iTunes: Free Tuesday
Once again, it's Tuesday and TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long–so grab your copies before the week is up.
Video
Gossip Girl Pilot
The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz takes on Manhattan's Upper East Side in this drama where gossip rules and affluent prep-school students find themselves with the money, access, and appetite to explore all of the temptations New York City has to offer. Based on the bestselling series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, this drama is told through the eyes of an all-knowing blogger who is determined to uncover and fuel every scandal possible – including the intense rivalry between two popular girls – via her constant, avidly read text messages.
Music
US: Car Crash by Matt Nathanson
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. Matt Nathanson is a singer/songwriter currently living in San Francisco whose latest album (his sixth overall), Some Mad Hope, features heartfelt, poetic phrasing and vocals while musically, he composes a mixture of emotional pop-punk and acoustic ballads. "Car Crash" is the sort of ego-restoring anthem that you want to hear blaring while standing on top of a mountain, and if not that, then at least playing at top volume as the credits roll in any film where the geek gets the girl.
US: Joya by Funky C
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 Cancion de la Semana. Funky C lives up to his name on this single from his album of the same name. The Chilean performer puts together an organic beat driven by slick, minimal guitar work, clean bass lines, crisp drums, and some analog and vocoder-style synth effects to bring out a vibe like that of early electro-funk mixed with Quincy Jones' classic work with Michael Jackson. Ready to get the party started? Drop this track from Funky C into a mix and watch the magic.
Australia: Bus Ride by Rocco Deluca & The Burden
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. Rocco DeLuca's debut album, I Trust You To Kill Me is sparked with ferocity and determination and a multitude of sounds and influences. "Bus Ride" is one of the more meditative pieces on the album. It's an acoustic-led guitar track that is heavy on the Jeff Buckley-type vocal ambience and filled with a variety of interesting percussive changes. Get out your cell-phones, this one's a weeper.
New Zealand: Bus Ride by Rocco Deluca & The Burden
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. Rocco DeLuca's debut album, I Trust You To Kill Me is sparked with ferocity and determination and a multitude of sounds and influences. "Bus Ride" is one of the more meditative pieces on the album. It's an acoustic-led guitar track that is heavy on the Jeff Buckley-type vocal ambience and filled with a variety of interesting percussive changes. Get out your cell-phones, this one's a weeper.
Canada: Let's Talk About Love by Jessie Farrell
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Can we talk about love for a second? We here at iTunes love pop music and we think Jessie Farrell has crafted a country-pop tune that nears perfection. A joyous tune wrapped in fiddles, acoustic guitars, barroom piano, and a road-trip ready beat. "Let's Talk About Love" is party music for those who like their parties away from the city. A rural celebration to be sure.
France: Headphone Drone by Black Joy
Lorsque la pop flirte avec le rhythm and blues et la soul funk, se frotte à l'électronique, s'acoquine avec le reggae, s'entiche d'un rock années 70, cela donne Time, un album riche et généreux, un caméléon à l'image de son fantasque créateur, Black Joy, alias Jérôme Caron. " Headphone Drone " est notre Single de la semaine sur iTunes.Si vous aimez ce morceau, obtenez l'album ici.
UK: So Long by SixNationState
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. Southampton's SixNationState have just released their debut albom on Jeepster (home to Snow Patrol and Belle and Sebastian.) Sixnationstate are a different beast, to be sure. Dark shades of punk run through their melodic and aggressive indie rock. "So Long" is a meaty bit of guitar pop with a chorus that rattles the larynx but still satisfies on an emotional level.
Audio Books
Skinny Bitch Free Excerpt
This is a free excerpt from Skinny Bitch. Not your typical boring diet book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. With such blunt advice as "soda is liquid Satan" and "you are a total moron if you think the Atkins Diet will make you thin", it's a rallying cry for all savvy women to start eating healthy and looking radiant. Unlike standard diet books, it actually makes the reader laugh out loud with its truthful, smart-mouthed revelations. Behind all the attitude, however, there is solid guidance. Skinny Bitch espouses a healthful lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and encourages women to get excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized".