Free Music Friday

Our favourite FMF thing this week is MMXIII, the stunning new album from Bitter Rocc, which is available exclusively as a free [link]www.hotpress.com/bitter-rocc-mmxiii[/link] download. Also make sure to check out the accompanying videos.

You have up until December 11 to bag yourself The Mighty Stef’s wonderful DIY Wintersongs Vol. 1 album. A pre-Xmas pressie for “your friends and lovers” it confirms what we’ve known for a long time – Stef is one of our national songwriting treasures!
Get clicking at [link]www.wetransfer.com/downloads/b2c03f3691ebf0356bcd712cd9d6cfab20131204123239/d881a8[/link]

Those who dare to stream can fill their pre-release album listening boots at [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] where Rude Awakening, Jungle By Night, Beastmilk, Scarlet Mae, Lindi Ortega, Vex Ruffin, The Foreign Exchange, Destroyer, John Coffey and the Machete Kills OST await; depending on where you happen to be residing [link]albumstreams.com[/link] adds Aaimon, Icewater, Morning Parade, Craving, Childish Gambino, Kevin MaCall, Life On Repeat, Telescope Thieves, Pat Thomas, Robert Pollard, Dear Reader, Stacey, The Glee Christmas Album Vol. 4 and the wonderfully named Gorilla Toss to the mix; [link]www.theguardian.com/music/series/album-streams[/link] is home to Toy, British Sea Power and Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones; Brendan Benson awaits you at [link]pitchfork.com/advance[/link] and [link]www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link] has the newbie from Snoop and his producer mate Dâm-Funk.

It’s a late entrant but Album of the Year contender nonetheless. We’re referring to My Yoke Is Heavy: The Songs Of Daniel Johnston, a veritable labour of musical love from Adrian Crowley and James Yorkston.

Listen often, listen long!

There’s more covers wondrousness to be had courtesy of Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs – a marriage made in pure pop heaven.
Between them they’ve retooled quality tunes by REM, Elvis Costello, The dB’s, The Pretenders, Tom Petty, The Beat, Kirsty MacColl, The Bongos, The Smiths, Roxy Music, XTC, Echo & The Bunnymen and Lindsay Buckingham.

America’s National Public Radio also have a download set from The Dismemberment Plan, a Washington D.C. outfit who’ve been doing their quirky alt. pop thing since the ‘90s but have only achieved commercial lift-off recently.

Devendra Banhart has come up with a “two ducks embedded in the seedy, trippy world of Hollywood” video for ‘Taurobolium’, one of the standouts from his Mala album.
Co-starring the voice of Rose McGowan, the clip is animated by Galen Pehrson who’s previously worked with Death Grips and, whilst disturbing, is quite quite wonderful.

With a title like Black Panties we shouldn’t be encouraging him, but dubious taste aside the new R. Kelly album is, in a bonkers way, rather good.
It includes cameos from Ludacris, Jeezy, 2 Chainz and Kelly Rowland and includes tracks called ‘Crazy Sex’ and, er, ‘Marry The Pussy’.
Even better is Benedict Cumberbatch reading the lyrics to Black Panties standout ‘Genius’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

James Vincent McMorrow is the guest vocalist – and video face – on ‘Awayfromhere’, a new tune from the caps and forward-slash loving NOCEREMONY////.

It’s culled from the Mancunian trio’s self-titled debut album, which is featuring on many a year-end list.

Dublin’s The Boxer Plot manage to sound like all the very best post-punk ‘80s outfits on this jingly and even more jangly free single.

FMF faves Tenonsaw do a bang up job of marrying U2’s ‘All I Want Is You’ to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want (For Christmas) Is You’ as a special festive “thank you” to fans.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds treat us to the very wonderful Live From KCRW – KCRW being one of America’s most influential indie rock stations.
From the opening ‘Higgs Boson Blues’ to ‘Jack The Ripper’, it’s a black-hearted, cloud over yer’ head joy.

Cut Copy take to the stage in New York for a scintillating 54-minute show that makes us really hope they come a visiting soon.

Ballet and bonking combine beautifully in the video for ‘Buildings’, the new single from Dublin hotshots Swords, which is directed by Bob Gallagher.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are the special guests on ‘Those Were The Days’, a fabulous slice of old skool hip hop from The Animators who get extra marks for shooting the accompanying video on a bandstand.
A welcome blast of summer to warm the winter cockles.

79 Cortinaz have come up with a Christmas cracker of a charity single for the Friends Of St. Luke who are involved in cancer care.
The achingly beautiful ‘Snowsmoke Seranade’ is available now from iTunes where you can download it as many times as you want and make a difference.

She’s been promising it for a while and now Lana Del Rey delivers – big time! – with her fantastical Tropico short. Well, it’s not that short with a running time of just over 27 minutes.
As you’d expect, Lana looks fabulous in a Mary Magdalene sort of a way.
It’s a John Wayne-esque western with added Elvis, Marilyn and, well, watch it yourself!

And there, we’re afraid, is where we have to leave you this week. Make sure to wring every ounce of enjoyment out of the coming 48 hours and keep sending your links to @stuartclark66