K. Flay - Eyes Shut EP

Band / Artist: K. Flay
Year: 2012
Genre: Rap, Hip-Hop, Indie Electronic

My Review:
This is a girl I saw at Bonnaroo. Really fresh hip-hop with some harsh and gritty sounds. She DJs too, and I danced through at least an hour of her live set, which nearly killed me after 3 days of 2 hours sleep a night and bad cafeteria food. Here's her site.
http://www.kflay.com/site/

This EP is co-produced by Liam Howlett, one of the members of Prodigy. It rings through clearly with the dirty bristly sound coursing through the whole thing. She doesnt rap in the normal vein, and jumps into and out of choruses in her tracks, or even takes breaks to let instument solos play out. This girl has some promise, and she seriously rocks it live.

For longer reviews go here.

http://www.kflay.com/site/press

K. Flay - Eyes Shut EP

Observer Drift - Corridors

Band / Artist: Observer Drift
Year: 2012
Genre: Alternative, Dream Pop, Indie, Lo-fi, Shoegaze

My Review:

This is some really good hipsterish chillout by a guy named Collin Ward. He's unsigned, and works at a pizza place apparently. I really dig what he's working on, and hope that he gets some attention for what he's got going on. Check out his Facebook page here.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Observer-Drift/127123260702730

It would be a really good album to throw on for the romantic dinner with a person who loves new music.

Observer Drift - Corridors

Psychic Teens – Halo

Band / Artist: Psychic Teens
Year: 2012
Genre: Industrial, Punk, Garage, Alternative Rock, Covers


My Review:
This is an album of Nine Inch Nails Covers. I was pretty surprised at how pleasing it was to listen to as a random garage-rock band cover album. This was a promo freebie to promote their own album, Teen.

Obviously the original Nine Inch Nails tracks are more awesome, but I was enjoying it. And any band that uses images from the Akira manga as their background for their name gets points in my book. If you like them and want to see more, go check out their blog here.
http://psychicteensnetwork.tumblr.com/

Psychic Teens – Halo

Band / Artist: Frank Guerrero
Year: 2012
Genre: Latin American, Salsa

My Review:

I feel like I’m watching an episode of Dexter. Just hand me a pulled pork sandwich and fill the trunk of my car with bodyparts in bags.

This is a short album of Cubano music, with some light touches of Caribbean flavor here and there. This on a stereo, a margarita, and tiki torches would make for a great 20-30 minute mental vacation.

Frank Guerrero - y Su Grupo Aché: En Beta 0.1

Roberto Clementi - Deers EP

Band / Artist: Roberto Clementi
Year: 2011
Genre: Tech-House, Deep House, Minimal, Techno

My Review:

Some downtempo-dub-tech-house-something. I've been listening to tracks from this guy for a few years. His name is apparently big in Italy where he lives. I think the record label he's released under is called either Found Sound or Unfound Sound, depending on if its a free album or a paid one.

I keep listening to the first track over and over again.

Roberto Clementi - Deers EP

Palmz - Grow

Band / Artist: Palmz
Year: 2012
Genre: Alternative, Indie, Indie Pop, Shoegaze

My Review:
With a sound that definitely reminds me of oldies with a spice of indie and punk garage band on top. They released under the Beautiful Strange collective, which you can find here.
http://beautifulstrangepresents.tumblr.com/

You can also look up Palmz directly on their facebook page here.
https://www.facebook.com/palmzlovezyou

If you like Veruca Salt, or enjoyed the Plumtree album I showcased recently, then give it a listen.



Palmz – Grow

Somatic Responses - Mercury

Band / Artist: Somatic Responses
Year: 2009
Genre: Dubstep,  Dark Techno, Electronica, Breakcore

My Review:
This one is a band that was starting out doing breakcore with Venetian Snares back in early 2000s. The release is on Acroplane records. This sounds like something a dubstep fan would enjoy, though I wouldn't call it that. I've had it in my collection for about 3 years, and I've been following the group since early '04.

I love when I can get a chance to support those dark horse guys who were in the background since the beginning of a music era, and this would be an example of one of those bands.

Somatic Responses - Mercury

Miscellaniac: Preservation Week 2012 Mix

Band / Artist: Wooden Shjips, Edward Avis and Howard R Garis, Spencer Owen, Oneida, Kreamy 'Lectric Santa, Scott Joplin, Boss Hog, Valentina Vuksic, Karpov Not Kasparov, The Paperhead, R. Stevie Moore, Newagehillbilly, Big Blood, Vermillion Sands, Roger McGuinn, Giraffe, Spade Cooley & the Western Swing Dance Gang Feat. Tex Williams, Sophie Tucker, Isidore Soucy
Year: 2012
Genre: Psych-Rock, Old-Time / Historic, Pop, Lo-fi, Indie-Rock, Krautrock, Post-Rock, Experimental, Punk, Glitch, Folk, International

My Review:
From recently digitized archive records. its a really nice little mixtape of old vaudeville, jazz, punk, rock, experimental, and hymnal sounds. I won't lie, some of these tracks aren't good, and they kill the flow of the mix. Either way, the tracks that are good, are worth enough to merit downloading this one.

Miscellaniac: Preservation Week 2012 Mix

Wzrdry - Magnetic Haze

Band / Artist: Wzrdry
Year: 2011
Genre: Ambient, Dub Techno, Dub, IDM

My Review:

Ambient and Dub Techno making out together in a dark corner somewhere for a long time. It's a collaborative project with another artist that goes by Transmolecular. I'm gonna look into and share more from these two later when I get a chance.

He makes art that he posts at his blog here.
http://woodgrainhomeoffice.blogspot.com/

 Anyhow, this one might be your thing or not, I like ambient and such, so I enjoyed it.

Wzrdry - Magnetic Haze

Geron Hoy - Soldier

Band / Artist: Geron Hoy
Year: 2011
Genre: Alternative, Folk Rock, Indie Rock

My Review:

One that I KNOW I’m keeping. it is really radio ready. I could see this playing all the time. It has a slightly country rock/pop sound and the clarity of his voice really rings out. If you join his mailing list on his website, he'll apparently email you a free secret song.
www.geronhoy.com

I used to have the album Lunatic linked, but he changed his pricing now. This guy deserves to go somewhere though, I'd love to see him playing at some big venues.


 Geron Hoy - Soldier

Wugazi - 13 Chambers

Band / Artist: Wu-Gazi
Year: 2011
Genre: Mashup, Hip Hop, Punk, Bastard Pop

My Review:

This album is a mash-up of old Fugazi and Wu-tang clan. I love it, and definitely think that you might too. The guys behind it have started into some other projects that I haven't gotten to look at yet. Cecil Otter & Swiss Andy are their names. They are or have been involved in Doomtree, Porcelain Revolver, Field Guide, The Millionth Word, The Swiss Army, as well as their own solo albums.

You might have to go down the blog a bit to find the album. This album is really comfortable, and creative. It pretty much rocks (and raps... LOL PUN)


Wugazi - 13 Chambers

Swampyboy - Robot Love Story

Band / Artist: Swampyboy
Year: 2011
Genre: Chiptune, Breakcore

My Review:
Chiptune/breakcore with a happy go lucky sound to it.All thanks to Swampyboy, also known as the quite handsome Joey Loney, of Exeter, Britain. This one was released on Sociopath Records, which i used to listen to a lot while jogging. He was prolific as hell for a couple years, but his myspace says he's on hiatus right now.

http://www.myspace.com/swampyboy

I might post some more of his albums another time.  For now, expect some oddly emotive lo-bit video game symphonies sped up to 11.


Swampyboy - Robot Love Story

Cell 1110 - St. Meringue

Band / Artist: Cell 1110
Year: 2005
Genre: Trip Hop, New Age, Synthpop

My Review:


I don't really know what you'd call this one.. New Age? I thought that died in the 90's with Enya. Nah, more like Trip Hop.

 I have no idea. Synthesized music by Clemens Haipl (from whom I have another solo record to post), with a female vocalist named Saskia Drennig. Their only outside info I've found was through the Comfort Stand record label, and their Myspace page, which are here if you want to look into them.




http://www.myspace.com/cell1110
http://www.comfortstand.com/artists/cell1110.html

She sings softly, it was a short, but pleasant listen.


Cell 1110 - St. Meringue

Max Grin - I Luvstep

Band / Artist: Max Grin
Year: 2012
Genre: Dubstep, Lovestep, Electrostep, Brostep

My Review:

So apparently dubstep has already spawned like 40 subgenres, including girlstep, drillstep, lovestep, brostep, etc.. This one is a set of dubstep remixes, but it isn't normal dubstep stuff, except that last track, which sounds pretty much like what you'd expect to hear at a frat party.

Max Grin isn't a name I had heard yet, but he also goes by the moniker "Brown Noise", so I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for that name in case it's promising.

It's short, but overall worth keeping on my playlist.

Max Grin - I Luvstep 

Austin Leonard Jones - Sundowners

Band / Artist: Austin Leonard Jones
Year: 2011
Genre: Country, Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Folk

My Review:
Some modern folk/country with a bit of a marcy playground feel, as well as a few moments of old westerns. Not that it sounds anything like any of these, but it reminded me of new Beck, and some things from the Wingdale Community Singers. Its a good, more contemporary album lyrically, and I swear I heard a ukelele in there somewhere. Give it a few samplings, and hopefully something about it will sing to you.
 
Austin Leonard Jones – Sundowners

Lavalier - Self titled

Band / Artist: Lavalier
Year: 2011
Genre: Indie Rock, Dance Rock

My Review:
Dancey rock/pop similar to The Rapture, Franz Ferdinand, or The Secret Machines. This one deserves a good few listens. They even have a little short about their history on youtube from a wine company.

Hopefully you get to hear this band, and hopefully they get going strong enough that they make it big. I love this one is a nice jogging album. Track two sounds like a Tim Burton movie with a marching scene.

Lavalier – Self titled

Re:Generation

Band / Artist: Skrillex, the Doors, Martha Reeves, Pretty Lights, Trombone Shorty, Erykah Badu, DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, the Berklee Symphony Orchestra, Nas, and The Crystal Method
Year: 2012
Genre: Electronica, Jazz, Hip-hop

My Review:


This one is your mainstream thing. So mainstream in fact, that it's sponsored by Hyundai. (dude, first Scion, then Honda, now Hyundai. Why are car companies so gung-ho about fresh techno?)

They got a collection of artists together, and then paired off sets of them together to try and collaborate on varying styles and approaches to music.

The first half of this is the original cuts, with the second go around being remixed versions of each track. For the most part, this seemed a little bit forced and lifeless, like the setups were chosen by a reality tv writer team, and the people all got a paycheck to try and make something filmworthy happen.
I liked the second half more than the first in some parts, but it was definitely something for an aspiring DJ to grab up.

Re:Generation

The Plastic Jazz Orchestra - 39º

Band / Artist: The Plastic Jazz Orchestra
Year: 2010
Genre: Jazz, Electronica, IDM, Bedroom Pop

My Review:
Here is a good one for people who like jazz, but only in between long sessions of listening to electronica and IDM. It isn’t really jazz in the traditional instrument sense, but I came into this not expecting anything more than some keyboards, and it turned out to be a pleasant one to leave on while drawing. I'm a little sad to see that the head of the group died, because I think it would have made for a great project to keep an eye on and see how they grew.


The Plastic Jazz Orchestra - 39º

The LUVRS - Leave Me Alone

Band / Artist: The LUVRS
Year: 2012
Genre: Punk

My Review:

This is a metal-y southern punk band with a bit of a Texas or Alabama feel. They hail out of North Carolina. They have a blog here. http://theluvrs.blogspot.com/

This one might be a limited time promotional freebie, I'm not too sure. I was linked this by my friend Mac, and I’m sure he'd greatly appreciate a few downloads on account of his taste.


The LUVRS - Leave Me Alone

Bootie RIO - Ponderosa Mixtape

Band / Artist: Bootie RIO (Various artists)
Year: 2012
Genre: Mashup, Bastard Pop

My Review:

So first I'll just gloss over what a mashup is in case you've missed out. Take a handful of songs, and chop them up and blend them into one track. Some are just the vocal track from one song over the instrumental from another, some are remixeswith original material from the mashup artist, some are just insane layerings of 20 different songs that make something totally new.

This collection is a bunch of mashups out of souf amewica, this is just about the closest I ever get to listening to pop. Bootie has 3 different groups now that I know about, Rio, Germany, and the US. As with all of these, I listen through it, and decide which tracks I really want to keep, but if you’re ever throwing a party that will involve dancing, mashups are a perfect choice for the playlist.

Bootie RIO – Ponderosa Mixtape

White Flashes - Small Flares

Band / Artist: White Flashes
Year: 2012
Genre: Ambient, Synthpop, Chillwave


My Review:
This is a nice chill ambient-ish one. Not completely instrumental, but vocals are sparse.

If you're one of those people who likes to read long writeups on artists, then you should go here.
http://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/intros/introducing-white-flashes-2/


He used to make music under the name Harbour as well, but I couldn't find any info about that moniker.

The guy sells his recordings on limited edition cassette tapes, and also releases them online for free I guess. That last track is some good times.

White Flashes - Small Flares

Raw Music International - Kisumu Mixtape

Band / Artist: Raw Music International (Various Artists)
Year: 2011
Genre:  International, Blues, Soul-RnB, Folk, Hip-Hop, Field Recordings, African, Alternative Hip-Hop, Dance, Reggae - Dancehall, Hip-Hop Beats

My Review:
A "mixtape" of tracks from Kisumu, Kenya. It has a pretty wide range of sounds, from traditional Kenyan folk, to pop and rap, and some instrumental pieces.  I played through it a few times and found probably 2 tracks that rubbed me the wrong way and I didn't keep. 

If you want to know a little about each track, go check out the bandcamp page and click through each track.  this is the excerpt for the first song

Olima is an 83 year old blind Luo blues guitarist. We recorded this song at his home on December 31, 2010. He sings in memory of a deceased lover.

http://rawmusicinternational.bandcamp.com/

This one is a good one for a mix, and adds a nice dimension of flavor into a playlist. It would be nice in a mix for at a summery BBQ or a dinner party.

Raw Music International - Kisumu Mixtape

Plumtree - Flutterboard

Band / Artist: Plumtree
Year: 1994
Genre: Indie, Femme rock

My Review:
A femme indie band from the grunge hayday. I've kept this one for the lightheartedness of the vocals, its a city driving favorite. The band was around in Canada for about 7 years, never really hitting it big, They are back around and make stuff now, after a reunion in 2010. Turns out that they ar the ones that originally spawned that whole "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" thing with a song about him that they wrote.

Their website is http://www.plumtree.ca/
A Side project spawned from this called Sisters, which you can find here. http://www.sistermusic.ca/

The songs are about pet worms, and cats, and other silly fluff. Come to think of it, shouldn't any album with the "Peanuts" font be about silly fluff?

If you like what you hear, like always, look up the artist and consider chipping them a few bucks, buying some merch from them, or looking for them touring near you.


 Plumtree – Flutterboard

Vertical67 - Wicklow House

Band / Artist: Vertical67
Year: 2010
Genre: IDM, Acid House

My Review:

If the Global Goon album didn't sit well with you, then I would suggest you try this one. This is a little more influenced by ambient and tech house to me.

It's a little more smooth and pleasant to me, and reminds me of some of the aphex twin side projects from back in the mid 90s.  I guess it just depends on what you like. Also, check out the artwork with this one, its really nice photography.

Vertical67 - Wicklow House

Global Goon - Carbon

Band / Artist: Global Goon
Year: 2011
Genre: Acid, IDM

My Review:
I have an album from Global Goon called “family glue” which always returns to my playlist with a vengance every year or so, this one just happened across my path.

I don't enjoy it nearly as much because I'm not as big a fan of acid, but I wanted to give it a share. If you like Aphex Twin, Autechre, or Plaid, then you should give this album from G Goon a chance, as he's been drifting on the scene for nearly as long as they have.

Global Goon – Carbon

Yawn - Yawn EP

Band / Artist: Yawn
Year: 2010
Genre: Avant-pop, Indie pop

My Review:
Imagine Animal Collective, with clearer talent and rhythm. They follow the same tribal beat sort of layout, but mix their songs with a little cleaner vocals. I find myself listening to this EP more often than any of my Animal Collective albums these days.

Yawn – Yawn EP

Hi everybody!

This blog is out here to support two things that I love immensely. Free music, and independent artists.

SO HOW DOES THAT WORK you say? Well I'll tell you.

Nearly all posts in this blog will be showcasing free albums for you to download and enjoy. Those albums are not illegally uploaded like lots of other music blogs will do, and there wont be any partial albums here. The only thing that is up to snuff here is a full album, provided by the artist or label, to download for free. ALL GENRES, ALL STYLES, ALL FREE.

I look forward to making this into a project that I can love like a baby. Please share that joy with me.

-Atom-