iTunes: Free Tuesday
Welcome to this week's edition of iTunes: Free Tuesday. Each weeks brings a new collection of free singles and videos from around the world, from Australia to Canada, New Zealand to France. Here's what's new today.
US Music
US: 125 Pt. 3 (Connections) by Joell Ortiz featuring Gab Gotcha, Graph, Stimuli & Ras Kass
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. Just like the other famous Ortiz, this Big Papi dreams of big hits. Brooklyn-based MC Joell Ortiz shows that the demise of New York hardcore rap has been greatly exaggerated. "125 Pt. 3" is loaded with guests (Gab Gotcha, Graph, Stimuli, and Rass Kass) blazing the microphone with no hooks, no gimmicks, and no trendy dances – just street-level poetry. Ortiz has been linked with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label and he's about to blow up, so download "125 Pt. 3" now and get familiar.
US: Estelar by Capitan Melao
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. Capitan Melao is the side project of Javier Weyler, who has spent much of his time in the past as drummer for the Brit rock heroes Stereophonics. "Estelar" features sublime vocals courtesy of Natalia Lafourcade and has subtle bossa nova rhythm and bolero-like elegance that stem from Weyler's love of the music he heard growing up in Argentina.
US: Put a Penny In the Slot byFionn Regan
Our 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. Fionn Regan is an Irish singer/songwriter who has a conversational, melodic slant to his vocals which give him a sound that's somewhere between Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Sufjan Stevens – sweet, earnest, and slightly wounded. The lyrics to "Put a Penny In the Slot" have all of the ease and grace of Ron Sexsmith's great work. The young singer, who also manages to sing the praises of novelists Paul Auster and Saul Bellow in the track, doesn't overwhelm with his prose. He's surely gifted and we hope you enjoy the tune.
US Video
US: Jericho Pilot
Jericho is a drama about what happens when a nuclear mushroom cloud suddenly appears on the horizon, plunging the residents of a small, peaceful Kansas town into chaos, leaving them completely isolated and wondering if they're the only Americans left alive. Fear of the unknown propels Jericho into social, psychological and physical mayhem when all communication and power is shut down. The town starts to come apart at the seams as terror, anger and confusion bring out the very worst in some residents.
US: Scott Baio hires a Life Coach
Over the past 25 years, Scott Baio has lived a life that most red-blooded American males would sell their big-screen TV, car, and soul for, boasting a jaw-dropping roster of erotic exes. Scott Baio Is 45... and Single.
International
Australia: Kiss You Again by Melanie Horsnell
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. Sydney-based singer/songwriter Melanie Horsnell has been making some noise in Europe, where her album The Adventures Of . . . was initially released. Now she's back, making waves on Australian shores. "Kiss You Again" carries a rhythm and style similar to a late-period number from the Fab Four – all woozy with descending chords, horns, and bubbling Mellotron. But Horsnell uses this as a springboard for her sweet, sentimental pop – creating a gem of a tune in the process.
New Zealand: Kiss You Again by Melanie Horsnell
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. Sydney-based singer/songwriter Melanie Horsnell has been making some noise in Europe, where her album The Adventures Of . . . was initially released. Now she's back, making waves on Australian shores. "Kiss You Again" carries a rhythm and style similar to a late-period number from the Fab Four – all woozy with descending chords, horns, and bubbling Mellotron. But Horsnell uses this as a springboard for her sweet, sentimental pop – creating a gem of a tune in the process.
Canada: The Crystal Cat by Dan Deacon
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. Dan Deacon creates an electronic/indie rock hybrid that contains some of electronic music's more cartoonish flavors – such as sounds that are constantly bubbling and squeaking. On this track, he couples this with a minimal, punk-rock aesthetic that drives the tune into more standard forms of consumption (melody, hook, drums) while Deacon's vocals are bent and tweaked to the breaking point.
France: Love Is by Almo
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.Auteur-compositeur français aux influences soul et pop, Almo nous livre Eleven Love Inventions, un deuxième album où se mêlent ballades sensuelles et pur groove. Après la sortie très remarquée de son premier album Unlocked, Almo poursuit son chemin avec autant de passion et d'exigence, produisant cet album en toute indépendance. Le premier single " Love is " est un hymne à la vie et à l'amour, une chanson authentique qui nous touche comme une évidence.
UK: Roses by Cherry Ghost
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. Cherry Ghost is the musical endeavor of one Simon Aldred, coming straight out of Bolton with a dark, gothic (think literature – not mascara) take on songwriting that's inspired by the rich narratives of known greats such as Johnny Cash as well as the unsung greatness of American indie act Smog. On "Roses" he leads the band into a lyrical netherworld occupied by assassins, blushing brides, and cosmonauts.