The excitement is at fever pitch in Hot Press Towers as we plan to move out en masse to Kilmainham for the Forbidden Fruit festivities.
Pop into our Speakeasy tent for live sessions, meet ‘n’ greets and public interviews from the likes of Leftfield, New Order, We Cut Corners, Liars, Field Music, Death In Vegas, Le Galaxie, Rarely Seen Above Ground and loads more. You’ll be able to watch the highlights as they happen on [link]hotpress.com[/link]. Also check @hotpress for last minute additions to the Speakeasy line-up and other surprises!
Amidst all the excitement we have a suitably bumper Free Music Friday for you.
 
We kick off as usual at [link]http://3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] where there are full album streams from Crocodiles, EL-P, Múm, The Walkmen, Citizens!, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Garland Jeffreys, Sam Sparro, Scissor Sisters and Paloma Faith who’s on course to score her first UK number one with the fabulous Fall To Grace.
 
Many of the aforementioned can also be found at [link]http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/1[/link] alongside further new offerings from Regina Spektor, King Tuff, Ladyhawke, Amon Tobin, The Dig and A Silent Film.
 
For newbies from K.R.I.T., Japandroids, Kelly Hogan, Sigur Rós and Liars head to [link]http://www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link]
Those lovely Liars boys are playing Forbidden Fruit on Monday, and also popping in to the Hot Press Speakeasy for a meet ‘n’ greet. If you want anything autographed, bring it along!
 
Dying to hear that Anal C*!t album? Yet to discover the joys of Alabama Thunderpussy, Regurgitate, Agenda Of Swine or Rumplestiltskin Grinder?
Fear not because punk ‘n’ metal specialists Relapse Records have made their entire catalogue available for your [link]http://relapserecords.bandcamp.com[/link] @hotpress streaming delectation.
 
 
Next to [link]http://www.youtube.com/presents[/link] @hotpress where come June 7 you’ll be able to watch the whole of a rare club show Def Leppard are playing in West Hollywood. There are also superb archive sets from the likes of Jason Mraz, Common, The Shins and Ziggy Marley.
 
There’s more hot gig streaming at [link]http://www.orionmusicandmore.com/2012/rock-am-ring-livestream[/link] where on Sunday you’ll be able to watch Metallica performing the whole of The Black Album.
 
Maverick – that’s putting it politely! –electro man Dan Deacon trails his new America album with a free download single residing at [link]http://www.dandeacon.com/index2.html[/link]
Newly signed to Domino Records, we trust he’ll be playing round these parts shortly.
 
Calvin Harris gets his fader fingers on Florence at [link]http://soundcloud.com/florencevenezuela/spectrum-calvin-harris-mix; http://soundcloud.com/nettwerkmusicgroup/julia-stone-bloodbuzz-ohio[/link] has Julia Stone treating us to a Lisa Hannigan-meets-Dolly Parton cover of The National’s signature tune; Rarely Seen Above Ground shares a new tune with us at [link]http://www.hotpress.com/RSAG/news/LISTEN-New-RSAG-track/8926539.html?new_layout=1[/link] and the whole of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Americana can be heard at [link]http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/may/29/neil-young-crazy-horse-americana?newsfeed=true[/link]
 
Not only is Azealia Banks back on the Electric Picnic bill, but she’s giving us a sneak preview of her Fantasea EP at [link]http://stupiddope.com/2012/05/28/azealia-banks-1991-ep-full-album-stream[/link]
What’s it like? The dog’s proverbials!
 
Free Music Friday fave Catherine AD covers Bon Iver, Sleigh Bells, Friendly Fires, Fleetwood Mac, Nick Drake, Nina Simone and loads more cool types on her new Reprise: The Covers Collection album. Try before you buy at [link]http://soundcloud.com/catherinead/reprise-mixtape[/link]
 
Euros Child of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci fame returns at [link]http://www.euroschilds.com/spin-that-girl-around-just-a-dream[/link] with a pearler of a single; [link]http://soundcloud.com/bartonsoundcloud/paris-hilton-louder-feat-flo[/link] finds Paris Hilton in Auto-Tune hell with David Guetta, Flo-Rida and Journey; fans of musical exotica should check out [link]http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-free-mp3-albums-in-a-foreign-language-sound-sunday[/link] for ten free foreign language albums and [link]http://soundcloud.com/lunylucy/the-rains-of-castomere[/link] has that really spooky new song by The Nation which accompanied the Game Of Thrones end credits this week.
 
Talking of musical exotica, check out Nigerian rapper Solid Star’s new ‘Skibo’ single at [link]http://hu.lk/x8fvbrf4mfyy[/link]
The FMF ghettoblaster has also been rocking his fellow countryman Random, who rhymes in a mixture of Yoruba, English Pidgin and Igbo at [link]http://www.4shared.com/mp3/4euyDVGH[/link]
 
Multi-platinum Brit Ellie Goulding is giving away her cover of The Weeknd’s ‘High For This’ at [link]http://soundcloud.com/soulculture/ellie-goulding-x-xaphoon-jones[/link]
A new album follows in October, which she insists is not influenced by her current boyfriend, Skrillex.
 
The Bank Holiday’s just got even better for Xaevier Rudd fans with his seventh album, Spirit Bird, streaming at [link]http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2012/05/album-premiere-xavier-rudd---spirit-bird.html[/link]
 
Irish/Swedish duo Tenonsaw have just unleashed their Radio Waves: Live In Session For RTÉ 2fm EP. You can get it from [link]http://musicbytenonsaw.com/releases[/link] for what you think it’s worth. It’s gorgeous stuff, so no being stingy, right?
 
 
The Norn Iron hip hop scene reaches another milestone, with the free download release of Jee4Ce’s Gingers Have Souls, a straight out of Antrim collection of street anthems with tongue planted firmly in lyrical cheek. We’ll be talking to the young man in question very shortly.
 

This week’s video fun kicks off with hotshot country ‘n’ roots man Dylan LeBlanc who plays the Phantom Live night in the Dublin Academy on July 13.
 

 
We’re also loving this vid of Willie Nelson and some other seriously cool dudes covering Pearl Jam’s ‘Just Breathe’ for American satellite radio.
 

 
There’s more Sirius XM footage of Myles Kennedy and Slash performing an acoustic ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.
 

 
To get you in the mood for his upcoming Irish tour, Mark Geary performs two new tunes from his Songs About Leaving album and has a chinwag with us at [link]http://www.hotpress.com/Mark-Geary/news/WATCH-Mark-Geary-in-session-and-conversation/8927254.html?new_layout=1[/link]
 
The Walkman’s ‘Heaven’ single is accompanied by a veritable nostalgiafest of a video. Sterling work, chaps!
 

 
Also pleasing our retinas this week are the respective promos for Dan Le Sac’s ‘Play Along’ and the Body & Soul headlining M83’s ‘Reunion’.
 
 

 

Our final visual treat is supplied by lower-case subversives little x’s for eyes whose ‘Somewhere With A Dancefloor’ comes with a disclaimer.
“This video features professional paper fighters who were trained to perform paper stunts in a controlled, managed environment,” they note. “Please do not attempt to emulate any of the stunts performed here either at home or in a public office. Be Paper Safe, paper cuts sting like a bee.”
You’ve been warned, kids!
 

 
Which brings us to the end of another action-packed Free Music Friday. Don’t forget to send all your lovely links to @stuartclark66 and we’ll see you all in Kilmainham!