Generous chap that he is, James Vincent McMorrow is giving away his Live At The Ace Hotel, Los Angeles album at [link]jamesvmcmorrow.com[/link]
"2014 was an incredible year, I'm so grateful to anyone who came to a show, bought/listened to Post Tropical, stopped me on the street to say hello and take a photo, or generally just made my life better," he says. "I wanted to say 'thank you'. So I thought, what would I want to get as a present? A video of a cat in a clown costume driving a ride along lawnmower?... umm, yes please. But it turns out it's real difficult to get a cat into a costume. Plus cats are heavily unionised now.
"So, thats not happening (yet). But, as a back-up plan, we did have some great people come down to my last show of the year, at the Ace Hotel Theatre in Los Angeles. They recorded the entire show, it came out great, so here it is below, free to download for everyone who wants it. All I ask is that if you're feeling it, that you share it. I'm incredibly proud of this show that we took all over the world for the last 12 months, and I want as many people to hear it as possible.
"So yeah, you guys are the best, thank you again, I'll see you in 2015. I got plans."
Orla Gartland is previewing the title-track from her Souvenirs EP, which also features 'Lonely People', 'Whispers' and 'Get Back' and drops on January 18. There's a bit of an '80s syndrum feel to the Dubliner's pop, which reminds one old Hot Press lag of DeBarge's superlative 'Rhythm Of The Night'.


Galway electro poppers Grounds For Invasion have come up with this ingenious stop-start action vid for 'Bruce Lee', one of the insanely addictive tunes from their Dying Stars album, which drops on February 12.
You can name your price for it and the slowburning 'Let Go' below.


To the streams now and former Hold Steady man Franz Nicolay, Cracker, Disappears, Sleater-Kinney, Bed Rugs, Menace Beach, Man Without Country and BC Camplight are letting you check their wares out at http://3voor12.vpro.nl/albums.html; Jessica Pratt, The Lone Bellow and Amason are this week's http://www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen star turns; should you and your device happen to be in the right place, Night Riots, Puzzlecuts, Frisj Frugt, Zun Zun Egui, Periphery, Ryan Hobler, Howlin' Rain, Twerps, James Irwin, Nathaniel Rateliff, Marika Hackman and Ryan Bingham await at [link]albumstreams.com[/link]; [link]www.theguardian.com/music/series/album-streams[/link] has upfront listens to Gaz Coombes, Matana Roberts and The Decemberists, and [link]www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=3&[/link] wants you to check out the ace new record from T Bone Burnett's mates The Punch Brothers.
NPR also has a great download session from Rubblebucket, a brassy bunch of Brooklyn quirk poppers who sadly left their (in)famous confetti gun at home.

Jape has premiered the video for 'Seance Of The Light', another tune from his This Chemical Sea album (out now!), which is shot in a variety of familiar locales. "I'm blown away by what the guys did and the way it shows Dublin's heart and soul," enthuses the boy Egan. Based on a short story by Dave Rudden, it's directed by Dave Tynan and stars Stephen Jones, Shane Fallon and Roisin Murphy (no, not that one!)
We've an in-depth interview with Richie coming shortly in Hot Press.

Alabama's rather tasty looking Hang Out festival previews its May wares with a 22-track mixtape sampler that includes Father John Misty, The Lone Bellow, Trampled By Turtles, Strand Of Oaks, Drive-By Truckers, Gramatik and lots more fine US outfits. If you fancy soaking up some Georgian sunshine, this year's headlining Hang Out turns include Foo Fighters, Zac Brown, My Morning Jacket, TV On The Radio and Beck.

Also new this week from Noise Trade is a four-track introduction to Kansas Bible Company, a 10-piece Nashville outfit with a hankering for the late and extremely great Frank Zappa, and a full-length effort from Austin, Texas' Ellen O'Meara - there has to be Irish blood involved! - who's into Guy Clark, Towns Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris and all that other good stuff.



Small Town Recordings artistes Swords are giving away this live cover of Portishead's 'Glory Box'.
You can catch them live on February 12 when their joined in Dublin's Odessa Club by Dear Desert and Daäg Hur who despite the Swedish death metal name are a dream pop combo.

The KEXP Seattle crew were in Reykjavik for Icelandic Airwaves and made sure to lure hometown heroes La Luz into their layer whilst there.

Free Music Friday's old pal Willie Nile was, as has become traditional, joined on stage by Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and loads more of Noo Joisey's finest when he hosted the annual Into Light Of Day charity bash in Asbury Park's Paramount Theater. Looks like all concerned had a blast!

As a 'thank you' to fans for making Caribou's Our Love album such a ripsnorting success, Dan Snaith has put together The Longest Mixtape, a 1,000-song monster which you're recommenced to listen to on shuffle.
Minnie Riperton's 'Les Fleurs', Wire's 'Outdoor Miner' and Gang Starr's 'Credit Is Due' being the first three songs to come up for us is testament to the awesomeness of his record collection.

Mixtape of the Week goes to Lil Wayne's Sorry 4 The Wait 2, which includes a particularly tasty Christina Milian collaboration, 'Drunk In Love'. Subtle it ain't but the tunes are killer!

Ahead of their February 5 Of Live & Lesser Evils album launch party Upstairs @ Whelan's, Dublin, The Midnight Union Band want you to check out lead single, 'I'm Your Leader'.
And that's it for another super, soaraway Free Music Friday. Keep those links coming to @stuartclark66