For Tomorrow is an excellent example of high quality indie pop coming from an independent netlabel. Originally released by AfMusic, the Swedish indie band Emerald Park re-released it again but this time with the netlabel 23 Seconds as a free and legal online album. Popular music doesn’t get much better than this with catchy melodies, likable vocals and impeccable harmonies. Listen to the first track, “The Commonfield”. This may be weird but I see the sound as being a cross between Abba and Arcade Fire. ..and I mean that in a good way. Regardless, I think you will agree that this is excellent pop-rock that equals anything on the commercial labels.

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It seems like the internet has revived an old stalwart of the 50s and 60s: the promo EP. These brief vinyl goodies were given out like candy at records stores and teen fairs. They usually included 3 to 6 tracks by a struggling artist with some major studio P.R. boosting or perhaps a independent printing by a entrepreneurial musician. Now in the age of the internet, it is easier to throw together a few songs on an online set to boost your newest album.

This 6 track self-titled EP by the Indiana psych-punk trio Apache Dropout is an excellent example of this. The six tracks are culled from their recently released 11 track debut album and they reveal the sound of an exciting band full of angst and reverb. Every track has a creative tension that screamed rock and roll. The highlight is “Sam Phillip Rising” but “Teenager” has an attractive abrasiveness that will send listener into fuzz-box heaven. There are strains of The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith all through the music of this talented trio. You can get the EP through the link below but if you enjoy the music, you will definitely want to buy the full-length album.

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Kristin Hersh, former vocalist of Throwing Muses and 50fo0twave is no stranger to Creative Commons licensed music. You can find lots of free tracks at her web site and over at her page on Free Music Archive. In 2010, she released a new album titled Crooked which is not free but certainly worth purchasing. However Kristin has also made available six earlier demo tracks of songs from her new CD. They are a bit sparser but very worthwhile on their own. The demo EP is appropriately titled Crooked Beginningsand would make a good introduction to those not familiar with the musician’s work. Of course, if you like the music you will hopefully purchase Crooked. And you can download the title track for free here.

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Alexei Borisov is a shining tar of 21st century industrial/electronic music. Olga Nosova is the drummer and vocalist for the Moscow noise-core band Motherfathers. Astma is their collaborative effort into improvisatory noise rock and industrial electronica. I am familiar with Borisov’s earlier efforts, but on There Will Be a McDonalds, he has plunged head first into Noise Rock. The two artists have created a hard but enthusiastic effort in the world of distortion and noise for art ’s sake. The album is a total immersion into heavy guitar, pounding drums and strange vocasl (by both participants) that actually entertains even if it is a bit challenging. I like this album and hope Astma release more music.

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Dead Bees is a French record label that specializes in indie rock, mostly in the alternative and shoegaze environment. Asides from their usual CDs, they release sampler albums that give a good idea of the talent on this label. So far there are ten samplers, but volumes 8, 9, and 10 have been placed at the Free Music Archives under a creative common license so listeners can download for free. It’s a good way to get your audio product out there especially when there is just a high quality of artists as is evident from Volume 10.

Dead Bees Label Sampler #10 has 19 tracks of alternative music coming from bands that deserve a bigger audience. The variety of music sticks to a introverted shoegaze with an occasional step into indie pop ( Treasure Map’s “Can I Make It Up To You”). Perhaps the best track is “Floor” by Ostrich Tuning, a Sonic Youth influenced tune with a intoxicating flood of reverb and vocals. But there is no lack of good music in this nearly an hour and a half collection. Other worthwhile artists include The Dead Mantras, The Chemical Set, and Pete’s International Airport.

If you like the tenth volume, you should go back and check out volumes 8 & 9. I will let you find the gems yourself. Suffice to say, they have the same quality of music discovered on Volume 10. And of course, if you like the music go to the Dead Bees website and consider purchasing a few CDs.

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Dead Bees label sampler #8
Dead Bees label sampler #9
Dead Bees label sampler #10

There is a lot of good rock music recently coming from the AFmusic netlabel and the 26 minute EP from Italian band Silver Rocket is no exception. You won’t find anything really adventurous or new here but that’s the point. Silver Rocket is a garage band with a steady enjoyable sound and a firm grip on the metal/alt.rock scene. The first song says it all, “Crank It Up”. The rockers in the room will enjoy this band.

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Golden Pavilion is a record label that digs up forgotten gems of rock music of the 70s and 80s and gives them a second life. The artists are predominantly in the range of progressive, psychedelic, and art rock. The records can be purchased as limited edition vinyl recordings at their web site. Golden Pavilion is also generous enough to allow these recordings to be downloaded for free as Creative Common licensed MP3s at the Free Music Archive. There are a number of great albums here that are sure to be featured on my humble blog in the future.

For the time being, here is Sr. Cisne, a showcase of Latin rock from 1982. Mario Garcia certainly has his Santana licks down cold. Yet his contribution to rock music is to combine the Latin traditions of his native country Uruguay, which clearly has its share of African roots too. This is irresistible music with singing guitar lines and heavy percussion. I especially recommend the instrumental “Por do sol Em montevideo” with its great percussion solo and the title track which is a awesome jam from start to finish. Download this, listen, and groove!

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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.

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I’ve heard my share of throat singing from traditional world music to pop covers. But I do not think I’ve heard anything like Arjopa. First, she may be the first female throat-singer I’ve heard. Second, her music is neither strictly traditional or pop. Her website calls it “Shamanic Folk Pop” yet it has elements of the traditional, psychedelic, and even punk. The four tracks on This is Arjopa are vocals with sensitive acoustic backing. Her vocals tend to alternate between straight singing and the more esoteric throat-singing, leaving the listener a bit teetering in both worlds. I believe that is the result this artist is looking for. Her songs and vocals reminds me heavily of P. J. Harvey and to a lesser extent, Marianne Faithful. I really like this album and recommend it to anyone who like a taste of the unusual mixed with the known.

This is Arjopa can be found at the Free Music Archive and is from the suRRism-Phonoethics netlabel.

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The two freely available albums by artist/poet/musician Peter Davis under the name of Short Hand are probably acquired tastes but I’m starting to acquire a taste for these quirky songs. The artist’s ambivalent vocals and esoteric lyrics are nicely set to competent instrumental backing. Horses in The Chest is more folk-oriented while Attila will appeal to those who like their music more rocking. There are two other albums that are marked “coming soon” yet these two will hold you nicely for now.

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I’m sure every city has a few bands that should have made it big but didn’t. In 1070’s Richmond, Virginia, one of those bands was Single Bullet Theory. They were an new wave / art rock band with a catchy style and a lively vocalist. Their tale is a sad but all too common one for those serious musicians caught in the traps of commercial music. Instead of re-telling it, you can read about it here. But the good news is that Artifacts/yclept records have released a retrospective of their music from 1977 to 1980 that should make clear why so many have fond memories of this band.

There are some good tunes on this collection but you can also sense the confusion abounding in the search for a sound. They do not sound like an art band as much as a high quality punk pop group. “Boys’ Night Out” has a cool Ramones sound while “Lies” is a smoothly raucous commercial rock song. The band is best when in a tight melodic punk groove like on “Peggy Got Her Eyes Full” and worse when they appear to be seeking the pop charts like on “Keep It Tight”, which did manage to make it to #78. Yet most bands would give their wisdom teeth to have this much talent and energy. So download this oldie but goodie and remember the party times.

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Club Foot was an artist run venue of the 1980’s in San Francisco. The club was founded by Richard Kelly and others as an arts venue coupled with the burgeoning underground music club movement of the time. As evidenced by this 1981 released compilation, the musicians that frequented the stage of Club Foot were a eccentric bunch that dabbled in jazz. punk, lounge and a Zappa/Residents influenced wit. The ensembles represented on this album are the Club Foot Orchestra, The Longshoremen, Bay of Pigs, Naked City, and Afterboys. It is a clever collection of tracks that should appeal to those who enjoy the most esoteric side of jazz/rock fusion. The handsome young man on the cover in one of the club founders Richard Edson, better known as Sonic Youth’s first drummer and Eddie from Jim Jarmusch’s film, Stranger Than Paradise.

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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!

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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

Here is the second posthumous album by Jay Bennett released by the exciting Rock Proper net label. You can read my review of the first albums here. Jay Bennett is best known for his work with Wilco but as these two album attest to, he was a fascinating solo artist. Kicking at The Perfumed Air is a primarily acoustic affair with only a couple nods to a more rock oriented style. Highlights include the lighter-than-air folkish ballad titled “Diamond Smiles” and the heavily introverted “Footprints”. If you enjoy these albums, you can support this effort by giving to the Jay Bennett Foundation.

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I recently discovered that the intrepid little grunge-rock band Harvey Danger has broken up, Their last concert was back in 2009. Free Albums Galore regulars are already familiar with their third album Little By Little which is freely available through a Creative Commons license and almost everyone has bopped along with their hit single “Flagpole Sitta” at one time or another. The band also released on their web site a farewell collection of B-sides, rarities, and live recordings titled Dead Sea Scrollwhich has previously only been available for sale at their concerts. There is a lot of great music with my favorite being the barely controlled high-voltage “Mainland”. While you are at the download page (linked below) you can also download the previously mentioned Little By Little and the band’s last single “The Show Must Not Go On”. If you like the music, support the artists by leaving a donation.

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It has been awhile since Tsui’s first album Half Man Army. It also appears the Brookyln based band fronted by singer/songwriter Mark Kraus is no longer. Fortunately there is this sophomore effort which can be download freely and legally from Tsui’s web site. The band is still staying in a alternative /alt.country style that is easy on the ears yet involving enough to really get into on those sad lonely nights. Highlights include “Black and Bone”, “Hey Bartender”, and “Something’s Missing”. If you like the music, buy the artists’ CDs.

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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.

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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.

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Tom Robinson originally came to the spotlight in the late 70s with The Tom Robinson Band. In the 80s he went solo and now offers some of his albums as free downloads on his web site. Robinson has a voice that reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel in sound and style. The four studio albums are all worthwhile for those who enjoy the British rock of the 80s and the 90s.

War Baby: Hope and Glory (1984) has his biggest hit as a solo artist, “War Baby”. The Peter Gabriel influence is quite strong, almost to a fault. In fact, Gabriel co-wrote one song. To some extent it sounds busy and over produced, another nod to Gabriel perhaps. Yet it is a rousing album with the highlights being the title song, “Murder at the End of Day” and a odd but endearing cover of Steely Dan’s “Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number.”

Still Loving You (1987) is a much more personal sounding album. This one is my favorite of the offerings. I especially like “Feels so Good/Hurts So Bad” and “Drive All Night”.

Love Over Glory and Having It Both Ways pretty much stays in the same vibe which is not a bad thing. Robinson excels in the English pop idiom and adds a nice jazzy urban touch to many of his songs. “Roaring” on Love Over Glory is a nice example of that funky British thing he has going for him.

There are also three worthwhile live albums. Home From Home: CD 1 is a live duo concert with Adam Phillips. It was recorded in 1999. Home From Home: CD 2 is also from 1999 but recorded live in Japan with a full band (Adam Phillips, Andy Treacey, and Jo Burt). Finally, Living In A Boom Timeis a 1992 solo performance from Ireland.

There are a few other offerings on his download page linked below but the above mentioned seven albums are my “best bet” picks. Enjoy and if you like the music, buy his CDs.

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I never quite understood what Genesis P-Orridge was up to. Whether it was Throbbing Gristle or Psychic TV, I always thought Genesis was a bit of a musical flim-flam artist. Yet I must admit that history has vindicated Genesis, if not in the sense of musicality at least in the sense that his art was way ahead of its time. To use a well worn cliche, Genesis chose to dance to a different drummer even if that dance often seemed to be on a different planet. Whether you call it music, performance art or just noise, Genesis P-orridge will not go away.

Here is Genesis in a live radio performance at WFMU of Psychic TV from 2006. It is weird and rude but I seem to be catching a bit more structure (a strange way to describe Psychic TV) than before. Three tracks at 24 minutes assaults your ears and mind. Strange vibes were emanating in the studio that day. You can download the full performance at the Free Music Archive.

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Bill Altice, former musician in the Karen Cooper Complex, alerted me to another band he was playing in around the same time called Bomis Brendin. Originally recording in the 1980s, they are still together as is attested to on their current web site. However their first two albums Test and Phantom Limb can be found lurking free and legally under Creative Commons licensing at the Free Music Archive. Bomis Prendin appears to have been a collective of musicians experimenting under the auspice of the Artifacts/yclept record label in Washington D.C. The ensemble played a form of free rock improvisation that is similar to the music of Fred Frith, Pere Ubu and to a lesser degree, The Residents. Primarily instrumental, there is a real love of sound for sound’s sake in these tracks. There is always something going on to simulate the senses. Just another amazing look at the kind of great musical explorations going on in the outer territories of the 80s.

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Phantom Limb
Test

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.

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A little Bauhaus, a little Cure…This Chilean band with the odd name of This Co. has the 80s darkwave electro-pop scene down cold. Their untitled album titled Untitled has great vocals and a goth drenched sound that mixes nicely with dance beats. Almost makes me want to raid my wife’s dresser and lay on the mascara…but not quite. Nonetheless, this is a professional sounding band with some great hooks. Definitely worth the listen. This one is from Clinical Archives and is far from their usual avant-garde stuff but no one ever faulted the netlabel for not being eclectic.

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Faust, the giants of Kraut Rock and a seminal if under-appreciated influence to avant-rock returns with a live recording from the WFMU Fest of October 2009. Here is an hour and a half of in your face guitar, electronic mayhem, and wild grooves with an experimental jazz-rock leaning. Not bad for a band that is nearly 40 years old.

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Joey Kneiser takes a brief break from the excellent Southern rock band Glossary and comes up with his own Jack Daniels drenched version of Southern rock and alt.country nirvana. The All-Night Bedroom Revival is a blast from the first track “Adelina” to the last. It is sort of a Townes Van Zandt meets Tom Petty after hours at the Palomino Club kind of thing. Mainly acoustic, there are a lot of nice songs on this album including “Bruised Ribs” and “Funeral Flowers”. Anyone who enjoys folk-rock, Americana or just good songwriting will love this album.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3.

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