Bruce Springsteen, Bon Iver, Lisa Hannigan, NOFX & Bruno Mars star in Free Music Friday

When not watching with morbid fascination as the UK turns into a right-wing dictatorship, Free Music Friday has been probing the net’s most intimate nooks and crannies for another killer collection of downloads, streams, vids and trailers. Even if we do say so ourselves, we’ve come up with some pearlers!

Bruce Springsteen has given an in-depth interview to American National Public Radio, which can be downloaded and listened to here. From being raised a Catholic and the perennial influence that is Asbury Park to meeting Patti and the transcendental nature of playing ‘Born To Run’, it’s awesome stuff.

NPR’s spoiling of us doesn’t end there with Drive-By Truckers performing the whole of their American Band album live for the network.
Cop an eyeful here

To the streams now and hotshot rappers Swet Shop Boys; Houston genre-benders Muddy Magnolias; Nashville husband and wife team Johnnyswim, and veteran Philly rockers Purling Hiss (who’d make a childishly amusing GAA spoonerism!) are all letting you try their new albums before you buy.

Walking On Cars have premiered the video for their ‘Don’t Mind Me’ single, which starts with a panoramic of the Poolbeg Power Station, as featured by U2 many moons in their own ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’ promo. It’s the work of Bold Puppy Productions who also conjured up the clip for previous single, ‘Speeding Cars’.

Bell X1 have debuted ‘Fake Memory’, the single which trails the October 14 release of new album, Arms. See elsewhere on hotpress.com for details of their National Concert Hall pop-up shop and free gig.

U2 gave Donald Trump both barrels this week when they played a benefit show for the USCF Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. Conducting a mock big screen interview with The Donald, Bono said: “Now candidate, you understand that it’s not just Mexican people who are going to have a problem with this wall of yours. It’s everyone who loves the idea of America… like the Irish for example!”
You can watch the exchange here with lots of quality fan vids also flooding in.

Grimes has premiered four videos for tracks that feature on her Art Angels album.
“This summer I brought my brother Mac and my best friend Hana on tour and we shot a bunch of music videos," Ms. Boucher tweets. "These seven videos were shot over a two week period throughout Europe during The AC!D REIGN tour. They are guerrilla style vids, a la reality, so there was no crew, makeup, cameras, lights. Just us and a phone, so maybe don't expect anything too fancy. That said, we're really proud of what we made.” And so they should be; the clips are great!

Common got to preview his soon-to-be-released Black America Again album in the White House at the behest of Barack Obama who turns out to be a bit – well, a lot! – of a fan.

Lady Gaga has debuted another track from her Joanne album, which drops on October 21 and really finds her flexing her songwriting muscles. ‘Million Reasons’ has also been getting an airing as Ms. Germanotta travels round the States on her Dive Bar tour.

Pat Benetar fans – and we are legion! – will love Can’t Say And Other Songs, a full-length sampler from melodic Boston rockers Letters From Cleo who remind us that Christmas is fast approaching.

Also new and noteworthy from Noise Trade are a Haley Bonar live EP, and a mini-album from Luke Winslow King, a New Orleans swamp rocker best listened to with a generous glass of bourbon in hand.

It’s a FMF “howaya!” To Fí whose debut ‘Éalú’ single is a nifty slice of ever so slightly ethereal pop.

The first trailer has been released for the L7 documentary, Pretend We’re Dead.
Among those contributing are Butch Vig, CSS, Lydia Lunch, Shirley Manson, Brody Dalle, Joan Jett and Krist Novoselic. We still remember their legendary appearance on The Word, which ended with Donita Sparks trouserless and Terry Christian very nearly speechless.

50 Cent, Fetty Wap and Pusha T are among the heavyweight guests on For The Culture, a cracking mix from DJ SpinKing who is a serious hot property in his native NYC.

Bruno Mars’ ‘24K Magic’ video has amassed almost half a million YouTube views in 12 hours. There’s a big bang of Michael Jackson about the tune, which is all over radio today like a rash.

Flynn Johnson treats us to a second behind the scenes look at the making of his Self-Titled debut. Taking care of urban pop production duties is our old pal Richard ‘Bitter Rocc’ O’Connor.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre has very kindly supplied the footage for ‘00000 Million’, the latest Bon Iver track to get the lyric video treatment.

Those most inveterate of American punks, NOFX, are streaming their new Six Years On Dope album, with some nifty visual accompaniment.

Due in Dublin early in the New Year, punk legends The Ruts DC comprehensively do the business on comeback single, ‘Psychic Attack’. It’s culled from their Music Must Destroy album, which features celebrity fan club member Henry Rollins on its title-track.

James Vincent McMorrow was all sorts of wonderful when he swung by Later… With Jools Holland the other night. We really want to know where James got that brilliant shirt of his. We suspect that it isn't Penneys. Also being shown the love recently by Mr. H are Lisa Hannigan and Neil Hannon.

And on that celebratory, Irish flag-waving note we bid you a fond Free Music Friday ‘adieu’ for another week. Good luck to all those in the running for a PPI Award tonight; remember, that we will get to hear about your bad behavior! In the meantime, keep those links coming to @stuartclark66