Electronica Unplugged from the Aerotone netlabel is described as “a collection of nearly acoustic tunes only influenced by electronica”. The key word is “nearly” as all of the tracks use electronic background or mild enhancement in some way. Nonetheless, acoustic instruments are center stage on this album of gentle melodies hovering in the areas of ambient, neo-folk, and new age.

All ten artists featured on the first compilation have something worthwhile to say. The starting track by Winterpark has a icy beauty to its sparse keyboard and soft cherubic chorale backing. Leander’s “Directions” offers a fragile vocal aided by guitar and ryhtmic glitches. Bersarin Quartett’s “St. Peterburg” is aptly titled as it evokes a Classical atmosphere at the beginning until the electronics phases in. The track has a feeling not unlike the chill of a Russian winter. “Dawn and Echoes” is a good introduction to Cantaloup”s masterful blending of electro-acoustic elements and voice. Akira Kosamura’s ” Drop” is the most minimalist of efforts with simple piano lines acompanied by water drop effects. The final track by Virculum is a gentle jazz excursion with a superlative bass solo. Other tracks by The Banjo Consorsium, Arturo en el Barco, Roll Film, Teamforest round out the compilation.

The second collection offers more of the beautiful same. Of the ten artists, only the Bersarin Quartett is a repeat. Again, they are all good but I especially like the contributions by Crepusculum, My First Trumpet, Sepia Hours, and Aoyoma. While these two albums may not be totally unplugged they still make for an enjoyable listen and a nice introduction to some promising artists.

Electronica Unplugged is available as a full album zip or separate tracks in 192kbps MP3. Electronica Unplugged 2 comes in 256kbps MP3.

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Electronica Unplugged
Electronica Unplugged 2

Sometimes the task of finding good quality music forces me to wade into waters of which I am just not that familar with. All:My:Faults plays music that could be called darkwave, a eerie hard driving hybrid between goth, synth pop, and dark metal. While the music may seem as odd to me as the colons in the band’s and group member’s names it still comes down to the old adage, ‘I know what I like and I like this”.

The almost 20 minutes EP The Anger Manifest is a good place to start. Band members Steve:Kaia and Judas:Iscariot have a tight well-honed sound that is full of energy and angst. The two opening tracks, “Mirrors” and “Sand of Time”, are major attention getters. The other three tracks keeps the energy going and provides a good glimpse of the artists’ talents.

Secrets is a full album and provides a bit more variety. From the first track “Douchou” there is sense of musical cinema in this instrumental composition. However it seques into “All Forgotten in The Light” which reminds me of a dark Marilyn Manson chant. Throughout the album, light is not a descriptive term you will use much. Sorrow, forboding and night comes to mind more often. The 12 tracks on Secrets are a masterful journey into the dark reaches of the artists’ minds.

You can download the albums for free via The Internet Archives from the links below.

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Secrets
The Anger Manifest EP

The Russian netlabel Musica Excentrica crosses intercontinental boundaries by presenting three American sound artists from a live session in Moscow. On the album Pure, each artist presents a 12 minute work in their own singular fashion. Joe Colley starts the concert with a work of random static noises and urban sound samples. It’s a quiet piece best experienced with headphones. “Pure Three” by Kevin Drumm uses a guitar played by such unconventional material as pieces of glass and magnets, The sound develops into a intense and unrestful drone making for a dynamic but somewhat disturbing work.

However the cream of the Pure crop belong to synthesizer artist and vocalist Jessica Rylan, “Pure Two”. As in the other tracks, it starts quietly with a single sound but then slowly builds as other tones meld. One of the tones is revealed as Rylan’s own voice electronically altered. Synthesizer and voice phases in and out of each other, her voice slowly start to verbalize barely recognizable words and then breaks into a nerve-racking climax in this mind-altering experience. Pure is a enjoyable avant-garde recording with two good tracks and one great track.

The album is available in 320kbps MP3.

No longer available

Nomada is a band out of Hungary that plays music from the Hungarian Gypsy tradition. They blend their music with folk influences from Spain, Serbia and the Arabic cultures. In 2006, they became the first Hungarian artists to release a track with a Creative Commons license and they encourage other artists to remix it.

The track is “Aven le Roma” and the result is a collection of the master track and 13 exciting remixes. Nomada’s original starts it off. It’s a rollicking gypsy dance with a modern edge. The remixes have enough variety to keep this album of theme and variations interesting. Most stay in a dancable folk/techno beat while others, like DJ Blockhead and Laureth, play it down-tempo with a hint of trip-hop. If you are a avid fan of remixing, this is one collection you will want, Others, like myself, will enjoy listening to creative minds at work but may be happy keeping the first track and a couple favorite remixes.

All tracks are available in either 128kbps MP3 or AIFF format.

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I am still getting lots of good recommendations from you readers. I am getting so many that it is hard to keep up . Site visitation has tripled since the first of the year and continues to increase! What that means to me is more people are getting turned on by online independent music and enjoying a world far away from the antiseptic sounds of commercial radio and corporate music. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to recommend an album or just say hi. And if you leave a comment, please remember that all comments are moderated so they won’t show up immediately.

Thanks goes out to Rachael Smithey of About.com for including Free Albums Galore in her list of Top 10 Free Music Downloads Sites. I must admit it feels a little weird to be mentioned along with Amazon, KCRW, and NPR but way cool!

The award for first newpaper to mention Free Albums Galore goes to The Independent for the article titled “Why is the music industry dishing out free downloads?”.

David Ace Dean has some nice tunes on his Myspace page. There is a neat 80s electropop thing going but with some modern indie rock sensibilities. Check it out.

Celtic music fans will enjoy record label Green Linnet’s web page and their offer of one free MP3 a week from their extensive catalog.

I just received news of the death of jazz legend Andrew Hill. He was one of the last really great pianists in modern jazz as he bridged a gap between post-bop and the jazz avant-garde. You can hear some fine excerpts of his artistry at his web site.

Lastly, test your ability to identity 10 classic metal bands in E.W’s “Name That Hair Metal Band” Photo Quiz. I got only four right but I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or proud!

Today’s feature is four classic piano works by Johannes Brahms from the web site of The Piano Society.

Variations and Fuque on a Theme by Handel may be overshadowed by the theme/variation compositions of Bach and Beethoven such as the previously featured Diabelli Variations but this seminal work is just as compelling. Brahms uses a simple melody by Handel and tranforms it both melodically and harmonically. It’s a major masterpiece of the piano repetoire and receives a strong performance by pianist Martha Goldstein. The file format is in 256kbps MP3.

Ms Goldstein returns with 16 Waltzes, Op. 39. In my opinion, Brahms’ waltzes are equal if not superior to the more popular waltzes penned by Frederic Chopin and certainly better than the sugary trifles by Johann Strauss.. I especially recommend the unashamably romantic waltz no. 14. All track are in 256kbps MP3.

Klavierstucke, Op.76 is a catch-all volume of caprriccios and intermezzos. These are some of Brahms’ finest short pieces for piano. The pianist is Brendan Kinsella and the files are in 160kbps MP3.

Finally, 3 Intermezzi Op. 117 may be considered lesser works but any composition by the composer that embodies the highest achievements of the Romantic Era can hardly be called minor. Pianist Chris Beemer favors us with his renditions. The work is available in 128kbps MP3. Enjoy!

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Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
16 waltzes, Op.39
Klavierstücke Op. 76
3 Intermezzi Op. 117

Kletka Red is a high energy avant-punk quartet led by Leonid Soybelman who was also the singer and guitarist for Ne Zhdali. Guitarist Andy Ex, drummer Tony Buck and bassist Joe Williamson rounds out this very imaginative assault on rock and traditional music. Their first two albums are freely available from the Ne Zdahli web site.

Hijacking pits punk rock and avant garde noise against Klezmer. Soybelman and company take on the Yiddish musical genre with a passion. From the first strains of “Sirba”, the traditional dance music is slammed with lighting speed and heavy volume. At times there is a sense of Sonic Youth-like overload. Soybelman’s guitar often reminds me of Fred Frith’s fragmented style especially on tracks like “Trigger”. When Soybelman takes a vocal the song becomes slightly more traditional as on “D’Mame but there is always enough going on that you know this isn’t your grand parent’s idea of a folk song. Actually, all are Klezmer standards with the exception of three original tracks by Soybelman. HiJacking will surprise and delight you from the first listen.

What the first album did for Klezmer, their second album titled Hybrid does for other European folk traditions. The first track sounds downright old fashioned while “Wire” delivers the hard metal/punk sounds mixed with various levels of madness that make Kletka Red so much fun to listen to. There are more vocals on this album which I consider a plus. I find “Persecution Complex.Skimp” to be an especially creative mixture of sound and musical pyrotechnics.

Both albums are available in MP3 format. Unfortunately the bitrate is only 96kbps but these two recordings are too much fun to pass up. If you enjoy the music you definitely owe it to yourself to hunt down the actual CDs and support the artists by buying them.

No longer available

The ambient music of Thomas Nunnally Ensemble is introspective to the extreme. It is also enjoyable for those who seek peaceful but intelligent listening. The ensemble is actually a duo consisting of Robert Nunnally and Verian Thomas with Nunnally providing the ambient vibes while Thomas represents the techno end with subtle and well placed beats.

Music To Read Books By offers 20 minutes of audio dreams; a virtual rabbit hole that will immerse you into a blissful world of soft music and quietly stimulating pulses. The opening track “Glimmering” is a good introduction with its tantalizing drones and exotic drum beats. Just as you think you know the routine, new sounds enter your consciousness. “Dead Girl” is a bit eerie. Ghostly sounds are replaced by a bass line, funky percussion and a short chant. “To The Ends Of The Earth” is the purest of these ambient works. It is a seven minutes dreamscape of calm hypnotic lines. The closing track “Six Feet Up” returns to the beat with its calming bleeps and blips while slowly bringing you back to reality. And yes. You can read books by this music if you are so inclined.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. Music To Read Books By is released by the new and promising netlabel Negative Sound Institute. You might want to check out their other online albums.

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The Diabelli Variations by Ludwig van Beethoven ranks with Bach’s Goldberg Variations as a hallmark composition using the format of theme and variation. The 33 pieces that encompass the work range from frivolous to the grandiose as if Beethoven is attempting to wring every possibility he could devise from the inconsequential waltz by Anton Diabelli. It is a very challenging composition but pianist Neil O’Doan is up to the task.

The complete work is available as 12 separate tracks in 256kbps MP3 through The Piano Society.

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Logenplatz im Pantheon is an interesting excursion into European hip hop. It is an engrossing style that, due to its foreign languages, is totally ignored in the English speaking markets. The trio called Raflesia consists of DJ Freezen, Amigo, and Cachefa who mix and rap quality hip hop as good as anything you may hear on the commercial radio stations. This is best described as being of the “Old School”, harking back to the sounds of the 80s and 90s. It is irrevelant on whether you understand the words. The attitude is real and the beat is unfaltering. The must-listen track is easily “Nada P. Flojos”, a relentless barrage of verse and turntables.

The album is available in a zip of 192kbps MP3.

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Hyro is an experimental music trio comprised of László Hortobágyi (”Music & Mixology”), Mihály Rácz (”tapestry of the kaleidoscopic-astral triggering sound”), and Ferenc Broder (”geometric hallucionegic loops”). I would like to give you more specifics on the instrumentation but the above quotes from the album gives us the only hint on what creates these vibrant and hypnotic soundscape. Even the descriptions of the songs are mysterious. “Metatech” is described as “the hacker-Yoga enter to the Gate of the gothic-sceleton monster’s throat”. The sound borders between ambient techno and experimental industrial. With five tracks, each being over ten minutes, there is plenty of time for this creative trio to explore the beat and tones they so effortlessly put into play. The previously mentioned “Metatech” is mostly industrial while the other four tracks exhibits the world music influence that Hortobágyi is best known for. “Mahazid” fills a beautiful chorale piece with scintillating disco beats while the opening track, “Hinhub”, is a tapestry of techno and world rhythm as is the closing track “Ghanim”. Sizen Siniedo is a fascinating journey into a mesmerizing landscape of sampling, electronics, and musicianship.

The albums is available in 128kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artists by purchasing their CDs.

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Eddie Cantor was one of the most popular entertainers in the first half of 20th century. Cantor originally played in vaudeville and became one of the lead stars of The Ziegfield Follies from 1917 to 1927. His performances built a bridge between the vaudeville days and the growing development of radio and television variety shows. The Internet Archive’s 78rpm collection offers a entertaining group of single recordings and radio transcriptions by the irrepressible Cantor.

The 78rpm recordings varies from very scratchy (1923’s “He Loves It”) to amazingly good (”Ain’t She Sweet”). There’s a lot of old standards of which Cantor gives his unique renditions. The classic tracks include “If You Knew Susie”, “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” and Cantor’s trademark “Ma, He’s Making Eyes At Me”.

But the real treats are two half hour transcriptions of Cantor’s radio show called “It’s Time To Smile”. One features Jack Benny and it is a riot. Benny, in my humble opinion, was the greatest comedian of radio’s golden era. He is often called the father of modern stand-up comedy. He was a master in getting maximum laughs out of the minimum of words and only Benny could get a big laugh out of a moment of silence. Cantor manages to keep up with the comedian’s perfect timing. The show also features a very young Dinah Shore. The other radio session has Al Jolson as a special guest. Also included is a very funny public service announcement with Cantor, Benny, Shore, and Burns & Allen extolling the virtues of gas rationing during World War II.

You can download these tracks separately or in a full album zip. The format is MP3 but the bitrates varies per track from 32kbps to 160kbps. These are delightful glimpses of entertainment from the golden age of radio.

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As far as I can tell, Tryad (spelled with a triangle instead of an A) is more of a musical co-operative than a group. The artists bring together an array of talents including mixing, sampling, musicianship and vocals to create a vast range of cool and soulful sounds.

The online album titled Public Domain, like all of their endeavors, is freely available via a Creative Commons license. It is a entertaining variety of tracks that might be loosely described as acid jazz or trip-hop but is more than just one genre. After a brief intro, “The Final Rewind” starts the festivities with a lush sound reminiscent of Massive Attack. However other tracks, like “Our Lives Changes” exhibits a more orchestral feel with overtones of Vangelis and Enya. “Peace On Earth” delivers a political message in the style of a mellower Chumbawamba. “My Piano Sings” is my favorite track with its haunting keyboard and a lush vocal by Joanna Smith. “Dance of the Urbanites” gets downright spooky. Each track is deftly arranged and has its own unique surprises.

The album is available in 320kbps MP3. You can download Public Domain from the Internet Archive link below or through the band’s web site. You will also find several EPs on the web site. Tryad has a new CD titled Listen. It can be freely downloaded in VBR MP3 (around 192kbps) or Ogg Vorbis via bittorrent from Jamendo, but you’ll probably want to buy the higher sound quality CD not just to support the band but because it is so damn good!

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Pianist Serg van Gennip may be only 22 years old but he has a surprisingly mature sound. His playing is full of warmth and forethought that you would expect from a much older pianist. The fact that he is a distant relative of Felix Mendelssohn probably doesn’t hurt. To my delight, he is also web savvy enough to offer a very generous amount of MP3 on his web site. You will find excellent renditions of compositions by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and many others. I was able to discover seven works that fits the Free Albums Galore requirement that the piece be over 15 minutes in length in order to be featured.

Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures of an Exhibition is my favorite of the six. It is a suite of ten pieces depicting paintings by Viktor Hartmann from an exhibition in St. Petersburg. Most people are more familar with the work from the orchestral transcription by Ravel. However, I think the original work carries a stronger air of majesty and mystery.

Gennip performs fine interpretations of three piano sonatas by Beethoven. The Passionata Sonata (Op.57 No.23) is one of the most popular of the composer’s piano pieces. It was known to be Bethoven’s favorite of his many sonatas. The Piano Sonata in F Minor Op. 2 no. 1 was his first sonata. This is a composition firmly set in the Classical era with only a hint of the romanticism to come. The Sonata no. 17 in D minor op. 31 no. 2 is more popularly know as the “Tempest”. The nickname comes from the rumor that it was inspired by the Shakespearean play although this is widely disputed. Nonetheless, it is a brooding and sometimes turbulent work.

Franz Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasie D. 760 in C is a technical demanding work but it is so lyrical and natural the average listener may fail to detect its difficulties. It is in four continual movements loosely based on theme and variations. Put this one down as my second favorite performance on Serg’s web site.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is represented by two superb pieces. The Sonata in F KV280 was the composer’s second piano sonata. It is a relatively light and breezy affair even from Mozart. The Piano Concerto no. 17 in G major is performed with the La Primavera Chamber Orchestra. Its first movement is especially full of energy and a joy to hear.

The works are available in 160kbps MP3s. If you enjoy his music, you can support the artist by purchasing his CDs from his web page (no longer available)

No longer available

The Astroglides play a demented mixture of dark metal, hardcore, and surf music to create a blend which they call “Surfcore”. It is a wild ride that will remind listeners of The Cramps, Butthole Surfers, and perhaps what Metallica might sound like if their lead guitarist was Dick Dale. Add a pinch of Israeli pop and traditional music and you end up with The Astroglides’ unique brand of dark rock.

Their web site has a generous collection of sample MP3s from their albums. However if you go to the bottom of the page you will find their first two albums freely available as downloads. Penetrate With… and Fondling With… give you a more than adequate sampling of their unique style. Old traditional standbys like “Hava Nagila” get the surfcore treatment while original tracks have weird titles such as “We also do Barmitzahs”and “Is Bomba Looking For Snorkel?” If you’re looking for a typical track to sample, “Dark Surf” or the tongue in-cheek cover of Neal Hefti’s “Batman” will suffice. This may not be for everyone, but those into dark metal or over-the-top surf music will enjoy it.

Both albums are available by separate tracks in 160kbps MP3. If you enjoy their music, supporting the artists by buying their CDs.

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Italian jazz guitarist Piergiorgio Lucidi has two free online albums available. JazzMoves and Spontaneous offers improvisational jazz that floats between post-bop and fusion. Piergiorgio mentions that his influences includes John Scofield, Pat Metheny, and Weather Report. The Metheny influence is especially clear but I think his tone and style is very much like that of jazz / rock giant John McLaughlin. This tone works best on rock fusion drenched pieces like “Point of Exit” but is equally interesting on more bop oriented fare such as “Around”. The most Metheny inspired track is “JazzMoves” and “Cat Mind” is a nice ballad effort. This is totally Lucidi’s show with the other musicians around for back-up only. The only thing that really annoys me is that the tracks on both albums simply breaks off as if they are fragments of a performance. Also both albums are too brief at about 15 minutes each. A longer album with complete tracks and sideman solos would better frame Lucidi’s own imaginative solos. Overall though, the telented guitarist has created two interesting albums of jazz and jazz fusion.

JazzMoves is available in 320kbps Mp3 while Spontaneous offers option of 128, 192, and 320kbps MP3s. You can also download album zips in MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format through bittorrent or EMule P2P.

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JazzMoves
Spontaneous

Sethh comes out of Estonia and is both a treat and an assault on your ears. Ago Teppand is in charge of vocals and instruments with just a little help from his friends. His online album Elite Promo offers about 30 minutes of odd lyrics, frenzy instrumental solos, and unpredictable vocals that ends up somewheres between impassioned and screaming.

It’s quite hard to describe this music. “Azuzu” is a boppish melody with overlapping voicesl and hellish industrial backing. “AQ” starts off hardcore metal but the complex arrangement with clip of female vocals and acoustic guitar tells you there is more going on. For mellower but still unpredictable moves, “Tripelife” or “QI” may be your best bet. On all tracks, you get Teppand’s insane vocals. He has a fascinating voice that threatens to go over the top and often does. I also like how he frequently manages to use electric and acoustic guitars on the same tracks in a way that fits naturally. This music is a bit mad and I’m tempted to compare it to the wildness of Furious Pig. But while Furious Pig was a bunch of young kids who didn’t quite know what they were doing, Sethh has a method to his madness even at the most chaotic of times. In an age that popular rock music is so predictable and antiseptic, this is a refreshing bit of insanity.

The album is available as an album zip in 320kbps MP3. It should be noted that the the separate tracks on the left of zip link do not constitute the actual promo album. However the extra material is worth checking out, especially his bizarre cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back”.

No longer available