Though the folks at MySpace Music already have a ready-made tagline in the McDonalds-esque "Over a Billion Songs Streamed," their artists still skew a bit too emo/mall punk for my tastes. Occasionally though, you do get a diamond in the rough. Case in point - old-school blues/folk master Ray LaMontagne's latest LP, Gossip in the Grain, streaming here. Enjoy.
The Clash, who's sure-to-be fascinating autobiography is on the way soon, headline this week's free album streams at Spinner with Live at Shea Stadium. Capturing the band at its prime, just pumping this disc through the PA would have made a more rousing send-off than the heart-breaker Mets fans were treated to again this year.
The Pretenders' new LP Break up the Concrete as well as noted magazine poet and children's book author Bob Dylan's latest "bootleg" set are also up for grabs.
Bob Dylan's upcoming (10.07) Tell Tale Signs, the 8th volume in his "bootleg" series began in 1991, is streaming exclusively at NPR. The disc covers the last 20 years, a period that produced three late-career classics in Love and Theft, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times, and also featured the previously reported original version of "Mississippi."
Ben Folds' 3rd solo LP, Way to Normal, is streaming at MySpace this week. Though lead single "You Don't Know Me" (featuring Regina Spektor) heads off towards a more pop/R&B vibe than usual, the rest of the disc is classic Folds. Banging out angry/funny/nerdy piano-pop anthems mixed with the occasional sober ballad, fans should eat it up. But if you're not already on board, Way to Normal isn't likely to turn the tide.
Things have been a bit "meh" in the land of free album streams lately, so it's good to see AOL back on the ball with a triple threat of quality tunage in The Streets' Everything is Borrowed (left) and Ragged covergirl Jem's Down to Earth at Spinner, and Marc Broussard's Keep Coming Back at AOL Music. After the market's Monday morning nosedive, we'll take all the freebies we can get. Seriously...Are you gonna eat that?
Summer may be on its last legs, but USA Today is streaming a preview of Brian Wilson's new LP, The Lucky Old Sun (due 9.02), so at least we have a good soundtrack to go out on.
Predictably, it's a little corny in parts, but after a couple spins we can definitely weed out a few highlights. Sadly, this one won't make it in time for the Labor Day shindigs, but add the title track, "Midnight's Another Day" and the Beach Boys-esque "Can't Wait Too Long" to that Indian Summer playlist, STAT.
It was a big day for fan's of arty post-punkers TV on the Radio. The Brooklyn band, who's 3rd LP Dear Science is due 9.23, revealed the official album art (left), plus gave us a sneak peak of the album's vibe via a free track stream on the official site. Not sure what to make of "Golden Age" yet - It sounds like the hipster lovechild of Prince and David Bowie - But these guys rarely make it easy for the blogosphere to pin them down. Take a spin and drop us your take.
The Stills' Without Feathers was, for me, easily the biggest letdown of 2006. Not that the album was horrible, but coming on the heels of the band's near-brilliant 2003 debut, Logic Will Break Your Heart...OK it was horrible. The disc was an obvious attempt at breaking away from the art-pop, Echo and the Bunnymen loving, black designer shirt wearing hipster scene - which i cannot fault them for - but in the process they lost the dreamy, brooding vibe that made the first record so addictive. Left behind was generic, fairly hook-less rock.
Predictably the new LP, Oceans Will Rise, is being called a return to form. Lead single "Being Here," though treading dangerously close to adult-alternative rock territory, hints at fulfilling that promise. Watch the official clip after the jump and stream the whole album at MuchMusic.
The Black Kids, having already gone through the full blogger hype ringer (instant, ill-deserved adulation followed by an unfair, exaggerated backlash capped off by a gradual fade into the archives) the band's full-length debut might not get as much attention as we'd have expected a few months ago. But to those who are still interested, Partie Traumatic is now streaming over at MySpace.
Snap judgment: It's catchy
