Monday, September 21, 2015

Three for Free, Legal and Recommended (“FL&R”) – The September Version

     Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of new releases.  The end of an offer might be based upon reaching a maximum number of downloads or the expiration of some period of time.  But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.
   Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find music that we recommend. The below music covers a wide area of the genre map, but the common characteristic is that each song has “The Indie Obsessive Stamp of Approval” (if interested, a genre map is described at http://indieobsessive.blogspot.com/2015/05/two-interactive-genre-education-sites.html).

     Some songs are surprising even after numerous listens. For us, “Together Forever” is one such song. We liked the track by YAST after the initial listens. In fact, we liked the song enough to put it on a playlist of about 15 tracks. While using that playlist as background, there was a sudden recognition of the attractiveness of the song in general and the brilliance that occurs at the 2:18 mark. It’s at that time that the lo-fi guitar and vocals step aside for a cleaner guitar sound. The distortion does return with a force about 30 seconds later, and the contrast only adds to the attractiveness of the song.
     YAST is an acronym for "Youth and Student Travel." The band is based in Malmo, Sweden. The members are Carl Kolbaek-Jensen, Tobias Widman, Marcus Norberg, Markus Johansson and Niklas Wennerstrand.
     "Together Forever" by YAST

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YASTMUSIC

     If you enjoy the guitar of Robert Smith (The Cure), “Something Awful” by Grave Babies will interest you. The song is a track from the Seattle-based band’s recently released album “Holographic Violence.” The members are Danny Wahlfeldt (guitar and lead vocals), Claire Haranda (keys), Bryce Brown (bass) and Mark Gajadha (drums).
     “Something Awful” by Grave Babies (If your browser doesn't show the download arrow, CLICK HERE.)


     Staying on the West Coast, Atomic Tom is a Los Angeles band that released an album on September 4. The album, “ERA,” is available on a “name your price” basis at Bandcamp - http://atomictom.bandcamp.com/album/era. It is an album that easily justifies leaving a “tip.” It was difficult to select a single to embed in this post. The song “1978” was nearly selected, since we enjoy the early energy build. But we went with “Now or Never.”
     “Now or Never" by Atomic Tom



     Bad Pony is offering “Michael Moore.” The band is from Sydney, Australia, and is formed of Sam Thomlinson, Jarred Young, Isaac Chamberlain, Mark Webber and Cron Van Niekerk. They are scheduled to release an EP entitled “Limbo,” on October 1.
     “Michael Moore" by Bad Pony



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