Mr. & Mrs. Smith - two albums
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is model and songwriter Hollis Smith singing very sparse lyrics over simple folk-styled guitar chords. Yet there is something hypnotic about this music. A Collector’s Guidebook is an album of original music that is haunting to the extreme. Droning with cryptic lyrics, Mr. and Mrs. Smith will keep you mesmerized.
Hand Picked Ditties is another free online album that has Mr. and Mrs Smith singing cover of songs by other musicians, all performed in the artist’s dry style. The variety is intriguing; Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Suzanne Vega, Cole Porter and others all get the unique Hollis Smith makeover. Not as good as A Collector’s Handbook but still interesting.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith has lots of other albums and singles available, all on a pay what you want basis. So if you like what you heard then support the artist by buying the music.
The Maine duo of 
My Turntable is Slow was originally released on cassette by Belgian label Sloow Tapes but is now available under Creative Commons licensing at the Free Music Archive. Hiiragi Fukuda has a slow-motion sound that is part pop, psychedelica and acid folk. The meandering sense of this album is mesmerizing, eliciting a slightly disquieting mood. The guitars weave around a droning voice. While the words are in Japanese, I not really sure it is all important to understand them as it is the overall mood of Fukuda’s music that wins the listener. One of the best releases from 2010. 
I’ve heard my share of 
Straight forward renditions of traditional Christmas music played on an hammered dulcimer and accompanied by flute. Very pleasant seasonal music for any occasion.
The music of the Belgian indie band It Leaves, It Leaves is a bit sparse and distantly forlorn yet the acoustic guitars and shaky vocals have a hypnotic feel that stays with you. Songs such as “Shape Without Form” and “Hurry it Hurt” are sadly beautiful and achingly disquieting. This is indie songwriting of a most creative and unusual quality. The self-titled album comes to us from the 
It has been awhile since Tsui’s first album 
Power and Beauty is a quartet that has a whimsical mix of folk and fantasy. Yet there is a minimalist feel amongst the cute harmonies, the glockenspiel, and the accordions. It is sort of a cross between 
Julia Kotowski aka 
The self-titled EP by 
Paper Navy’s style of indie pop mixed with a slight alt. country accent is impossible to resist. Much of it has to do with the Shawn Anfinson’s boyish vocals but the entire band sounds like it is having fun. The album All Grown Up is a delightful blend of folk rock and innocent sounding pop tunes. For instance, The title tune and “Tongue Tied” reminds me of the 70s anthems by Supertramp and 10CC. But when they visit their Nashville roots on “I Can’t Read The Stars” and “Make Time”, which is my favorite track , they show a country rock style that screams of early Poco. Whatever you hear in this music, it quickly become evident that this music hold up on its own and is all Paper Navy.
Strangers With Shoes is another excellent coffeehouse folk album from the superlative singer/songwriter Robin Grey. I have waxed poetically about his past two releases 
Performance art appears to be alive and well. While this is an audio representative, it doesn’t take much imagination to see the music on Le Voyage as something that was meant to be seen and heard. Pigeons and The Insane Porridgemakers (I wonder if the original Russian sounds just as weird) is a cooperative of 10 artists bringing everything they know into this odd but irresistible project. Bits of Folk, electronica, avant-garde, spoken word, jazz, psycho-drama and rock don’t always meld together but weaves in and out like a compulsive eater in a international smorgasbord. There is a strong amount of psychedelica in these performances and I suspect the whole thing brings out a sort of a Rorschach Test reaction in the listener. It is certainly something different and something different goes a long way in getting a thumbs up at Free Albums Galore
Tamerlan inhabits a musically dark area that straddles goth, folk, and ambient. Predominantly acoustic, it hints of darkwave and rock yet sounds very mystical, almost medieval. Their album is titled The Antiexistence and it is eerie and relaxing, sort of new age on the dark side. Highlight tracks include the only vocal “Beneath the Moonlight” , the tribal “Manipura”, and “Arcane Dreams”.
Attempts to mingle man made music and the music of nature is nothing new. Field recordings like 
The term “orchestra” may be a odd term for this trio called 
The Art Punk Band is 
There is a sort of Alice in Wonderland beauty to the music of Ödland. Their new online album on Aerotone titled The Caterpiller is an all acoustic journey into the rabbit hole. The five tracks on this album have an innocence and wonder that is highlighted by the lead vocalist’s child-like narration and singing. The group’s enchantment with 19th century music is obvious but there is still a post-modern but very melodic sense to it. The opening title track and the following “Les Yeux de L’Loiseau” waver between new age and classical chamber music but the result is an unique dreamscape of its own. “Le Chanson du Parasite” and “Sur Lews Murs de ma Chambre” are beautiful if slightly surrealistic torch songs. “Mathilda Rossignal” is atypically jaunty and a fitting way to end this different but exceptional collection of Chansons.
Seven studio recorded tracks and one live recording makes up the appropriately titled Seven (+1) by Entertainment For The Braindead. The original idea was to give away only seven CDs, one on each of the seven nights of her recent tour. But this album is too good to give to only seven people. So I’m happy that Aaahh Records placed this free online record for everyone to cherish. It is typical EFTB, which means it is soft, intimate and beautiful. Yet some of the tracks sound more developed than her earlier work, especially “It Flew Away” and “Skin”. There is a stronger folk element on some of the tracks. There is also a exquisite instrumental outing on “Then It Started Speaking To Me”. EFTB’s 
As far as Indie rock groups go, Secret Ocean has one of the lightest and prettiest sounds I’ve heard. This Japanese group specialize in sweet acoustic pop. Singing in both Japanese and English, the vocalist has a refreshing tone that reminds me of a Asian version of 
And the winner of the 
Look A-Yonder Comin’… is the fourth online CD from the Florida Folklife Collection of the 
