As has become our festival wont, Free Music Friday is getting in 24-hours early with our weekly fix of quality tuneage that won’t cost you a brass cent.

We’re heading along with the rest of Team Hot Press to the Electric Picnic where we’ll be Chatrooming throughout the Stradbally blowout. Make sure to pop in and pick up one of our goodie bags!

Franz Ferdinand whet appetites for their new album with Come Home, Practically All, Is Nearly Forgiven, a 15-minute ‘Making Of’ short, which is worth watching for the glimpse of Alex Kapranos’ hairy legs alone.

Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action will be getting a live airing when the chaps play the Sunday night at the sold-out Electric Picnic.

It’s actually a bit of a Franz-travaganza this week with the boys’ cover of Grimes’ ‘Oblivion’ available for free @ [link]stereogum.com/1451551/watch-franz-ferdinand-cover-grimes-oblivion/mp3s[/link]

[link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] kick off this week’s new album streams with King Khan & The Shrines, Troumaca, Zola Jesus, Black Joe Lewis, Julianna Barwick, Flaamingos, Destruction Unit, Chloe Charles and Surf City all getting to exhibit their wares; The Julie Ruin, Okkervil River, Neko Case, Tremor and some young pup by the name of Bob Dylan await your aural inspection at [link]npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link]; [link]pitchfork.com/advance[/link] has upfront listens to The Julie Ruin, Chelsea Wolfe, Youth Code, Rory Erickson, Vattnet Viskar, Jonathan Radio and The Dead C and [link]albumstreams.com[/link] can hook you up with B.A. Johnston, John Wizards, Celestial Shore, Youth Code, Hot Natured, Holograms, Jackson And His Computer Band, Vista Chino, Party Supplies, White Poppy, Over The Rhine, John Legend, Nine Inch Nails, Maps For Travelers, King Khan & The Shrines, Dr. Dog, The Dead C, Jonathan Rado, Body Language, Tremor, Bethel Music and Foy Vance.

Percussion supergroup Drumgasm – their combined CV includes Pearl Jam, Sleater-Kinney, Soundgarden and Death Grips – stream their self-titled debut at [link]spin.com/articles/janet-weiss-matt-cameron-zach-hill-drumgasm-album-stream-jackpot-records/[/link]

As you’d expect, it’s ferocious stuff!

Peter Hook is giving away the version of Joy Division’s ‘Heart & Soul’ that graces the Unknown Pleasures/Closer Live At Christ Church, Macclesfield album that’s just been released by Play Concert.

With excellent new album Hesitation Marks set to drop next week, Nine Inch Nails have been in flying form on the live circuit with last weekend's Reading set the latest in a series of pummeling spectacles. Check it out below.

Neil Hamburger won’t be pleased – the funnyman has a serious gripe with the American fast food chain – but we’re very grateful to Taco Bell for bankrolling Passion Pit’s Hello Everywhere documentary.
Largely comprising of fan-shot phone footage, it follows them as they hit SXSW 2013 in Austin, Texas and put on a killer show.

Dublin four-piece Frank Franko are streaming their Animal House EP, which sounds like a trippier Franz Ferdinand. This being a very good thing.

The Fratellis give away rabble rousing new tune ‘Seven Days And Seven Nights’ at [link]wxrt.cbslocal.com/2013/08/21/the-fratellis-seven-nights-seven-days-free-download[/link]; [link]mp3.rollingstone.com/download/06GottaLove.mp3[/link] has a new tune from quirky boy/girl poppers Dresses, and Quasi cover Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ as part of the covers set that’s free with pre-orders of their Mole City album.

It has to be said; these gentlemen rock!

Much fancied Brighton emo rockers In Dynamics live up to their name with Circle, a Kerrang-approved five-tracker that marks them out as real contenders.

Dublin’s Ghost Estates have made their eponymous debut album available as a free download. Released last year, there are still heavyweight 180g vinyl copies going for a v. reasonable €15.

Hip Brooklynites – aren’t they all? – Lucius give Haim a run for their money in the close harmony department with their quality Get Noisey six-tracker. Theirs is a more doo-woppy ‘60s thing but no less worthy of your immediate attention.

One of our favourite Indiependence turns, Bosnian Rainbows, are among the nine hot-to-trot acts featured on The Best Of What’s Next.

Let us also point you in the direction of Brady Toops who’s got a bit of a gospel-era Johnny Cash thing going on. All three albums are technically free, but God – whatever he, she or it is – will love you for leaving a tip.

Talking of supernatural forces, God Is An Astronaut have come up with a striking apocalyptic video for ‘Reverse World’. The track is lifted from new album Origins, which is streaming below and sounds the dog’s proverbials.
The Wicklow instrumental outfit are back with respected UK indie Rocket Girl Records who also have the likes of Low, Silver Apples and Drugstore on their roster.

There’s a Mods ‘n’ Rockers subplot to the excellent Jetplane Landing promo for ‘My Radio Heart’, a muscular yet melodic standout from their Don’t Try album. We’re assured that no young people were injured in the making of this video…

And with that it’s into the Free Music Friday SUV, which will be whisking us down to the organic hemp-woven teepee that will be our Picnic home for the weekend. It’s going to be all kinds of awesome!