iTunes: Free Thursday
Welcome to this week's edition of iTunes freebies. This week we feature a new collection of free singles and videos from around the world. Here's what's new today.
US Music
US: You Picked Me by A Fine Frenzy
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 track from A Fine Frenzy (Seattle's Alison Sudol) starts with such a flurry of windswept instrumental buildup that you'll think you've stepped into an Emily Bronté novel. It's a strong entry for the young singer who's crafted an otherwise very cinematic track with "You Picked Me." It's romantic and loaded with strings and yet not schmaltzy in any way. Her voice flutters and coos and will likely make your heart melt in about five different places.
US: Promesa de Amor by Jeremías
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. "Promesa De Amor" is a track taken from Jeremias' newest album, Un Dia Mas En El Gran Circo. The album is a kaleidoscopic mixture of colorful '60s-style pop songs and more traditional pop material. Promesa De Amor is a soulful, uptempo track driven by some funky guitar and organ work, as well as Jeremias' own indefatigable spirit.
US: Road to Recovery by Midnight Juggernauts
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. Australia's Midnight Juggernauts make epic electronic music, as seems to be the theme of the releases on French label Institubes. Imagine David Bowie piloting a spaceship stolen from Daft Punk's home planet while Giorgio Moroder works second-in-command in charge of synth explorations. Take a listen to "Road to Recovery" and you'll see what we mean.
US Video
Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, Get to Know the Cast
For three years we have lived, loved, and come of age with the teenagers of Laguna Beach. This season, we're moving up the coast . . . to Newport Harbor! Join a new group of friends as they discover new loves, face new rivalries, and suffer new heartbreaks. On the road to their first kiss, the newest, hottest couple at school contends with an overprotective father and a girl that's used to getting everything she wants. Meanwhile, former best friends compete for the affection of a sophomore beauty. As they prepare to leave their childhood behind, they'll find that high school isn't always a day at the beach. New beauty, new town, new love, and new faces: Newport Harbor - The Real Orange County.
International
Australia: You're the Loser by The Revelations
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. The Revelations are an English all-girl trio who play up the "girl-group" angle to the extreme. Their music is bright and sunny with a hint of Motown soul underneath. "You're the Loser" might sound like a slightly vindictive title, but the music within is all harmonies, handclaps, and strings – like a mixture of the Supremes and ABBA. Whether you're a retro-phile or you just happen to be lacking a general sunniness in your life – the Revelations provide you with guilt-free pleasure.
New Zealand: You're the Loser by The Revelations
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. The Revelations are an English all-girl trio who play up the "girl-group" angle to the extreme. Their music is bright and sunny with a hint of Motown soul underneath. "You're the Loser" might sound like a slightly vindictive title, but the music within is all harmonies, handclaps, and strings – like a mixture of the Supremes and ABBA. Whether you're a retro-phile or you just happen to be lacking a general sunniness in your life – the Revelations provide you with guilt-free pleasure.
Canada: The Most Beautiful Girl In the Room (Live) by Flight of the Conchords
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. This week, we have to give a little love to Flight of the Conchords - the duo of Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement who have a show on HBO that is the funniest thing on television right now in the coveted novelty-folk-duo demographic. This track is taken from their just-released EP of studio and live tracks. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" is their Prince-esque acoustic ode to a girl who is pretty enough to be a part-time model (although she would probably have to keep her regular job.)
France: Fallen Snow by Au Revoir Simone
Si vous aimez ce morceau, obtenez l'album ici.Ne laissez pas leur nom franchouillard vous induire en confusion : Au Revoir Simone est un groupe de Brooklyn, qui tire son nom non pas de l'amour de ses membres pour la culture de l'Hexagone, mais d'une réplique tirée du film de Tim Burton, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Il y a bel et bien un peu de l'émerveillement enfantin de Pee-Wee dans « Fallen Snow », une chanson pop du trio féminin qui flotte gentiment dans les airs, oscillant sur le fond sonore d'un rythme baroque ensoleillé, comme une version minimaliste du « Good Vibrations » des Beach Boys.
UK: Let's Get Lost by TD Lind
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 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. The title of this track from TD Lind may be a nod to Chet Baker's equally dreamy and reflective song of the same name. Lind is an Englishman who moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and has the hopeful, starry-eyed sound of a wanderer. This track has a ghostly, pulsating undercurrent, but Lind has a lustrous voice that really shines once the acoustic guitar brings the melody in.
Japan 今週のシングル: Heavyweight Champion of the World by Reverend and the Makers
アークティック・モンキーズも敬愛する、シェフィールド音楽シーンの注目アーティスト、Reverend and the Makers。UK 音楽誌 NME がロックンロールの未来を支える期待の新星と呼ぶ、"レヴァランド"こと若干25歳のジョン・マックルーアだ。ロックの持つ切迫感とファンキネスを併せ持つエレクトロ・ロック・アンセム、このうえなくユニークなデビュー・シングル "Heavyweight Champion of the World"を今週のフリーダウンロードで聴いてみよう!
