The Electric Picnic is still a week away, but Free Music Friday is getting in the Stradbally mood with a kick-ass selection of quality tuneage that comes at no pecuniary cost whatsoever. We’re also thinking it’d be great Goodison ghettoblaster fare tomorrow as Everton prepare to put manners again on those North London ruffians Arsenal.
Punky Chicago five-piece – think The Strokes with The Ramones’ attitude – The Orwells are in benevolent mood with a free Live From Dingwalls four-tracker, which includes a particularly incendiary version of ‘Let It Burn’. Catch with several other trillion acts at EP.


The 82-year young Ernest Raglin popped into American National Public Radio last week and bedazzled with his patented blend of ska, jazz and reggae. Better still, it’s available for your download delectation.

Skrillex is gifting fans a whopping 31 tunes from Zedd, Dillon Francis, Birdy Nam Nam, Yogi, Alex Metric, KOAN Sound and other artists on his LA-based OWSLA label.

To the streams now and [link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] has new music from JJ, Woman’s Hour, Bishop Allen, Erland & The Carnival, The John Steel Singers, Lowlakes, Karma To Burn and Engineers; Ty Segall, Shovels & Rope, The Wytches, Merchandise, Cameron Carpenter, J Mascis, The Bug and Imogen Heap are hanging out at [link]www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link]; depending on where you and your computer are residing The Rentals, Opeth, In The Valley Below, Sinkane, Travis Scott, The New Pornographers, Annie Eve, Death From Above 1979, Royal Blood, Caribou, Interpol, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko, Basement Jaxx and Crow Town await at [link]www.albumstreams.com[/link]; Mono/Poly, Cassie Ramone, Deserthorse and Jason Feathers are the very good reasons to visit [link]pitchfork.com/advance[/link] and Robyn Hitchcock is the quality over quantity offering at [link]www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=3&[/link]
Re-winding to Imogen Heap, the fourth instalment of her vlog includes live renditions of some of the standouts from her excellent new Sparks album.

“Tom Petty by way of Radiohead and Cormac McCarthy” is the sales pitch for Roadkill Ghost Choir’s Slow Knife EP, and somehow the Florida combo manage to deliver.

The good folk at Noise Trade also have new music from Oklahomans Broncho who sound like The Strokes on helium; the Nashville-based Lauren Shera who has a bit of a Gillian Welch thing going on and Foreknown, an Arizonan big of beard and funky hip hop beats.

Irish rap meets French reggae as Tazer and Lion Size belt out ‘Dangerous’, a summer soundtracking tune that tastes of more.
Tazer is a Dubliner living in Alsace who also answers to the name of Eoin Casserly while his leonine pal is originally from the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion. Expect to hear a lot more of these guys!

An email address in return for a tune, ‘Nearly Morning’, is the deal at [link]lukesitalsingh.com/free-download[/link]
As it is at [link]adamcohen.com[/link] where the lead single and title-track from Mr. C’s new album awaits. He hasn’t turned into Calvin Harris or anything, but it’s a lot more upbeat that his other stuff.

Mixtape of the Week honours go to Que, a young Atlanta spitter whose Can You Digg It collection features a guest appearance by star pal Ty Dolla $ign.


Coming in a very close mixtape second is our favourite Chicagoan lady killer, Sasha Go Hard, whose DJ Moondawg-hosted Feel So Good confirms her next hip hop big thing status.

Free Music Friday is delighted to make the acquaintance of Cinder Ghost who’s letting you name your price for The Witch’s Son, a chill out electronic five-tracker from the Omagh Artist Also Known As Connor Mills.

DJ Shadow baptises his new Liquid Amber label with a three-tracker of the same name.
“I’m pleased to announce The Liquid Amber EP. This single/EP serves as the opening salvo in what I hope is a long string of music, by myself and others, on my new imprint,” he says. “There’s two new songs, ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Mob,’ and a nifty remix of ‘Six Days’ by Machinedrum.
“‘Ghost Town’ is an ambitious ride through many of the micro-genres within the Future Bass umbrella that have inspired me recently, while ‘Mob’ is an intentionally stripped-down, Cali-certified head-nodder. Both songs were written, programmed, and mixed by myself, and they represent the forward steps I feel I’ve taken as an engineer. The ‘Six Days’ remix was something I asked Machinedrum to knock out as a tour weapon, and he crushed it (naturally), so I felt it deserved a proper release.
“I’m excited about this music and the new imprint, and I really appreciate everyone’s time and consideration.”
You can bag yourself the metallic ‘Ghost Town’ now as a free download and stream the other tunes.


Which is where Free Music Friday enthusiastically loves but reluctantly leaves you for another week. Make sure to keep those links coming to @stuartclark66