- Music
- 11 Apr 14
Starring Damon Albarn, The Riptide Movement, SOHN, Midlake, Slint, Aimee Mann, Bruce and more...
It’s official; the sun is out, spring is here and summer within touching distance.
To celebrate this – and Everton giving the Arse an almighty smack last week – Free Music Friday has assembled another cockle-warming collection of tunes and videos to get your weekend off to a ripsnorting start.
The Riptide Movement have just this minute premiered the video for their ‘All Works Out’ single, which stars Amy Huberman as an obsessive fan and Saoirse’s dad Peter as the doctor treating her. Amy was encouraged to take the gig by hubby Brian O’Driscoll after playing the tune to him in Paris ahead of Ireland’s sensational Six Nations victory.
Meanwhile, it’s “well done!” to the Riptide boys for topping the Irish chart this week with their Getting Through album!
The Afghan Whigs, EMA, Holy Mountain, SOHN, Liz Green, Channel Zero and Gabby Young & Other Animals are among those with streamable goodies at [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link]; [link]npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link] is also on the case with Ben Watt, The Both, Jesse Boykins III, Slint and Todd Terje; depending on you and your computer’s country of residence, [link]albumstreams.com[/link] can sort you out with Wasted Potential, The Roots, Willis Earl Beal, The Great Old Ones, Horse Thief, Plague Vendor, Jessica Lee Mayfield, The Birds Of Satan, Jr. Sea, Tony Boats, Sigur Ros, Drake; [link]pitchfork.com/advance[/link] has upfront listens to Woods, Wyrd Visions, Amps For Christ, Lockah and Deleted Scenes and country & western legend Rodney Crowell has Tarpaper Sky previewing at [link]nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=3&[/link]
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Drive-By Truckers, Midlake, Hurray For The Riff Raff, the Belle Brigade, Kaiser Chiefs and honorary Irish folk Rodrigo y Gabriela are among the star turns on the ATO Records Spring Sampler, which is available – yay! – for free download.
Also new from the Noise Trade stable is Yep Roc In Austin: On Spider’s Tab, an eight-track SXSW session compilation featuring the likes of Ian McLagan, Dave and Phil Alvin, Mandolin Orange and The Baseball Project, the power pop supergroup comprising of Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey and Linda Pitman.
In a transatlantic take on The Duckworth Lewis Method, all their songs pertain to America’s national sport.
We’re also very taken with My Brightest Diamond, AKA experimental popster Shara Worden whose fan club includes David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Bon Iver and The Decemberists. As soon as she starts singing you’ll know why!
Hard riffing Bristolians Red Seas Fire are giving away their tasty new Confrontation EP at [link]redseasfire.com[/link]
Canadian songstress Aimee Mann and Ted Leo, the punk-inclined leader of The Pharmacists, may seem unlikely bedfellows but make very beautiful music together as The Both.
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They recorded an acoustic session last week for American National Public Radio featuring tunes from their eponymous album, and which is available for free download. Prepare to fall in love!
A cover of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ was the somewhat unlikely set opener the other night when Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band rolled into Dallas for the somewhat erroneously named March Madness Music Festival. The free bash was thrown to celebrate the culmination of a college basketball tournament that was taking place in nearby Arlington.
Paul Noonan has debuted the first track from the acoustic duets album he’s releasing under the Printer Clips banner. ‘Apparatchik’ features the breathy tones of old pal Lisa Hannigan, and gets an April 25 unleashing as part of The Left Sleeve EP.
LBGT music doc For Which We Stand won’t be hitting screens until 2015, but you can watch the teaser trailer now. Dolly Parton, Melissa Etheridge and transgender opera singer Tona Brown are among the contributors to what looks like a fascinating film.
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Filipino production whiz Eyeless whets appetites for his May 1 visit to Whelan’s with his new “punk as fuck” mixtape, Hearing Colors, which can be found at [link]eyedress.hearing-colors.com/?mc_cid=e9f9b9b027&mc_eid=3bf8801f91[/link] and is all sorts of awesome.
Killer Mike and Alchemist are giving away ‘The Boonies’, a fast ’n’ furious taster from their The Boondocks Mixtape, which follows on April 16.
Our old pal Bitter Rocc has conjured up a wicked video for ‘The Dream’, which includes cameos from Chris Haze and master tailor Louis Copeland. Warning: contains hipster beards!
Damon Albarn dropped by XFM t’other day and played four tunes from his upcoming Everybody Robots album, which can be listened to here. Mr. A has also confirmed that there’s a new Gorillaz record on the way, which may or may not include a collaboration with Noel Gallagher.
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And that’s where Free Music Friday takes its leave of you for another week. Enjoy the good weather and the knowledge that the festival season is nearly upon us! And keep those links coming to a @stuartclark66