FREE MUSIC FRIDAY

Free Music Friday has flitted off to Stockholm for the weekend – reindeer and ice-cold schnapps are being downed as we speak – but not before bequeathing you another batch of downloads, streams and videos that won’t cost you a brass cent.

First, let's head straight to [link]npr.org/music[/link] where if you poke around sufficiently you’ll find streams of the new THEESatisfaction, Esperanza Spalding and Gift Of The Gab albums and live SXSW sets from Andrew Bird, Dan Deacon, Sharon Van Etten, Alabama Shakes and the super-hip Polica.

On the Broooce front, watch The Boss’ sublime keynote SXSW address at [link]npr.org/2012/03/16/148778665/bruce-springsteens-sxsw-2012-keynote-speech[/link] and marvel at how many famous musician pals he has below.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie cover) from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

Video proof that And So I Watch You From Afar and The Minutes both went down a storm in Austin is available at [link]venueone.com/index.php#!/stage[/link] – just scroll along the menu and Bob’s your dad’s brother.

Our suspicions that Belfast’s runawayGo are going to be stooopidly big are confirmed by the video they’ve made for their ‘Electric’ single, which is out on April 6.

We’ve never heard of Bunny Hill before, but she has a beautiful, stripped-down version of Iron Maiden’s ‘Run To The Hills’ available for free [link]covermesongs.com/MP3s/News0312/21RuntotheHills.mp3[/link] download.

Free Music Friday has heard of Hiss Golden Messenger, AKA North Carolina’s slightly weird-beard MC Taylor, whose new Paper Moon album can be listened to in its entirety at [link]oxfordamerican.org/articles/2012/mar/20/hiss-golden-messenger-album-stream[/link]

For all their shameless ripping off of The Runaways, we rather like the free [link]cherribombband.com[/link] tune being given away by the titular UK glam rockettes.

SXSW buzz band Ringo Deathstar – it’s either the best or worst band name ever – and the Body & Soul headlining M83 are also gifting free tunes at [link]brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/03/ringo_deathstar_1.html[/link] and [link]xlr8r.com/mp3/2012/03/reunion-tropics-remix[/link] while [link]rcrdlbl.com/2012/03/15/download_orbital_new_france_feat_zola_jesus_l_vis_1990_s_rewound_mix_[/link] is home to a tasty Orbital and Zola Jesus remix.

As a final farewell to their fans, Grinderman have come up with a remix, collaboration and general odds ‘n’ sods collection previewing at [link]guardian.co.uk/music/2012/mar/20/grinderman-nick-cave-2-rmx-stream?newsfeed=true[/link]

The Cowboy Junkies indulge in their customary audio deliciousness on The Wilderness, which you can try before you buy at [link]pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2012/03/album-stream-cowboy-junkies-the-wilderness.html[/link]

Next to [link]reginaspektor.com[/link] where the lovely, if slightly bonkers Russian-American is treating us to new track 'All The Rowboats'. The parent album follows in late May.

There's also some elpee previewing going on at [link]store.cornershop.com[/link] where Tjinder & Ben are streaming 'Mikin' It', which features the honeyed tones of In Light Of Aquarius.

Garbage are back with a rocking new track, ‘Blood For Poppies’, which is available from [link]garbage.com[/link] for the price of an email address.

There are also four free live tunes to be had by supplying [link]deadcandance.com[/link] with your contact details.

On the home front, Cork punks Dead School have their new 'Incisions' single streaming @ [link]dead-school.restorm.com/songs/61607[/link]

Not content with paying a Friday March 23 visit to Dublin's Twisted Pepper, the very much larger than life Action Bronson supplies us with a free [link]datpiff.com/Action-Bronson-Blue-Chips-mixtape.324586.html mix-tape[/link], which kicks like a very kicky mule.

Just when we thought we couldn’t love The Maccabees any more they go and serve up a delicious acoustic cover of The Black Keys’ ‘Lonely Boy’ for BBC Radio One’s Live Lounge.

The list of music-related documentaries FMF has to see grows longer with Inside Out paying tribute to U2, Bruce Springsteen, Depeche Mode and, well, just about everybody good snapper Anton Corbijn.

Free Music Friday bids you a fond ‘farewell’ this week with the new videos from The Kanyu Tree – watch out for a famous footie face at the end – and Hot Press faves Neon Wolf, which is directed by the equally wonderful Leo Pearson.

Have a fab weekend – at least there's no Six Nations game for Ireland to lose – and make sure to send all your lovely links to @stuartclark66 for next week’s Free Music Friday.