FREE MUSIC FRIDAY

The Bank Holiday is within touching distance and to celebrate we have a seriously bumper Free Music Friday for you. Nothing like a good ol' rake of free tunes of a Friday right? Let's get to it...

First up, you can listen to Tom Waits and (if you dare) Lou Reed & Metallica’s respective new albums in their entirety at [link]www.npr.org/2011/10/23/141565981/first-listen-tom-waits-bad-as-me[/link] and [link]www.loureedmetallica.com[/link]

Don’t have a soundtrack for your Halloween party? You do now courtesy of the guys and ghouls at [link]www.monstermashups.co.uk[/link]

Orbital celebrate their getting back together – we’re hearing whispers of Irish dates in April – by giving away a lurvely new tune @ [link]soundcloud.com/orbital-4/never[/link]

The Most Generous Record Company Of The Week Award goes to Fat Cat and their 130701 subsidiary who are both giving away digital samplers featuring the likes of The Twilight Sad, Mazes and the quite brilliant We Were Promised Jetpacks. Go to [link]www.fat-cat.co.uk/iceland[/link] and [link]www.130701.com[/link] now.

Cork electro merchants Versives kindly gift us their new ‘Two Enemies’ single and its epic ‘All In Arrival’ flip. Quality stuff @ [link]www.versives.bandcamp.com[/link]

FMF regulars Valentino Is Dead continue their DEAD Acoustic Sessions with a nifty version of the Irish National Anthem, AKA The Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’.

We are seriously loving the blippy – if it’s not a word, it should be – makeover Sacred Animals has given Owensie’s ‘Cat And Mouse’. Grab it @ [link]soundcloud.com/sacredanimals[/link]

Swedish indie darlings The Sounds go electroclash on their new offering. Off to [link]mp3.rollingstone.com/download/04BetterOffDead.mp3[/link] with you.

Quality acoustic fare from Dublin singer-songwriter Steve McCann including a nifty cover of ‘Hit The Road Jack’. We shall be hearing more from this gentleman. Go to [link]www.soundcloud.com/steven-mccann[/link]

Chris Cornell gives us a first taster from his live solo acoustic album, Songbook, which hits the racks here on November 18. Give it a whirl @ [link]soundcloud.com/chriscornell/chris-cornell-cleaning-my-gun[/link]

Also trailing their new album are Nada Surf who treat us to five deliciously blessed out minutes from The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy – brilliant title! – which is due in mid-January. Hear it @ [link]soundcloud.com/cityslang/nada-surf-when-i-was-young[/link]

What Mike Skinner did next! Post-Streets tuneage from the Birmingham boy who’s now in cahoots with Rob Harvey, former frontman of The Music. Hear what they're up to over @ [link]www.the-dot.net[/link]

Sophie Ellis-Bextor covers Arcade Fire’s ‘Rebellion (Lies)’. No, really! See what you think after going to [link]soundcloud.com/pop-labyrinth/sophie-ellis-bextor-rebellion[/link]

UK synthpop duo Monarch team up with former Mini Viva woman Britt Love. Serious funkiness ensues @ [link]www.wearepopslags.com/free-download-monarchy-ft-britt-love-you-dont-want-to-dance-with-me[/link]

The former Everything But The Girl songstress Tracey Thorn returns with a sumptuous The xx cover @ [link]soundcloud.com/mergerecords/tracey-thorn-night-time-the-xx[/link]

No FMF would be complete without summat from The National who this week cover Connecticut experimentalists Philistines Jr. As usual it’s thoroughly gorgeous! Go to [link]www.covermesongs.com/MP3s/News1011/27TwentyMilestoNH.mp3[/link]

Coldplay’s Rihanna obsession continues with Chris Martin and the chaps getting to grips with Ms. Fenty’s ‘We Found Love’. We really can’t decide if we like it or not. See for yourself at [link]soundcloud.com/coverme/coldplay-we-found-love-rihanna[/link]

Letterkenny ambient merchant Alaskan has come up with an ace remix of Crosses’ ‘This Is A Trick’ @ [link]soundcloud.com/mercuryavenue/crosses-this-is-a-trick[/link]

If it’s “thoughtful melody, screeching guitars, blissful chimes and clouds of effected space” you’re after, look no further than Killarney instrumentalists Leaflog. Catch them @ [link]leaflog.bandcamp.com[/link] and [link]www.leaflogtheband.com[/link]

Ever wondered what 65daysofstatic would sound like fronted by Robert Smith? Here’s your answer! That's available @ [link]mp3.rollingstone.com/download/06_ComeToMe.mp3[/link]