- Music
- 27 Jun 14
Conor Oberst, Robert Plant, Basement Jaxx, The Weeknd, David Gray, Sufjan Stevens, Zola Jesus and more kick-start your weekend...
Our obsessive World Cup watching hasn’t prevented Free Music Friday from rounding up another killer collection of tunes that won’t in any way leave you financially bereft.
Enough indeed for even Luis Suarez to sink his teeth into… (Ed note: groan…)
Our favourite Free Music Friday thing this week is supplied by Conor Oberst whose download acoustic set is a thing of pastoral beauty. From the same rich NPR vein comes this remarkable performance from Mali Music, the Savannah, Georgia gospel singer and street poet.
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Check out David Gray’s very fine Mutineers album ahead of his Westport show this weekend at [link]telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/musicvideo/live-music-sessions/10925309/David-Gray-Mutineers-Listen-to-the-album-stream.html[/link]
Our Noise Trade pals bring us Enjoy Your Rabbit, an instrumental Sufjan Stevens concept album populated by rats, oxes, boars, roosters, dragons, snakes and, of course, an asthmatic cat.
Also new from Noise Trade is City Heart+, a neat introduction to Russell Howard the Charlotte, North Carolina strummer, as opposed to Russell Howard the boyish looking UK standup.
Basement Jaxx whet appetites for their Junto album - drop date, August 26 - with a remix of one of its big tunes, ‘Never Say Never’ and a 30-minute classic cuts, rarities and new songs mash, both of which can be found at [link]myredmusic.com/basementjaxx[/link]
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Some homegrown electro now from rising starlet Corrina Jaye, whose 'Gold' gets an official, full band-assisted release bash at Whelan's on July 4 with an album to follow.
There’s more streaming to be had at [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] where Gus Gus, Xeno & Oaklaner, Dave & Phil Alvin, Noura Mint Seymal and Lone await; Old Crow Medicine Show, Jim Lauderdale, OOIOO, Corb Lund, Phox and Phish are the newbies at [link]npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link]; [link]albumstreams.com[/link] piles in with Ab-Soul, Cymbals Eat Guitairs, Cre*Scen*Do, Ryn Weaver, Ed Tullett, Island Fox, Young War, Rebecca Clements, Esben & The Witch, Phil Selway, George Ezra and Robert Plant; [link]www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=3&[/link] has the excellent new set from husband and wife team The Mastersons and you’ll find tasty offerings from Mark Kozelek, Matthewdavid and Craig Leon at [link]pitchfork.com/advance[/link].
Sign up at [link]zolajesus.com[/link] for a free taster from Ms Jesus’ Taiga album, which hits in October. She hasn’t turned into Icona Pop, but there seems to be a vague chance of her being played this time on the radio.
Also in generous mood this week is The Weeknd who wants you to have new tune ‘Often’. We gratefully accept.
Hotly-tipped Canadians Van Damsel make their stadium intentions abundantly clear with ‘Begins With A Return’ and its accompanying video. The fact that there’s a Todd Rundgren poster in one of their previous vids tells you all you need to know about the British Columbia outfit.
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Ahead of its June 30 release comes this nifty split-screen video for the new A Plastic Rose single, ‘Autumn Eases You Into The Dark’.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Thrasher photographer Steve Tozzi has premiered Riot On The Dance Floor, a documentary celebration of Trenton, New Jersey hardcore hangout City Gardens. Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, Al Jourgensen and Ian MacKaye are among the talking heads.
Also hitting screens after a long gestation is The Blueback Hussar, the story of how Adam Ant pulled himself back from the brink and amassed some serious tour miles last year.
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And that is your Free Music Friday lot for another week. In the meantime, keep those links coming to @stuartclark66