I like the concept of a blog promoting independent music by giving a ‘personal’ review (I know I’m not the only one trying it), but as life seems to be getting in the way at the moment, why not check out my tumblr, where I often link to free downloads of songs and albums that I enjoy.

Zut Alors have finally put out their amazing Torr EP… I can’t begin to tell you how good it is… go and get it.

Basic Sounds (awesome source for electronic music) has had a makeover, and is now functioning as a netlabel. Looks like their first release(?) is up and running and free for the taking, go check it out.

Stewart is the man most responsible for The Swiss, but, coming from the school of unstoppable creative entrepreneurs, he has found the time to write and record hundreds – probably millions – of solo albums, the latest of which, ‘Silence Is Golden’, he is giving away for free from his MySpace.

Stewart’s approach to songwriting is fascinating: his songs defy conventional structures, timings, and even the laws of common sense, yet to the uninformed ear these chirpy ballads sound sweet and innocent, albeit with some bite. Stew utilises simplistic, stripped-back sounds from the instruments – clean electric guitars, drums, bass and a few organ sounds – to chase intricate melodies, counter-melodies and polyrhythms beneath punchy vocal hooks, and the end result is a set of songs that are impossible to categorise, and almost equally hard to get out of your head. ‘Silence Is Golden’ is one of the most refreshing things you will hear, and I really can’t recommend getting it – and taking the time to get to know it – enough.

find out more about Stew from his MySpace.

These two awesome hardcore/screamo bands have put together an awesome split which you can download for free courtesy of Comadre (who give away a whole load of stuff on their website). I actually first heard Glasses on one of Comadre’s awesome mixtapes (see the website ^), and I thought they were pretty darn cool, so to be handed 15 minutes of noisy, messy, shoutyness courtesy of both bands made my heart skip with joy. I’ve just started giving this a proper listen and it does not disappoint, fantasticly gritty riffs and ballsy vocals and a whole lotta fun.

(By the way, I could go on and on about how cool Comadre are – check out their tumblr and find out for yourself).

Spectators is a development in the solo work of Benjamin Will (also of The Orfanage), a multi-faceted young Canadian artist who sets the standard for bedroom musicians worldwide. Benjamin is persistent in pushing creative boundaries, and yet simultaneously, works gently and intimately with timbre, lyric and tune.

‘It was warmer out’ shows focus and maturity, both as a recorded work and as an example of songwriting. Benjamin uses understated guitar and keyboard parts to lend atmosphere, while half of the work is already complete through his delivery of often sparse, sad lyrics in soft, smokey tones. These recordings emphasise Benjamin’s brilliant understanding of space and timing, both lyrically and melodically, and the gentle wash of sounds will in turn stir you up, and then lull you into a blissful semi-consciousness.

as of August 2010, the Spectators website is offline. Instead, visit bandcamp to stream / download the songs.

As far as I know, all the info in the world about (Stephen Clark’s glitchy electronica solo act) HP/MP can be found on his muxtape page, which is where I originally encountered his music. I emailed asking for mp3s, and he kindly sent me the Absentee EP, which is a weird and wonderful work of genius.

Something about the bold, youthful but melancholy character of Clark’s voice is reminiscent of Beirut’s Zach Condon (specifically Condon’s own electro-infused solo project, Realpeople). His songs, like Beirut’s, build with intricately interwoven melodies and rhythms, laced with a subdued aggression (notable in the more glitchy and dissonant moments) which evokes Thom Yorke’s solo work. The lyrics are obscure but weighty, and sit perfectly against a haunting melodic backdrop. Certain lines are bound to reach out and grab you (‘I will eat everything that moves’). There is a song called Maticore Shmanticore, which makes me smile.

With five songs and not a lot of background knowledge, it’s hard to draw many conclusions about the stories behind HP/MP, or which direction its creator is intending to move, but this is certainly gripping, unique, and some of the cleverest but also the most moving music I have heard recently.

visit the muxtape page of HP/MP.

Jus’ Like Music Records and Apple Juice Break have released a couple of compilations (Oscillations vols 1 & 2) which are way too sick. Mixing hip-hop, broken beat, uk garage, dubstep and a whole host of other electronic influences, the raw talent of the various producers and performers featured on these mixes is immediately striking.

Electronic music has never been easier to make, nor more readily available, yet the Oscillations stand apart as being fresh, dynamic, and captivating. The vibe ranges from chilled-out to dancefloor-worthy, and mostly centres on shorter instrumentals reminiscent of Paul White, amongst others, but a smattering of emcees and vocal samples bring an added poignancy to the tracks, with the range of styles evoking everyone from Roots Manuva to Burial, and a whole host of other influential names.

check out the Jus’ Like Music Records bandcamp page, and be sure to follow up the individual producers.

When I last mentioned Soap Collectors I described them as ‘little more than a blip’, having only heard one of their songs at the time. Probably within a week of me posting that, I was contacted by Cameron Spies (of Spesus Christ etc.) who, it turns out, is also a memember of Soap Collectors, and he said that they would send me some stuff. Sure enough, Soap Collectors then released their first record, Tape Side, and were kind enough to give me a free download (though paying $5 for the high quality version at bandcamp isn’t exactly a big ask).

I said before that when the Soap Collectors record dropped, it was going to be huge: I wasn’t wrong. Not that ‘huge’ is the best word to describe the album; pretty synth melodies trickle over a blurry backdrop of triphop-esque drum patterns, while singer Lizzy Ellison croons gently in a near-whisper, the overall effect being to send the listener into an almost dreamlike state. ‘Window’ turns out to be one of the livelier tracks on the album, with the 7-minute centerpiece, ‘Lovely’, representing as much of an ambient instrumental as a chirpy pop tune. Overall, the album strikes a fine balance between the two, which is captured in the closing track, a remix of ‘Window’ which strips the song down to its bare bones, breaks it apart, and puts it back together in a sleepy, half-forgotten kind of way.

Buy Tape Side from the Soap Collectors themselves, or stream the songs on muxtape, myspace, etc.

This post is a little unconventional; Eg & Alice recorded one album, 24 Years Of Hunger, in 1991, which had a limited release on WEA records, and they then went their seperate ways into the darkness and obscurity of the underground, never to be heard from again (until their respective solo albums were released, most recently Eg’s Adventure Man in 2009, but let’s not go there).

I don’t remember how I first heard about 24 Years Of Hunger, but as soon as I did, I knew I had to get hold of it. After scouring the internet for previews and downloads, I eventually bought the cheapest copy I could find for £30-something from Amazon. Such was my confidence that this record would be a life-changer, and thankfully, I was proved right.

Eg & Alice fuse the beautiful pop/soul/indie sensibilities of the early 90s with a delightfully understated yet cutting edge Motown-inspired production aesthetic, and some charming, melancholic and distinctly British songwriting. The quality and class of everything on this record is at absolutely the highest level; Eg & Alice are both brilliant and sensitive as musicians, singers and producers, and the array of session performers used on the recordings must represent some of the finest in the British scene at the time.

I paid a lot to own this music on CD, but I’ve since found a website hosting download links for Eg & Alice’s album, as well as a few EPs and other bits and bobs. Since the album is long out of print, and therefore however much you might pay for it, the money would bypass the artists anyway, I seriously suggest you get on these links and make this the album of your summer and for years to come.

Like I said, this post doesn’t entirely fit with the theme of this blog so far (90s music, major label, out of print, no authorised free download), but it’s just so damn good that it would be a crime for me not to share it with you.

This blog provides some information about Eg & Alice, as well as hosting download links to a free mp3 download of the album.