Each week we select music from an independent act we’re excited about and bring it to you, for free, as our Indie Free Download. Your love of this Los Angeles duo may depend on your love of fuzzed-over electro-pop. Chris and Dexy Valentine have created a slightly dark world that lives in an ’80s neon haze, but there’s an unsettling snarl within the love-starved lyrics. A good fit somewhere between The xx and the Drive soundtrack.
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 band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. This L.A.-based singer has proven himself a gifted songwriter, with melodies that pull at your heartstrings and push you deep into your innermost thoughts. His new album, Landline, kicks off on a strident tone with this track, "Come Back Down." Aided by Sara Bareilles, Laswell finds a more alt-rock headspace, complete with blazing synths. Yet there’s no doubt Laswell is pulling the strings here; the song hinges on his every hushed syllable.
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 band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Canciòn de la Semana. Son Jarocho is more than just a syncretic musical genre. It’s a movement and an identity, especially for Hector “Hecdog” Pérez and Greg Landau’s electro-folkloric band/project, Sistema Bomb. “El Convite” exemplifies this blend of indigenous Mexican idioms, African polyrhythms, and Spanish colonial influences, jury-rigged together with synths and voice modulators.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we select music from an independent artist we’re excited about and bring it to you, for free, as our Indie Free Download. The Chicago trio Gemini Club excels at streamlining the sights and sounds of a night on the dance floor into three-minute pop songs. "By Surprise" immediately takes control of your headspace, diving into a piano-driven 4/4 groove while the vocals keep things mellow. Intensity quickly builds, and by the song’s end it’s hard to hide the stars in your eyes.
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 band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. You might put Eric Hutchinson’s music on the same playlist as singer/songwriters like Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. “Watching You Watch Him” bounces to deceptively cheery acoustic guitar strums and percussive handclaps, but the lyrics belie a cerebral sorrow about unattainable love.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
