Picture This, Richard Thompson, Gaga, Bastille & DJ Shadow star in Free Music Friday

We’re equal parts happy and sad as we bring you the final Free Music Friday of 2016, a year that has been blighted by the loss of so many of our musical legends, but lit up by the new generation of artists following in their wake.

We kick off on a seasonal note with this handsome offering from Picture This. Feck all that X Factor baloney, make Jimmy and Ryan the Irish Xmas No. 1!

Richard Thompson has a name your price Acoustic Classics Volume 1 sampler, which includes amazing renditions of ‘I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight’ and ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’.

Another of our favourite Free Music Friday things this week is an early years Best Of from Michael Stipe’s bezzie, Viv Chesnutt, which celebrates the vinyl re-release of his first four albums.

We’re loving the look of Beep: A Documentary History Of Game Sound, which goes all the way back to the pinging of Victorian penny arcades, and includes contributions from people involved with such mega-games as Halo, Tomb Raider, Jurassic Park: Operation and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. The accompanying soundtrack is tasty too.

Bountiful as ever, American NPR treats us to Tiny Desk Concerts from Gucci Mane and awesome Sudanese outfit Alsarah & The Nubatones who will blow your ears and minds equally.

It’s a Free Music Friday “howaya!” to Danielle Duval, a Toronto native who’s already big news at home thanks to her T.Rex, LCD Soundsystem and Blondie-inspired glam-ery.

Those of a trad disposition will love Hibernia, a 15-tracker from former Celtic Woman fiddler and proud Tipperary woman Máiréad Nesbitt.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah preview their Fireproof album – due in February, indie kids! – with the maraca-shaking ‘Fireproof’.

This week’s eye candy includes hot new vids from DJ Shadow, Bastille, Lady Gaga, Slaves and Elbow.

It’s not even Crimbo yet, but already Free Music Friday’s thoughts have turned to 2017 and the delights it will undoubtedly bring. Here are a small handful of the acts certain to be gracing our New Year pages. The fresh-faced hopefuls in question hail from Cobh, Limerick, the Ukraine and Noo Yawk.

And that’s your Free Music Friday lot for not just the week but, sniff, the year. Thanks to everybody who’s clicked on, sent us links and generally made us feel very loved in 2016. Happy Christmas all, and keep bombarding @stuartclark66 with tunes and vids.