The compilation is truly a mix of sounds and it is this diversity that makes it to stand out. With artists and musicians such as LCD Soundsystem, Cult, to Madvillain and Killer Mike, this treat from 2010 made some call Adult Swim “probably the best label that is not a label.”

Although not all of the tracks are the best in their field, there are certainly those that will make you want to turn up the speakers. With the fifth single by Black Lips bringing us a more rusty, lo-fi sound we are than quickly transported into the more electronica influenced pop cut Drunk Girls, remix by Holy Ghost, with just a touch of 80s mixed in between the beats. The compilation also comes to us with an enchanting song by Cults. Oh My God is filled with dreamy vocals and indie electronic pop sounds ready to take you to the clouds. Freddie Gibbs, an American rapper from Gary, Indiana, completes the circle with his bonus track On One; a rap/hip-hop single full of engaging computer generated beats and fast vocals.

Overall, taking aside that the compilation was brought to us as a part of Kia marketing, it is still an interesting little find. And considering that it is offered as a free download, you might as well give it a go. From the slow acoustic folk pieces, to hip-hop and rap, metal, and dreamy pop electronica, the compilation certainly has something for everyone.

Related Links:
Singles Program on Adult Swim
Singles Program on Pitchfork
Singles Program on LP33

Willy's Big Bang Theory Magic Revue (WBBTMR) is definitely a long name for a band. Luckily, even though the name is a mouthful, the music is quite good, and this eclectic rock and roll blues band is actually made of just one permanent member, Will.

Will is also a member of garage, punk group, The Wild Dishes. For his WBBTMR side project though, he enlists the help of his musician friends. These friends dropped drum parts, a guitar lick or two etc. helping to create this soaring album.

Citing various influences from across genres like Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Guns 'n Roses, The Black Crowes and even Alice in Chain, WBBTMR definitely resounds with a full rock and roll vibe. The only difference is that his sound also clearly infuses a blues and big band influence.

A song like Emotions, Joy and Dedication, feature beautiful swing guitars that makes you want to hit the dance floor and I just love the retro feel of this track. It's also quite catchy and easy to like. On the other hand, Save The Day, is a moody, guitar-infused cut that echo with lovely solos and an overall, trippy vibe. One of those songs where you can just listen and take in all of the instruments. Spank Me is also an excellent track that feature's a simple and catchy beat.

The album is definitely one to check out. The production process isn't exactly top notch but the songs dominate and take center stage enough to make you forget. The best part about this record is that it's available as as free download.

After you're done with this, you can also download WBBTMRs other releases, particularly, Dixieland and Songs of Love and Brotherhood.

Related Links:
WBBTMR on Jamendo
WBBTMR on Facebook
WBBTMR Blog
WBBTMR on BandCamp

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Prepare for some mayhem when listening to Ära Krâ. This death metal band from Germany knows how to knock your socks off or wipe sleep from your eyes in an instant.

I'm not exactly an expert in the metal genre, in fact my musical exposure to the genre is limited to Children of Bodom, In Flames and Lamb of God -if you count them as death metal. Nevertheless, Ferne Tage or roughly translated, "Distant Days," is a pretty solid album filled with hardcore rock with good beats and ass-kicking vocals.

Released just last April 15th, the album comes with 7 free tracks that you can individually download. Although it's mostly loud screaming and kickpedal drums, the songs are quite good. Sure, it might be hard for non metal lovers to appreciate the sound emanating from this band; the album is still equipped with tracks that are catchy and pretty much hardcore.

Opening with rolling drums and loud screaming; September, showcases the amount of energy these guys have to offer. The track serves as the perfect introduction to all the sweet chaos that awaits listeners. It's followed by the 5 minute cut, Odem. Again, more skillful screaming and instrument work from the guys. IThe band is definitely trying to define their sound and put a stake onto solid ground.

Although this album doesn't offer anything extremely new, it's a very decent record. Recording quality is pretty good and clean. For a debut, it certainly has its merits and worth checking out for any death metal lover out there.

Related Links:
Ära Krâ on BandCamp
Ära Krâ Music Review
Ära Krâ on MusikReviews

It's been a while since I've checked in with my loud side. Here's one really loud metal, prog album for you then. Fairy Crimes is Watertank's latest record. It's a short 6 track compilation that's offered for free.

Members of the band are based in France and seem to be heavily influenced by various metal, progressive and even hardcore bands. Heavy double bass drumming, loud and prominent guitars as well as occasional honey voiced vocals are prominently displayed in the band's sound.

Watertank has been around since 2003 and have had their fair share of success. They've gotten the opportunity to share the stage with artists like Capricorns, Torche and Lair Of The Minotaur to name a few. Close that door of yours, turn the volume up and start rockin'! This City's Got Laws opens and welcome the listener to this record. This instrumental track features an awesome guitar riff and sets the stage for the rest of the loud tracks that follow next. On its heels is the Tool sounding, Felony Days. With its progressive feel, the cut is an easy love for most rockers out there. Although I'm particularly keen on the vocals for this one.

Meanwhile, title track, Fairy Crimes, is more my type of music. The cut starts out strong with heavy drumming and trashy guitars. It's essentially pure mayhem for about three minutes or so with this song. Attract Drama, on the other hand, is another cool track in the compilation. I'm still not a fan of the vocal work but the cut packs enough punch to make it part of my playlist.

Since their inception, the band has released a demo back in 2004 and have gone through a lineup change. These new set of tracks serve as a comeback for the group. Moreover, they're also hitting the stage again after a hiatus with new faces on board.

Related Links:
Watertank in MClub
Watertank in Post-Engineering
Watertank on Myspace
Watertank on BandCamp

Tents, amazing food, crazy outfits, dancing, drinking, and great music that turns thousands of people into your soon-to-be closest new friends; sounds like a ready-made vacation. And if you want to feel like a part of this summer music festival 'movement' be sure to check out the new mix from Primavera Sound.
Since crossing into the new year the Primavera Festival already released its preliminary lineup for 2011, and as many of the artists also have some of their mp3s available on the Free Music Archive, Primavera Sound put together a little free album of what is coming up this year.

Primavera Festival, one of Barcelona's most popular music scenes is on it's way to join some of the best music festivals in Europe such as the famous Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Benicassim Festival in Spain, Oxygen Festival in Ireland, Pukkelpop in Belgium, and The Roskilde Festival in Denmark.

The Festival is held in Parc del Fòrum leisure site, located just 6km from the center of Barcelona, in late May/early June and is a host to over 100,000 people from all corners of the world.
Some of the most notable acts from previous editions include Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Igy and the Stooges, The Smashing Pumpkins, Portishead, Neil Young, Bloody Valentine, New Order, Pixies, Pet Shop Boys, and Lou Reed. But Primavera is unique in that it mixes established headliners with up-and-coming artists (some of which you can hear on the released compilation) and its those eclectic sounds that are attracting bigger audiences each year.

This year's lineup will feature some of the best from alternative, indie, electronic, pop, hip-hop, dance, folk, jazz, metal, and experimental music including artists like Animal Collective, Belle & Sebastian, Caribou, Male Bonding, Of Montreal, PJ Harvey, Sujfan Stevens, The Flaming Lips, The National, and many others.

Related Links:
Primavera Sound Official Website
Primavera Sound on the Free Music Archive
Primavera Sound Festival on Facebook
Primavera Sound Festival on Myspace
Primavera Sound Festival on Twitter
Primavera Sound Festival Blog

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

Just after a year of playing music together, this four piece rock band from the Ukraine decided to release their debut LP, Fight Your Evil Side. Leave A Trace certainly knows how to bring a fusion of rock, metal and even melodic screamo to their fans.

Their album is packed with 10 powerful tracks that comes with Oksana's hard rock growling. By the way, yes, Oksana is a girl. Leave A Trace has already started touring and playing festivals in various areas in the Ukraine and Europe. Currently, they have several shows lined up in Poland and are also gearing up to recording a new album.

Meanwhile, Fight Your Evil Side does offer great insight into the inner workings of the band. Songs like title track, "Fight Your Evil Side" represent the band quite well. It comes with strong vocals that alternate between growling to sweet pop singing. Another interesting track is "Your Beautiful Eyes," probably because it features more of Oksana's regular singing voice (which is much better in my opinion) rather than her growling female chops.  The instrument work also deserve a worthy mention.

The band is one of the few to admit that their songs are about their faith. Of course, listeners can definitely see the similarities with bands like Paramore and Flyleaf. Hopefully, To Leave A Trace can forge their own path and distinct sound especially in their upcoming album.

Related Links:
To Leave A Trace Official Website
To Leave A Trace on Myspace
To Leave A Trace on Facebook
To Leave A Trace on Last FM

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Of the I is an experimental five man band from London that's been slowly gaining popularity in the indie music scene. Their first EP, Demo-noid E.P., is a compilation of four expressive tracks that hover around progressive rock and ambient sounds.

Armed with Psychology and Philosophy academic backgrounds, the group seeks to create music that incorporate elements of spirituality, personal experiences, philosophy and musical tastes.

Earlier tracks were initially recorded in a London flat and released online to much praise from the internet community. When the first couple of songs from the EP was released as a torrent, it garnered over 12,000 downloads prompting the group to start recording their first album and hopefully aim for more. Currently, the group's full length album, Balance Instars, is available for purchase on their website.

Demo-noid E.P. comes with four tracks that also appear on the full album. Tracks like Between Being and Ego, sound like a haunting appeal; similar to how light slowly creeps up and fills an initially pitch black room. On the other hand, Cathexis is more rock/hipster inspired. With its upbeat rockish tempo and jangly guitars, the track would definitely fit easily in mainstream rock stations.

As mentioned, these set of tracks are earlier versions of the ones released in the album, hence, it's no surprise that the recording quality is a bit sub-par. Nevertheless, it's enough to appreciate the sound and the music from these London scenesters.

Related Links:
Of the I Official Website
Of the I on Last FM
Of the I on Twitter
Of the I on Myspace

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Be warned: contains gazillion explicit content, tons of metal, punk rock and lyrical comedy. From the funky video game intro in Girls Don't Play, it's hard not to laugh and enjoy listening to The Scare Bears.  

Their music can best be described as a cross between loud metal, electronic and comedy. Most of the tracks do contain heavy cursing and cussing as well as overall dark content.  If you don't mind it, you'll definitely enjoy listening to Zombies are Everywhere.

The album is made up of 16 tracks with quirky titles like Banana and Dumpster Diapers. If you like heavy but fun rock and don't have a big problem with cussing, then this album is worth checking out. With a band like this, you can almost expect that the members will have some sort of quirky nicknames. Sure enough, they do. The band is made up of Brian "The Cracker Kat" Damaged and Adam "The Monkey God" on vocals; Robo Bunny and Typical Panda on guitars; The Wolf on bass; Donkey Punch on drums and Funny Bunny on samples.

The band got together and started getting acquainted with the local scene back in 2003. Thanks to their onstage antics, funny animal nicknames, catchy riffs and varied musical tastes, the group was able to capture their audiences attention. The humor in the tracks are very raw and straight to the point that it's hard to miss it. The band focuses on having a fun and providing a refreshing show every time. They also make sure to inject a sense of professionalism into their work.

Majority of the tracks in Zombies are Everywhere are pretty likable, thanks to the catchy riffs and loud rocking sound. A personal favorite would be Girls Don't Play, Shooting Stars and PokeJohn. If you're wondering, yes, the last track mentioned on that is a tribute to those adorable little Pokemons.

Related Links:
The Scare Bears on Jamendo
The Scare Bears on Myspace
The Scare Bears on Facebook

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Quiet and surreal instrumental post rock from the land down under. With a quirky name like Sleepmakeswaves, you might think that the band plays shoegazer, indie rock. There's no denying that their music does bear a resemblance to this type of sound. The only difference is that they are on mute. Weaving metallic rock along with electronic textures, the band successfully creates a post rock instrumental opera.  On the other hand, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving is a prominent prog-rock, jazz, noise band from Perth, Australia.

Split LP is a result of the collaboration between these two bands; creating a sonic fusion of sound that can only be achieved when two different bands are in total, almost complete equilibrium with each others sound.

Since the LP was created by two bands, there's no doubt that each bands characteristic style of music takes precedence in their own tracks. Sleepmakeswaves, for instance, create a sound that showcases their trademark of uplifting instrumental rock; essentially providing an energy non-existent in some of the tracks. Alternatively, TTol  or Tangled Thoughts of Leaving provide tracks that are more experimental and improvised. Despite these differences, both bands create harmony because of their love for electronica.

The LP comes with 5 tracks, 3 of which are from Sleepmakeswaves while the rest are from Tangled Thoughts of Leaving.  "Keep Your Splendid Sun" is flourished with swelling guitars, ebbing back and forth like a tide in the middle of beautiful ocean. Meanwhile, "A Vexing Predicament" starts with beautiful piano/keyboard work and unpredictable melodies that create a cacophony  of sound; much like mixing oil and water. Because of their inherent properties they constantly try and separate but somehow they still blend in well.

For those who love the unpredictability and unique features of progressive noise rock, then the album will definitely be something worth checking out.

Related Links:
Sleepmakeswaves on Last FM
Sleepmakeswaves Official Website
Sleepmakeswaves on Myspace
Sleepmakeswaves on Facebook
Sleepmakeswaves on Lost Children Net Label
Sleepmakeswaves on Archive.org

Unique French rock metal filled with thrashy guitars and loud vocals. Despite the lack of information on this band online, there is an abundance of rock and roll in Redmind. No Face is filled with 6 tracks that embody what this band is about. Their music is a mixture of rock neometal with speedy guitar licks, growling vocals and heavy drums to match.

Redmind's No Face might sound typical and the band might not break any boundaries with their music, but they do manage to pull through and create a solid sounding demo. Redmind has released several demos as well as singles off their Myspace and Jamendo site. For No Face, the band combines and scouts out many different genres. For instance, it opens with "Diabolic country before the storm" which of course, preludes the metal mayhem that ensues after the somewhat acoustic country feel of the intro track.

"Gimme" comes in next where the band makes a go at solos and slightly growly vocals. "TV Programs" is perhaps the most typical in terms of metal rock and roll. With the solid sounding speed metal riffs, heavy drumming as well as the shouty vocals, the song is instantly likable especially for hard rock aficionados out there.

Although the group might not break any records when it comes to their music, No Face does provide enough interest for it to be worth a listen. This demo as well as their other releases are available under a creative commons license.

Related Links:
Redmind Official Website
Redmind on Last FM
Redmind on Jamendo
Redmind on Myspace
Redmind on Facebook

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