Free Music Friday

We were trying to work out some way of gifting you an ice cream too but, sadly, we haven't mastered the technology... yet!
That they sound like a glorious amalgam of Florence, HAIM and Cat Power explains why there's a huge Stateside buzz at the moment about The Mynabirds. Your free - but don't be shy about tipping! - introduction to the Californians comes courtesy of Noise Trade who also want you to meet close harmony Nashville popsters High Dive Heart and Sugar + The High Lows, another Music City duo with a penchant for radio friendly boy/girl breeziness.





To the streams now and NPR has the latest choice offerings from Walk Off The Earth, Richard Thompson, High On Fire, Heartless Bastards, Alpine and Saint Etienne songstress Sarah Cracknell whose new solo set, Red Kite, is a bit of a stunner; can sort you out with FFS, Hudson Mohawke, Akua Naru, Jack Savoretti, The Church, Jenny Hval, Damaged Bug, Danny & The Champions Of The World, Sharon Van Etten, Rolo Tomassi and Daughn Gibson, and the New York Times brings you the first album in 13 years from James Taylor who sounds extremely pleased to be back.
If you're into your dark wave - and, let's face it, who isn't? - may we point you in the direction of Face The Beat Session 2, a bumper 52-track name-your-price sampler from Brussels' Side-Line Magazine who seriously know their industrial/electro/goth stuff.

We can't decide whether they have the best or worst band name ever but, either way, you can bag yourself a free tune from Brooklyn folk poppers The Front Bottom by signing up at [link]widget-platform.fanbridge.com/widget/render/24056[/link]
Mixtape of the Week goes to Bowl King, a tough as tungsten Chicago rapper whose No Glorification set marks him out as a serious contender.


The North Sea treat us to an excellent mash-up vid for their equally excellent 'Decay' single, which was recorded in one take by Grammy award-winning producer Dave Odlum in France's Black Box Studios. The chaps launch their self-titled album on June 26 in Dublin's Grand Social.


We're also dead impressed with 'Can't Feel My Face', a funky devil of a new tune from The Weeknd, which nods furiously at Michael Jackson.

Despite stiff competition, the most amazing thing FMF has seen this week is Bjork's remarkable ten minute-plus'Black Lake' video.

Following their awesome Whelan's headliner, here's Ash doing their punk rock best to destroy the London XFM studios.



And that is our cue to (reluctantly, of course) down tools and head for Galway where Free Music Friday is lying on a beach for the weekend. Enjoy the rays and keep those links coming to @stuartclark66