I have to say that one of the best, most wonderful things about this crazy Interwebs tube thing is the ease with which you can find music. Sometimes I think fondly back to the days of my youth, when I'd comb the racks of tapes at the local music store -- which seemed like the coolest place in the universe at the time, but probably didn't hold a candle to places like SoundEx or (R.I.P.?) Cactus (ah, the innocence of youth...). The reality, though, is that while I was able to find some things (like Warrior's Fighting for the Earth; woo, yeah!), most days I ended up frustrated & wishing I lived in some bigger city with at least a Tower Records or something. (It was a small town.)

Flash-forward to now, and holy shit, I am loving the ability to say, "hey, what the heck was that song I heard a little blip of the other day?" and -- poof! -- it's on my iPod (cough -- legally, of course). Beyond that, there's a wealth of free MP3s and such floating around out there for those who're curious or open to checking out new stuff. I sift through a ton of links to stuff like that each week, both sent by labels & PR folk or posted on MP3 sites, so here's some of what I've received/stumbled over lately that's been good:

A Wilhelm Scream -- "Die While We're Young"

This one's a limited-timer, apparently, so grab it soon -- it's a sample of AWS's new album, Career Suicide, which I haven't heard yet, and it's good, if slightly less hardcore-sounding than Ruiner (see "Killing It", off that album). Of course, that's what I love about this band: they mash up the best of yell-along hc, pop-punk, and guitar metal and cover the whole thing in emo-boy backing vocals, and against all odds, it works.

The Octopus Project - "Bees Bein' Strugglin'"

Nice...we here at SCR love the Octoproj, have for many moons now, and are pleased as heck that they're still putting out albums. Everything they do is good, but this track just flows so beautifully along it's like the soundtrack to a hazy summer's day; gorgeous.

Peter Bjorn and John - "Far Away, By My Side"

Holy crap, do I love this song. Seriously. I've liked what I've heard of PB&J before now, but that guitar/vocal riff is so familiar, yet insanely catchy at the same time. I could listen to it all day. (And yes, I do know it ain't a new song, but it's new to me; oh, and they're playing Warehouse Live on 11/23. Thanks to Both Sides of the Mouth for the link.)

Yea Big + Kid Static - "Duck, Mother Fuckers!"

I've gotten a lot of hip-hop of late, and sadly, most of it's left me "eh." Not so with Yea Big & partner Kid Static, though -- this track marries thumping, insistent beats with defiant rhymes reminiscent of The Roots at their best.

The Dreadful Yawns - "Candles"

Mojave 3, meet The New You. Cleveland's The Dreadful Yawns pick up where the Mojave crew left off, circa Puzzles Like You, with sweet, poignant strings, gentle drumming, and honestly beautiful male/female vocals soaring off down that long, lonesome road.

Miracle Fortress - "Have You Seen In Your Dreams"

This one's like The Arcade Fire, if that bad were fronted by Wayne Coyne; the vocals are seriously Lips-esque, but the music aims towards a more epic kind of indie-psych. (Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the link.)

Emma Pollock - "Adrenaline"

Found this one when I saw that Ms. Pollock (formerly of the excellent Delgados) would be opening for Spoon & The New Pornographers 11/1. Sadly, I won't be there -- already got tickets for Johnette Napolitano @ the Duck -- but this little gem of a pop song makes me even more bummed that I can't be in two places at once... (Thanks to The Yellow Stereo for the link.)

The Drones - "Shark Fin Blues"

Roots-rock from the Land Down Under, but it sounds more like Son Volt, especially in the awesomely rough-edged Jay Farrar-esque guitars, and owes a serious debt to Neil Young, too. Noisy but listenable and warm.

Throw Me The Statue - "About to Walk"

This one's from a few months back, but I only recently got it on the iPod & gave it a listen. And man, is it good -- fractured, vulnerable-sounding pop with cool, crunchy synths and driving-like-a-crazy-person drums. When it's over, I just want to hit Play again, and again, and again...

Labels: Cool Web Junk, Pseudo-Reviews, Things To Download, Things To Hear

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