iTunes: Free Tuesday
Welcome to this week's edition of iTunes: Free Tuesday. Each week 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.
US Music
US: Autumn Cannibalist by Die Mannequin
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. Die Mannequin is a trio from Toronto whose crunchy, riff rock is perfectly suited for raising your arm (leather studded bracelet in check) and pumping your fist in the air. Take the earlier, grittier sound of the '90s Seattle scene, add in some hard-rock riffage (think Queens of the Stone Age, not Randy Rhodes) and a touch of punk's spikiness, then mix in vocalist Care Failure's sweet-but-possibly-violent singing personality and you've got a new band name to tattoo on your back. "Autumn Cannabalist" is our free Single of the Week.
US: Ella Se Mueve Cruel by Los Rabanes
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. If you have any previous experience with Panama's Los Rabanes, you know they defy easy categorization. Case in point is this week's free Canción de la Semana, "Ella Se Mueve Cruel," where they start things off with a startling amount of heavy metal thunder. Just as you're getting ready to reveal your inner headbanger, the group completely switches gears and goes into ska-punk overdrive. The fact that they can do this seamlessly and leave you wanting more shows you why we're focusing on Los Rabanes this week.
US: Heal Yourself by Ruthie Foster
Our weekly Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track from an artist we think is worth your attention. Ruthie Foster, in another time and place, would be turning out 45-rpm records while turning away labels such as Stax, Fame, Goldwax, and Atlantic. She has a gritty, soulful authority behind the microphone that seems like it's a rarity in these auto-tuned days. She's also backed by a band that's plugged in and playing in a room together. This is tried and true soul music – homegrown funk that you should check out immediately.
US Video
US: Greek Pilot
The new ABC Family original series Greek follows the story of Casey and Rusty Cartwright as they navigate their way through Greek life at the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University. Casey has it all – good looks, popular boyfriend, sisterhood in the most elite sorority – but her party life is turned upside down when her younger brother Rusty arrives on campus and insists on rushing a fraternity. Don't miss even one episode of this exciting new series!
US: Latino Laugh Festival 101
Watch Noe Gonzalez, Rick Ramos, Debi Gutierrez, Moronzio Vance and Rick Gutierrez perform hilarious stand up on Sitv's Latino Laugh Festival.
US: Styleyes Miami 301
Sí TV turns up the heat on its signature fashion and lifestyle series Styleyes with a new tropical locale – sexy, cosmopolitan Miami – and a new high profile host, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Jai Rodriguez to bring you . . . Styleyes Miami. Jai is Sí TV's new Latino authority on fashion, style, and culture as he works his make-over skills, charisma, and celebrity rolodex to add fresh levels of South Beach cool to the new Mecca of style.
US: Urban Jungle/Welcome to the Jungle
Two worlds clash in hilarious and sometimes dramatic encounters when 13 spoiled suburbanites are stripped of their Beemers, deprived of their cell phones, and transplanted into a tiny two-bedroom, one-bathroom home in South Central Los Angeles to live like immigrants, all for the chance to win the grand prize.
US: Hey Paula, Episode 101
She may be "Forever Your Girl" but do you really know Paula Abdul? This is the fly-on-the-wall series that goes behind the scenes in the life of the multifaceted Paula Abdul. Business woman, producer, choreographer, singer, and friend – the docu-series tracks Paula's ups and down, as she navigates her hectic professional and personal life. It's an insider's look into the "real" Paula straight up . . . behind the tabloid headlines and the Hollywood gossip. Whether it's walking the red carpet, coping with the demands of a hit TV show or just hitting the supermarket, BRAVO uncovers the emotional and candid territory of life lived as a celebrity.
US: American Body Shop by Pilot Flammers
When it comes to auto body, paint, and collision work, Desert Body & Custom is a train wreck waiting to happen . . . and a place where car owners routinely get railroaded. Meet Sam, the beaten-down shop owner who's always looking to beat the system. Working for (and usually against) him are Denise, the face – and body – of the shop; Tim, the paint and prank specialist; Brooklyn Johnny, the black-market maven; Rob, the renaissance man and prostitute enthusiast; and Luis, the semi-legal alien shop assistant. Together, they're working overtime to live up to their motto: "At Desert Body & Custom, Your Car is Finished!"
US Audio Book
US: An Interview With George R. R. Martin (Original Staging Nonfiction)
George R. R. Martin, the best-selling author of the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, is also an award-winning writer of short fiction in a variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In this exclusive interview, Martin and Rob McDonald, iTunes' audiobook programmer, discuss Dreamsongs, the author's forthcoming collection of short stories from the past 30-plus years. They also discuss favorite characters, the influence of Hollywood, the meaning of "the heart in conflict", and more.
International
Australia: Take Me There by The Checks
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. Last year, the Checks took home the coveted Artist of the Year award at the New Zealand Music Awards. The group's members are barely into their teens and have already received some respect opening for bands such as Oasis, Jet, and the Hives. Their style is all rock 'n' roll bluster, tambourines and riffs, and harmonies that roll in like the fog over California's west coast.
New Zealand: Take Me There by The Checks
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. Last year, the Checks took home the coveted Artist of the Year award at the New Zealand Music Awards. The group's members are barely into their teens and have already received some respect opening for bands such as Oasis, Jet, and the Hives. Their style is all rock 'n' roll bluster, tambourines and riffs, and harmonies that roll in like the fog over California's west coast.
Canada: Something In the Air Between Us by Sophie Milman
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. Russian-born jazz vocalist Sophie Milman is blessed with a versatile and vibrant tone that suits her choice of jazz standards. Whether you come from the school of Ella Fitzgerald or Diana Krall, there's a skillful originality to the performances from this young singer that beckons for appreciation. "Something in the Air Between Us" is our free Single of the Week.
France: Mostly Waving (Todork Remix) [Bonus Track] by Emily Haines
Si vous aimez ce morceau, obtenez l'album ici.Chaque semaine, nous trouvons un titre d'un artiste ou d'un groupe sur le point de percer et vous le proposons comme Single de la semaine.Chaque semaine, nous trouvons un titre d'un artiste ou d'un groupe sur le point de percer et vous le proposons comme Single de la semaine. Nous espérons que vous connaissez déjà Emily Haines comme la chanteuse du groupe Metric. Avec ses compagnons, elle est devenue l'une des égéries de l'électro-punk-pop. Dans ce morceau bonus de son album solo Knives Don't Have Your Back, Emily laisse de côté la pop indé pour une chanson à l'atmosphère langoureuse et au rythme plongeant à fond dans le dub.
UK: Empty Space by Air Traffic
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. Bournemouth's Air Traffic is a quartet that makes touching pop songs often driven by piano, but the band does not flinch when it comes to riding this quiet tendency until it becomes something more explosive. "Empty Space" is a passionate, haunted track that hints there's more to the group than your standard "pie in the sky" hopefulness.