10,000 Maniacs, Primal Scream & Bruce Springsteen lead the Free Music Friday charge

Forget 'Simply The Best' or Stormin' Norman's 'Right Here Right Now', Free Music Friday has prepared the perfect boombox soundtrack to get Joe Schmidt's boys pumped up to whoop Welsh asses on Sunday. Play it loud, play it proud and make sure none of them points are squandered.

The very wonderful 10,000 Maniacs celebrate their 35th anniversary - we're suddenly feeling really old! - with this seven-track live and rarities compilation. Also new - and live - from Noise Trade is an EP from Donavon Frankenreiter, like Jack Johnson a former pro-surfer who strums a mean acoustic and has a massive cult following.

To the streams now, and we've a big country double-whammy with the return after 13 years of Wynonna Judge and another cracker from Vince Gill who just gets better with time.

Purveyors of Gulf Coast Soul, The Suffers, justify the hype with their lung-bursting newbie and Rokia Traoré demonstrates why Damon Albarn is a fan of immense proportions.

There's a serious buzz about Nick Grant, a South Carolina spitter whose '88 mixtape is a welcome break from the gangsta norm. With one eye on the street and the other on the pop charts, FMF reckons a star is born.

Primal Scream have premiered the video for 'Where The Light Gets In', the Sky Ferreira-assisted lead single from their upcoming Chaosmosis album which follows on March 18. It's a much poppier Scream Team than we're used to, with Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John fame producing.

Looking extremely tasty is this new Miles Davis biopic, A Quiet Passion, which has been getting rave reviews from people who knew the legendary American jazz man.

After a lengthy gestation period, the "part music doc, part road trip, part love story" Gary Numan film, Android In La La Land, which looks pretty damn ace, premieres next month at SXSW.

Polly Harvey has previewed the Seamus Murphy-directed video for new track 'The Wheel', which is a real visual tour de force. A much travelled photographer renowned for his work in Afghanistan, the Dubliner chose Kosovo as the backdrop to his latest collaboration with the Divine Miss H.

Beyoncé cameos in the video for the new Coldplay single 'Hymn For The Weekend', which finds Chris Martin & Co. getting all mystical and messy in India. Since premiering on Monday it's been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube alone. We have to say that Ms. Knowles looks pretty damn wondrous in her traditional Desi attire, although there have been social media charges of cultural misappropriation.

Limerick alt. rockers Tigwara have dropped their self-titled EP, which “explores and traverses the dark side of human nature, delving deep into the recesses of what makes us tick, live, love and feel.” ‘City Sleeps’, ‘Gimme Your Time’, ‘That Soul’ and ‘Pay For Your Love’ certainly justify that billing, and underline why they’re regarded as one of the Treaty City’s hottest prospects.

It may possibly have come to your attention that a certain New Jersey guitar-slinger will be making his Croke Park bow in May with a few of his mates. This is what you can expect...

And that is your Free Music Friday lot for another week. If we don't see you at the rugby, we'll catch you at the Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair, which returns this weekend to the National Convention Centre and will be a whole lot of beery fun. In the meantime, keep them lovely links coming to @stuartclark66