What better way to herald the end of the world than with a jaunty polka, you might ask? Well, not with just any old polka, but one featuring a contrabassoon, electric bass, French horn, violin, percussion, and, oh yes, an accordion – played by musicians plucked from Canada, England, Israel and the American Midwest. Apolkalyptic indeed! If you like the track, check out the album.
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Wind your hips and let you hair fall where it may – prolific alt-dance maestro Quantic teams with an eclectic group of musicians to give us “Un Canto a Mi Tierra.” The uplifiting sound fusion mixes jazzy horns; Columbia-rooted rhytms; and the rich, raw vocals of Nidai Gongora.
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Don’t let the stormy, haunted sound effects at the front end of Hello Seahorse’s! “Bestia” frighten you away from this charming track. The crystalline vocals of Denise (a.k.a. Vanilla Face or Lo Blondo) float over suave keyboards and a solidly drummed beat, instantly making you feel metropolitan. Her bandmates, Burgos and Bonno T, maintain a tight balance between the recording aesthetic of the garage and the bedroom, with the Mexican trio eventually fading the song out on a sparkling high. If you like the track, check out the album.
Free iTunes Download: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Can a song be shy? With its tentative, almost hesitant opening of syncopated guitars and hypnotic, subtle changes in percussion, “Push to Freeze” takes a while to come out of its shell. Gradually adding sonic layers while maintaining a spacey, wide-open quality, Sorcerer (a.k.a. Daniel Judd) shows a great flair for creating inviting atmospheres and scintillating textures – and breaking the ice, so to speak. If you like the track, check out the album.
Free iTunes Download: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Fans of the North Mississippi Allstars should be familiar with the deeds of Hill Country Revue. The Revue is NMA’s Chris Chew and Cody Dickinson jamming with guests Daniel Coburn, Kirk Smithhart, Ed Cleveland, and Garry and Duwayne Burnside (sons of legendary bluesman R.L.), veering NMA’s jam-blues caravan down a more rootsy path. “You Can Make It” is a snappy country-rock number with a curling guitar hook that will check your chin; it’s taken from Hill Country Revue’s new album, Make a Move. If you like the track, check out the album.
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Savvy listeners can learn a lot about rappers just by studying their vocal delivery. In the case of Aíd, whose well-metered flows unfurl in lisp-tinged Castilian and Galician, it’s clear this Spanish female emcee is the real deal — not the result of a get-rich-quick marketing scheme. On swinging “Boogie Vigo,” the former graffiti writer rides a funk-tinged, minimal beat and lets you know all about her boundless passion. If you like the track, check out the album.
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Gossip return unleash a new batch of rock ‘n’ roll mayhem with help from producer Rick Rubin with Music for Men. Transformative rock, sharpened disco hooks, soul, and gospel influence abounds. Check out our free Single of the Week, the funk-punk-tastic “Heavy Cross.” If you like the track, check out the album.
Free iTunes Download: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Still only juniors in high school, Comic Book Heroes already have four years of music experience in their gig bags. Don’t let their youth fool you, though: This is by no means teen pop. Citing collective influences that range from Charles Mingus, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie to Dream Theater, Nirvana, and Franz Ferdinand, the quartet from Reading, Pa., perfectly combines sassy vocals, strutting guitars, and confident beats into a rumbling, grown-up rock ’n’ roll declaration. If you like the track, check out the album.
Free iTunes Download: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.