New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 1

In these cash strapped times we all need a helping hand to make our pounds / dollars / yen / whatever stretch a little further. So what could be better than a free downloadable podcast featuring 10 new music tracks? Not much eh? So here you go, the first in what I hope will be a fairly regular series of podcasts that you can download to the music device of your choice and listen at your convenience.

There are only 2 rules I'll use in compiling these: 1) The music must be free and 2) it must be good. There are no restrictions on genre or style, so expect a good mix of ideas. Each of these tracks has been culled from the internet for free over the past week or so from purely legal sources - in the majority of cases that means they've been given away by the artist or their label. If you want to get hold of any of the tracks individually I've put some pointers below, or a quick search of t'internet should turn them up for you. I'll just ask one favour from you - if you really like anything here then next time you have a few pounds to spare why not buy something from that artist? We're all in the same boat, so let's share some music, share some love, and make the world a better place. To grab the download just right-click on the picture above and save the file (drop me an email if you have any problems using the contact box in the sidebar). If you'd rather just listen to it then left-click and you'll be able to play it.

Here's the tracklisting:

1. Ryan Hemsworth - All Our Thoughts Are Physical (from his new EP 'Stay Alive' click here for details)
2. Yadi - Unbreakable (Mo Laudi Remix) (available on Soundcloud)
3. Slugabed - BomBok (from his new EP 'This Is A Warning' click here for details)
4. French Kiwi Juice - Lying Together (available on Soundcloud)
5. Weval - The Most (David Douglas Remix)
6. Indians - I Am Haunted (Jason Lytle Remix)
7. Pure X - Somewhere Else (available on Soundcloud)
8. Mathew Sawyer - Feeeeling (click here for details)
9. Four Tet - Unspoken (promo version) (available on Soundcloud)
10. Denai More - Gone (available on Soundcloud)

Recommended music: 'This Is A Warning' EP by Slugabed

It seems to be the week for releasing free, and more importantly good, EPs. Yesterday Ryan Hemsworth gave us his 'Still Awake' EP (which you can find here) and now Slugabed has done the same thing. The first new music from Greg Feldwick since last year's 'Time Team' album this is four tracks (and a remix) of upbeat, bass-driven and essentially happy music - something which is often hard to come by in this doom-laden austerity world. There's some reggae samples, a bit of dubstep, a slice of Major Lazer rhythms, and overall such a sense of enjoyment that it can't help but bring a smile to your face. Listen & download below.

Video of the Day: 'Reach for the Dead' by Boards of Canada

The first track to hit the airwaves from the forthcoming album 'Tomorrow's Harvest' (unless you count those 20-second bursts from the Record Store Day 12"s).  It's a good track, but maybe not a great one. As usual it's difficult to understand a single song without hearing it in the context of the album - the new Primal Scream album is a good example of where the songs sound much better in the flow of the record than they might do individually. But hey, it's a new Boards of Canada track at the end of the day, which is something we weren't expecting at the start of the year, and it certainly whets the appetite to hear the rest of the record, which is out on June 10th.

New music: 'Noel Gets Phunked Up' a.k.a 'AKA...What A Life (UNKLE Remix)' by Noel Gallagher

We may never get to heat the full album of Noel Gallagher remixes by Amorphous Androgynous, which is a shame as the ones I've heard so far have been really good. But while we wait here's a completely different take on 'What A Life' by James Lavelle, in which he splices Noel G's song with a healthy dose of 'Motorbass Get Phunked Up' by La Funk Mob. It's pretty good once it gets going, so have a listen and see what you think. The track was originally featured on a 2 and a half hour mix that James Lavelle put out a couple of months ago called 'Living In My Headphones' - you can find the download for that on my achive page (click here).

Recommended music: 'Still Awake' EP by Ryan Hemsworth

Canadian DJ and producer Ryan Hemsworth is definitely one of this year's 'buzz' artists, and that buzz is about to get a whole lot bigger. His new EP has just landed, and not only is it brilliant but it's also available for free, which means that you can all hear his brilliance without coughing up any money - ironic really, because once you've heard it you'll realise that you would've happily paid a few quid for the privilege.

It's quite a fluid, dreamy set of tunes that are easy to lose yourself in despite the beats. And if you do download if you'll find this little not from the man himself tucked in with the music files:

thank you for downloading this and putting it on your computer laptop iphone palm pilot, whatever, and listening to it while you're doing stuff in the world.

it's free, so share it with anyone you think would like it. or keep it to yourself. cause it's for you :)

It's a nice touch that makes him stand out from the crowd and helps him exist in the real world rather than just to be an internet phenomena.

You can listen to the tracks below, or click on the picture of him above to download the EP.

Recommended music: 'Inform - Educate - Entertain' by Public Service Broadcasting

There's something quintessentially British about this record. It's not just that most of the samples are from old British documentaries and Public Information films (there are some American clips on here as well, especially on 'Signal 30' with its warnings of the perils of driving). It's not even the subject matter, although tracks about Spitfires, climbing Everest, and an inspection of the Royal Navy fleet (by what sounds like a tipsy Admiral) add to the sense of Empire and days gone by. It's just that the whole concept of making a record full of clips that might, as the title suggests, inform, educate and entertain you doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would emanate from, say, the United States.

Public Service Broadcasting live in Rough Trade East on Record Store Day 2013

Public Service Broadcasting (or PSB as they're often abbreviated to, although this risks confusing them with Pet Shop Boys) is really the work of one man, the gentlemanly-titled J Willgoose Esq. Live he's joined on stage by the singularly-named drummer Wrigglesworth, and together they play an eclectic mix of sounds and dialogue which is matched with black and white video footage. The music sounds a bit 80s retro (apart from the banjo (!) wherever that comes from, and is a good match for the even older voice clips. If occasionally there are some rather obvious samples (WH Auden's rail poem on 'Night Mail' for example) the rest still manage to sound fresh even after numerous listens. Overall it's the kind of record that brings a wry smile to your face when you listen to it - a bit like a well-behaved house guest it's interesting, polite, and doesn't outstay its welcome. You can hear some tracks from the album below.

New music: 'Backwaters' by Drenge

I make no apologies for featuring another track by Drenge on here - for me the Loveless brothers are the most exciting thing happening in British guitar music at the moment. You can keep The Strypes - Drenge have an original and distinctive voice that you need to hear. You can buy the new single 'Backwaters' to day from iTunes.