Music Free for All

I got an e-mail from old pals Insect Guide letting me know about their new free music release coming up on 12/20. When I went to the Eardrums Pop website to look around, I found a few other cool freebies, and immediately snagged them for my iPod.

First I came across Baffin Island, a band led by Melanie Whittle of The Hermit Crabs, and including members of The Very Most. Their sound reminds me of groups I listened to a lot back in the mid-90's when I lived in Boston (Roslindale), with my co-contributor Jay: bands like Velocity Girl, Letters to Cleo and Jale. Their 3-song offering is spunky and upbeat, and should be perfect for upcoming dreary winter days.

Then I opted for the 4-song EP by Sometimes Always. The music reminds me of My Bloody Valentine mixed with R.E.M., way back when both bands were first starting to form their signature sounds. It's a cool blend, and I was surprised to find that the band is just one dude from Indonesia. My music catalog is generally dominated by female singers and instrumentals, so it's always nice to find acts with a decent male voice.

Next up was Tiny Fireflies. It was the first music that caught my eye (and ear) on the site, but I tried to download it twice to no avail. Luckily there was another download option (further down the page), and I was finally able to make the EP mine. Kristine's ethereal voice is right in the bullseye of my personal taste, and I was thrilled to find out she heads another pair of projects, Tiny Microphone and Very Truly Yours, both out of Chicago. These songs will fit seamlessly into any mix of Ivy, Olive, Mazzy Star, and An April March.

And last but not least, three songs by the aforementioned Insect Guide. And amazingly, track 2 features Graeme Naysmith of Pale Saints (one of my all-time favorite bands) on guitar! The band does a great job with their e-mails of keeping me up to date on great new music in the genres I am partial to, as well as giving me "blog fuel" for this music journal. Check out their earlier free songs (including cool covers of Lady Gaga and Simple Minds) that we told you about here and here! So if you want some cool music, click the link of each band above, and be swept away to their respective pages at Eardrums Pop for some free audio magic, and check out the other bands (under "Releases: singles" for the free stuff) while you're there...

Free Holiday Tunes

If you are looking for some new festive tunes to change up your holiday routine, check out Target's page here. They are giving away 13 genre-spanning 'holiday season' song downloads, all for free. You can listen to each song beforehand, pick and choose the ones you like best, or just go ahead and grab all 13 at once with one click! Let us know what your favorites are, and have a great holiday season with fresh new music!

The Science Teacher - Free EP

Ryan Coseboom of Stripmall Architecture has released a couple of songs on the side under the moniker The Science Teacher while the band works on their next full-length. If you enjoy the soundtracks to "Blade Runner" or the original "Tron", or just good indie electronic instrumentals, then go grab the 2-song freebie here.

If you like what you hear, check out SA's Kickstarter page, for info on their next project, and how they succeeded in getting it funded. Very cool stuff for fans of the shoegaze genre.

Friday Music Slate

If you are looking for something to do tonight, and you live in the eastern part of New England, why not check out an unusually-packed list of local music performances?

• Abbie Barrett is in week two of her month long Friday night residency at Bull McCabe's in Somerville. She goes onstage at 10 pm. Check out her great voice, and while you're there, why not try the best burger in town? And if you can't get there this week, you still have two other chances to head on over: on the 19th and the 26th...
  
• Also in Somerville, Endless Wave is taking part in the two-day Deep Heaven Now 2- Ambient/Psych Rock Festival. They go onstage just after midnight, but for your ten bucks, you get admission to two venues (Precinct and P.A.'s Lounge) and TEN bands! Show up at 8 pm if you want to maximize your evening. Or if you so choose, go tomorrow instead (beginning at 3 pm), and get a mind-boggling 18 bands for that day's ten bucks (may we recommend Dirty Dishes @ 7 pm and 28 Degrees Taurus @ 12:30 am, both at Precinct).
• Elizabeth Lorrey is sharing the bill with Ocean Born Muse and Daniel Ouellette at Speakeasy Under 121 in Providence, RI. Three sets for five bucks. And whether you can make it there or not, grab Elizabeth's song demo "Eleanor" for free here!
• And last (but never least), old pal Christopher Cote is hosting the fourth in a series of his Goodnight, John Boy shows at The New Studio up in Rollinsford, NH. There is a $5 suggested donation, and it is BYOB. head on over and check out Dover, NH's own Winterstar in this intimate venue.

And as always, we'd love to hear where you went, who you saw, how the food was, and which songs are your favorites...

Almanac Mountain - So Many Seas

Seacoast NH's one-man outfit Almanac Mountain has released his first full-length album "So Many Seas" today, to much anticipation. You can get it at the artist's page here. For $9.99 you get an immediate digital download of 11 songs and a high-quality 13-page PDF of photos (they are spectacular), lyrics, and more. Later on (early December), a physical copy of the music will arrive at your door.

After a first listen (and having heard a few of the songs in raw form during live shows and in other places), here is a song-by-song set of initial impressions (note: I did not read through any lyrics before writing this):

1. "Rapunzel by the Sea" starts the music off well featuring the familiar Cote sound, along with a great story, and well-timed falsettos sprinkled throughout to good effect.
2. "Boris & Natasha" is an old song that appears to have been freshened up for this disc. It tells an interesting tale, and the new coat of varnish allows it to fit in with AM's current style.
3. "Thomas & Ursula" is a sad and thoughtful piano tune.
4. "Battery Park" is overpowered by the synthesizer and the other tech effects, and feels a bit out of place on this album. I was too distracted to listen to the lyrics properly. That being said, after a few listens, it is definitely an interesting song. It could drop rather seamlessly into a mix of Flock of Seagulls and Psychedelic Furs tunes.
   
5. "My Girl" reminds me of early Liz Phair in meter and tone. A silly little sing-a-long that is well-suited for fireside gatherings.
6. "Eurydice" is a haunting piano song with some interesting background effects. Very heartfelt and moody.
7. "Manzanita" is a carryover that links this summer's EP with the new album. It sounds like a pretty upbeat song by the music, but it is deceptively dark. Dig those harmonies!
8. "Lessons in Laughing" is an epic that wanders all over, but in a pleasing way. It is very ambitious, is interspersed with odd instrumentation, features an interlude with the vocal stylings of one Hannah Bailey, and yet it all meshes together to form an unforgettable song. After several listens I still can't pin down the tale being told, but the images of a frantic cross-country horse race haven't left my mind.
9. "An Emerald Parisian Evening" is perfect for watching the sun set, or for drifting off to sleep on a cold winter's night. Still my favorite after several hours of listening to the album.
10. "Hans & Ursula" - Boy that gal Ursula gets around! A moody piano & organ song that spirals downward a bit melodramatically, and then inexplicably reaches for cacophony. I didn't quite get it the first time through, but it actually works.
11. "My Love is a Lighting Rod" ends the album with a sweet melancholy ditty.

If you enjoy singer/songwriters, you will enjoy this album. There are definite Simon & Garfunkle vibes (without being derivative) on a few tunes, and interesting quirks throughout. You won't be disappointed. And if you missed Almanac Mountain's earlier June EP release "When in Nature", you can get that fantastic five song set here, in either digital form, or a limited edition (only 100 made!) CD-R.

Let us know which songs you like best and why!