Free Music Friday

You can say what you like about U2’s iTunes hook-up - and believe us, you have! - but the vinyl version of Songs Of Innocence is a thing of shiny 12” beauty. Despite the distraction of its arrival in HP Towers, we’ve still managed to assemble a monumental Free Music Friday jammed with tasty tunes and vids.
Jackson Browne was in suitably legendary form when he performed this acoustic download set for American National Public Radio. It’s a big week for the singer with the release of his 14th studio album, Standing In The Breach, and a 66th birthday party to attend.

Our fave Free Music Friday thing this time round though is STN MTN: Kauai, a belting four-tracker from Childish Gambino.

The London-born, New York-domiciled Espa also has a deliciously soulful EP that’s yours in return for signing up to her [link]www.espamusic.com[/link] mailing-list.

As if we weren’t already excited enough about him and the Sensational Space Shifters visiting Dublin and Belfast next month, Robert Plant performed an outrageously good show last week in Brooklyn which is available for your full-length viewing pleasure.
Also playing a blinder on the other side of the continent was Jack White whose two-hour set in Hollywood’s Fonda Theater can be perused at [link]npr.org/event/music/319666614/live-tuesday-jack-white-in-concert?autoplay=true[/link]

Free Music Friday is loving this free single from Limerick alt. rockers Going 90 which is produced by Windings’ Mike Gave and mastered by Richard Dowling whose CV includes The Kinks, Interpol and Foo Fighters.
A poptastic maelstrom of fuzzy guitars – think Two Door Cinema Club slugging it out with Interpol – it marks the chaps out as real ones to watch.

To the streams now and [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] has the latest from Iceage, Paul White, North Atlantic Oscillation, Pissed Jeans, Wampire, Minus The Bear, Steve Gunn, Sofie Winterson, Caribou, Bass Drum Of Death and Philip Selway; Stars, Meatbodies, Bing & Ruth, Frazey Ford, Angaleena Presley and Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn want you to sample their wares at [link]www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link]; The usual geophysical niceties apply but depending on where you and your device happen to be [link]albumstreams.com[/link] can sort you out with Nico & Vinz, Andrew McMahon, Screaming Females, Kele Okereke, Dads, The 2 Bears, Obliterations, Greylag, … And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, OK GO, Jessie Ware, Akine, Alunageorge and Stevie Nicks; [link]www.theguardian.com/music/series/album-streams[/link] is has the newbies from Kindness and Alecia Moore, AKA Pink, who’s made a stunning record with City And Colour man Dallas Green, and [link]www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=2&[/link] has Kenny Barron & Dave Holland’s Thelonius Monk-inspired The Art Of Conversation as its Album of the Week.
SOAK has premiered this atmospheric black & white video for her new ‘B a noBody’ single, which gets its 7” vinyl release here on October 31.
The single receives a live airing on November 8 when Ms. Monds-Watson plays Dublin’s Unitarian Church.
If for any reason this music lark doesn’t work out, we reckon she should join the professional skateboard circuit!
 
If you’ve spent the past 48 hours in a sensory deprivation tank you mightn’t yet have seen the BBC Music remaking of ‘God Only Knows’, which finds Beach Boy-in-chief Brian Wilson joined by everyone from Lorde, Elton John and Eliza Carthy to Stevie Wonder, Kylie and Baaba Maal.
There’s an Irish representative too with Niall Horan joining his One Direction bandmates on the set. We’re not sure if it’s the most prudent use of BBC licence-payers’ money but it sounds and looks epic!


Kicking off this week’s Noise Trade goodies are Young Rebel Set, a Middlesbrough outfit with a Delgados connection and a penchant for Mumford-esque alt. folk.
Also generously treating us to a free album is Davin McCoy whose Feeling Whiskey Sexy – great title! – is a soulful southern treat.
Completing an impressive triple-whammy is Rabbit, Run For It, a taster EP from Lilly & Madeleine’s upcoming Rabbit album, which also includes some ace acoustic cuts.




Mark Kozalek has ratcheted up his beef with Adam Granduciel & Co. by penning a tune called ‘War On Drugs: Suck My Cock’, which gives what he calls “the whitest band I’ve ever heard” both barrels.
It’s also likely to rankle the people down Raleigh, North Carolina way who he describes as “fucking hillbillies.”
Rumours that The War On Drugs are busily recording ‘Mark Kozalek: Kiss My Ringpiece’ cannot be confirmed.

Hot Press<'i> fave Chris Haze has come up with this gorgeous cover of The Script’s ‘Superheroes’.
Ask him nicely and the Galwegian might play it when he descends on Flannery’s Bar (October 9) and Fitzsimons, Temple Bar (10) as part of the Dublin Guinness Amplify festivities.

Ciaran Lavery has once again let Bitter Rocc run visual riot with the promo for his ‘Orphan’ single.

Say “howaya!” to the New York Dollies, three London ladies who specialise in 1950s-style doo wop covers of punk classics. We can’t decide whether this is a good or a bad thing…

If you weren’t glued to BBC Breakfast yesterday morning shortly after 9am you might have missed John Lydon talking about his new Anger Is An Energy memoir - something he also does rather wonderfully in the next issue of Hot Press, out next Thursday.

And that’s yer’ Free Music Friday lot for another week. We’re off to wear our Songs Of Innocence vinyl smooth. Have a great weekend and keep them links coming to @stuartclark66