three basses. “Domino” is a nice jazz track while “Utopia” uses a string bass and relies on a more post-classical approach. My favorite track is the boogie jazz “Como Rata por Tirante”. By the time you listened to all 12 tracks you will have heard pretty much any type of bass and any possible way to play it. This is a talented trio that deserves more recognition.

The album is available in 320kbps from the Clinical Archives netlabel.

Download

Los Angeles based Charts and Maps has a jaunty mix of jazz and progressive rock that raises it above most of the instrument rock competition. The addition of a saxophone with the usual arsenal of guitars, bass and drum makes it a welcome change from the ever-growing population of progressive and post-rock instrumental bands that inundate the web. Their new EP Enemies of C. Frias makes it clear that this group is not going to go down the same road as all the others. “Pearl Divers of The Arabian Pennisula” lays down a nice funky into on guitar end with a cross of math rock and jazz fusion. The other three tracks are most in the line of post-rock but “In the Town of Machine” wraps of the EP with a ten minute rock epic that is the highlight of the album. An exceptional instrumental rock album.

Enemies of C. Frias is available from Lost Childrens in VBR MP3 (around 196kbps).

Download

Look A-Yonder Comin’… is the fourth online CD from the Florida Folklife Collection of the State Library and Archives of Florida. You can either read my reviews of the first three CDs which you can find here, here, and here or you can take my word that this is one of the best series of American folk music that you will get free anywheres. This fourth installment focuses on Bluegrass and old-time string band music. As with the other albums, the tracks range from amateur to professional but are exemplary examples of the bluegrass tradition. All tracks were recorded during the Florida Folklife Festival and range in years from 1960 to 2003.Musicians that fall in the legendary status include Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, and Norman Blake. Most of the other artists are obscure but you wouldn’t know that from the caliber of talent. I especially like the fiddle showcase “Granny Will Your Dog Bite” by Goose Culbreath and the Pine Valley Boys of Georgia’s rendition of the old war horse “Hot Corn, Cold Corn” but there is not a bad track to be heard. Whether you are a bluegrass connoisseur or just want to see what the good old country string band tradition is all about, this is a worthy anthology for your listening pleasure.

The album is available in 160kbps.

Download

The Breathe compilations have become an anthology series that I look forward to with anticipation. However, the Breathe netlabel is also getting into single artist collections with this luscious album by Mexican multi-instrumentalist Ray Garrido. Tropicotrip is an exotic journey that is part hip-hop, part lounge, and very spacey. The first track “El Mar” is an instant fix for your nerve, a 12 minute musical vacation which is followed by the equally relaxing “Luna Llena”. The trip get a little heavy with “Satre Trip” but the combination of beats and melodies never bore. From there on, Garrido continues this mix of techno beat and exotic moods through the eight delectable tracks. This is a good relaxing album that can be used for mood music but bears well under attentive listening.

Tropicotrip is available in 320kbps MP3.

Download

The Italian power-pop quartet Nomoredolls may have a commercial sound but it is a quality effort with catchy hooks and a no-hold-bared vocalist. Cecilia pretty much is the attraction on this self-titled album. She has a straight-forward rock voice with just the right blend of sensuality and brute force. That doesn’t mean Max, Marco, and Pier aren’t holding their own. Their basic rock instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums is full of power. Max’s heavy rock guitar is effectively effective. The music is hard and heavy but with plenty of melody and tight arrangements. The opening track “Electric Sheep” is especially good. “Chilly Morning” brings it down a notch. It is a good power pop ballad with nice lyrics. The songwriting is consistently good on all tracks. This album by an above average rock group is exceptional listening all the way through.

Their album is available in VBR MP3 from Jamendo.

Download

I can’t think of another solo cello album, so that makes Vladislav Makorov’s Multiplying - Multicello fairly unique. The main instrument is an electric cello yet it is enhanced by overdubs and preparation of the instrument using objects like bamboo and combs, reminiscent of John Cage’s prepared piano. Makarov also tends to play the instrument like a guitar which causes the end result to be like a lower octave Derek Bailey. This is an album of surprises. Makorov makes an array of sounds that often seems to outrace his imagination. Some will be bewildered by the cascades of sound but I find it utterly fascinating.

The album is available from The Clincal Archives records in 320kbps Mp3.

Download

Felix Mendelssohn’s suite from Midsummer Night’s Dream was one of the first classical works that I fell in love with. Mendelssohn is one of my favorite classical composers of the 19th century. The work abounds with lively melodies and crisp instrumentation that easily allows the listener to envision the play. One can hear the dancing fairies and a donkey-headed Bottom as the Overture sails by. The last work on this five piece, 27 minute suite is the “Wedding March” which has to be the most played processional in history perhaps even beating out Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance”.

This classic piece of program music is brought to you by The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Artur Rodzinski in a 1941 performance off of old 78rpm disks. F. Reeder does a superlative job in transferring these files to MP3 format.

Download

I wish I could like Jay Slim more than I do. He has precise rapping skills and a way with words. Yet I really do not get much more out of his lyrics than the usual hip-hop obsessions with sex, swear words, and their ego. It’s too bad because he is an exceptional talent. Yet there is enough good times and urban beauty in his debut album The High Life to highly recommend it. A big plus is that he is surrounded with the lush and soulful production of Just Plain Ant. “Ramblings of a Mad Man” blends a post-bop jazz sound with some roller-coaster rapping. The title track and “Thought You knew” are two heavily grooving highlights. Fellow Richmond rapper Brad Oblivion joins Jay Slim on “Oh So Yes” and adds another dimension to the music. Unfortunately Sleaze’s contribution on “Who Needs Forever” isn’t to my liking but again it is a tight track with plenty of movement. In spite of my personal reservations regarding theme and substance, I must admit that musically this is one of the best online hip-hop albums you will find.

The High Life is available from Just Plain Ant’s new label Just Plain Sounds in VBR MP3 (around 192kbps).

Download

Ultrabunny is a full frontal assault of noise. Wavering between comic book and avant garde, this noise-rock band is a no compromise ensemble that is confrontational in both its sound and political stance. They have released four live recordings which you can find at the Free Music Archive. Even I find four albums of this unrelenting sound attack to be overwhelming but one or two will be sufficient to curdle milk or agitate the neighbors. Live @ Cakeshop. NYC, 7/29/06 is a typical example. The first track exhibits a wide range of sound and noise. While they deserve the noise moniker you will also think of post-punk and avant-rock. “Squirrel Attack”, which they laughingly call their hit single, barely has a melody and a vocal. Vocals are not their strong point but they make it up in pure audacity. Give one of these marvels of madness a try.

All four albums are available in 320kbps MP3. If you enjoy their music support the band by buying their CDs.

Download
Live @ Cakeshop, NYC 7/29/06
Live @ Ratward Noisefest, Phoebus VA 8/7/04
Live @ The True Vine, Baltimore VA 8/8/04
Live @ Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY 3/18/05

The X-Structure is a four man electronic project based in South Africa. Various definitions of their music come to mind: Down-Tempo, Trip-hop, Chilled-Out, Breakbeat, all having a certain accuracy. Yet this ensemble does what the best of its kind does well and that is creating an atmospheric gestalt that allows you to bypass the artificial boundaries and just dig the sounds. The X-Structure has four albums, all under creative commons license, that should please the connoisseur of trippy music.

West-Coast Trip is a good example of that down-tempo grind meaning it is relaxing with a taste of the groove. “Strive To Honor” has a nice beat and a melody of the trip-hop variety while “Subversive” send out industrial vibes that suggests its title. This is a good album for background listening and just plain chilling.

Days of Nights is another good chill-out album. Obviously it’s going to hard to get through this review with breaking a record for the use of the word “chill” but that is the term that describes this laid-back ensemble the best. Actually this album is a bit light in tone with the first two tracks having a Mike Oldfield feel to it. Other tracks like “Gumshoe” are fairly lush and cinematic.

Earth Epic gets to a odd start using samples from Neil Armstrong and Martin Luther King to create a form of social message with a repeated line, “There’s nothing that cannot be done”. I’m not sure it is a successful blend of message and music but again we have a collection of good down-tempo in the rest of the recording. This album appears to be sort of a travelogue of sound and visions with a global focus.

Their latest release in 3 in 1 and is just that: three tracks on an EP. It is a bit short at less than 20 minutes but it may also be your best intro to this electronic ensemble. “Create Equally” is a another socially minded track while “Give Freely” and “Dream On” tend to be a bit mystical in feeling. I like this album a little better than the others but whatever one you choose will give what is promised: relaxing grooves, a heady sound and down-tempo delights.

And for those who must have a complete collection, there is also The Remix Experiments Part 01. There are remixes that feature the voice of Shannon Hurley. Shannon has a really nice voice and for that alone these tracks are worth downloading. Yet I can help thinking that these song versions were a sort of afterthought.

All albums are available in 192kbps MP3.

Download
3 in 1
Earth Epic
Days of Night
The Remix Experiment Part 01
Westcoast Trip

Lepork Records is a new net label specializing in South American punk artists. The small offering of online albums is interesting but I was especially drawn to The Leftouts and their free album titled Last One Standing. It is a raucous effort incorporating power pop with punk. I especially like the opening track, “19 Days” and the tense title tune. This album, as well as the albums by other bands on this net label deserve a listen for their inexhaustible energy but also to show how global the punk genre has become.

Last One Standing is available in VBR MP3.

Download

The Bailout by Hip-hop duo Braintrust is the first release from Just Plain Ant’s new net label Just Plain Sounds. Braintrust consists of the rude and party heavy rapping and lyrics of Dr. Benway and A-Bomb and they manage to be brash and fresh throughout this fun album. There are some distinct social comments in tracks like “Bank Robbin’ You” yet party music is the duo’s strong point. “Mission From God” and “Late For The Party” are two tracks that would get any gathering started but I must point out the rockin’ “Shake Em Down” if only for the sampling of R. L. Burnside’s marvelous blues classic “Shake Em On Down”. Party on!

The Bailout is available in 192kbps MP3.

Download

The Borromeo String Quartet is an excellent classical ensemble and another group that is prominently featured in The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum collection of podcasts. WFMU’s Free Music Archive has the live recording, all four hours of it in online album form. There are seven excellent recordings of string quartets by Brahms, Schubert, and Mozart, a virtual festival of classical chamber music. All the offerings from this museum are worthwhile but if you are partial to the string quartet, this is the one for you.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. You can also download these works from the museum’s web site. And if you like music, support the artists by buying their CDs.

Download

The rock and ska celebration continues with this German band called Boxing Fox. The album titled The Shepherd Hates Us is a rousing chorus of sharp brass riffs, skanking guitars and frantic vocals. Despite some nice metal and punk touches, This is fairly old school ska in the style of Madness and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. “The Last I Know” is a case in point, The guitar and vocals may hint of Rancid but that opening brass riffs and beat would have made The Skatalites proud. The seven tracks are all party music of the rude and celebratory kind. Highly recommended.

The album is creative commons licensed and available from the band’s web site in 192kbps MP3.

Download

Bad Dreams of the Gloomy Girl by TD Black Sun is a good and fairly typical example of dark ambient mixed with a dose of industrial. What rises this album above the fray of similar ambient sounds are two tracks, “Belissimi capelli” and “Autumn” featuring the operatic voices of Zubacheva Elena and Marushkina Tanya. Both tracks emit an almost Schoenbergian atmosphere as electronic music and soprano blends together. The rest of the album is also quite good but I keep replaying “Autumn” especially. I would love to hear more from this beautiful pairing.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3 from the Pulsations For You sublabel of Dars Records. And you can get more music through TD Black Sun’s Territory of Absence CD from Dars Records. So if you like what you hear, buy the CD.

Download