Good (free) music laying around the interwebs.. Pt. 2

Xynn - Computed Man
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Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Coyote Clean Up's Detroit Dub)
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Slime - First Cape
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Peaking Lights - Tiger Eyes (Laid Back)
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Madlib - L.A. California
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Howse - Pierre
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The Hood Internet - Sprawl Of Glass (Arcade Fire Vs Blondie)

~njoy.

REVIEW: Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

8.5 out of 10

Find it here.

In the wake of the last couple of my Arcade Fire "Suburb" saturated months, I was introduced to Mumford & Sons. A rustic British quartet steeped in Folk Rock with a strong Bluegrass undertone. The virtually snare-less, knee-slapping rhythm supported by rapid fire banjo and intense acoustic strumming give most songs on this album an almost "Celtic spirit". The heartfelt story-telling efforts of band leader Marcus Mumford are some of the most honest and sincere lyrics I've heard in a long time. All four members lend a hand to the vocals on most tracks as well, thickening the soul of their intentions.

If this doesn't sound like your particular glass of ale, consider who is at the helm of this Indie powerhouse. Marcus Dravs who is also responsible for Brian Eno's "Nerve Net", James' "Wah Wah", Björk's "Homogenic", Coldplay's "Viva La Vida..." and Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" as well as "The Suburbs". Which is precisely why it was such a smooth transition for me musically. They share the same similar organic formula as Arcade Fire which at times can be somewhat of a comfort from the "great Electronica take-over". No complaints whatsoever with said take-over, but I still crave the honest earthiness of bands like these from time to time. Still not convinced? Mumford & Sons has racked up awards galore including but not limited Best Band at the 3rd Annual BalconyTV Music Video Awards in Dublin, their song "Little Lion Man" was voted number one on the Australian Tripple J Hottest 100 countdown, "Sigh No More" has reached #1 in the Australian and Irish Album Charts, #3 in the Belgum Album Charts, #4 in the U.K. Album Charts, scored 4th or better in half a dozen different U.S. Billboard album categories and has clenched the #1 spot in U.S. Billboard Folk Album category in 2009. "Sigh No More" has since went double platinum in Australia and the United Kingdom and continues to gain momentum.

On tracks like "Winter Winds" and "Roll Away Your Stone", the drunken Irishman in you comes out and begs you to sing along in a crowded bar inhabited by the closest of friends, one arm over the shoulder of a comrade and the other hand swinging an overflowing beer stein. The track "Dust Bowl Dance" is one of the harshest tracks that just yearns for a backwater most-pit, very reminiscent of bands like 16 Horsepower and O'Death. Definitely recommended for fans of Arcade Fire and Noah and the Whale.

Standout Tracks: Winter Winds, Roll Away Your Stone, The Cave and Little Lion Man

Today's "Happy Thoughts" brought to you by:

Android Lust "The Human Animal" comes out July 27th via AL's site.

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Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" comes out August 3rd via the band's website.
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How To Destroy Angels "s/t" comes out June 1st via the band's site FOR FREE.

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Listen to some new Arcade Fire snippets..

This is one of the coolest music players/widgets I have ever come across..

Oh! And yeah (in-case you haven't heard by now).. Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs/Month Of May" 12" comes out in about a week or so.

If only I lived here..

Yeah, I've always wanted to go to one of these (who doesn't?), but with this one there are more than a few bands that give me a tingly feeling down south, here's to wishing!

REVIEW: Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back

7 out of 10
Find it here.

After almost a decade in the shadows, Peter Gabriel wanted to do something different for his fourteenth album. "Scratch My Back" is a dual cover album concept reinventing songs from some of Gabriel's most favorite artists that rides parallel to those artists in turn reinventing Gabriel's own songs for the album "I'll Scratch Yours". Beginning on March 2nd, both albums have begun and will continue to simultaneously release singles for both albums on consecutive full moons.

With the help of The London Scratch Orchestra, "Scratch My Back" is pleasingly stripped of all progressive showmanship that Gabriel has displayed throughout his career. No guitar, no bass, no theatrics. Just pure orchestra. Piano and various strings and woodwinds is all that is used to accompany his voice in this hauntingly vivid opus. It begins with a heart wrenching rendition of Bowie/Eno's "Heroes". Gabriel holds nothing back on this track with moments of increasingly swelling strings and cello plucks infused with his lightly quivering vocals sound as if he is two seconds away from completely breaking down and molding the track into the proverbial fish hook that sells you instantly. However, I feel he bit off a bit more than he could chew on his spin on Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage". The epic, organ based original was about as mighty as they come. Therefore Gabriel's effort falls a little short. In addition to tackling those monsters, he also takes a crack at Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", Regina Spektor's "Après Moi", and The Magnetic Fields' "The Book Of Love" featuring backing vocals by daughter Melanie Gabriel. The album is beautifully rounded out with other songs by Paul Simon, Bon Iver, Talking Heads, Elbow, Lou Reed, Randy Newman, and Neil Young.

Overall, "Scratch My Back" has proved to be a permanent fixture in my current music rotation. Evoking atmospheric chasms and honest emotions, these are the types of albums that make me wonder why it wasn't done years ago.

Standout Tracks: Heroes, Mirrorball, Flume, I Think It's Going To Rain Today