31 May 2013

Boswell Sisters 1931-1946 Collection

The Boswell Sisters were a close harmony singing group, consisting of sisters Martha Boswell (June 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958), Connee Boswell (original name Connie) (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976), and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell (May 20, 1911 – November 12, 1988), noted for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation. They attained national prominence in the USA in the 1930s.

The Boswell Sisters "took the idea of jazz and did it vocally."
- Maxene Andrews

Ttocselad has compiled a collection, Nineteen Favorites, made up of 19 Boswell Sisters hits from their studio recordings and radio broadcasts.




Music License: listed as Public Domain, but some may be protected
Image: copyright

30 May 2013

Floex Does Game Soundtrack

Tomáš Dvořák, also known as Floex, is an old friend and favorite at Oddio Overplay. We were happy to learn last year about his soundtrack for the innovative game Machinarium by Amanita Design.

That soundtrack is available at Bandcamp, and Dvořák also offers a free Machinarium Soundtrack Bonus EP.



Music License: All Rights Reserved
Artist Location: Czech Republic

29 May 2013

SNL Spoof Punk

On the Fred Armisen farewell episode of Saturday Night Live one video short featured a spoof punk band made up of Armisen, Bill Hader, and Taran Killam.

The short featured several humorous punk songs by their fictional band, Ian Rubbish and The Bizarros.

Those songs are available for download as an EP with another single at IanRubbish.com where you can see the skit again, as well. A piece of SNL history.

Music License: assumed all rights reserved

28 May 2013

Stealing Orchestra's Deliverance Album

Possibly the best experimental album ever made is now made free to all.

Stealing Orchestra has chosen to give you their album Deliverance as a gift on the anniversary of its original release.

Read more at the Free Music Archive and in the original release Blogio post.

Highly recommended.



Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Artist Location: Portugal

27 May 2013

New David Byrne and St Vincent EP


David Byrne writes today of a 5-song EP from David Byrne and St. Vincent:

"After the release of Love This Giant last year, we did a tour of North America and Australia that was like nothing we’ve ever done before—drums, keys and Annie and I supported by 8 choreographed brass players. We did the new material, but also a lot of recognizable songs, arranged for that group. The sound is incredible, and it’s a bit of a visual spectacle as well. We were pretty excited at how it turned out. The critical and audience response was great too! Touring a group that size with a fairly complex show is a big financial gulp, so it has taken us a while to collect enough offers in North America and Europe, but now they are in and we kick off in a few weeks.

"One of our business folks had the idea that we might offer a taste of what we’re up to—so we put together an EP to give folks a taste of what to expect. It has one song that didn’t make it on the record (a waltz featuring some lovely glass harmonica), a couple of energized remixes of some of the album tunes and two live tracks of the sort of more familiar material we do in the set. Did we say it’s FREE? We’re very excited at how this whole project came out so we want more folks to discover it. Download it below!"

The David Byrne and St. Vincent tour begins in June. The Brass Tactics EP comes with cover art and a credits and lyrics booklet.




Music License: all rights reserved
Image: Byrne and Clark, courtesy lovethisgiant.com

26 May 2013

Memorial Day Offerings

Tomorrow is the federal holiday Memorial Day when the USA honors the memory of those who died while serving in the US Armed Forces. Citizens are always the cost of battle.

Below are some selections of military music for Memorial Day, but first please take a moment to click against the deadly sonar and explosives tests that injure and kill 1000s of marine whales and dolphins




Memorial Day Selections

:: US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps: Celebrating 50 Years


Music License: varied

25 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Mexican: Eva Maria


We are concluding our globe-trotting adventure! The last stop on our Planet Hopping Week is Mexico.

Our final artist is famous ranchera and ballada singer Eva Maria (Eva Maria Ramirez-y-Santana). She shares four of her albums on Jamendo.

Her award-winning album Dos Caras is a classic.

Eva Maria's other albums on Jamendo:


Music License: Creative Common Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Artist Location: Ciudad de México, México

24 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Guyanese: Terry Gajraj


We are continuing on our globe-trotting adventure! The sixth stop on our Planet Hopping Week is Guyana in South America.

Our sixth artist is East Indian Guyanese singer Terry Gajraj. His album Phagwah in Guyana celebrates the Hindu Festival of Color (Holi, Phagwah, Dol Jatra, Basantotsav).

About 45% of Guyana is East Indian, so the Indian culture thrives in this South American nation, as in several Caribbean island nations.

Terry makes this album available for free on his website where you can hear songs from and purchase his many other albums.



Music License: All Rights Reserved
Artist Location: Guyana

23 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Jerusalem: Ofri Eliaz


Continuing on our globe-trotting adventure, the fifth stop on our Planet Hopping Week is tricky, because this ancient culture has established communities in North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and the USA. We are talking about Sephadi Jews. Sephardic refers to the descendants of Jewish settlers, originally from the Ottoman Empire, who lived in the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain and Portugal, until the Spanish Inquisition.

Our fifth artist is Ofri Eliaz. Her album Ya Salio De La Mar: Ladino Songs is sung in the Spanish dialect Ladino.

She writes:
In 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain. They were forced to leave without their belongings, but they carried with them their heritage, their language (a dialect of Spanish called Ladino) and their love of music to their new homes. For centuries, the heartfelt and melodic music of the Sephardic Jews accompanied them all in the nations they settled, from North Africa to Balkans to Turkey, Greece, Italy and America to present-day in Israel. Those diverse influences are evidenced in their culture and music.

Wherever they settled- they established and lived in close-knit communities, maintaining their own customs and traditions. Music played a major part in their communal life and on special occasions -- days of sorrow or joy -- they sang the ballads handed down from generation to generation....

Most Sephardic Jews in the United States trace their heritage back to the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. The Sephardic musical heritage is most noted for its rich body of "Romansas" ( ballads), "Cantigas" ( folk songs), and "Endechas"( laments) in Ladino, may of which go back to Medieval and Renaissance Spain and are found in variants throughout the Hispanic world.

This vibrant Sephardic song culture has been passed down within communities throughout the Mediterranean, as well as in Israel and the Americas. While contemporary interpretations have tended to present it as "early music", Sephardic music actually belongs to the Middle Eastern musical sphere. Much of it utilizes the system "magams" or modes, common to Turkish, Arabic, Greek, Persian and other Mediterranean and near Eastern music. The instruments traditionally used to accompany Ladino singing (from Turkey and the Balkan) are typical of Ottoman Turkish popular music at the turn of the century, and include oud, kanun, tanbur, djumbush, dumbeg, tambourine, as well as other instruments.



Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
Artist Location: Jerusalem

22 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Brazilian: Various Artists


Continuing on our globe-trotting adventure, stop four on our Planet Hopping Week is Brazil.
 

Contemporary composer Aldo Brizzi wrote the music for Brizzi do Brasil, an album of songs written for Brazilian and Portuguese artists, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Teresa Salgueiro of Madredeus, and Carlinhos Brown. 

Italian born Brizzi lives in Salvador Bahia. He writes:
The original idea that inspired this recording was to write a musical based on the libretto of the Mexican poet Francisco Serrano, a story about Orpheus who descends into hell, and who, instead of meeting Eurydice, encounters Alice in Wonderland.

I prepared four demo songs for the producers of the project, and these were a bit removed from the usual projects for which I’m known. I proposed the idea to Alan Foix, director of a studio in Paris which received subvention from the Ministry of French Culture, and he became enthusiastic about the project. From him I obtained space and support to record some pieces. It was during the World Cup in France, and the presence of many Brazilian artists in Paris helped.
The original release of the album, Brizzi do Brasil, is available for free download at last.fm, and the reissue is available for purchase from the usual music sources





Music License: all rights reserved
Artist Location: Brazil; Italy

21 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Vietnamese: Thuy Hanh


We are continuing on our globe-trotting adventure! The third stop on our Planet Hopping Week is Vietnam.

Our third artists are Thúy Hạnh with Thạch Cầm and Bảo Cường. They celebrate their homeland in song on the album Hương Quê Mẹ [My Motherland]. It is made available by the Hồn Quê website.

Music License: All Rights Reserved
Artist Location: Viet Nam

20 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: East European, South European: Underscore Orkestra


We are continuing on our globe-trotting adventure! The second stop on our Planet Hopping Week is Southeastern Europe.

Our second artists are Underscore Orkestra. Although based in the American northwest, the band celebrates East and South European music.

Their album No Money No Honey All We Got Is Us is available from the Free Music Archive and in high quality and CD format from CD Baby.



Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Artist Location: Portland, Oregon, USA

19 May 2013

Planet Hopping Week: Indian: Jaipal Sahota


Welcome to the 21st week of 2013. Let's have a globe-trotting adventure! The first stop on our Planet Hopping Week is India.

Our first artist is Punjab pop star,  Jaipal Sahota. His album Shabab is shared at last.fm.



Music License: all rights reserved
Artist Location: India

18 May 2013

Second Volume of Popular Ambient Album

Last year, Canadian recording artist, CBC radio technician and producer, and independent label operator Lee Rosevere released Time-Lapse: Volume 1, ambient minimal electronic reworkings of classical works.

Now, Rosevere has released Time Lapse: Volume 2, a set of his own long-form ambient compositions. These new works are "intended for meditation or just relaxing to," according to the Happy Puppy Records label on which the work is released.


By the end of track four, "Squinting at the Sun," listeners at Oddio Overplay headquarters reported feeling relaxed and at peace. If we can pipe this into global political and financial institutions, perhaps this album will save the world.

Enjoy both of the instrumental Time Lapse albums at:

Free Music Archive - Volume 1 | Volume 2
Internet Archive - Volume 1 | Volume 2



Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
Artist Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

17 May 2013

Making a Better World by Sharing

Artists + Creative Commons + Free Music Archive + Nonprofits = Better World  

Creative Commons licensing has opened a new world for collaboration. Most artists with works in the Free Music Archive share their copyrighted work with some rights reserved. Depending on the chosen license for the work, this often allows others to incorporate the work into something new without the use of lawyers and other middle men.

An avenue of collaboration that the Free Music Archive has actively promoted is the reuse of recordings in film and video. The FMA Tracks To Sync and Music for Video selections offer filmmakers a sampling of the variety of music available for reuse. The FMA also has a partnership with Vimeo, the video host, helping filmmakers find just the right music to fit the setting of the film.

The collaborative music+video results have been remarkable around the world. In fact, in some cases this collaboration even benefits the world. Nonprofit organizations, not typically known for having large promotional budgets, can benefit greatly by re-purposing Creative Commons recordings licensed for reuse.

One FMA success story is the union of a recording by American artist Aaron Ximm with a public service message for sustainability organization Redress. Ximm's track is used in a promo video for the EcoChic Design Award.

Redress is a Hong Kong based NGO with a mission to promote environmental sustainability in Asia's fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. We achieve this via educational sustainable fashion shows, exhibitions, competitions, seminars, research and media outreach. Our unique profile allows us to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders. We work with multiple fashion designers, textile and garment manufacturers, retailers, schools and universities, multilateral organizations, governments, NGOs, financial institutions and media organizations.

The EcoChic Design Award is a sustainable fashion design competition inspiring emerging fashion designers and students to create mainstream clothing with minimal textile waste. Apply now.


photo: Forever Better with Miele fashion show organized by Redress

16 May 2013

Ghostly Songs Music Reps

Through the artist Tycho, we found Ghostly Songs, a division of Ghostly, is a music publishing company that represents and manages musicians and their works. We mention them here at Oddio is that some of their catalog is available for free download, including artist showcase compilations and a collection of mp3s of the artists they represent.


Note: This is not an endorsement of the services provided by Ghostly. We do not know enough about their services to provide such.

 



15 May 2013

Pierrot Lunaire

In 1884, Pierrot Lunaire: Rondels Bergamasques (Moonstruck Pierrot), a collection of 50 poems by symbolist Belgian poet Albert Giraud was published. The protagonist in the poems is Pierrot, that classic sad clown who dates back to the 16th century. Pierrot ached for the love of Columbine who broke his heart when she ran away with Harlequin. He is such a classic that Pierrot is the inspiration for the white-faced pantomimes in theaters and on city streets for more than 500 years.

Many composers have set the Giraud poems of Pierrot to music. However, it was expressionist composer Arnold Schoenberg who created one of the landmark musical masterpieces of the 20th century with 21 of the poems. His Dreimal Sieben Gedichte Aus Albert Girauds "Pierrot Lunaire" (Three Times Seven Poems From Albert Giraud's "Pierrot Lunaire"), more commonly known as Pierrot Lunaire, Opus 21 or Moonstruck Pierrot, premiered in 1912 in Berlin. Schoenberg used a German translation of the poems for his work.

Schoenberg, leader of the Second Viennese School of musical composition is best known as an atonal pioneer, and Pierrot Lunaire is atonal, but this work predates his famous twelve-tone technique of composition.

The narrator in Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, typically a soprano, sings in the technique of Sprechstimme (spoken voice), an expressionist vocal technique that lives between singing and speaking.

Soprano Jessica Abel performed the difficult Sprechstimme in Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Ars Nova Dallas conducted by Jordan Randall Smith at the 2009 Dallas Festival of Modern Music.

The recordings of that performance are available at

NoiseTrade (free, suggested donation) | SoundCloud (stream) | Bandcamp ($4)

The musicians are Jocelyn Goranson on flute/piccolo, Mary Druhan on clarinet/bass clarinet, Veronica Gan on violin/viola, Craig Leffer on cello, and Reuben Allred on piano.


Music License: all rights reserved
Image: Pierrot, by Mabel Dearmer (1872 - 1915), The Studio (magazine), Volume 11, page 262, 1897. (source)
Artist Location: Dallas, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland, USA

14 May 2013

Unexpected Music Source

A recent Blogio post mentioned that the automotive manufacturer Toyota gives away music releases. They have been doing this since at least 2010 on their Scion A/V site. Some recordings are no longer available for download, but many are.

Here are some that the Oddio Overplay gang have enjoyed. Visit to see what Scion A/V releases interest you.


1. The Melvins - The Bulls And The Bees (hard rock, heavy)
2. Bare - Altitude (bangers, dubstep)
3. The Gates of Slumber - Stormcrow (metal)

4. Corrosion of Conformity - Megalodon (hard rock, metal)
5. Various Artists - Label Showcase: Profound Lore Records (metal)
6. The King Khan Experience - The King Khan Experience (rock)

7. Midnight Magic - What the Eyes Can't See (disco, funk, R&B)
8. Reigning Sound - Abdication...For Your Love (garage rock, pop)
9. Static Revenger - Music In Motion (house, electro, dubstep)



Music License: all rights reserved

13 May 2013

Eisley Preview Album


Later this month, Eisley will release their Currents album. While awaiting the May 28th launch date, listeners can enjoy their Currents and More Sampler, a featured free NoiseTrade release. The Currents launch is the start of the Eisley summer tour.

"Eisley’s fourth album, Currents, is a study in contrasts. It’s the sound of a band growing up, but not forgetting the magical power of childlike curiosity or the joy of unselfconscious creativity. It’s an album that nods to playful pop and stormy rock, but also gentle electronica and delicate classical. But more than that, Currents finds the group forging their own path in the world, but never losing sight of the homegrown heart that’s made the band beloved by legions of fans."
-- NoiseTrade profile


Music License: all rights reserved
Image: Currents album cover
Artist Location: Tyler, Texas, USA



12 May 2013

RhymeSquare Comps

Being fans of Ill Papa Giraffe [Facebook], we were happy to find them on the new sampler from UK independent clothing label RhymeSquare, RhymeSquare: Volume Three, Late Spring. Check all three volumes.

Typical modern hip hop sadly reflects ignorance, negativity, misogyny, and violence. In some shining scenes, however, you find intelligence, positivity, equality, and community -- all vital to early hip hop. This is one of those shining scenes. Hear their messages. Most of the artists on this RhymeSquare compilation are artists to support and celebrate. That says something good about the good people at RhymeSquare, too.

Go on and get yourself some fun music, fun threads, and a cool little bear at RhymeSquare!


Music License: all rights reserved
Artist Location: United Kingdom



11 May 2013

Positive Messages To Get You Through

"Imagine what you could do, if you just believed in you?" -- Dawn Pemberton

Message Positive is an uplifting 18-track mix on the Free Music Archive with songs of positivity and inspiration to act.

The compilation jumps nations and continents and visits the genres of hip hop, soul, rhythm and blues, funk, ambient, chill, reggae, dub, rock, folk, singer-songwriter, rockabilly, blues, electronica, pop, novelty, children, dance.

Message Positive features Axial, BJ Block and Dawn Pemberton, The Crevulators, Eaters, Great Lake Swimmers, Higgins, Ill Papa Giraffe, Jon Rauhouse and Neko Case, Kelley Stoltz, Neko Case, Nobody's Bizness, Propaganda Anonymous, Salakapakka Sound System, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Spinnaface, Spinningmerkaba, Uncle Neptune, and Underling.

Every moment is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, baby.


[Download Message Positive]  

UPDATE: Sorry. Download stopped working when mix featured on FMA, 
so here is a rebuild. Hope it works for you now.
 
Music License: see individual track for license
Image: "Happy Sun" by pinkpuffball

09 May 2013

Garage Rock from Corporations

The companies Adult Swim and Dr. Pepper released a new compilation this week. This time around they are featuring garage rock. Garage Swim showcases unreleased tracks from Black Lips, The Gories, King Tuff, Mikal Cronin, JEFF the Brotherhood, King Khan and The Gris Gris, Mind Spiders, Bass Drum of Death, and others.

Garage rock fans, do you know about Garage Fest organizer Toyota's garage series? (Garage, get it? Oi.) They have released over the last few years something like 50 songs from bands like Black Lips, King Tuff, Oblivians, Nobunny, The Spits, Cola Freaks, Reigning Sound, Dirtbombs, Davilla 666, and the likes. Those tracks are only streaming now, but check the cover art on some of these! The albums Abdication by Reigning Sound and The King Khan Experience by King Khan, however, ARE still available for download.



Music License: assumed all rights reserved



08 May 2013

Post-Rock from Dresden

ne:o are a five-piece group in Dresden, Germany, who blur genres between rock, jazz, and electronic music. They sometimes remind us of The Art of Noise and the great jazz-post-rock experimental bands.

Other times they call to mind Jaga Jazzist, who Wikipedia labels as Jazz, Nu jazz, Acid jazz, Electronica, Experimental rock, and Post-rock. ne:o drifts between those realms, too.

German netlabel Aaahh Records shares two albums by ne:o in which the band really shines, studio album illoj and a live performance album direkt. Both album pages have donation buttons for you to show your appreciation.

Official Website | Aaahh Records | Bandcamp | Donate | Shop | last.fm


Location: Dresden, Germany
Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
Image: Peter Seyfarth

07 May 2013

Baroque Classical Guitar


The Bach Guitar Duo (Florindo Baldissera and Victorinus Nalato) has a gorgeous album of baroque works, Obstinatum: Chaconnes e Passacalles, on the AlchEmistica netlabel.

The chaconne and passacaglia are types of musical composition first found in the early 1600s in the baroque era in Spain. They were vehicles for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. Both usually had a bass-line serving a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and melodic invention. The bass-line typically descend stepwise from the tonic to the dominant pitch of the scale while the harmonies emphasize the circle of fifths. The passacaglia is typically based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple meter.

This anthology of passacaglia and chaconnes presented by Bach Guitar Duo features compositions of Germanic nations of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The composers include Friedrich Christian Witt (c1660 - 1716), Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (1665-1746), Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707), Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767), and Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706).

Florindo Baldissera plays guitar on higher fourth by Loris Colladon, 2008. Victorinus Nalato plays on guitar by Masaru Kohno, 1981. Recorded in Belluno, Municipal Auditorium, on June 2010.



Location: Venice, Italy
Image: The first page of the autographed manuscript of the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582, by Johann Sebastian Bach
Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported

06 May 2013

05 May 2013

Free-Jazz from White Russia

Viktar Siamashka and Co, a free-jazz quartet in Mink, Bielarus, just released their Biotope album on the avant-garde netlabel Black Square (Чёрный квадрат). These spontaneous improvised pieces were recorded live "in anticafe Fisher House, Miensk, Bielarus" and fans of improvised free-jazz will want to hear this one.

Siamashka performs beautifully on woodwinds and brass. The group -- Viktar Siamashka (winds, percussion), Eryk Arlou-Shymus (double-bass), Maxim Iukin (voice, percussion), Raman Jarash (big drum) -- holds together as if they have played these pieces for years.
"Free music from 'the last dictatorship in Europe'. Spontaneous improvisation. Operative composing. Something at the intercrossing of free-jazz, folk, academic and electronic music. All compositions were created together, alive, 'here and now' and without the using of phonograms or rehearse fragments."
-- Viktar Siamashka and Co



Location: Minsk, Belarus
Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

04 May 2013

Field Trip to Atlanta

Y'all wanna roll wit me down to Hotlanta?  Pop in Life In Technicolor Vol. 1 by Spree Wilson and The Flush (Grammy nominated producers for Outkast, Janelle Monae, Little Dragon, RaeKwon, Phantogram, etc.) and you will find yourself immersed in Atlanta, Georgia, USA culture. This concept album recorded at renowned Stankonia Recording Studios is a fun slice of "blazin' hot hip hop and R&B" with crazy Atlanta radio segments leading you from song to song.

Life In Technicolor Vol. 1 liner notes explain that it is inspired by "vivid and feel-good memories of young love and carefree summers during the 'Golden Days' of Atlanta’s bass music scene.... Drawing inspiration from the sounds of legendary bass music pioneers from Kilo Ali, KP & Envy, So So Def Bass All-Stars to Raheem The Dream. This project, self-proclaimed as 'audio artwork' clearly embodies the true essence of fun times and summer love growing up in the city of Atlanta."

Spree Wilson writes, "The reason we started working on this is because we wanted to make a fun project that was influenced by being young in the summer and falling in love. A lot of these ideals stem from my childhood and spending my summers in Atlanta living with my grandmother. This EP owes as much to the city of Atlanta as it does to the people who impacted my life there musically during that time."

The Flush adds, "Crafting the musical soundtrack for the Life In Technicolor EP was nothing short of amazing. Embarking upon this musical journey with Spree Wilson taught us so much about our city (Atlanta), it's culture, and our role in continuing the musical legacy that inspired the creation of this project. We found a great team mate in Spree, and thankfully we were able to successfully articulate his music vision as the sole producers of the Life In Technicolor EP."

The Life In Technicolor EP will transport you to summer days in the South and make you crave soul food! A free fun vacation thanks to Spree Wilson, The Flush, and the whole cast of performers.




Download at AudioMack

Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Music License: assumed all rights reserved

03 May 2013

Sound Interpretations Series

The adventurous avant-garde HAZE netlabel has a series of compilations titled Sound Interpretations by contemporary composers and experimental sound artists. Each compilation is inspired by and dedicated to the brilliance of an outstanding 20th century writer.

HAZE writes, "In this project we propose to rethink literary heritage of the 20th century. Over the 2012-2013 years, each month we will release the compilation dedicated to the 12 most outstanding writers of the 20th century."

The most recent collection is dedicated to Jack Kerouac. The eight earlier editions celebrate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, James Joyce, Stephen King, Albert Camus, William Gibson, Franz Kafka, and Julio Cortazar.

There are gems in every collection. Here is an example from the Kafka collection, Kafkaesque Orchestra - Letters to Milena [mp3, 03:04].


Location: Belarus
Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0

02 May 2013

Indie Pop from The Wind Whistles

"Tom and Liza are the Wind Whistles and they live together in the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada. As an indie folk duo, they both sing and both play acoustic instruments (guitar,bass). Sometimes they play alone and sometimes they bring friends, more times not.

"They think they sound like a cross of Lemonheads and Violent Femmes while people tell them they sound like a cross of the Decemberists and the Moldy Peaches. Beginning in the spring of 2006, they've done the usual artist thing: demo, radio, festivals, tours, friends and lots and lots of shows. In 2007, they have released their first full length window sills and try to spread it around as much as they can. Thats why they have decided to re-release their 12-track LP under a creative commons license."


Download album


Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Music License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

01 May 2013

The Month's FMA Gold

April 2013
Some of the albums that caught our attention this month at the Free Music Archive

The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. The Free Music Archive is directed by WFMU, the most renowned freeform radio station in America. Radio has always offered the public free access to new music. The Free Music Archive is a continuation of that purpose, designed for the age of the internet.

Every mp3 you discover on The Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for certain types of uses that would otherwise be prohibited by copyright laws that were not designed for the digital era.  These uses vary and are determined by the rightsholders themselves who feel that allowing a degree of free cultural access is beneficial not only to their own pursuits, but to our society as a whole.  Are you a podcaster looking for pod-safe audio? A radio or video producer searching for instrumental bed music that won't put your audience to sleep? A remix artist looking for pre-cleared samples? Or are you simply looking for some new sounds to add to your next playlist? The Free Music Archive is a resource for all that and more, and unlike other websites, all of the audio has been hand-picked by established audio curators.

Maya Solovéy - Forte
[Folk, Pop, Chamber Pop]

Podington Bear - 22 new albums added this month
[Instro, Electro]

Allah-Las - Live on WFMU Apr 2013
[Rock, '60s-style Pop, Psych]

Diotima_Quartet - Hugh Levick's Empire Inc.
[Modern Composition]

Robin Grey - tracks from albums
[Folk, Acoustic, Pop]

Roach Davies And The Fleas - Navigator
[Psych, Folk, Rock]

Alan Driscoll - The Differences Between Men And Women
[Standup Comedy]

Robyn Hitchcock - Live on WFMU Feb 2013
[Pop, Rock]

A Hawk and a Hacksaw - Live at WFMU with Irene Trudel - March 25, 2013
[Traditional Music, Folk, SE Europe]

Candlegravity - Junpei
[Experi, Electro]

THF Drenching - Punishing Moral Code
[Experi, Noise, Musique Concrete]

Various Artists - Revitalize Music Contest
[Varied]

Avoidant - Birth In Carpathia
[Dark Ambient, Drone]

Joe Marson - Someday Soon
[Pop, Blues Rock]

Jahzzar - Sketches
[Beats, Rhythm & Blues]

Spuntic - Between Green
[Ambient, Drone, Space, Electro]

Daizy - The Daizy Factory
[Beats, Electro]

Mice Parade - Live on WFMU Mar 2013
[Folk, Experi, Acoustic]

Plates Of Cake - Live on WFMU Mar 2013
[Pop, Power Pop, Indie Rock]

Эксперимент (Experiment) - Навсегда (Forever)
[Russian Pop]

Various Artists - Retork (Enough Records)
[Electro, Varied]

Anitek - Lily
[hip hop beats, trip hop, funk]

Various Artists - Un|Herd Archive
[experi, electro, radio]

Zelmershead - Imperfection
[electro, trip hop]

Nasienie - Private Loops
[electro, ambient]

Keaton Henson - Live on WFMU Apr 2013
[Folk, Acoustic Guitar]

Onyx Ashanti - Berlin
[Dance, House]

Eaters - An Evening With Tuck Pendleton
[Soul, Hip Hop, '60s Groove]

Underling - 2 new albums (hear live session!)
[Hip Hop, Rock]

Asian Women on the Telephone - Ivan (Euro Edition)
[Noise, Experi]

Vlasta Popić - Za Očnjake
[Punk, New Wave]

Ховбай Хвекмеев and PK Jazz Collective: 1967-1976 The Best
[Varied]

MC Cullah - Be Love Not Fear
[Blues Rock, Experi, Electric Guitar]

Technology of Silence - The Squad
[Industrial, Electro]

Nevada Base - Foresight
[Synth Pop, Dance]
Some content added by Oddio Overplay:

Lee Maddeford et Roland Vouilloz - Cyclops
[Modern Composition, Stage Music]

Various Artists - The Droplift Project
[Collage, Varied, Experi]
Some content promoted elsewhere by Oddio Overplay:

Sergi Boal - Silenci
[Traditional Music, Modern Composition]

The Impossebulls -Made by History (Decade One: 2000-2010)
[Hip Hop, Rap]

Location: Jersey City, New Jersey, USA