Free Music Good Friday~!

Yes, yes, it's a day early but is that such a terrible thing? As our readers prepare for a day of alcohol-free piety – personally, we’re planning to don horse hair shirts and self-flagellate every hour, on the hour – Hot Press is delighted to bring you a special Free Music Good Friday (On A Thursday)

Never have so many songs of love, devotion and inspiration been assembled in the one place.

First to our Dutch friends [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] who have new album streams from Black Dice, Sleepy Sun, Lightships, Bettie Serveert, Alabama Shakes, De La Soul and Clark (no relation) plus Gemma Hayes’ 2011 Let It Break collection, which is being released this month in the lowlands.

Over at [link]npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link] you can cop an earful of Bonnie Raitt, Amadou & Mariam and M. Ward who’s A Wasteland Companion is getting some serious airplay this week in HP Towers.

Not to be outdone [link]music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/1[/link] has Paul Van Dyk, Ian Anderson, Chase & Status, Wilson Phillips, Firehose, David Sylvian, Chantal Claret and – swoon! – Breton among its streamable treats.

[link]soundcloud.com/logikparty/sets/oh-cult?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=raw&utm_content=http://soundcloud.com/logikparty/sets/oh-cult[/link] is home to a full stream of Dublin electro-funk punks Logikparty’s new album, Oh Cult!. Older members of Team Hot Press have been heard to mutter “The Slits”, “Delta Five” and “The Mo-dettes” while listening to its bounteous delights.

Soon to stream on hotpress.com, The Riptide Movement’s Keep On Keepin’ On album is trailed by the rather gorgeous ‘Thieves In The Gallery’ and its equally rosemantic period drama vid. We never knew that Mal and the boys were such sensitive souls! Read lots about them in our next issue.

Florence Welch & Josh Homme follow in Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra, John Carter & June Carter Cash and Graham & Mairin Keogh’s footsteps by covering the wonderful ‘Jackson’. It’s one of the standouts from Flo’s MTV Unplugged collection, which drops tomorrow and also includes a cracking Otis Redding cover and stripped down versions of her biggest hits.

[link]mediafire.com/?at6la41pydop623[/link] is home to a free Titus Andronicus mixtape, which includes a suitably rambunctious version of Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’. It took us a few goes to get it to download, but the effort was worth it!

Next to [link]hotpress.com/Counting-Crows/news/LISTEN-New-covers-album-from-Counting-Crows/8803485.html?new_layout=1[/link] where courtesy of that nice Mr. Duritz you can hear the whole of Counting Crow’s excellent new covers album, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation), which includes tunes penned by the likes of Big Star, Gram Parsons, Rod Stewart and Fairport Convention.

Giant Sand preview June’s Tuscon album with a free [link]soundcloud.com/firerecords/giant-giant-sand-forever-and-a[/link] download of one its yee-hawin’ stand-outs.

Our second video treat this week comes from The Hard Ground, the Cork girl-boy duo formerly known as Berries Blue. Their ‘Pawn’ single is a thing of gentle beauty and available now on iTunes.

Staying in The People’s Republic, The Empire Lights have come up with an equally striking promo for their ‘Momentum’ single.

Ahead of their upcoming Croke Park headliner, the Chili Peppers are giving away, giving away now! five live tracks in return for registering at [link]hotpress.com/Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers/news/LISTEN-Free-RHCP-download/8803426.html?new_layout=1[/link]. Which we think you’ll agree is a pretty decent deal!

Matching the Chili Peppers are Hot Press’ very good friends Sounds Of System Breakdown who have five remixes up for grabs at [link]soundsofsystembreakdown.bandcamp.com/album/others-remixes[/link]

It doesn't drop here until April 13, but you can check out the excellent new single from Waterford’s Solar Taxi now at [link]hotpress.com/Solar-Taxi/news/LISTEN-Solar-Taxi-single/8803411.html?new_layout=1[/link]. If there’s any justice in this rock ‘n’ roll world of ours, ‘Zodiac’ will be played to death by Irish radio and storm into the top 10. Come on programme directors, let’s make it happen!

We’re delighted to report that Django Django’s eponymous debut album is streaming again at [link]musicfeeds.com.au/news/listen-django-django-django-django-full-album-stream[/link] ahead of its Orstralian release.

You can also check out dozens of hot new Aussie and New Zealand acts at [link]musicfeeds.com.au/audio[/link]

In a stellar display of generosity, [link]fightingwithwire.co.uk[/link] finds the northern noiseniks giving away ‘Colonel Blood’, the first taster from their new album, which follows in May and according to our studio spies is a belter.

The Karen Carpenter-tastic Rumer is back and – appropriately! – gifting us a cover of John Sebastian’s ‘Welcome Back’ at [link]rumer.co.uk[/link]

Does Kanye ever take a day off? There’s new tuneage from Kanye and DJ Khaled at [link]soundcloud.com/djrellyrell/kanye-west-big-sean-pusha-t-dj[/link]

He still rocks. But far more quietly. And with vocals. And a harp. Former ASIWYFA man Tony Wright has struck gold with his new VerseChorusVerse project as this live version of 'Spiders' amply demonstrates: [link]giftedlive.com/03/versechorusverse-spiders-performed-for-giftedlive-com-on-290312[/link]

Another band whose generosity knows no bounds are Freezer Rooms, a Cork collective featuring the likes of Graham White, Elaine Dowling, Rory Dempsey, Diarmuid Galvan and Jean Michel Cavallo whose eponymous debut album is available for free [link]freezerroom.bandcamp.com[/link] download.

It’s into the Free Music Good Friday (On A Thursday) home straight now with video fun from Win Win featuring Spank Rock and the Dublin-bound Andrew WK.

It’s not music we know, but you absolutely have to check out the trailer for HBO’s new series, The Newsroom, which by the sound of it is going to have a very rocking and rolling soundtrack.

We're also loving Dublin rockers Bouts' promo for new single 'Turn Away'.

Marilyn Manson is back with ‘No Reflection’, in our humble opinion his best single in donkey’s years. The promo clip is pretty nifty too!

It’s great to see our favorite Cov reproprates firing on all cylinders again. The Enemy's ‘Saturday’ single suggests Noel Gallagher has picked the right support for his upcoming Belsonic gig!

Which sadly brings us to the end of Free Music Good Friday (On A Thursday). Have a great Bank Holiday – except for tomorrow when you should all be miserable, God-fearing and above all sober fuckers – and we'll catch you in a week's time. Don't forget to keep sending your lovely links to @stuartclark66