MPFree
A little history for ya: Andy Vihstadt’s Download column has been a beloved part of this page since Al Gore invented the Internet. Recently, the Wayward Blog introduced another free-music roundup, the totally legal Monday Music Junkie. This week, we asked Andy to prepare a print version of the MMJ for our readers who are too cheap to pay for the Internet at home so that they may be enlightened to the joys of free and legal music downloading. Did we mention that it’s all legal?
Territorial Pissings: Over the past decade, Slug and Ant of the hip-hop group Atmosphere have expanded their fanbase far beyond the Minneapolis city limits. To say thanks, the duo is giving away Strictly Leakage, a 13-track album of new material available at the Rhymesayers label site. The next proper Atmosphere LP is due in April and will, one hopes, be more creative than its title, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. Rhymesayers.com/atmosphere
Breaking Even: Trent Reznor and Saul Williams discovered that 82 percent of downloaders didn’t think that a CD-quality version of their Niggy Tardust collaboration was worth the extra five bucks. If you’re one of those cheap bastards, a bevy of guilt-free MP3s awaits you at the Nine Inch Nails interactive fan page. Think you have what it takes? Use the site’s tools to create and post your own remixes. Nin.com, Niggytardust.com
Team Spirit: While the rest of us were sweating over our 2007 top-10 lists, Neil Mason was lacing his with a heavy dose of nostalgia. Recording under the alias Team9, the mashup whiz has released his second annual Mysplice album. The 10-track collection includes blends such as Band of Horses vs. Guns N’ Roses and M.I.A. vs. the A-Team theme song. Grab it, along with last year’s installment, exclusively at Stereogum.com (search: Mysplice).
Radio Free America: Experimental indie-folk outfit Beirut recently made its Cheap Magic Inside live DVD available for purchase online, but if you’re looking for cheap (i.e., free) and instant gratification, we’ve got you covered. The group stopped by KEXP’s Seattle studios to perform a handful of tracks from The Flying Club Cup, and the good folks at NPR liked it so much, they posted it to go. Npr.org/music
The Giving Tree: Renamed after its official state tree, Wye Oak (formerly known as Monarch) looks to break out of Baltimore in 2008. The duo brings a bit of everything to the table, including nuances of My Bloody Valentine, the Breeders and Elliott Smith. Head over to the band’s site to download four free tracks from the upcoming debut, If Children, due April 8 on Merge Records. Monarchmakesmusic.com
The Monday Music Junkie. Every Monday on the Wayward Blog (blogs.pitch.com/wayward)
