Rihanna, Elliott Smith, Cian Nugent & Wiz Khalifa lead the Free Music Friday charge

As traumatised as it is by Everton's League Cup capitulation at the Etihad, Free Music Friday has still managed to assemble a collection of downloads, streams, vids and trailers that will thrill, delight and amaze, and are yours for the price of a mouse-click.

Our resident Toffees fan aside, it's been non-stop booty shaking at HP Central these past 48 hours courtesy of Rihanna and her new ANTI album, which appeared like magic on Thursday at [link]rihanna.tidal.com/redeem/?voucher=ANTI[/link]
Being complete nosey parkers, we'd love to know how much Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service paid RiRi for a record that probably would have sold at least a couple of million copies. Free or not, it's a belter which finds the Barbadian spreading her musical and lyrical wings... and then some!

Whilst almost unbearably poignant, Free Music Friday's favourite thing this week is the soundtrack to the Elliott Smith documentary, Heaven Adores You. It's a treasure trove for fans with over an hour of alternate takes, works in progress, and festival and TV performances. The film itself is an absolute must-see.

Back in the saddle Britpoppers Cast gift us 'Baby Blue Eyes', the first taster from a new album that's out in March. Newly acquired facial hair aside, it's good to have the Scouse scamps back.

Cian Nugent is letting you try his new Night Fiction album before you buy. The subject of some very tasty reviews, it suggests that 2016 could be a breakthrough year for the Dubliner who, after two mainly instrumental outings, has now fully embraced this singing lark.

To celebrate his new album, The Narrows, which drops courtesy of Yep Roc on March 18, Grant-Lee Phillips has put together a six-track primer drawing on every phase of his 16-year solo career.

Also new and free - but you're welcome to tip! - from Noise Trade is Brooke Waggoner's Sweven EP, which confirms that the Nashville songstress should be waaaaay bigger than she is.

Completing a very fine Noise Trade hat-trick is a bumper 25-track mixtape looking forward to May's Hangout festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Lizzo, Run The Jewels, Pell, Moon Taxi, Courtney Barnett and Mayer Hawthorne are among the highlights.

This week's hot streaming action continues with a double gem from Lucinda Williams, the country maven whose voice sounds like it's been matured in an oak whiskey barrel; the extremely frisky new one from Canadian electro merchants Junior Boys and Philly psych rockers Dr. Dog whose wig is even more out than usual.

Of the several attempts to break the internet this week, our favourite is Wiz Khalifa's freestyle turning of Adele's 'Hello' into a stoner anthem - sample lyric: "Open up and let's get high/I am trying to get fried." Performed on Los Angeles' Power 106 radio station, it's already been viewed over a million times on YouTube.

First Wiz Khalifa gets Adele's 'Hello' royally stoned, now Hozier's 'Take Me To Church' is given a frenzied goth kicking by Los Angeles' Vampires Everywhere! The second single to be taken from their Ritual album, it features guest screaming from Chelsea Grin's Alex Koehler. It shouldn't work but amazingly does!

American NPR celebrated its 500th Tiny Desk Concert with an absolute stormer from Dan Auerbach's latest flight of musical fancy, The Arcs. No. 499 was Wolf Alice who do the stripped down thing exceptionally well too.

Massive Attack have premiered the video for 'Take It There', one of the tunes from their new Ritual Spirit EP. It's directed by Hiro Murai who's previously worked with the likes of Childish Gambino, Chet Faker and Earl Sweatshirt and stars the Oscar-nominated John Hawkes of American Gangster and Lincoln fame. More importantly for Wild Bunch fans it finds Tricky returning to the fold and contributing to a tune that's by turns dangerously dark and deliciously poppy.

We're loving this promo for 'Want What You Want', the first song to be lifted from Hotel On Mars' Don't Feel Like Daylight album, which receives its official February 19 launch in the Grand Social, Dublin. There really aren't enough hurley-brandishing madmen in music videos these days...

A new Animal Collective tune can be bagged by downloading their fancy paintbox App.

We're delighted to make the acquaintance of The Glass Child, AKA Charlotte Erikkson, who's done a bang up job of covering Damien Rice's 'Older Chests'. The 18-year-old Swede also pens a fine tune herself.

It was superstar tribute time last weekend as Dave Grohl, Robert Trujillo, Dave Lombardo, and Phil Anselmo bashed out a brutal (but in a good way!) version of 'Ace Of Spades' for their old pal Lemmy. The quartet were taking part in the annual Dimebash gathering in Hollywood to honour Pantera's Dimebag Darrell who was shot dead on stage in 2004 by a former marine. Meanwhile, the BBC debuted Lemmy: In His Own Words, a mini-doc drawing on archive interviews with the great man.

The Weeknd, Pharrell Williams, Kobe Bryant, Mark Ronson, John Legend, Questlove, L.A. Reid, his parents Katherine and Joe, and his brothers Jackie and Marlon are among those contributing to Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown To Off The Wall, the new Spike Lee documentary that receives its Showtime premiere on February 5. It focuses on "a rarely examined chapter of Jackson’s career as he evolves from the lead singer of Jackson 5 to a solo artist recording what will become his breakthrough, seminal 1979 pop record, Off The Wall."

The Longitude-bound Father John Misty has shared 'Maybe, Sweet One, You Won't Have Nightmares Tonight', a song he wrote for a Late Show With Stephen Colbert skit, but which was cut short due to time restraints.
Even by his own exalted standards, the wordplay is super dextrous!

Finally, let us pay tribute to Colin Vearncombe, AKA Black, and hard rock bassist and keys man Jimmy Bain who've joined the roll-call of 2016 rock 'n' roll deaths. We're praying for a week where we don't have to pay tribute to legendary musicians we have lost.

And that, ladies, gentleman, boys and girls, is that for another Free Music Friday. Feel free to hit us up with links @stuartclark and have a cracker of a weekend.