The Free Music Thread

[Niall]

I love music. I love it so much. So, so much. I love it so much that I can't bear the thought that musicians who worked hard on their compositions don't get their dues paid. I love music=I hate music piracy. That being said, those recording artists at the forefront of the music paradigm understand what attracts potential fans and gains long term support for their music: the free download. In other words, letting fans sample a fraction of their tracks in the hopes of gaining extra sales or publishing all of their work for free and letting the goodwill and generosity of their fans support them. They're undermining music pirates in order to establish a downloading equilibrium.

This is a place to post links to your favourite music that anyone can download for free (legally) and for expanding your own musical tastes.

Let's be clear here: if I see even the slightest possibility that a link posted is not legal and had the artist's consent, I will come down on you so hard you will wish I was a mod. I don't want to see anyone putting this forum in legal jeopardy. I sure don't want music piracy occuring on these forums and I know the mods don't want any illegal activity of any sort taking place here. I wouldn't have to say this, except I'm aware of the potential for this thread to go downhill fast. This isn't your twenty-seven-and-a-half-chan.


I'll start you off:

Bandcamp. Oh my gog Bandcamp. This is an audiophiles heaven. Our very own Andrew Hussie uses it himself (I'm sure you've purchased an album or two off What Pumpkin), so you know that site's legit. A common feature of Bandcamp is for artists to offer their albums on a "Name Your Price" model, where you can choose how much you'd like to pay for a track or a whole album even. The great thing about Bandcamp is, if you're not sure about paying for an album, on this model you can download it for free and if you enjoy it and want to give something back to the artist who put the hard work into the tracks, you can go back and purchase the same tracks again, effectively paying for the album you already have. Some people would say that's folly and why would you bother, but those of you who are generous will get what I'm saying.

I thought that the first "Pay What You Want" album should have some sort of significance of some sort, so it's aptly titled The Hass Effect by Electrocado.

Electronic, trance, ambient, whatever you call it I don't even know. You can listen to all of the tracks online to see if it's your sort of thing. Don't be put off by the first track; it takes a minute to really get going. I'm not a massive fan of electronic music, preferring to lean to the ambient or experimental side of things when I do purchase anything, but I can appreciate this album for its technical skill and not falling into heavy repetition (often). It's not "in your face" music, more "bobbing your head along to the beat while you browse forums music. It's a great soundtrack to everyday browsing or writing Grand Battle posts. *Click*!

[cherrymerchant]

Hah, I love bandcamp! I was surprised to see one of my favorite artists, Sufjan Stevens, there! My favorite album by him is The Age of Adz, which is a departure from his usual "folk-rock" sound. The album is like a mixture of folk, orchestra, and a nice, heaping spoon of electronica. It's one of the few albums that I fell in love with on the first play-through.

[ArmsAreLoud]

My first non-Homestuck Bandcamp purchase was this little album. It's an excellent guitar driven album that is mostly instrumental but is excellent at every turn. I'd recommend checking out Oort Cloud and the cover of the Neil Young classic Old Man.

I'd also like to recommend Evolution of the Thumb by bass player extraordinaire Andy Saxton. Here's a video of him playing Turrican, the best song on the album. Eet ees cool.

[Niall]

Amanda Palmer. Alongside Sufjan Stevens she's the most famous artist on Bandcamp (I swear, I mean for this to become the Bandcamp Thread. We'll get off it next week).

This week's album: Who Killed Amanda Palmer? by Amanda Palmer
This is Punk-Caberet, and instead of taking on the futile task of trying to explain what that is, I'll try and explain what that means. Punk-Caberet takes all of the drama and theatre of musicals and stage acting and combines it with the modern production of 21st Century. WKAP? is no exception to this, and probably embodies the genre to the point of saturation. It's a very dramatic album, seeped in ire, melancholy and vitriol in alternating portions, and doesn't always make easy listening. However it's very beautiful music, lyrically a step above most and each composition crafted by and expert hand. Each song tells a story, from the description of the mindframe of a teenage school shooter in Strength Through Music to the ire of a partner's suicide threats post-breakup song about in Ampersand. These songs are not, lyrically, happy songs.

I like this album a lot, but it's not something I can listen to often. Even the quiet songs have a theatrical nature to them. They command your attention and it's occasionally difficult to focus on something else while this album is playing. When you do give it your undivided attention though, it's an amazing listen.

Click: http://music.amandapalmer.net/album/...-amanda-palmer

[Gzar]

Speaking of Bandcamp, Relapse Records has quite a bit up on there. Check it out. I recommend giving the new Toxic Holocaust a listen, very strongly. One of my favorite albums from this year so far.

[notbladewell]

http://cormorant.bandcamp.com/
very cool progressive metal band, their first album is completely free right now so if you're into metal i suggest checking it out.

[Varkarrus]

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/381957

This song, Midnight, was written for the composer's dead cat.
For some reason, while listening to it, I started crying and oh great I'm doing it again.

[HawterThan]

http://www.shemusic.org/?page_id=56 Free music from SHE. Goodstuff. Even if it's rather old. But hey!

[CSJ]

Ah, yes; Newgrounds.

A mixed-bag here; there are a number of really, really good artists here, and then also a sea of tripe. The balance of artists is also somewhat skewed, with the output generally clustered around particular styles. To be honest, I used to browse there a lot more a year or so ago, but it's still worth a peek now and then.

If you like hip-hop instrumentals, the first port of call I'd point out is freddyfinger (http://freddyfinger.newgrounds.com), followed by Haywyre (http://haywirehaywire.newgrounds.com). These two are at the apex of the genre on NG, though both have since migrated mostly off-site to you know, actually make a living.

[CSJ]

Bandcamp also has some nice music from bands otherwise lost to time. One such band is Beargarden, a mid-'80s New Wave band from Australia. Some nice stuff there, especially from their album 'All That Falls'. For me, the standout track is 'I Write The News', which I'm totally replaying over and over again right now.

[Niall]

CSJ, I gotta say, you know when to break out the Aussie Mid-80's New Wave songs. It's not my favourite genre, but it has its moments. That being said, it's not free. Oh no! What have you done!!?

In less over-dramatic news, here's something from Adelaide based band Mammoth Logic: http://www.triplejunearthed.com/arti...artistid=26442
Two tracks? And every single other track on that website is free too you say? Whatever could it be? It's Triple J Unearthed, the website that allows unsigned Australian artists to upload and feature their tracks.

Trust me on this: freaking treasure chest on amazing music! No exaggeration!

[Superfrequency]

Animal Style - Trenchvent
George & Jonathan - The Best Music

[Niall]

Oh! Before I forget, I think you should listen to this AWARD WINNING (no kidding, an actual award or two) music and you can download it for free: http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Arti...artistid=15614

Seriously. Ball Park Music are the metaphorical bomb.

[Keratin]

Taylor Deupree - Northern

Definitely one of my favorite ambient albums. Check it out if you're interested.

[CSJ]

CSJ, I gotta say, you know when to break out the Aussie Mid-80's New Wave songs. It's not my favourite genre, but it has its moments. That being said, it's not free. Oh no! What have you done!!?

Listening is free, downloading will cost ya. Besides, the band needs more love.

Nice call on Unearthed, I know a couple of friends that have stuff up there, though nothing brilliant. Quality of tracks varies significantly on that site, though it is a god way to check-out and/or find new artists.

Now; if you want free music, then here's another band that could use more love; http://www.vspy-vspy.com (AKA; Spy vs Spy, until they were forced to change their name). Very, very different sound, but there's a lot of brilliant material on their site for free.

And by free, I mean they've released their ENTIRE CATALOGUE there for free download. Awesome, huh?

[The Dr.]

Brad Sucks has an array of (really good) music that is all royalty-free. But, of course, you can still pay for the album if you want to support the developer.

[Niall]

Listening is free, downloading will cost ya. Besides, the band needs more love.

Fair enough, but we do have other threads where you can spread the love about your favourite bands. Specifically, this thread is about music that you can obtain (as in, download) legally for free.

[Niall]

OK, so one of my all time favourite bands have just released a brand new song on Bandcamp and it's arguably their best yet. I can't believe they're releasing it for free, I really can't. It's music to my ears, but figuratively as well as literally! Just download it, just listen to it, just do it, you won't regret it.

The Good China - No More Maps, No More Roads

[Ed]

Demoscene time machine

[dissonantDiva]

Born Gold is currently offering their album "Bodysongs" for free on their website, borngold.us. Just scroll down and click "Click here to stream and download BODYSONGS".

If you really like the music and want to pay for it (or if you just like vinyls), you can get the vinyl LP for $13.59 here.

It's kind of electronic, experimental synth-pop, with just a dash of indie rock thrown in. I've found that it's really good for throwing on in the background while I'm crafting or sewing, although it's definitely got a great dance beat to it, too.

[Don]

Anyone remember Nujabes?

No?

Well, there's a tribute album out for free entitled An Eternal Soul OST, if anybody enjoys simple, old-skool beats that seem gently anthemic and swaying, looming warmly, beautiful in their own right - songs ranging from the cheery to the trippy to simply the emotionally fulfilling and stimulating - all done in a style emulating a pioneer in the hip-hop, the trip- and jazz-hop genres.

Edit: Holy cod can't forget the LINK!

[Stij]

A criminally underrated Polish guitarist named Piotrek Gruszka (aka Gru) released a a free album called Cosmogenesis last year. It's an absolutely fantastic blend of jazz and metal. Definitely check it out if you are into guitar stuff at all.

[Don]

A criminally underrated Polish guitarist named Piotrek Gruszka (aka Gru) released a a free album called Cosmogenesis last year. It's an absolutely fantastic blend of jazz and metal. Definitely check it out if you are into guitar stuff at all.

Erm, it's not free on Bandcamp on my end. Maybe it's a country specific free download? The 5$ price tag is a little disconcerting considering I really like what I'm hearing so far, and that's saying something as I immensely dislike most metal nowadays. :3

Is the some sort of off-site link where I could download for free legally?

[Stij]

Oh, that's weird! When I got it (several months ago), it was free. He must have added the price tag after it got some popularity. Still, I would definitely recommending buying it. Fantastic album. I would have gladly paid $15 for it, let alone $5.

[Axillary]

Most of Locust Toybox's music can be downloaded for free on last.fm