David Bowie, Natalie Merchant, Suede & Run The Jewels star in Free Music Friday

After a serious bummer of a week in which we lost both David Bowie and Alan Rickman to cancer, Free Music Friday attempts to bring a little light into your life with another top notch collection of downloads, steams, trailers and vids.

It's straight in, no kissing with an 11-track ATO Records label sampler that includes offerings from Benjamin Booker, Drive-By Truckers, Kopecky, Lucero and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

Streamable delights come from veteran oddball Ty Seagall, Montreal purveyors of pop psychedelia The Besnard Lakes, atmospheric rockers Shearwater whose ninth album is a peach of immense juiciness, and former Fiery Furnaces frontperson Eleanor Friedberger.

Also from the House of NPR is this stripped down acoustic session from Natalie Merchant who's a classic example of an artist not getting older, but better.

Suede treat us to 'Pale Snow', the first taster from their Night Thoughts album, which reminds us ever so slightly of 10 CC's 'I'm Not in Love'.

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A visit to [link]adultswim.com/music/rubble-kings[/link] bags you Rubble Kings, the soundtrack to the '70s New York gang documentary of the same name, which includes particularly tasty cuts from Run The Jewels and Ghostface Killah.

The 3Arena-bound Enio Morricone gets the documentary treatment in The Glance Of Music, which gets right to the heart of the Italian's film scoring genius.

We're sure, like everyone here at Hot Press Central, you're still reeling from the terrible news about David Bowie. Here are some classic moments from a musical life spectacularly well-lived.

Also essential viewing is this 2015 Life In Pictures BAFTA tribute to Alan Rickman.
Appearing on stage at London's Royal Opera House, he recalled such memorable moments from his career as falling off a building in Die Hard, playing Snape in the Harry Potter series, and directing A Little Chaos.

Doveman, the American multi-instrumentalist who's worked with the likes of The National, Glen Hansard and The Gloaming, has conjured up this beautiful cover of David Bowie's 'Lazarus', which includes "harmony and moral support" from Glen. The following night also found Glen serenading fans outside of Mr. B's Manhattan apartment and covering 'Ashes To Ashes' in his bedroom.

David Holmes has confirmed the March 4 release of Guilty Of Love, the debut album from his UNLOVED project. Recorded in Los Angeles with Keefus Green and Jade Vincent, it includes nods to everyone from Phil Spector and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to the Shangri Las and The Wrecking Crew. David's shared an early UNLOVED demo, which for clearly discernible reasons is titled ' Bowie'.

Leeds alt. rockers Pulled Apart By Horses have Xeroxed 'Ziggy Stardust' with all proceeds going to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

A somewhat different version of 'Ziggy' is served up by Boulder bluegrass merchants Yonder Mountain String Band. Treat your iTunes to it now.

Madonna belted out a very acceptable 'Rebel Rebel' the other night in Houston. "He showed me that it's alright to be different," she told the crowd who glam stomped their approval.

And with that flurry of Jones boy-related activity, we take our Free Music Friday leave of you for this week. Here's to the Grim Reaper taking the rest of 2016 off, and a weekend of smiles rather than tears. In the meantime, keep those links coming to @stuartclark66