New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 4

A month in and we're already on the fourth instalment of my free new music podcast series. As usual these tracks have all been legally culled from the internet over the past week or so, and gathered together in one tidy package for you to download and listen to at your leisure.

Left-click on the miserable pig above to listen, or right-click to download for free. The ethos behind this series is pretty straightforward - you get to hear 10 great new tracks free of charge, from all sorts of genres, and all I ask in return is that if you find something you really like you spend a few pence to download something else from that artist. Win-win eh? Like the man said, we're all in this together. Here's the tracklist for this week's selection, with details of where to find the tracks or more information about the artist:

1. Eyedress - Yin Yang Gang - available on Soundcloud
2. Jikan Ga Nai - Of Course We Weren't Always Superstars - on Bearsuit Records
3. Esben And The Witch - When That Head Splits (Maps Remix) - details here
4. Haq - Bees In My Feet - also on Bearsuit Records
5. Kandodo - July 28th (edit) - available on Soundcloud
6. Honeyslide - Deep Architecture
7. Cloud - Mother Sea - new signing to Audio Antihero Records
8. An Escape Plan - Coastlines
9. New Build - Disease Of Conceit - details here
10. Adam Stafford - Please - from the forthcoming album on Song, By Toad records

Live - The National & Local Natives at The Roundhouse, Camden 26/06/2013

On a bill mirroring the end of The National's ATP event at Camber Sands last year (pictures from that event here), the band rolled into town with Local Natives in tow to play one of the lower-key last minute gigs that they're fitting in around their summer festival schedule.

Local Natives played a solid 45 minute set, winning some new fans amongst those in the crowd who hadn't heard of them before. They were joined onstage for one song by Aaron Dessner, who produced their latest album, and by the time they left the stage an already-full Roundhouse was primed and ready for their heroes to appear.

Local Natives with Aaron Dessner, London 26/6/13

The massed crowd weren't to be disappointed, with The National putting on a heroic performance - 2 hours, 23 songs (see the setlist below) and each one a mini-masterpiece. With a full-on lights and visuals show, which started by showing the band on screens while they were backstage, they ripped through most of the new album and a host of tracks from its predecessors.

Matt on stage, Matt on screen 26/6/13

Matt Berninger was his usual self-deprecating self, explaining that self loathing is good ("if you don't hate yourself then everybody else will") and claiming that his version of dancing involved stumbling around and smashing things. Although he was on fine form it did seem as if the Matt from a few years ago had taken the stage - during the evening he drank a whole bottle of wine, and gradually became simultaneously more introverted (crouching at the back of the stage with his head practically in a guitar amp) and more extroverted (throwing the mic stand around, smashing the mic into the side of his head). This was the sort of performance you used to get before he got married and had his daughter - he seemed to have mellowed since then but last night it looked as if some of the demons might have returned.

Matt Berninger, The National, London 26/6/13

Undoubtedly one of the finest National performances I've seen, and probably the gig of the year so far - here's the setlist:

• I Should Live In Salt
• Don't Swallow The Cap
• Bloodbuzz Ohio
• Secret Meeting
• Sea of Love
• Demons
• Afraid of Everyone
• Conversation 16
• Squalor Victoria
• I Need My Girl
• This Is The Last Time
• Abel
• Apartment Story
• Pink Rabbits
• England
• Graceless
• About Today
• Fake Empire
• Heavenfaced
• Humiliation
• Mr. November
• Terrible Love
• Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (acoustic)

The National, London 26/6/13

Recommended music: 'Wash The Sins Not Only The Face (Remixes)' by Esben And The Witch

I've always felt that E&TW have somewhat under-performed. A good band, full of energy live, their records always seems to have just a little something lacking, as if they're holding back on what they really want to be. There's nothing disappointing about this package of remixes that they've just made available to download for free though. Full of intriguing twists and turns, although they're done by 6 different people they really go together well as a set, each one bringing out a different facet of the band's character. It's hard to pick a favourite, the first and last (by Maps and Teeth Of The Sea respectively) would probably top my list, but really there are no bad apples here.

Listen to the full set and grab the mixes for the price of an email address below.

Track of the Day: 'It All Feels Right' by Washed Out

Perfect for the summer (if we ever see it in the UK) this slice of dreamy, gently psychedelic pop marks a change of style for Washed Out. The new album 'Paracosm' is out on August, and hopefully it'll be full of this sort of quality, melodic music.

Track of the Day: 'Disease Of Conceit (Bob Dylan cover)' by New Build

5 reasons why this is today's track of the day:

1. I love a good cover version
2. As well as entertaining you, it will educate you as well (see the description on the Soundcloud page about why New Build have put this out e.g politicians destroying the NHS)
3. The guitar reminds me of Dire Straits (in a good way)
4. It also reminds me of Leonard Cohen, for no specific reason
5. It's free to download

Grab it here:

New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 3

It's been a few weeks since the last one, due to the fact that my laptop was in the menders for 10 days. Because of that I've forgotten where some of these tracks actually came from - the rules are still the same though, each one has been downloaded free and legally from the internet.

Left click on the picture to listen to the podcast, or right click to download it for free. It's another genre-hopping selection that should prove to you that there's good free music out there for you, whatever style you're into. And remember - if you hear something you really like then why not buy a track or two from that artist next time you have some spare cash - everyone needs to make a living.

1. Yong Yong - Bzzzr (available on Soundcloud)
2. Paul White - Watch The Ants
3. The Jet Age Of Tomorrow - De-Generic (from The Jellyfish Mentality bonus tracks EP)
4. Hodgy Beats - Years (from the new EP, get it on the Odd Future site)
5. Fenech-Soler - Magnetic (Sane Beats Remix) (available on Soundcloud)
6. Rustie - Slasherr (Flume Edit)
7. Grumbling Fur - Dancing Light
8. Thunder Tracks - Graffiti (available on Soundcloud)
9. Old Pretender - I'm Alright
10. White Hills - Forever In Space (Enlightened) (details here)

New music: 'Forever In Space (Enlightened)' by White Hills

It's Friday afternoon, and what you really need in your life is an 8-minute psych-rock freak-out - am I right? Well here's the perfect thing to hit the spot, and better yet it's free.



It's taken from an album that's being released track by track to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Scion AV, so you should probably seek out the rest of the tracks as well. Click here for the full set.