Philadelphia’s The Mural and the Mint has two free and legal recordings on their web site. As The Eye of the Seahorse and Private Pockets are excellent examples of indie pop as its best. Both album soffer delicately arranged music sliding between pop, folk, and art. Non-commercial yet irresistibly melodic , these two albums should please the most particular of listeners.
When Monk Turner and Fascinoma (Alanna Lin) collaborated on this album the idea was to build awareness about the consequences of earthquakes, specifically the expecting major quake that will eventually hit Los Angeles and Southern California. As fate would have it, days after this online album’s release, Japan had a major quake and, as I write this, the consequences are piling up with a devastating loss of life through the quake, tsunamis and nuclear plant meltdowns.
So it is a little hard to review this splendid but bittersweet album without realizing that which is warned against is actually happening across the globe. Monk Turner is an expert at concept albums and this is no exception. The album is divided into “before”, “during”, and “after”, depicting emotions attached to each experience. There is a hip jazz feel throughout tempered by Fascinoma’s sweet down-tempo voice. The songs are almost a little too pretty for the topic but it is hard not to like tracks like “Everything Already” and “After Disaster”. This is a well paced effort with good songs and better execution.
Emergency Songs is available through the link below as a free and legal online album. Normally I would tell you to support the artist by buying his music but, as well as I can see, all of Monk’s albums are free. So I don’t think Monk would mind if I say this time: If you like his music, and even if you don’t, please send a donation to the many charitable organizations such as The American Red Cross, Save The Children, Unicef and Doctors Without Borders that are helping the victims of the Japan earthquake and its aftermath.
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.
This self titled EP by Japanese vocalist Phrenia is the first J-Pop album I have found in the Creative Commons License world. This is also an exciting find as it has excellent production values, great arrangements, and a dynamite vocalist. Phrenia appears to what counts in this curious music genre; Cute looks, a strong voice, and an emotional strength in delivery that exists just to make you happy. The songs tend to be a little harder rock oriented than I usually hear in the J-pop category and I find that to be an advantage. The tracks that really stand out is the frantically upbeat “Signal” and the opening “Dilemna. This may be a little too commercial for my regulars but give in to your inner Pikachu and give it a listen.
The Kyoto Connection claims they are on of the most successful Creative Commons bands on the internet. I’m not sure how someone verifies that but I have previously reviewed their first two albums on Free Albums Galore and would say that the honor, if true, is deserved. Their third release is their most commercial effort yet. The Asian connection is very minimal in this recording. This is very commercial, very glossy pop dance music. Yet it is very good and it is hard to discount its irresistible appeal. There is a good mix of electro-pop, disco, and techno in these tracks. Some of the highlights include “Take on Me” (not the old Ha-Ha song), “Blinded by The Lights of Tokyo” with just a little of that Japanese touch (and no Springsteen), and the instrumental closer, “Vista Panoramica”. This is one of those albums that should have a broad appeal.
Tits Patapons is a perky duo from Grenoble, France that has a free-spirited sound. The two online albums that you can find at Jamendo are catchy and lively capturing a folksy and very French sense of joy. You can smell the baked bread and the wine in these tunes. Both vocalists are quite likable and the guitar and accordion accompaniment is key to the enjoyability of the music. Premier Jet is the first of the EPs. The addition of other instrumentalists help in this debut effort. But I prefer their second album (une guitare, un accordéon et …) Deux Trois Trucs Aussi mainly because the accordion takes center stage. But either album will work as an afternoon pepper-upper for your spirits.
Download
(une guitare, un accordéon et …) Deux Trois Trucs Aussi
Premier Jet
I guess I can be forgiven a first reaction comparison of Bryn Martin aka Pinkle to Entertainment for The Braindead. After all, the first track from his album titled House Plants, “What I Hope” has the same lighter-than-air feel and they are both from the equally light-as-air Aaahh Records. The rest of the tracks quickly removed me from that assumption as the sounds became more catchy and upbeat. “For Me” and “Fractals” are delightful songs with intelligent lyrics and sung with a sophisticated wit. “Alibi” has a reggae beat and a Beck influenced sound. This album is getting quite a few listens from me and should go on anyone’s list of best online albums for 2010.
Liam Stewart’s album titled Sixteen Words is a well produced effort that is full of electro-pop, Brit-pop, and just plain quality pop. There are lingering traces of Roger Waters and Tears For Fear in this album, but Mr. Stewart has his own lush rock-pop thing going for him. Check out “Bird of Prey” and the title track to see what I mean. It’s another winner from the blocSonic netlabel.
Sixteen Words also marks a milestone as the 2000th album to be featured on Free Albums Galore! What a way to start the New Year! Here’s to 2000 more great free and legal online albums in the coming years.
Badgerland Records’ 2nd annual Christmas album, which is Creative Commons licensed, is like having a Christmas hootenanny on your back porch. I mean that in a good news / bad news sort of way. Some of the tracks are a bit amateurish while others are folksy gems. Fortunately, there are enough gems to recommend this mix of soft pop and folk. There are some nice covers including Travis Taylor’s version of The Raveonettes “Christmas Song” and an equally impressive cover by Jordan Gladstone of Roger Miller’s “Little Toy trains”. Travis Taylor is also responsible for the original (I think) “Kamikaze Economy Christmas”. I also like the beautiful rendition of the “Wexford Carol” by Karianne Pasma. But the real surprise is “Winter Wonderland” by Leah Morrow. I spent the first third of the track wondering if she even knew the song, the second half wondering if she is as cute as she sounds, and the last half wondering how she ever pulled it off so charmingly. It has to be heard to be believed. Add this collection to your Christmas holiday right now! And you can get the 2009 compilation here.
The Postmen hail from Geneva, Switzerland. They have an mellow ballad-pop sound that is highly influenced by the folk-pop movement of the 60s and 70s. The unusual combination of guitar and cello contribute a beautiful flowing sound that perfectly accentuate the intimate vocals. The 21 minute promo EP is available for free and legal download and will whet your appetite for their upcoming debut full-length album.
Garmisch is one of the best band out of Sweden I’ve ever heard. How good are they? Well, let’s just say they can certainly kick Abba’s ass. It is amazing the this band is putting out an legally free independent album like this (from our friends at BlocSonic) and I would say you should grab it before some rich music producer gets wise and sign them to a contract. If you think I’m over doing it just listen to the first two tracks on their self-titled albums, “Facing The Sea” and “Try 01″ and I think you will be convinced. However the money tunes are the infectious “Laughing Track” or the dreamy exotic “Glimmer”. I also love the trippy-hoppy “Courtesy of Stephen Wright”. The influences are varied but what comes through is a unique and intelligent pop music.
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 Perkunowa netlabel.
Alan Driscoll releases all his music free and legal under the name of The Womb. He has been diligently producing music since 1998 and has amassed nine full albums and three compilations. His music fits loosely into categories of electro-pop, trip-hop and electronic pop yet he shows an eclectic style through the years that should be accessible to any one who like their high-quality brit-pop on the serious and intellectual side.
An excellent starting point is Waving At Planes which covers his incarnations of The Womb from 1998 to 2010. All of the tracks are interesting but I really like his collaborations with Chloe Reeves and Junalyn Corre. But that doesn’t take away from Driscoll’s own vocal contributions, such as on “So Much Further To Fall”, and his own instrumental abilities which are crucial to the success of his work.. Highlights include “Five Years” with Chloe Reeves and the Eurthymic influenced “Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey” with Junalyn Corre. I seem to be playing this album an awful lot and I doubt it will be leaving my Ipod for awhile.
The two other compilations collects non-album tracks and are titled Trash City Ghosts (2008) and South Atlantic Blues (2006). Both features the collaborations between Alan Driscoll and Chloe Reeves.
Once you wear out Waving at Planes, feel free to explore the ten full length albums by The Womb from 1999 to 2010. I won’t spend any more time detailing them except to state that the quality remains good on all nine albums. each track has something going for it, and their download pages are listed below. Enjoy!
Download
Waving at Planes: An Introduction to The Womb 1998-2010
Trash City Ghosts
South Atlantic Blues
The Fourth Wall
Suburban Violence
Echo Chamber
Halfway Between Moscow and Paris
Invisible Women
Karaoke Hometown
Britpop
Dark Night Out
The Oblivion Suite
Athems For Doomed Youth
Leerless Feeder is the incarnation of Maine musician Doug Porter. While Porter appears to be very busy with other bands in the area, this project is his main outlet for his more experimental works. But do not let that adjective scare you. He has an intimate melodic style that overlaps in genres but stays mostly in a downtempo mood. The two albums Leerless Feeder and The Modias Project Part 1 are released on the Entertainment Experiment net label and represents his work from 1998 to 2000.
Download
Leerless Feeder
The Modias Project Part I
British singer/songwriters Steve Knightley, Martyn Joseph, and Tom Robinson teamed together for this acoustic project called Faith, Folk & Anarchy. The idea as described on the web site is as followed…
“Each member of the group chose a favourite song by each of the other two to sing - tracks that they considered best illustrated the strengths of the others’ writing. They also each chose one song that had inspired them in the past - plus one song representing their own current repertoire”.
This is one of the best acoustic free online folk/pop album I have heard. A must-listen for anyone into folk, pop, or acoustic music.
NIKOO is a Netherlands noise pop band helmed by Joep van Son who also bought us The Very Sexuals. This self-titled EP delivers six hard edged rock songs with heavy distortion and a bubble-gum twist. Think of a cross between The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Weezers. “Cow” is a good example of the fun and power on this EP.
The Pop Winds hail from Montreal, Canada. They have two albums from Arbutus Records that are currently available for free and legal downloading from the Free Music Archive. They remind me a lot of 80’s electro-pop but they manage to make their music sound just enough 21st century. The sound is decidedly more pop than rock complete with catchy vocals. The two albums, The Turquoise and The Understory EP are both a breath of fresh air in the indie music industry.
Download
The Turquiose
Understory EP
Logan Whitehurst will probably be best known to fans of the Dr. Demento radio show where his humorous songs were regularly featured to fans of quirky music. The musician and composer would have went on to higher recognition if he did not pass away of a brain tumor at the too young age of 29. Lee Rosevere, owner of Happy Puppy Records with the best wishes of Logan’s family, has released a ten track anthology of Whitehurst’s music appropriately titled An Introduction to Logan Whitehurst and The Jr. Science Club. The songs and extended skits are delightfully nerdy with satiric digs at various pop culture fads and icons. Highlights include “Square Peg Round Hole”, “Buckaroo Bonzai is Not Just a Movie” and “Life is Peaches and Cream”.
While this album is a good introduction to the music of Logan Whitehurst you can also sample albums and other materials that were originally on mp3.com. If you enjoy the music, you can purchase his albums at his online store
MSC is Marco Sebastian Christ and Bravo is his first release from the Tonatom netlabel. The album often sounds like a experimental collage of tracks and experiments. Fortunately for the artist, his talents are sufficient to keep us interested. I especially like the Kraut rock influenced “Mondeo” and “Fences ” which is a collaboration, or more accurately a remix, with the always welcomed Entertainment For The Braindead. Some of the more experimental instrumentals include “Riot” and “Morning Crisis”. All together there are 3 remixes and 5 original tracks. MSC is an interesting artist and this is a very interesting album.
Julia Kotowski aka Entertainment For The Braindead has already captured my pick for best online album of 2008. She is likely to do it again in 2010 with Roadkill from Aaaahh Records. This highly creative singer/songwriter gets better with every album. Her efforts remind me of a lightly introverted mixture of Cat Power and Enya. On Roadkill she applies an imaginative use of the banjo in these tracks. One might say she takes the instrument to its limits or, at least, into areas you have not been before. The instrumental “Sirens pt. 1 & 2″ are certainly arresting. Yet her plaintive vocals still carries the best songs including the title tune, “Pirates”, and “Relapse”. If you have not already familiarized yourself with this artist, download it and enjoy.
I believe Hungry Lucy must be at or near their goal of placing all of their music under Creative Commons License. It also appears that they saved the best for last. The new Pulse of The Earth is possibly the best and most beautiful of their efforts. The music is mostly cerebral, trip-hop oriented, and only slightly dark. I especially like the slow and pulsing “The Standing Ones”. Christa Belle’s sensuous vocals are still the highlight yet all play together in a way that attest to their 12 years as a group. Those who have already downloaded their other albums will want this and those who have not will find this an excellent introduction to their music. Of course i you like the music, support the artists by buying their CDs.
I am not that familar with Canadian singer/songwriter Jane Siberry but it appears she has a significant cult following. I have received loads of e-mail from my readers jubilantly telling me that Ms. Siberry has placed her entire discography for free on her web site. It appears that is exactly what she has done on a pay it forward basis. The sixteen albums range from 1981 to 2009 and exhibits an evolution from new wave pop to a more eclectic style incorporating jazz, folk, liturgical music and lots of other genres. She has an unique style but I hear quite an influence from the more stylistic icons like Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush.
I’m not going to go into detail on every album but I do find myself listening to the first three, Jane Siberry, No Borders Here, and The Speckless Sky often. I also like the jazz focus of Maria. The three album set of The New York Trilogy includes a live recording, Christmas music, and cinematic efforts. Teenager is a beautifully intimate recording of her very early songs. When I Was A Boy is partly produced by Brian Eno and sounds like it. Sushan The Palace is curiously influenced by liturgical songs; pretty but odd. But my absolute favorite of her later albums is Hush, an incredible collection of tradition American and Celtic songs in a modern style all her own.
Here are her albums chronologically listed.
Jane Siberry (1981)
No Borders Here (1984)
The Speckless Sky (1985)
The Walking (1989)
Bound By The Beauty (1989)
When I Was a Boy (1993)
Maria (1995)
Teenager (1996)
Day In The Life (1997)
New York Trilogy part 1 Child (1997)
New York Trilogy part 2 Lips (1999)
New York Trilogy part 3 Tree (1999)
Hush (2000)
Shushan The Palace (2003)
Dragon Dreams (2008)
With What Shall I Keep Warm (2009)
All albums are in MP3 or AIFF format.
Introspective dreamy pop seems to be the ticket with Indie group Uniform Motion. Their album Pictures off of the Aaahh net label is not so much a collection of tracks but a ever-flowing musical experience. Soft vocals and guitar blend together in a warm spa of sounds. “Earthly Diamond” and “Selling Pictures” are nice examples of their music. Those who are into more introverted music will like this.
You can find the legally free Pictures at either The Free Music Archive or by the link below through the Aaahh web site.
It’s not just the first name but I find quite a few similarities between Marianne Faithfull and French but Tucson, Arizona based singer/performance artist Marianne Dissard. First, there is that husky but sensuous voice. There is also the same lean toward a sultry mixture of rock and cabaret music. Yet Ms. Dissard also shows a more French…dare I say…Edith Piaf influence. Dissard’s mix of rock, French chanteuse, and performance art is quite appealing. some songs like “Les Confettis” are more rock oriented yet the quieter but emotional “Cayenne” and the dramatic “Le Lendermain” really speaks to the range and emotion of this music. Call this post-modern French cabaret rock maybe, but make sure you listen to ti.
The album titled Paris One Takes is available form the artist’s web site in 160kpsk MP3.
