You find Free Music Friday caught up in a veritable whirlpool of excitement. With the culmination of the Six Nations, loads of American cheerleaders in town for the ‘St. Patty’s Day’ celebrations and Everton poised to put serious manners on Cardiff City, it’s shaping up to be one hell of a weekend.

Our favourite FMF thing this week is ‘Hero Hero Hero’, the funky punky new tune Diplo, Frank Ocean, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon have assembled for Converse. It truly is a thing of wonderment.

America’s NPR treats us to a free acoustic download set from Jake Bugg, which draws from both his self-titled debut album and its Shangri La follow-up.
Needless to say, it’s quality fare from the oldest-sounding 20-year-old in the world.

NPR would also like you to meet Lowland Hum, a loved up North Carolina alt. folk duo who should get themselves over here pronto.

[link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] is home to new album streams from HARK, Tycho, Architects, Joan As Police Woman, Sleepy Sun, Micah P. Hinson, Death Vessel and Linda Perhacs; [link]www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link] spoils us further with the latest from Kevin Drew, Ana Tijoux, Ambrose and, er, Perfect Pussy and depending on where you and your computer happen to be residing [link]albumstreams.com[/link] has juicy new tuneage from Foster The People, Memphis May Fire, Tame Impala, Say Lou Lou, Coves, The Coathangers, Tying Tiffany, Lyla Foy, The Olympic Symphonium, Pif Paf Hangover, Ringworm, My Sad Captains and Monolithium.

The War On Drugs’ immense new album, Lost In The Dream, gets a pre-release airing at [link]www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/mar/10/the-war-on-drugs-lost-in-the-dream-album-stream[/link] while Kylie Minogue’s Kiss Me Once also sounds the biz at [link]www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/mar/10/kylie-minogue-kiss-me-once-album-stream[/link]
Both streams are likely to be short-term, so pounce now!

Also available for your pre-release listening pleasure at [link]www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/19196/1/skrillex-streams-new-album-on-dazed[/link] is the debut from Skrillex, Recess, which brews up a veritable EDM storm. Ragga Twins, Fatman Scoop, Chance The Rapper and Diplo – him again! – guest on a record that’ll be soundtracking a lot of people’s 2014.

We are loving this live drawing video for PictureHouse’s ‘Rules Of Science’, which pays tribute to Nelson Mandela.
The man wielding the charcoal is Barry Jazz Finnegan, a visual artist who recently completed another amazing image of Bob Marley.

Irish electro merchants Faune are trading the rather banging ‘Bring Your Mind’ for a [link]www.facebook.com/FauneBand/app_220150904689418[/link] like.

Also in generous mood is the vowel-dropping WKND whose ‘Lost’ is a deliciously ambient treat.

Our Noise Trade friends weigh in with Ray Elementary, a free (but you’re welcome to tip) album from Chicago rap twosome Mulatto Patriot who are purveyors of melodic De La Soul-style positivity.
Free Music Friday is also very much liking Filial, a San Franciscan band who are the missing link between The National and The Lumineers.

Franz Ferdinand prove to be cunning linguists with new German language track ‘Erdbeer Mund’, which comes with a fabulously psychedelic video.
Lead singer duties fall on this occasion to Nick McCarthy who appears to have raided the Boots make-up counter. It’s the flip side of their ‘Fresh Strawberries’ single, which is out here on April 4.

A Daft Punk collaborative effort featuring Jay-Z has surfaced online and, not surprisingly, is racking up the hits.
Recorded with their Tron: Legacy soundtrack in mind but rejected by the Frenchmen for unspecified reasons, ‘Computerized’ nods furiously towards Kraftwerk and is easily the best top 10 hit neither party has had.

The first clips have been released of All Is By My Side, the Jimi Hendrix biopic starring Andre ‘3000’ Benjamin, which was partially assembled in Dublin and Wicklow a couple of years back.
The Outkast man certainly looks the part in the John Ridley written and directed movie, which goes on general release later in the year.
There’s also a first gander at Frank, the new film from Lenny Abrahamson, which tells the tragicomic story of Frank Sidebottom, AKA Manchester musical eccentric Chris Sievey.

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Okay, Free Music Friday is off to get its face painted for tomorrow’s rugby. Will it be ‘Fields Of Athenry’, ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ or some French monstrosity that will be sung in celebration come 6.35-ish on Saturday night? We shall see! In the meantime, keep them links coming to @stuartclark66