Team Morale give away free song

George Cloke and Oli Dewdney are a rather splendid indie/electro duo from Kent that goes by the name of Team Morale. They make lush instrumental soundscapes with guitars, bass, drums, organs, mandolins and banjos, with the net result sounding something like the love child of Warpaint and Mount Kimbie. The duo are 'doing it for the love' as 'they' say and only hope that others enjoy listening to their music as much as they enjoy making it.

Grab 'Sleep Deprivation' here:
Sleep Deprivation by Team Morale

Free MP3 from The Lowriders

The Lowriders are giving away an MP3 of their single 'Big Moustache' to accompany the release of their album 'Fury'.

The Lowriders are Colchester based four-piece Dave Garlick (vox), Brian Ware (guitar), Adam Parrot (drums) and Jay Chamberlain (bass) who transformed in to their current guise in 2008, when they collectively decided to turn a new page, leaving their record label behind, renaming the four-piece & creating their own label (Adrenalin Records).

Grab a chunk of their raw and energetic sound here:
The Lowriders - Big Moustache by abadgeoffriendship

Dan Mangan - New album news & free download

Following numerous European jaunts, tours with The Walkmen, The Decemberists and Okkervil River, playing for Wills & Kate on their recent trip to Canada, award nominations and appearances at Glastonbury and End of the Road, Dan Mangan has joined City Slang. The Vancouver-based song smith will be releasing his captivating new album ‘Oh Fortune’ in the UK on December 5th.

As a taster of what to expect, you can download and hear lead track ‘Post War Blues’ here: http://soundcloud.com/cityslang/dan-mangan-post-war-blues

Or just take a listen here:

Free mp3 from Keith ToTP

After building up a stellar reputation among fellow musicians while touring Europe and the US, Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band are releasing their debut album - Fuck You! I'm Keith Top Of The Pops.

The band were formed by chance during an Art Brut show at The Knitting Factory in New York, when the support act pulled out at the last minute, and Keith and two members of the headline act joined forces to play some of Keith's songs. Since then, the band has existed in a constant state of flux, with band members often being recruited a few minutes before the show, and numbers ranging from just Keith and a drummer to 24 musicians, and a brass section, sharing the stage!

The band live by two rules - no rehearsals and no soundchecks - to ensure that every song they play sounds different every time. This novel approach is applied to the track listing on Fuck You! I'm Keith Top Of The Pops, as they were arranged based on the songs' first ever performance.

Keith has also attracted a fantastic line up of musicians to record alongside him, including Dyan Valdes of The Blood Arm, Fruitbat and Jimbob from Carter USM, Keith Murray and Chris Cain from We Are Scientists and Ian Catstiltskin, Eddie Argos and Jasper Future from Art Brut. As a result, the sound is a collection of wonderfully chaotic freeform rock tunes that sound like a cross between The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit, with more bitter and twisted undertones.

With an album tour due in September, Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band, are sure to ruffle some feathers in the UK Indie music scene over the coming month.

You can download a sneak preview of this craziness here:
Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band - I Hate Your Band by abadgeoffriendship

Free Spencer Park Music sampler

The lovely folk at Spencer Park Music have decided to pick a few of their favourite tunes by the artists on the label (Matt Stevens, The Fierce & The Dead, Datapuddle and Yonks) and compile them in to a rather fine, free, downloadable thingamabob.

As well as the fab music, it includes 2 essays, a discography, photos and press cuttings. It sums up the last 4 or 5 years of their stuff pretty well and hopefully will get some more people in to the music.

You can download it from their Bandcamp.

Neon Indian: Brand new album announced, London show next week and free download

Neon Indian is back with his second full-length offering ‘Era Extraña’, to be released on October 10th through Transgressive Records.

A special one-off London date has also been announced for Tuesday August 9th at Islington’s Electrowerkz venue. NPR exclusively revealed new track ‘Polish Girl'’ which you can hear by going to the Neon Indian Facebook page and clicking ‘Like’.

If that’s not enough, Neon Indian is also riding high in the blogging charts with the first taste of Era Extraña’, 'Fallout' which is online for free download now....

The War On Drugs Release New Video & Free MP3

Philadelphia’s The War On Drugs have released a brand new video for the charging, triumphant album track ‘Come To The City’ plus giving away a free download of the track.

Ahead of the release of ‘Slave Ambient’, The War On Drugs’ sophomore album of mile-high rock anthems, due out August 15 on Secretly Canadian, the band have teamed up with Urban Outfitters for this hazy promo clip. The video follows an LA gang doing some wilding on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis.

The War on Drugs - "Come to the City" (Official Music Video) from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Download ‘Come To The City’ here:

Come to the City by DOJAGSC

Also you can now hear ‘Slave Ambient’ streamed in it’s anthemic entirety exclusively on Urban Outfitters for a limited time HERE.

Introducing... The Shaking Sensations

Our good friends at A Badge Of Friendship would like to draw your attention to a fine band of Danish Post Rockers who go by the name of The Shaking Sensations (not Shaking Stevens as i first read it!).

Having released their 2010 debut EP, 'This Is Your Hellfire Region', the band experienced a sharp rise to prominence in Denmark due to the simple melodies that would lead the listener on a tranquil, dream like journey before culminating in a beautiful, often deafening chaos.

Debut album, East of Youth, encapsulates everything that is good about an over populated genre with tracks like “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay” featuring heart-wrenching guitar work throughout which, while sparse, conjures up a variety of reflective emotions. This is in stark contrast to album closer, “Homage to Boyhood”, which really defines the bands heavier side. The track also showcases why the band have opted for two drummers perfectly, both rhythmically and in terms of the sheer wall of sound they manage to create.

Wondering what they sound like? Have a listen here:
The Shaking Sensations - Glass Wings by abadgeoffriendship

Free track from Blitzen Trapper

Ahead of their new album, 'American Goldwing', on September 12th Blitzen Trapper are offering y'all the chance to download a track using this fancy widgetty thing below. Enjoy.

IndianRedLopez: Free MP3 and Video

IndianRedLopez debut album was released earlier this week, and to celebrate they've put together an amazing video for their album track, "Ropes", as well as giving away the free track -"K.Y.S."



IndianRedLopez - K.Y.S by abadgeoffriendship

WOODEN SHJIPS free MP3, album + tour reminder!‏

Wooden Shjips are releasing their new album West on Thrill Jockey Records on 15 August, to be followed by and extensive EU tour in September. We're delighted to offer you a free MP3 from the album to download and share around for the track "Lazy Bones". Please let me know if you need any further information, downloads for the album, photos etc and if you're able to review or cover in some way.

FREE MP3!! Wooden Shjips "Lazy Bones"

EU TOUR
Sat Sep 3 Larmer Tree Gardens, UK End Of The Road Festival
Sun Sep 4 London, UK Scala
Mon Sep 5 Leeds, UK The Brudenell
Tue Sep 6 Liverpool, UK The Kazimier
Thu Sep 8 Tallin, Estonia Rock Cafe
Fri Sep 9 Helsinki, Finland Korjaamo
Sat Sep 10 Copenhagen, Denmark Loppen
Sun Sep 11 Gronigen, Netherlands Vera Club
Wed Sep 14 Krefeld, Germany Sudbanhof
Thu Sep 15 Paris, France Cafe de la danse
Fri Sep 16 Rouen, France Le 106
Sat Sep 17 Tilburg, Netherlands Incubate
Tue Sep 20 Vienna, Austria B72

Pontiak - Free mp3 and video from 'Comecrudos'

Pontiak's 'Comecrudos', which is due for release on Thrill Jockey in June 2011, was created as a soundtrack to the bold landscape the band encountered on a drive from Phoenix to the Big Bend area of Texas. The brothers; Van, Lain, and Jennings, were captivated by the sprawling landscape, the immensity and complexity of the geology and the beauty. They camped in an old volcano crater under a full moon and hiked ridges alongside the Rio Grande. Comecrudos is a soundtrack for the drive on Route 385 southbound from Marathon, Texas.

The band recommends listening to the album whilst driving, windows rolled down, music at full volume, the dust hanging in the air. Or on the subway - imagining you are in a car driving with the widows rolled down, music at full volume, the dust hanging in the air.

You can grab a sneak preview in the form of a free mp3 here.

Or watch this short documentary on the boys:

Pontiak doc from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Cats and Cats and Cats announce free single "Celebration" - out today!‏

'Celebration' is the brand new single taken from Cats and Cats and Cat's 2nd album 'Motherwhale' and it's available for free from today:

Download from here.

Formed in 2005, the band have been slowly carving out their own musical niche with a satisfying blend of uplifting anthemic, folk inspired pop.

UK “Motherwhale” Tour Dates:
JUN 04 The Windmill, Brixton, London (Cats all dayer)
JUN 05 Mother’s Ruin, Bristol
JUN 08 Nice and Sleazy’s, Glasgow
JUN 09 Cafe Drummonds, Aberdeen
JUN 10 Kage, Dundee
JUN 11 House Party, Manchester (w/ Nairobi)
JUN 12 Tiger Lounge, Manchester (w/ Nairobi)
JUN 13 Mojo, Liverpool (w/ Nairobi)
JUN 15 Undertone, Cardiff
JUN 16 TBC, Southampton (w/ A Genuine Freakshow)
JUN 17 Casey’s Ale House, Canterbury (w/ Delta Sleep)
JUN 18 TBC, Folkestone (w/ Delta Sleep)
JUN 19 The Vic, Swindon (w/ Delta Sleep)

The Horn The Hunt - New video - 'Animal Magic‏'

To celebrate The Horn The Hunt album of 'Depressur Jolie', released on May 23 through White Label Music, they have a brand spanking new, eerie, cool video for the track 'Animal Magic':



They also have a fantastic remix bundle of 3 free MP3's by top US remixer Shok's Zeitmahl and one track by Alex Aaron. Download it from here.

EMA's new video & free download

After a packed out and incredibly well received debut UK show at London’s Macbeth last night (May 11) EMA, the new project from ex-GOWNS singer/guitarist Erika M. Anderson, has uploaded the surreal video for her digital free release single ‘Milkman’.

Taken from her album, ‘Past Life Martyred Saints’, released this week on Souterrain Transmissions, the video for 'Milkman' was directed by William Rahilly and perfectly reflects the creative, unusual and inspiring approach to song-writing that has seen this debut album critically lauded on both sides of the Atlantic.



The track can also be downloaded for free here.

New video from Penguins Kill Polar Bears

Penguins Kill Polar Bears release their new single 'Sapling' digitally on May 23 through Mountain Halo and have created this rather splendid video to accompany it:



They are also giving away a lovely free download of an acoustic version of 'Sapling' here.

South Central give away free mini-mix ahead of album release

Dance monsters South Central are trailing the album ‘Society of the Spectacle’, out April 04 through Egregore Records, by giving away an awesome free mini-mix:

SOUTH CENTRAL IN THE SHADOW GALLERY MARCH 2011 by South Central

Tracklist:
TAI - Big Bass Drum
Autokratz - Opposite ( Les Petit Pilous Remix )
Feed Me - Green Bottle
Boys Noize - Yeah
Cyberpunkers - Cabala ( South Central Remix )
Skrillex - Kill Everybody
John Lord Fonda - Bang
Jayzina and Squeak - Kraken
TAI - Rockin The Set
South Central - The Day I Die ( Qemists Remix )

Thomas Tantrum - Download the RAC remix for free

Hot on the heels of Band of Skulls, DJ collective RAC have remixed Thomas Tantrum’s new single ‘Sleep’.

After an exclusive with RCRDLBL, you can now download the remix via the Soundcloud link below for FREE! Mixed by RAC member André Allen Anjos, this is a complete shift from the Band of Skulls mix with Megan Thomas’ soulful vocals and chirpy, disco-tinged beats. Having previously remixed the likes of Phoenix, The Shins and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, this is well worth hearing. You can hear the RAC remix below:



Also, Thomas Tantrum will be playing these dates in April:

23rd: Southampton, Lennon’s
26th: London, Wimbledon, Grove Tavern
27th: London, Hoxton, Bar & Kitchen

Zomes - May tour + free mp3‏

Distorted keyboard melodies tumble one over the other held together by simple tape-looped drum beats. 'Earth Grid', Zomes' second solo album, is the culmination of Lungfish alumni Asa Osborne's years of exploring meditative modal models. Written, played, and recorded entirely at home on cassette tape, 'Earth Grid', is an intimate and intentionally primitive recording.

If you want to know what that all sounds like, download the taster 'Openings' here.

Or catch him live here:
Wednesday May-11 Espace B Paris France
Thursday May-12 Le Novo Locale Bordeaux France
Sunday May-15 Moog Barcelona Spain
Wednesday May-18 Rhiz Vienna Austria
Thursday May-19 A Studio Rubin Prague Czech Republic
Friday May-20 Kafic Leipzig Germany
Sunday May-22 Victoria London UK

Meat Puppets free download & tour news

The rock legends that are Meat Puppets are giving away the first track off their new album
'Lollipop', out April 12 through Megaforce Records, for your delectation.

The band are also set to play the following dates.

May 14th – ATP Festival Minehead (performing classic album Up In The Sun)

May 30th The Garage – London

May 31st The Butterfly Factory – Dublin