Category: free downloads

Easter Eggs: Singles and Covers Galore

powerpopaholic

A great bunch of freebies for Easter Sunday. GTG Records sampler with a ton of deep covers from Michigan bands performing select songs by artists they love. The beauty of this is I have not heard of any of these artists before, but they sound great. And the tracks are new discoveries for the most part. Kai Danzberg is also back with a new bossa nova beat on “Only You,” and how I wish I was somewhere tropical. Plus a sweet cover single of Manfred Mann from Cult Stars From Mars, and Rich McCulley delivers a country-pop ballad that hooks you immediately. The Weeklings are also back with a timely “April’s Fool” and Brett Newski gets BNL singer Steven Page to contribute to a snappy gem. Swedish duo Vola Tila’s “I Need My Girl” is a brooding and atmospheric single that makes its mark. I will keep my eye out for these guys. Finally, Reaction‘s single “Keep Movin’ (Don’t Stop)” has a very early 1980s vibe, and similar to the B-52s “Love Shack.”


Singles: Beebe Gallini, The Nobility, The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco, Gentle Hen, Mo Troper, Janita, Timmy Sean

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Beebe Gallini is the newest garage rock, girl pop hybrid and they can shred like nobody’s business. The new LP Pandemos is her first full-length album, made up of demos she cut earlier in the pandemic. Nashville’s The Nobility delivers a theme of celebration and The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco doubles down on the quirkinesses, with key changes everywhere! Gentle Hen‘s freebie channels They Might Be Giants here with every parents’ cry for help. Plus, Mo Troper is doing a cover of the entire Revolver album. Darn good too! Speaking of covers Finnish-born talent Janita gives us a solid cover of Peter Gabriel’s classic “Digging in the Dirt.” With WandaVision in the rearview mirror, Timmy Sean did a quick cover of the jingle “Agatha All Along” and it’s his biggest viral post yet! Where is Reed Richards?

Let it snow: Super freebies courtesy of Rum Bar Records and Hidden Pictures

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Another massive snowstorm on the east coast, but I wanted to make you aware of some “free” musical stimulus to help soothe the cabin fever. The fine folks at Rum Bar Records have not one, but TWO great samplers loaded full of music by some great artists like The Dirty Truckers, Geoff Palmer, Watts, Tad Overbaugh, and many more.

Remember the Kansas City band Hidden Pictures? I reviewed a release back in 2012, but I haven’t been as diligent in keeping up with  Richard Gintowt and his team. Well, he’s done the unprecedented step of releasing his entire catalog at a “name-your-price” point. That includes the brand new single “Mahomies” just in time for the big game. This is a super opportunity to get lots of great music.

Singles, Tributes, and Freebies: Hot Summer, The Poppermost, Emperor Penguin and Orbis Max, Gal Gun, Gentlemen Rogues, Coke Belda, Bob of the Pops

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Hot Summer a new group by The Shins’ Jon Sortland and Brian Belier. “Fire And Ice” is indirectly related to the great disparities between political parties and a byproduct of shut-in pandemic isolation. Sounding a bit like The Eels to me, Hot Summer certainly is mesmerizing.

The great Joe Kane goes back to 1964 and the British Invasion with The Poppermost. It’s simply Fab! Let’s hope an album follows soon.

Emperor Penguin and Orbis Max combine for this terrific FREE single! An upbeat gem. What is not to like here?

I know little of Chicago band Gal Gun, but they’ve got some solid music here with fuzz guitars and catchy melody. Fans of Superdrag and Velvet Crush will dig it. Visit the singles of the previous months, especially “Premium” from September.

I haven’t heard from Gentlemen Rogues in a long time, so it’s good to see them active again. Nice aggressive guitar pop, with punk-inflected energy. Check it out.

Coke Belda digs deeper in the Bee Gees back catalog and it’s a reminder of how great the Gibb brothers were as songwriters. “Islands in the Stream,” originally sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Paton is presented here as a fine duet between Coke and vocalist Sara Depp. More Bee Gees love on Volume 3.

Bob of the Pops (Robyn Gibson and friends) plays hits obscure and common for Volume 5(!) This FREEBIE is brilliant and Robyn’s voice is perfectly suited to The Hollies “King Midas in Reverse” and Jeff Lynn’s ballad “Midnight Blue.”

Too Many Treats: The Blakes, Emperor Penguin, Trip Wire, Andrew Taylor, AJ Rosales, The Dowling Poole

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It’s a Motherlode of FREE Music!

Before the New Jersey power pop band Readymade Breakup emerged in 2003, Paul Rosevear and Gay Elvis were part of a band called The Blakes. The pandemic allowed the group to rework some demos, and here they are; readymade with plenty of guitar crunch, jangle, and strum.

Emperor Penguin is back with an impressive third EP, lots of different style elements here; prog, new wave, and power pop. Slick production and melodies that stick! Each of the three EPs is a FREE download.

San Francisco’s Trip Wire was in the middle of an album when the Pandemic turned it into an EP. Love the mid-tempo ballad “Maps” and the psyche-pop jangle of “Hazel.”

Andrew Taylor continues his musical therapy during the lockdown. Mostly acoustic guitar ballads, with some greatness in the album’s second half starting with “Before I Go,” “Just Let It Happen,” and “The Blue.” And a new album from The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness is coming soon.

SINGLES:

Willie Dowling’s commentary on the hysteria that surrounds and consumes us all via social media, and the seemingly endless sensationalist news. The Dowling Poole never disappoints.

Chicago singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has a catchy single to start his upcoming album.