Lana Del Ray has taken over the world over the last year, filling up Facebook newsfeeds, radio airwaves, and everywhere in between. Del Ray is expected to release an expanded version of her album Born to Die in November, but lucky, lucky us – 4 songs have been leaked! Listen to the new Lana Del Ray songs here and enjoy!
In case you weren’t aware, Fiona Apple is on of my favorite musicians of all time. So, you can imagine my excitement that after a 7 year hiatus, Fiona is about ready to release her new album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. Well, that excitement has grown tremendously, as the anticipated album is now being streamed for free on the NPR website. Take a listen!
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros created a presence in the music world with their album Up From Below back in 2009, with their track “Home” gaining popularity quickly through word of mouth and social media outlets. Now, their second studio album ‘Here’ has arrived, the first of two studio albums to be released this year. Listen to the full album for free here.
Kimbra has gained instant stardom in a very short amount of time after her collaboration with Gotye on the song “Somebody That I Used To Know.” But what fans may not know is that Kimbra can stand her ground without a male vocalist beside her, as evidenced in her album Vows, due out May 22. You can listen to the full album for free here, before it’s release. You can also download a free live track, Two Way Street, from Kimbra’s website.
It’s been 8 years since their last studio album, but Hot Water Music hasn’t missed a beat. The band is offering it’s new album, Exister, to be streamed for free. Listen to the 13 free tracks here and read the bands commentary for each song.
Australian band The Temper Trap will be releasing their second studio album, self-titled The Temper Trap, on June 5th. But you don’t have to wait to hear their new tunes – listen to their new album for free now, courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
The Silversun Pickups released their new (and highly anticipated) album, Neck of the Woods, on May 8, but you can still stream the full album for free on their website. Be sure to give it a listen!
This song reminds me of a toy chest overflowing with goodies. Check out the Deerhoof Greg Saunier Remix of Meantime by GIVERS on Soundcloud. You can listen and download!
Apparently I missed a momentous occasion, as Noel Gallagher’s song, The Death of You and Me (from his solo LP, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds) leaked to the public back in July. Well, yet another song has leaked from the Oasis alumnus, titled What a Life.
Ximena Sariñana is one of those artists I think is going to break out into the American music scene soon enough. She has all of the makings of a teen pop icon, but has an airy sophistication that makes her acceptable to my ears. Listen to a sampling of her work on Soundlcoud, including songs from her latest self-titled album
.
At first listen, Ivy is your average pop-dance band. Reminiscent of Ace of Base, the vocals are dreamy and the beats are simple. But each track has it’s own surprises, and makes it a decent album to listen to from start to finish. Listen to Ivy’s new album, After Hours, with track-by-track commentary from the band.
About a month ago, you got to hear a teaser of the title track from Culture of Fear. Yesterday, the new album was released, and you can stream Culture of Fear in full. Funkadelic as ever, this album makes excellent background music whether you are on the trip of a lifetime or eating Sunday brunch.
For some natural-feeling digital instrumentals, look no further than the album “Remixes,” released this past Tuesday (June 21) by Emancipator. Just as you feel you might be getting sick of a song, Emancipator sweeps you off your feet with a new layer of delectable and jazzy synth. Listen to the full Remixes album for free on Bandcamp!
OK, this one is for all you pop-punk-rock fans out there. Not my thing. But I’m not going to hate on different genres, and in all honesty, I find this track fun to listen to in the background of my usual mundane activities. So check out the title track “Drifter,” off of the upcoming album Drifter, scheduled to be released July 26.
Mathieu Santos of Ra Ra Riot revealed last week that he has been working on a solo album. You can listen to and download a sneak peak track from his upcoming album (release date sometime this summer – TBA), “I Can Hear The Trains Coming,” on SoundCloud.
Punches is one of my new favorite mixing artists. Their remix of New Villager’s “Lighthouse” is truly a gem. You can download it, along with many other amazing tracks, on the Punches Sound Cloud page. By the way, Punches is literal – you will be pleasantly punched in the face!
Culture of Fear isn’t due to be released until sometime in June, but you can listen to a teaser mash-up on the ESL Music site to get excited for it’s debut!
Via NPR, you can listen to the full album, Ukelele Songs, by Eddie Vedder. (You know him from Pearl Jam) Take it from someone who (please don’t hate me) was never a fan of Pearl Jam, this album is pull-on-your-heartstrings beautiful, and it isn’t just the calming strings of the ukelele that make it so.
Listen to Snowmine’s full album, Laminate Pet Animal, at the Hype Machine. Or, buy their album on Bandcamp. This is one of those bands you will be proud to say you were a fan of from the beginning!
You can get a taste of The Dodos’ new album, No Color, by listening to their free track, Don’t Stop.
Other Lives released their latest album, Tamer Animals, May 10. But guess what – you can stream the full album for free, straight from their website! Listen to Tamer Animals now.
I will not go into how obsessed with the Local Natives I am. But this is a great music project I thought I’d share. The Local Natives have asked fans and musicians to turn their “Stems” into fantastic remixes! You can listen to the remixes for free, and I’m sure there will be more and more all the time. So if, like me, you can’t get enough of the Local Natives, then THIS IS THE COOL CLUB.
GREAT NEWS! You can stream Eureka in full on Mother Mother’s website. You can also buy the album for $5 on Amazon.com for the full month of May! So give it a listen, and then buy it bitches!
Big Scary released their album, The Big Scary Four Seasons, waaaaaay back in 2010, but you can listen to the full-length album at Spinner.com. The Big Scary Four Seasons is truly a fitting name, as I found myself pinning a particular season on each song. Makes sense – each season was recorded in its respective season.
You can also download Autumn, one piece of The Big Scary Four Seasons, for free from the Big Scary website.
Ronnie Vannucci of the Killers has dubbed himself “Big Talk” and is set to release his first solo album, self-titled Big Talk, July 19. You can listen to the first song, “Getaways,” on Soundcloud.
For the sake of name-dropping, I should also inform you that Big Talk was produced by Ronnie, as well as Joe Chicarelli, producer of countless albums for artists including My Morning Jacket, The Shins, Frank Zappa, and many many more. It was also mixed by Alan Moulder, who is responsible for production of albums by Nine Inch Nails, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Foo Fighters, to name a few.
Something tells me this album is going to create some buzz.
