iTunes: Free Thursday
Once again, 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. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.
Free item listings follow after the jump.
US Items
US: Whitney Duncan, When I Said I Would - 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 Tennessee-born Whitney Duncan grew up listening to both the early rock 'n' roll of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis as well as modern country icons such as Tanya Tucker and Shania Twain. Now that she's embarked on her own career at the age of 22, she's able to fuse these elements of classic, rhythm-based guitar music and contemporary country pop. She's got a strength in her voice which makes a song like "When I Said I Would" sound like a defiant classic.
US: Ludovico Einaudi, Andare - Discovery Download
Ludovico Einaudi's music is so enjoyably approachable that it may come as something of a surprise to learn that he studied under the famous experimental composer Luciano Berio. His simple, lyrical piano music is often described as "minimalist", although many of his compositions are structured more like popular songs than the extreme minimalist works of Philip Glass and Michael Nyman. If you enjoy "Andare", check out his new album, Divenire
US: Locos por Juana, Armando - Canción de la Semana
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. Locos Por Juana is a Latin rock/cumbia/reggae/hip-hop/salsa/you-name-it ensemble out of Miami. The smoking brass section and thick cumbia vibe of "Armando" comes from the group's third album, La Verdad. The track oozes soul out of these tropical grooves, throwing on more and more elements as the song progresses (children's voices, a brief hip-hop spotlight, a few DJ scratches) into an unclassifiable roof-raiser.
US: The Middleman, The Middleman, Season 1
When vile villains threaten to dominate the world, one man walks the line between ordinary and extraordinary. That man is The Middleman. But saving the world is no longer a one man job! Meet Wendy Watson, the Middleman's unlikely new partner. Armed with gadgets, gizmos and doohickeys, they fight evil so you don't have to! Don't miss even one episode of this exciting new series!
US: Meerkat Manor, Meerkat Manor, Season 4
Since the death of their former leader, Flower, the Whiskers family is in chaos. Rocket Dog struggles as the new dominant female against stiff competition from her sisters. Maybelline breaks off and forms her own clan, while Sophie competes to find a mate before Rocket Dog can secure her position. Continuous meddling from their father, Zaphod, isn't helping anyone, and tension is only intensified by the continuing threat from the Commandoes gang.
US: Factory, Factory, Season 1
Factory delves into the mundane yet hilarious lives of four friends, Gary, Smitty, Gus and Chase, who spend their time fraternizing in lieu of doing their drab work. This season, the guys contend with work-related accidents, the ramifications of drugs in the workplace, a rivalry over who's sexiest, and an unforgettable excursion to a college party. Don't miss the first season of Factory on Spike.
International Music
Australia: The Hands, More and More and More - Single of the Week
The Hands are a guitar-free funk combo fronted by keyboard-playing maestros Clayton and Lachlan Doley. These extraordinarily talented young brothers have individually played keyboards for everyone from Powderfinger to Kasey Chambers and have teamed up to give us this amazing offering of funk-fuelled soul originals that take liberally from the Stevie Wonder school of soul. "More and More and More" is the first single from their new album Everything Is Wonderful. 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.
New Zealand: The Hands, More and More and More - 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 Hands are a guitar-free funk combo fronted by keyboard-playing maestros Clayton and Lachlan Doley. These extraordinarily talented young brothers have individually played keyboards for everyone from Powderfinger to Kasey Chambers and have teamed up to give us this amazing offering of funk-fuelled soul originals that take liberally from the Stevie Wonder school of soul. "More and More and More" is the first single from their new album Everything Is Wonderful. 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.
Canada: Sam Sparro, Black & Gold - 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. Meet Sam Sparro - the new master of digital funk and atmospheric soul. The former child star and native Australian works a fair amount of magic on his self-titled debut. The track we've chosen this week, "Black and Gold", is a Daft Punk-meets-Jamie Lidell bit of hiccuping electro madness. If you've ever worn a pair of plastic-framed Ray-bans indoors (at night, especially), this is your new favourite song.
Nederland: Vs. Switch & FreQ Nasty, Creator - Single Van de Week
Elke week vinden we een nummer van een artiest of band die wij goed vinden en bieden wij je die gratis aan, als Single van de Week. Santi White is Santogold, een kind uit Brooklyn die wild rondrent in de indie popjungle. Ze rapt en zingt een ruw brouwsel van dub, punk, electro en new wave, solliciterend naar positieve vergelijkingen met Karen O, Annabella Lwen en M.I.A. De single "Creator" laat Santogold's kant zien, beïnvloed door dancehall. Invloedrijke producers zoals Diplo, Freq Nasty, Mark Ronson, Switch, XXXchange en Naeem (Spankrock), staan in de rij om met haar op het podium te verschijnen, om te produceren en de nummers van haar op handen zijnde en haar naam dragende album te remixen. Spring op de Santogoldtrein nu er nog plaats is.
UK: Lykke Li, Little Bit - 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. Stockholm's Lykke Li creates soulful pop music that sounds like it was created in a castle of crystallised sugar. "Little Bit" is a track from her debut, Youth Novels and is showcases Li's mixture of little-girl and soul diva vocals. "Charmingly disarming" is a good way to describe the tune's combination of electro pulsations and Japanese koto. Dig it today!
Charlie's Angels
From Screen Gems
Starsky & Hutch
From Screen Gems
France: Loco Dice, My Train to Brooklyn - Single de la semaine
Attendu avec impatience, le premier LP de Loco Dice a été conçu pour accompagner ses auditeurs dans un véritable voyage. C'est un album à chérir, un catalogue méthodique d'impressions sensorielles, une nouvelle représentation de l'âme de New York, créée à partir de l'observation méticuleuse des tribus urbaines qui se croisent et se heurtent parfois. Découvrez gratuitement notre Single de la semaine, le morceau tech-funk minimaliste et infiniment personnel « M Train To Brooklyn ».
Japan: The Beep Seals, Chariot Song - Single - 今週のシングル
ブレイク直前の新進アーティストをご紹介するこのページ。今週は、数々の大御所バンドを生み出したマンチェスター出身の5人組、The Beep Seals。煙たくサイケデリックな匂いを漂わせつつもあくまで明るくハッピーなスタイル。グラスゴーのインディーポップの流れを汲む美しいメロディとハーモニー。あの Teenage Fanclub の Norman Blake がプロデュースするサンシャイン・ポップを今すぐチェック!
