Free Music Friday

So, it was Jonathan Walters who answered our call for one of the Class of ’15 to step up and join the likes of  Ray Houghton, Jason McAteer, David O’Leary and Alan McLoughlin in the pantheon of Irish goalscoring heroes.  It is to the Bosnian-bamboozling Stoke City man that we dedicate this latest quality collection of Free Music Friday downloads, streams, vids and trailers.
Having always been rather partial to The Jayhawks, FMF is beyond thrilled at bagging itself the 20-track – ample or what? – Live At The Belly Up album. Recorded at the start on 2015 in Solana Beach, California, it’s a reminder of what massive Americana heroes they are. There’s also lots of rootsy fun to be had on The Pilgrimage Sessions an accompaniment to the inaugural Franklin, Tennessee festival of the same name. The Lone Bellow, The Grand Southern, John & Jacob, Nawas and Nikki Lane are among the sampler standouts.


Brooklyn MC Junglepussy – we hate to think what the Google Search results will yield! – justifies the considerable hype with her Pregnant For Success album, “an ode to mothers, to all mothers, to anyone who's ever planted a seed, to anyone who's ever created something, to anyone who's ever waited patiently for something to come into fruition.”

Free Music Friday is mightily impressed by the self-titled album from Brandy Zdan, the Canadian maker of a big Jenny Lewis-esque noise who’s now residing in Nashville.

Brian Deedy previews his Non-Fiction album – out on December 4, kids! – with the delightfully funky ‘Clap Both My Hands’.

We are seriously loving ‘Medicine From Calgary’, a baroque pop song par excellence.

Massive Free Music Friday things are expected in 2016 of Elms, a band who achieve the impossible by out-falsettoing Wild Beasts. 

Girl Band have confirmed their biggest headlining Dublin show to date in Vicar St. on April 1, 2016. We’re not spoofing you! The Rough Trade recording artistes have also released a performance video to accompany ‘Baloo’, one of the serrated standouts from their tasty Holding Hands With Jamie album. 

Adele has live premiered another of the tracks from her 25 album, which drops today and is going to sell in stoopidly massive quantities. Recorded at The Church in London, ‘When We Were Young’ is, like ‘Hello’, a shout out to a former lover who’s probably raging he let the squillionaire go.

Bruce Springsteen has released preview footage from the new 1980 concert film of The River. Packing 24 songs into 2 hours, 40 minutes - the sets were starting to get longer and longer! - it’s a component part of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, which lands on December 4 and is previewed elsewhere on hotpress.com.

The highly-rated Saint Sister are letting you try their Madrid EP before you buy. Self-styled purveyors of atomsfolk, Megan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty have come an awfully long way in the year they’ve been together with a couple of choice Will Butler and San Fermin supports, and what many reckon to have been the standout Hard Working Class Heroes showcase set.

What kind of wonderfulness is this? Kylie and Dannii Minogue have made Free Music Friday very happy by joining forces on the ultra-disco ‘100 Degrees’. It’s taken from Christmas, the new Kylie album which also finds her singing with James Corden on ‘Only You’, Frank Sinatra (sort of!) on ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ and Iggy Pop who helps her reboot The Waitresses’ ‘Christmas Wrapping’.

The Christmas tunes are coming thick and fast with The Courteeners premiering their ‘Winter Wonderland’ single. Written by Liam Fray on Norah Jones’ piano - as you do! - the song was produced by legendary Smiths man Stephen Street and will benefit the Shelter homeless charity. It also graces a deluxe reissue of their fourth Concrete Love album, which is out on November 27.

In what is without doubt the biggest day for music all year - we trust you’ve been out and bought your Adele, Enya and Gavin James albums! – David Bowie has released a 10-minute film to celebrate the release of his ‘Blackstar’ album. There’s no Major Tom, junkie or otherwise, but the title-track from the Jones boy’s new album finds him back in space. Music-wise, it’s a ghostly sounding affair with lots of treated vocals, sax and other avant jazz embellishments. Bowie’s allowed himself to go grey and looks absolutely brilliant.

Pussy Riot have premiered their new ‘Refugees In’ video, which was shot in Banksy’s Dismaland.
“In Europe there is a virus, governments here are fucking liars,” the Russian art punks spit over a distorted techno beat. “There are people who need to flee, seeking refuge by land and sea. Push the borders, get no peace. Fuck the police, like we are in Greece. Refugees in, Nazis out.”
“Throughout the 18th and 19th century huge numbers from Sweden, Ireland and Italy emigrated across the Atlantic to find work, and the US became a shining example of how dynamic a country of immigrants can be,” collective member Nadya Tolokonnikova tells The Guardian.
“If David Cameron calls migrants a swarm of people then to counter his rhetoric we have to show migrants our warmth and solidarity. We can fundraise, create apps for migrants to use and build houses and shelters in the “jungle” refugee camp in Calais. Or, like the people of Iceland offering safety to 10,000 refugees, we can open up our homes.”

California’s very fine KCRW radio station was Coolness Central this week as both Disclosure and Courtney Barnett paid them visits. The lucky so & sos!


And that’s where our hook has to be slung for another week. Free Music Friday is in the Lebanon next week – all will be explained on Monday! – so we’ll see you in a fortnight. In the meantime, keep those links coming to @stuartclark66