iTunes: Free Tuesday
Welcome to another week of iTunes: Free Tuesday. Today brings us a new, fresh collection of free singles and videos from around the world with sounds and artists to take your ears and eyes to new places. This week started off late (due to the iPhone hooplah I suppose) but has finally started updating. Here's what has updated so far.
US Music
US: Let It Go by Marc Billz
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you for free. This week, Flatbush hardcore MC Marc Billz takes listeners on a slow-rolling tour through his neighborhood filled with tension and temptation. Don't let Billz's low-key vocal style fool you; the self-described "Rap's Johnny Cash" slings lyrical arrows on the street anthem "Let It Go." With the King of New York title up for grabs, Marc Billz is a dark horse and this track is a convincing stump speech. Look for the full-length Don't Settle For Less! coming soon on Brooklyn Bound Recordings.
US: Por la Noche by Mala Rodríguez
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. Mala Rodríguez is a Spanish hip-hop rising star who has a bold rhyming style that draws heavily from American, club-centric, hip-hop jams. She unleashes quick-witted asides just as quickly as she lets verse after verse of confidence roll off of her tongue. "Por La Noche" is one of the more mid-tempo cuts from her new album Malamarismo.
US: A Distant Episode by Till Brönner
German trumpet player Till Brönner has performed with numerous eminent jazz musicians including Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, Michael Brecker, and Natalie Cole, and made a guest appearance on Madeleine Peyroux's latest album, Half the Perfect World. Fans of Miles Davis will enjoy his restrained, Harmon-muted sound and lyrical virtuosity. The spare and elegant "A Distant Episode" (co-written with producer Larry Klein) is this week's free Discovery Download.
US Video
US: Vertigo, The Best Years
Samantha Best survived a series of foster homes to make it to college in Boston. Now she's on her own with a bottle-blonde debutante roommate, Hollywood divas in her dorm, and guys in her shower. Samantha has no past, just One. Big. Future. Life starts NOW on The Best Years.
International
Australia: Office Boy (Architecture In Helsinki Remix) by Bonde do Role
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. This week, we unleash Brazil funk-punkers on an unsuspecting nation. Bonde Do Role have been drawing rave reviews here and abroad, as well as winning them a stack of fans including fellow Brazilian's CSS, Shir Khan, and Melbourne's own Architecture in Helsinki, who have all contributed remixes to the digital release of this single. We're delighted to offer Architecture's remix of "Office Boy" as our free Single of the Week. Check it out before they become the biggest indie band on the planet
New Zealand: Office Boy (Architecture In Helsinki Remix) by Bonde do Role
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. This week, we unleash Brazil funk-punkers on an unsuspecting nation. Bonde Do Role have been drawing rave reviews here and abroad, as well as winning them a stack of fans including fellow Brazilian's CSS, Shir Khan, and Melbourne's own Architecture in Helsinki, who have all contributed remixes to the digital release of this single. We're delighted to offer Architecture's remix of "Office Boy" as our free Single of the Week. Check it out before they become the biggest indie band on the planet
Canada: Ces journées-là by Censia
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. This week, we're putting the focus on Censia. This duo from Quebec creates shimmering pop music with touches of electronics and acoustic guitars. If you like the idea of falling in love, holding hands, and taking a long, leisurely stroll on the moon, then this space-age pop will be just what you need.
France: Montre-toi by Alexandre Varlet
Après neuf ans de carrière et un peu plus de trois cents concerts, Alexandre Varlet s'offre pour son troisième album un nouveau départ avec ce Ciel de Fête tranchant et moderne. À 32 ans, ce chanteur nourri à la cold wave et au post-punk signe un retour marquant grâce à cet album réconciliant enfin en France urgence pop et fluidité des mots. Petit échantillon gratuit avec " Montre-toi ", notre Single de la semaine sur iTunes.
UK: Sophia by Good Shoes
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. There is something completely familiar and totally beguiling about London's Good Shoes. For starters, they're a guitar pop band as opposed to a guitar rock band. They rely on electric guitar leads and heavily accented vocals, but instead of doing this with the fury found in a post-Libertines/post-Arctic Monkeys world, they find a more humble and charming mode in their jangling, well-written, off-key gems. "Sophia" sums it up perfectly.