3-4-FREE - 12/06/2011 - TWIN SISTER, STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS and DARK DARK DARK

Hi everyone, here's another helping of free, legal MP3s available right now on these here interwebs...

TWIN SISTER - BAD STREET
http://twinsistermusic.com/music/song/bad-street/





To coincide with Domino signing up the fantastic Twin Sister for their debut album the band have put this awesome little track out for free download on their website. The quintet are touring North America for the next 6 weeks (and if you're going to the show on the 18th in Brooklyn you also get to see the amazing Allo Darlin'). Bad Street is an awesome slice of chilled out, funky electro with traces of C.S.S. and The Fun Lovin' Criminals and bodes very very well for the band's first release.

STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS - SENATOR
http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/mp3/Stephen%20Malkmus%20And%20The%20Jicks%20-%20Senator.mp3




Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks are another band with an album coming out soon. Theirs is called Mirror Traffic, was produced by Beck and contains this fantastic track about what politicians really want. Sounding a lot like American indie, but in a very good way, Senator carries on effortlessly for four and a half minutes, sounding at times like The Pixies, Nick Cave (who I know isn't American!), The Dandy Warhols and (surprisingly) Pavement. Mirror Traffic comes out on August 22nd.

DARK DARK DARK - DAYDREAMING
http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/track-of-the-day-1511-dark-dark-dark





And so we end with a third song that comes in at well over 4 minutes long. After the electro funk and American indie, here's a bit of atmospheric, piano-led folk. Dark Dark Dark hail from Minnesota and are led, sonically at least, by Nona Marie Invie and her touching, dark vocals. Daydreaming is off the latest Dark Dark Dark album Wild Go, released last year. The track drags you in then swirls around you beautifully, always sounding slightly threatening, as it moves with an assured touch.

So there we go - 3 free, legal MP3s - enjoy! See you later this week for the introduction of another new band in Lend Them Your Ears.

3-4-FREE - 17/05/2011 - THE PRIMITIVES, FLEET FOXES and DEMS

Hello again, I'm not going to be around on Thursday so this weeks 3-4-FREE is coming at you a bit early. Don't worry though, it's top notch stuff.

THE PRIMITIVES - NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET
http://www.fortunapop.com/free_downloads.php



So, off we go with The Primitives and a stunning track off their new EP Never Kill A Secret. You may know the band for their 1988 single Crash, which reached number 5 and number 3 in the UK and American charts respectively. The new EP is a collection of covers of lesser-known female-fronted tracks, with Need All The Help I Can Get being a reworking of Suzi Jane Hokom's 1966 track. The Primitives give it a slightly more polished feel, but keep the edge and groove from the original to produce a kind of fresh-retro feel that rivals Hokom's version for sheer quality. (You can check out the original here)

FLEET FOXES - HELPLESSNESS BLUES


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop


Hopefully by now you don't need me to tell you how fantastic Fleet Foxes are. Their debut, eponymous album garnered praise from all over the place, and rightly so. This taster from the second album, which also happens to be the title track, is 5 minutes of utter majesty, with urgent guitars powering around a magical vocal singing words of profundity. I don't think I've gone more than a few waking hours without listening to it over the last few days, it is truly amazing.

DEMS - JARNDYCE VS JARNDYCE

OK, so I'm a bit late getting in on the dems (to give the proper, grammatically incorrect name) love-in with Tom Robinson, Rob Da Bank, NME and Vic Galloway, but better late than never. The music is a kind of lo-fi urban-tinged folktronica and Jarndyce vs Jarndyce is rather poetically described as "a story about waiting for things". The XX and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. are the most obvious recent touching points when describing the sound of dems' mellow vocals and pulsing electronica, but the waves that are being made by this London-based outfit are likely to mean they step away from such comparisons and become established in their own right.

So there you go, that's your 3 free, legal tracks for this week. Enjoy them and I'll be bringing you another Lend Them Your Ears on Monday.

3-4-FREE - 31/03/2011 - TRIPS AND FALLS, CRYSTAL FIGHTERS and CRAFT SPELLS

Hello there, peeps and peepettes. Since there hasn't been a 3-4-FREE for a few weeks I thought I'd treat you to one featuring 32 songs this week! Oh yes, that's the way uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it. Anyway, let's start with...

TRIPS AND FALLS - THIS IS ALL GOING TO END BADLY

So kicking off this mammoth edition of 3-4-FREE is The Song By Toad record sampler, the highlight of which, for me at least, is Montreal's Trips and Falls. Their bluegrass-infused indie is utterly wonderful and tinged with melancholy. Male and female vocals sing sweetly over simple guitar picking and military-esque drums in This Is All Going To End Badly. The 4-piece brought out their debut album on Song By Toad just over a year ago and continue to work with the Edinburgh-based label, hence their inclusion on the record sampler. All 13 tracks (plus a couple of toad-based skits) are available for free from Song By Toad's bandcamp page and show the pure quality of the artists on this amazing little label.

CRYSTAL FIGHTERS - AT HOME (TRUFIX MIX)

And from Montreal to Navarra, Spain and electronic folk 5-piece Crystal Fighters, who have been given the remix treatment from London dubstep type Trufix. The remix sees the original slowed down then have the aggression element pushed hard. The vocal still has a sweetness to it but it exists within a harshly swirling, stamping dubstep backing. This makes it less accessible than the original version but is still utterly brilliant, albeit in a somewhat different way. The band are planning Europe-wide gigs in the summer, including a performance at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk.

CRAFT SPELLS - YOU SHOULD CLOSE THE DOOR
http://stereogum.com/655072/18-dark-bands-to-watch-in-2011/franchises/listomania/





And finally, we have Seattle based Craft Spells, who have popped up on Stereogum's list of '18 Dark Bands to Watch Out For' (a list which also contains aTelecine and Brighton's Esben & The Witch). As the site acknowledges, Craft Spells stand out a little from the rest of the bands on the list, as they have a far more summery, blissful feel to their music, perfectly exhibited in You Should Close The Door. However, the darkness is there - the Ian Curtis comparison is obvious, but no less relevant for it and the synths are tinged with New Romantic misery. Craft Spells start their North American tour on Sunday, in their hometown, but here's hoping they'll be in the UK before too long, because they are utterly ace!

And that's your lot for this week, do have a spiffy weekend!

3-4-FREE - 03/03/2011 - Bass Drum of Death, The Dodos and Summer Camp

Word, quite literally, to your mother. It's Thursday which means another 3-4-FREE for your delectation. Let's get it on...

BASS DRUM OF DEATH - YOUNG PROS

Bass Drum of Death are a couple of likely lads from Mississippi who make music that sounds like The Cribs and The Fratellis getting together for a grunge-influenced jam. If that doesn't sell this track to you on the basis of pure curiosity at least then you're just plain weird. Looking to bring themselves to wider attention through SXSW 2011 there's a good chance they may just set Austin alight with their brash, distortion-laden style.

THE DODOS - DON'T STOP

http://stereogum.com/646601/the-dodos-dont-stop/mp3s/

San Franciscans The Dodos are back with their 4th album No Color this month, which heavily features the wonderful vocals of Neko Case on most tracks. However, that is not so on this little preview of the album. Don't Stop is engrossing from the first moment starting, as it does, with spirited folksy finger-picking before a slightly threatening distorted guitar line looms in the background. Before we can become too pre-occupied with that Meric and Logan get started with their imploring vocals and from there the song just keeps soaring and soaring.


SUMMER CAMP - I WANT YOU
http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2011/02/22/mp3-premiere-summer-camp-i-want-you/

Pure, awesome elctro synthy goodness from the fantastic Summer Camp. This is such unadulterated excellence that it makes me a little big weak in the knees. The synthy intro, overlaid with a clip of children talking (I'm guessing it's from some film, give us a shout if you know what film!) is good, the vocal starts very well indeed but the change of pace as we hit the vocal is pure brilliance. And if you like this be sure to check out Summer Camp when they support Wild Beasts on their tour of the UK in May. Now those are going to be fantastic gigs!

So I hope you've enjoyed your free music for this week. If you're still hungry for more check out yesterday's interview with Louise from Wartime Sweethearts which includes 3 free MP3s from the band!

WARTIME SWEETHEARTS INTERVIEW

Hello one and all, and welcome to a special post on This Does Not Make Me A Journalist - an interview with Louise from the band Wartime Sweethearts. And not only that, some free MP3s! Wartime Sweethearts were responsible for one of my top 10 albums of 2010, Pancake Orion, which blew my mind a little with its giddy chaos and general brilliance. Louise was nice enough to answer a few questions for us which are located just about here...


TDMMAJ: Firstly, why and how did you get started with making music? 
LOUISE: Hmmm, I suppose I started singing when I was 5, because I was often complimented on my voice in preschool. A couple of years later I started recording onto cassette tapes in my bedroom, trying to layer my voice for a choir effect - it got really distorted but was still kind of exhilarating, and if you half depressed the pause button while playing it you got a badass chipmunk version in double time. My family (particularly dad) were really encouraging and they're all very musical. My dad, my sister and I got lessons together in various instruments. I chose keys and started writing my own songs on them when I was 10... I think they were all instrumentals in C minor on a harpsichord synth sound.


What's the significance of the name Wartime Sweethearts? 
When I was conjuring up some band name inspiration a sepia photo of my great Aunty Betty was gazing at me from my desk - it seemed like the kind of photo you would take to war with you and refer to now and then to draw strength from before battle. Not that I support war. But I really liked the idea of a bandname that carried a whiff of a romantic story. It was that or "Bird Atlas"....whew. 


A good choice I think! Who else is in the band and how did the current formation come together? 
It's still a little up in the air, but my sister Kirsten is playing drums and singing harmonies, a lovely dude by the name of Bryce Kerr plays bass and my housemate Angus Cornwell sings awesome baritone harmonies and sometimes plays cello. My bf Wyatt Moss-Wellington was playing guitar and singing with us but he's taking the year off gigging so I'm looking around for a new guitarist as we speak. He'll be super hard to replace... Resisting urge to refer to his "magic hands". 

Keep it clean! Your debut album Pancake Orion seems to cover a lot of ground musically, was it a conscious decision to make a record with a very varied sound? 
Hmmm, no! I was trying to reign my tastes into something a little more matchy matchy. Damn. Next time perhaps.


What are Wartime Sweethearts' live shows like, both for yourselves and the audience? 
For us they're usually a mixture of wootiness and stress. The stress comes from my decision to almost always include a fresh song that was written last minute... but that I like too much to exclude. My bandmates are generally good at putting up with my neuroticism over these things. Having a "omg-shit-a-brick-this-is-difficult-and-new" song in the set makes the rest of the stage time feel pretty breezy though. If the show comes together the audience generally has a hoot or two - we try to throw some comedic songs (e.g. Your Button or I've also done a cannibal love song version of At Last) or some woefully bad poems or something to entertain. I really appreciate it when we get approached by audience members afterwards with compliments about the music and our skillz of an artist - it's really something for the heart to dine out on.


Who and what would you say are your main influences? (Not necessarily musical acts if there are other things that influence you!)
Haha I trust you're referring to the "moths" on our myspace. (On the band's myspace page Moths are listed as an influence) I guess I put there because I get influenced by visual things a lot, and I was enjoying a lot of brown, mothy autumnal colours and patterns at the time. I like the idea of trying to express very visual things with sound. I'd like to play with that connection more in the future. I grew up loving Sega megadrive game music and Disney, but I was probably more heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley and Radiohead who catered to my escapist whims during my late teens. 

Which musicians/bands are you really into at the moment? Are there any new acts you think we should be looking out for? 
In the last couple of years I've been enjoying St Vincent and the Dirty Projectors - I think they're amazing. Here in Sydney my bf Wyatt Moss-Wellington plays a radically mean tune and Brian Campeau does some magnificent stuff too.


If you could invite 5 people, living or dead, round for dinner and to hang out with, who would they be? 
1. Stephen Hawking 2. Geoffrey Rush 3. Richard Feynman 4. Jeff Buckley 5. Julie Andrews. Wouldn't it be cool to jam with the latter two? Though I'm sure Hawking could lend something saucy to the mix. 


Most definitely! What was the first song you fell in love with? And the first album? 
Either "Wind in the Willows" by Judy Collins or perhaps something from Mary Poppins. I also loooved the Monster Mash when I was 8, but my first purchase was Ace of Base - Happy Nation after hearing "All That She Wants" on the radio.

What does the future hold for you?
The immediate future holds the last year of my Graduate Diploma in Psychology then hopefully Honours - but I'm looking forward to a little gigging this year, and would really love to record another album soon when time and money permits. Pancake Orion stirred up so many other ideas that are starting to bloat my brain


One final question - When you sing "She keeps coming back like a bad boomerang" what do you mean? Surely a boomerang that comes back is a good boomerang?! Or am I missing the point...?
Bah! You're clearly off the chart there Chris. If you look at the context her "badness" was evident in the earlier lyrics, and the boomerang refers to the cyclical nature of her problematic relationships with men. They're probably some of my crueller lyrics - I don't like the idea of bad people - just bad behaviour. But that was too many syllables. Just sayin'!


Well, that's me put in my place! So I'll retreat with my tail between my legs and see you back here tomorrow with another edition of 3-4-FREE! Take care!


You can find Wartime Sweethearts at www.myspace.com/wartimesweethearts and www.wartimesweethearts.bandcamp.com, where you can listen to the whole of Pancake Orion for free.

3-4-FREE - 27/01/11 - The Loves, Holy Ghost and Bordeauxxx

Hello, hello and hello. Glad you could join us for this week's 3-4-FREE - it's going to be cracking. So, once more unto the breach, dear friends...

THE LOVES - DECEMBER BOY
http://www.fortunapop.com/free_download.php?id=25





Unfortunately The Loves are splitting, having recorded their 4th album ...Love You but, judging by this beguiling tale of heartbreak, it is going to be a rather ace way to end 10 years of music-making. Their infectious, fuzzy 60s inspired pop fuses with sad lyrics on this track to create a bittersweet experience that needs to be repeated over and over. Also check out the suitably cute video above - you'll either throw up or cry into your second-hand cardigan...

The Loves are doing a few more live shows before they split, culminating at the Lexington in London on February 13th with a gig featuring support from Comet Gains, The Lovely Eggs, The School and Pocketbooks. Full details of the dates can be found at www.fortunapop.com




HOLY GHOST - DO IT AGAIN
Holy Ghost! - Do It Again





From a homage to 1960s pop music to a homage of 1980s pop music. Holy Ghost caught the ear a couple of years back with Say My Name, possibly the best electro based song not made by MGMT or LCD Soundsytem in recent years. Now, after remixing the likes of Moby, MGMT, Phoenix and Cut Copy, the duo are putting together their debut release on DFA records, scheduled for April. On the basis of Do It Again, it could well be the party album of 2011.

BORDEAUXXX - MOTHER'S RUIN

As promised in Monday's Lend Them Your Ears, here's some glockenspiel! Smiths references, Los Campesinos-esque strings, lyrics ("It was a short-lived, long-term romance") and speak-y bits - there was always going to be a strong chance that I would enjoy this track. It's available to download, along with the rest of the 4-track EP (also entitled Mother's Ruin) from the band's Bandcamp page. If you want to hear Bordeauxxx's twee indie-pop stylings livethey're are playing dates around London and the South East in February and March - www.myspace.com/bordeauxxxmusic for more info.

Lend Them Your Ears - 30/11/10 - Cosmo Jarvis

Delayed I'm afraid but it has turned up at last - it's this week's Lend Them Your Ears...

After a couple of Eastern European based weeks of Lend Them Your Ears, I bring you an English-American. An English-American called Cosmo Jarvis. Now, as well as a quite awesome name, Mr Jarvis has a whole host of amazing tunes up those sleeves of his. First and foremost is brilliant new single Gay Pirates, which is making a last minute burst to be my favourite song of 2010. It is certainly almost single-handedly making Jarvis' next album Is The World Strange or Am I? my most highly anticipated album of next year.

Now, Cosmo Jarvis has been around for a couple of years and has supported a number of big name acts such as Muse, The Holloways and Panic! At The Disco. His first release, the 2009 double album Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch, undeservedly failed to chart but things are looking up for Cosmo's new material - a combination of a superb video for Gay Pirates (check it out below) and a supportive mention from the illustrious tweetmeister general, Stephen Fry have started to garner interest in the Devon-based singer-songwriter's new material.



But why? Well Gay Pirates is ridiculously sweet with a darkness running through it that can't fail to entertain. It also has a certain amount in common with the songs on Cosmo's debut album, in that it has a uniqueness that never feels like it is forced or purely for show. And then there's the stupidly catchy 'Yo Ho Sebastian' refrain. Oh and of course, everyone loves pirates! Those cheeky hook-handed, scurvy-ridden gang-rapists...

Another thing that I like very much about Cosmo Jarvis is that he is the generous soul - offering a veritable treasure chest of material to download for free. His website - www.cosmojarvis.com contains an acoustic version of Gay Pirates and one half of the debut album (the Sonofabitch half in fact) which are yours in exchange for an email address or Facebook 'Like'. And what a fair exchange that is I say.

So I think it should be obvious now why Cosmo Jarvis is this week's featured artist in Lend Them Your Ears - sweet, genuine songs, lots of free material and a sense of humour.

Find more at
cosmojarvis.com
myspace.com/cosmojarvis
twitter.com/cosmojarvis

He is doing a number of dates in the South West of England in December so, if you get the chance, please do go and see him, it will be ace!

3-4-FREE - 26/11/10

First off - an apology. I'm sorry this post is a couple of days late, I've been interning at 6Music (ooo get me, being all showbiz!) and commuting and so haven't had the time to put this week's 3-4-FREE together. Until now! Hurrah! And just for the next few weeks 3-4-FREE will be coming out on Thursdays. Lend Them Your Ears posts will remain the preserve of Sundays.

So here's this week's 3-4-FREE...

Allo Darlin' - My Heart is a Drummer
http://www.fortunapop.com/free_download.php?id=9

Allo Darlin' are one of the finest indie pop bands around at the moment - their self-titled debut album is one of my favourite albums of the year, they've been receiving plenty of national airplay and their live show is just wonderful. They make the sweetest music you're likely to hear without lapsing into a coma, driven by Elizabeth (also of Tender Trap) and her gorgeous, sparky vocal and chirpy uke playing. This bitter-sweet cut of twee-pop never fails to put a sad smile on my face and make my heart ache like it's been beaten. It's compulsive listening and available from Fortuna Pop as a 7 inch single or a free download, so get it NOW!

Grenouilles - Hawk on the Down EP
http://grenouilles1.bandcamp.com/

This Norwich 3-piece first caught my attention with their rather stunning cover of misogynistic r'n'b floor-filler Low by Flo Rida. That can be heard at their myspace - www.myspace.com/vivelagrenouille. At their Bandcamp page however you can find their moving, soaring Hawk on the Down EP. Now, acoustic-y folk has been done over and over and over in recent years but everything about these songs stands out - the quite incredible string sections, which make that special link between your heart and your spine quiver, the interplay of the melodic male and female vocals and the general sense of a gentle strength. So get all 5 tracks for free now and never look back...

The Boy Least Likely To - Happy Christmas Baby
http://www.theboyleastlikelyto.co.uk/

Yes, I know it's still November but it is an inescapable fact that Christmas is coming, and quickly. One of the best things about this particular Christmas is that the inimitable Boy Least Likely To are releasing their 3rd album (or 4th if you count their b-sides album). This fact has put a smile on my face so wide and permanent that I'm in serious risk of suffering lockjaw. The anti-folk-indie-pop-country duo are dedicating the whole album, which is released on 29th November, to the subject of the festive period. A couple of covers (Little Donkey and In The Bleak Midwinter) are mixed in with their original compositions, such as this track, Happy Christmas Baby. A cheery ode to pre-noon drunkenness, leaving it until Christmas eve to buy pressies and stealing marzipan from cakes, this song will make you smile like a cat who's getting the cream served to him by nubile kittens in silken outfits and being fanned with palm leaves...

There we go, see you on Sunday for another Lend Them Your Ears blog, Ta-ra!

3-4-FREE in 2010

Each week I tell you of 3 tracks you can download absolutely free and absolutely legal!

3-4-FREE for February 16th 2010 -

Doors vs Bat For Lashes - Riders Sleep Alone (and the rest of the Mysplice 4 mashup CD) -
http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/mysplice_4_106911.html
Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin' In - http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/lofifnk__marchin_in_112771.html
Free Energy - Hope Child - http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/free_energy__hope_child_113041.html


Feb 23rd
Flobots - Jetpack - http://www.ilike.com/artist/Flobots/track/Jetpack
Lucky Soul - A Coming of Age - http://www.luckysoul.co.uk/a-coming-of-age-free-download
Broken Bells - The High Road - http://stereogum.com/106631/new_broken_bells_-_the_high_road/mp3s/

March 2nd
Broken Social Scene - World Sick - http://pitchfork.com/news/37959-new-epic-broken-social-scene-song/
The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together) - http://pitchfork.com/news/37972-new-track-from-new-pornographers-your-hands-together/
The Bundles - Pirates Declare War - http://rcrdlbl.com/2010/02/22/download_the_bundles_pirates_declare_war

March 9th
Mumford & Sons - Cousins (Vampire Weekend cover) - http://prettymuchamazing.com/mp3/mumford-sons-cousins-vampire-weekend-cover
James Severy - Song For the Disenchanted - http://jamessevery.bandcamp.com/album/vicious-times
Cancel The Astronauts - I Am The President Of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home) - http://canceltheastronauts.bandcamp.com/

March 16th
Allo Darlin' - The Polaroid Song - http://www.fortunapop.com/polaroid_free_download.php
Bright Eyes & Neva Dinova - Happy Accident - http://stereogum.com/293681/bright-eyes-happy-accident/mp3s/
Echo & The Bunnymen - Proxy - http://www.rcrdlbl.com/artists/Echo_and_the_Bunnymen/track/Proxy

March 23rd
Jonsi - Time To Pretend - http://stereogum.com/309621/jonsi-time-to-pretend-mgmt-cover/mp3s/
Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song (Pacific Remix) - http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Au_Revoir_Simone/track/Sad_Song_Pacific_Remix
Jett Valentine - Outlaws - http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Jett_Valentine/track/Outlaws

5/5/10

Lupe Fiasco - The National Anthem http://lupefiasco-lupend.blogspot.com/2009/11/mixtape-lupe-fiasco-enemy-of-state-love.html - that's the whole mixtape you lucky things!
Bark Bark Disco - I Love You Tonight - http://www.barkbarkdisco.com - you can get all of the debut album here too!
Post Post - Drafts - http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/04/27/needle-in-the-haystack-presents-post-post/

26/5/10


Junip - Far Away -  www.junip.net

Jeremy Jay - It Happened Before Our Time - http://rcrdlbl.com/2010/05/21/download_jeremy_jay_it_happened_before_our_time
The Like - He's Not A Boy - http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/The_Like/track/Hes_Not_A_Boy_