Free Music Friday

While employers mightn't be overly pleased with Shane Long's Germany beating screamer last night - "Sorry, I can't come in today, I've, er, a touch of the flu..." - the rest of the country is in celebratory mood and ready no doubt for another quality Free Music Friday collection of downloads, streams, vids and trailers. Let us also congratulate our northern cousins who are 100% definitely France-bound next summer for their first ever European Championship adventure. We're all friends until we meet in the final!

Josh Ritter is streaming his new album, Sermon On The Hill, which he describes as “messianic oracular honky tonk.” He certainly comes over all Nick Cave-style demon preacher on the opening ‘Birds Of The Meadow’ before getting that piano out and downing some bourbon on ‘Young Moses’. It’s a cracking collection of songs with lots of layers to peel back. Enjoy!

Also debuting their new albums on NPR are Roots associate Son Little; the assorted artists including The Flaming Lips, Sharon Van Etten and Hamilton Leithauser who are paying tribute to their hero - and Mallow resident - Donovan; Brooklyn synth-poppers Small Black, and Chris Walla who after 17-years in Death Cab For Cutie has gotten round to releasing a solo album.

The Subways are giving away - but don't be shy about tipping! - Burning Heart, a four-track EP featuring tunes from their new self-titled album and a couple of its predecessors.

Currently in promo mode for the re-release of his Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace albums - the former is essential, the latter less so - Paul McCartney has dropped an eyecatching video to go with the 2015 updating of his and Michael Jackson's 'Say Say Say'. With some Daft Punk-style vocodering and a new, even funkier bassline the 1983 chart-topper is likely to find a fresh audience as well as keeping Macca and Jacko's old ones happy.

The Coronas get extremely mucky in the Across The World In 80 Music Videos clip for 'Get Loose'. The band are pelted with paint, food, toilet paper, confetti and other assorted gunk as they stroll across a Dublin field, only to mysteriously end up their usual impeccably groomed selves.

Kudos to Cult Called Man who've come up with this nifty cover of The Weeknd's chart conquering 'Can't Feel My Face'. Wearers of some seriously snazzy shirts, the Meath outfit have been causing a major stir with their Mr. Wednesdae EP, which you can try before you buy below.

Sky Atlantic have posted the opening credits and music for their new pan-European heist drama, The Last Panthers, which starts with a daring diamond robbery in Paris. It’s not just any old music, with David Bowie supplying the tune that director Johan Renck describes as “dark, brooding, beautiful and sentimental.”
“A stellar cast is led by Samantha Morton as Naomi, a British loss adjustor charged with recovering the stolen diamonds whatever the cost,” the Sky blurb tells us. “ John Hurt portrays Tom, her nefarious boss. Also in pursuit is a French-Algerian policeman Khalil, played by Tahar Rahim, one of France's most talented and versatile actors.” The Last Panthers premieres in November.

Despite it clashing with the third night of the Hard Working Class Heroes showcase festival, Girls Names' Whelan's show on Saturday was very healthily attended. It's not hard to understand why given the surfeit of quality tunes on the Belfast combo's Arms Around A Vision album, which they're very kindly streaming in full. If you've had past hankerings for The Fall, Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen, you're going to love this lot!

The first trailer has been released for Vinyl, the Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger and Terence Winter series that premieres Stateside on HBO in January. Set in 1970s New York, it's billed as "a ride through the sex and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop. The show is seen through the eyes of a record label president, Richie Finestra, played by Bobby Cannavale, who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path. Additional series regulars include Olivia Wilde, Ray Romano, Ato Essandoh, Max Casella, P.J. Byrne, J.C. MacKenzie, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Juno Temple, Jack Quaid, James Jagger and Paul Ben-Victor." We cannot wait!

October 16 marks the release of Ireland Laid Bare, a tasty compilation from the folk at Lonely Child Records who've bagged choice cuts from Mr North, Nella, Peter M. Smith, Robb Murphy, Jem Mitchell, Quincy & Frankie McNamara, Rooftop Anthem, Aine Cahill, JD Kelleher, Chris Haze, Alan Fitzsimons, Simon Casey, Jessica Molloy, Red Empire, Cota and Robbie Doyle. What's striking is the diverse range of backgrounds - some are fresh-faced young guitarslingers; quite a few have TV talent show backgrounds and, now based in America, Mr North having been making really great records since the '90s without scoring the commercial breakthrough they deserve.
Hopefully Ireland Laid Bare will help alter this state of affairs!

EL VY make us even more impatient for their self-titled debut album - out on October 30, pop pickers - with this lyric video for 'Paul Is Alive'. The collaboration between The National's Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls fame touches down in Dublin on December 13 for a show in Vicar St.

After a couple of teaser clips, the BBC have released the first full trailer for the Christmas episode of Sherlock, which takes Holmes and Watson back to Victorian-era London. Seeing as the titular sleuth is a violin virtuoso, we're letting it sneak into Free Music Friday!

Having brought you exclusive details of her Dark Sky Island album yesterday, here's a first earful Enya's new single, 'Echoes In Rain'. An insanely catchy blast of multi-layered orchestral pop, it is going to be huge!

And that's your Free Music Friday lot for another week. The way the gods have conspired, Sunday will be one of the biggest days in Irish sporting history with wins in both footie and rugby guaranteeing record absenteeism rates the following day.
In the meantime, keep them links coming to @stuartclak66