18 December 2008

Oprah's Free Holiday Compilation

Oprah Winfrey is on board with free and legal music sharing with her Holiday Hits 2008. Okay, it is Oprah, but this comp has big names on it like Aretha, Harry Connick Jr., Brian McKnight and Tony Bennett. C'mon, folks, that makes it worthwhile, right? Non-christian friends, there are some secular winter selections on there for you, too.

Everyone, this eight song CD complete with cover and CD artwork is available for only a couple of days. It is part of Oprah's Have a Thrifty Holiday special. Learn how to have the thriftiest holiday ever on her website.

Oddio Overplay, Jamendo, Internet Archive's Netlabels collection and Free Albums Galore are great places to find whole albums that you can burn to CDs and share with family and friends for the holidays. They are all free, legally shared selections.

While seriously pro FREE MUSIC, we ask you to remember the musical artists who made 2008 a wonderful year for you. Make a donation on their website or purchase their music, t-shirts and gear. Remember to share the love with those who have brought you so much joy. Also, you might add them to your Amazon.com wishlist. Have you seen their new UNIVERSAL WISH LIST feature? It is awesome! It lets you go to the websites selling music by the artists you love and add their CDs with just a click! How cool is that?

Here's to a new year of great music!

15 December 2008

Tuesday's Dozen

First in months, here is the freshest Tuesday dozen, straight from the oven
Lilliput OrkestraDroopy ContiniDIY-note - Ruptures
Lilliput Orkestra
Love this French jazz quartet "who plays personal compositions between jazz, rock, electronic and popular music" (MySpace)
[free jazz, post rock, prog]
Droopy Contini
shares 2 delicious CDs, Surpriscording (solid, straight forward, hard bop) and Strikes Back! (swinging bop)
[jazz, hard bop, swing]
DIY-note - Ruptures
several tracks on this warm demo from France have been favorites in our home for years, especially "El Despertar"
[post-rock, acoustic rock]
James Kochalka SuperstarMonsterK7Un Ode au Toy Piano
James Kochalka Superstar
accomplished American comic book artist and writer who is also a rock musician shares many of his tunes and ramblings
[pop, rock]
MonsterK7
in French sounds like monster cassette, "a little indie label fond of beautiful musical objects," dedicated to cassette tape preservation
[varied]
Un Ode au Toy Piano
MonsterK7 presents an international, 19-song comp celebrating the toy piano with some real pros, such as Twink
[rock, pop, post-rock, cabaret]
20 Bands in a BoxBrian EllisA Découvrir Absolument
20 Bands in a Box
La Magic Box puts together annual comps of their favorite indie artists, most from France
[pop, rock, France]
Brian Ellis
Trustworthy CD (2005), myspace, official site
[folk, psychedelic, acoustic, electro]
A Découvrir Absolument
this magazine shares their own series of comps featuring today's French artists
[France, folk, pop, post-rock, electro]
01audio-video.comAaahh-RecordsBarbagallo
French Comps
01audio-video.com offers up their series of compilations showcasing modern French artists
[France, folk, pop, post-rock, electro, chanson]
Aaahh-Records
little German netlabel billing itself as offering "free and charming music," and they are right!
[folk, acoustic, indie, pop]
Barbagallo
busy in Sicily writing and performing "indie; acoustic; low-fi... alternative; experimental; prog; alt folk" check his rearranged Satie works

Kiddie Records Weekly Returns in 2009

Some of the best news this season is that Kiddie Records Weekly (KiddieRecords.com) will be returning to share a fourth year of audio joy in 2009. The project began in 2005 with the intentions of sharing a clean rip of children's '40s-'50s 78rpm records.

That age, considered the golden age of children's recordings, was a time when major labels actually invested in records for kids with big orchestras, Hollywood productions, big name composers and celebrities. Despite the high quality, time and technology made relics of these fantastic yet forgotten recordings. Kiddie Records Weekly gives them "a new lease on life by sharing them with today's generation of online listeners."

Basic Hip Digital Oddio, the creators of Kiddie Records Weekly, initially planned to share the digital recordings of these classic 78s for one year. Much to the joy of fan and collectors, the project returned in 2006 and yet again in 2007. Now we are all fortunate once more to look forward to enjoying another year of Kiddie Records Weekly!

If the project is news to you, guess what? Congratulations! All three of the previous years are still hosted online! Whether these are a trip back to your childhood or a visit to a time before your day, you are certain to find yourself smiling as you enjoy these stories and tunes.

14 December 2008

Winter Instros


Artist - Title
Style | Album | License | Source


JPrime - Hybrid
hip hop | from Rhyme Torrents Vol. 8 CD 1 | uncertain | Rhyme Torrents

MadHatter - Tetherball Pole
hip hop | from Scrub Club: Noncents vol 3 | copyright | Scrub Club Records

sunbyrn - Blackout
hip hop | from his collection | CC nc-sampling | Starfrosch

mystro - Mercades Kapri
downtempo | from a film soundtrack | CC by-nc | CCmixter

Audiokonstrukte - Deciding in Space
downtempo | from Celebration Compilation 3 | CC by-nc-sa | One Bit Wonder

Trondheim - Märzecke
electro | from Entweder Terence Hill | CC by-nc-nd | Interdisco

Fireproof Babies - Memories of an Old Dog (ft. oldDog)
piano | from their collection | CC by-nc | CCmixter

Lullabelle - Sputter
ethereal | from Interplanetary Materials | CC by-nc | Comfort Stand

Andrew Watson - The Meadow of Illusion and The Wizard
postrock |from a single | CC by-sa | Internet Archive

Nic Bommarito - Continental Drift
postrock | from Taciturn | CC by-nc-sa | 12rec.net

Parade Me - Elegy For Small Things
short | from Where Do All These Spiders Hide? | CC by-nc-sa | Muertepop

Shake that Little Foot string band - Shady Grove
bluegrass | from Shake That Little Foot | CC by-nc-sa | Internet Archive

08 December 2008

Electric Fantastic Christmas 2008


The Electric Fantastic Sound label has done it again - another free Christmas album for the third year in a row! Many thanks to Johan and the crew in Sweden.