Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. You might recognize Cuevo Perez’s brambly vocals from his alma mater, the Mexican grunge band Emaue. “Para ti,” culled from his debut solo album, Hasta Que el Sol Se Vaya, starts like a My Morning Jacket jam, with thumping kick drums and bluesy electric guitar licks. A mollifying melody hints at the sweetness that lies just beneath the surface of this turbulent tune.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Although this Cali quintet has been rocking together for more than a decade, it finally just released a debut album, Woven Material. The collection’s opening track, “Beneath the Fire,” embodies the album title perfectly. Layered, guitar-fueled instrumentation creates an alluring and moody sonic bed that ebbs and pulses into an atmospheric alt-rock groove – at times the bubbling rhythms erupt, only to subside, fester, crash, and evolve into a pretty monstrous tune.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Matt Nathanson continues to navigate the rough waters of relationships on his trusty acoustic-guitar vessel, using the twin engines of intuition and passion to propel him across the folk-pop sea. Like The Gin Blossoms or Toad the Wet Sprocket, Nathanson combines bruised tales of life and interpersonal relationships with rocking arrangements. While the hit “Faster” shows he can embrace a perpetually perky side, “Mercy” conforms to his deep catalog of groovy, upbeat jams peppered by a slightly cynical worldview. “Mercy” appears on Nathanson’s latest album, Modern Love.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. Long before they split up in 2002, La Gusana Ciega opened for Oasis’s 1998 Mexico City gig as of the principle bands in its burgeoning rock en español scene. The trio is back together again with a new album featuring the single, “Conejo en el Sombrero.” It’s a mood-altering track that starts slow and resonant, featuring a booming kick drum and breathy vocals. Two-thirds of the way through, you realize that ever so subtly singer Daniel Gutierrez has raised the pitch of his voice to Frank Black-levels of shrillness.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Rival Sons are a maximum-R&B quartet from Los Angeles with the reckless abandon of genre forefathers Led Zeppelin and The Who. “Pressure and Time” funnels the blues and Motown into an earbud-melting screamer. Rival Sons play with the power and aggressive passion that underlie a deep respect for the groove and little respect for tinnitus. “Pressure and Time” is the title track from Rival Sons’ latest album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different artist each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. Jadakiss lets listeners peek underneath his steely façade on “Hold You Down.” The rough Yonkers rapper details his rules for thug love and makes kissy noises as Emanny serenades the hook. And the backbeat, a cutup of Biz Markie’s “Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz,” is always a good look. “Hold You Down” appears on Jada’s I Love You (A Dedication to My Fans) — The Mixtape.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
