Free albums... Doctor Rosen/The Watermarks

Lily Allen's latest album, It's Not Me, It's You, has been remixed in its entirety by LA-producer Doctor Rosen Rosen and is available for free download. Doctor Rosen Rosen has reinvented all 12 songs using only Lily's original vocals, replacing everything else with his own musical touch to create a completely different album!

Dr. Rosen - It's Not Me, It's... Doctor Rosen Rosen (free album)




The Watermarks are giving away their entire record for free! Houston’s The Watermarks‘ debut release Thoughts Like Bombs combines their love of rock and electronic music to bring you 7 awesome tracks guaranteed to get you on your feet! As we shared before in our previous post, The Watermarks will be performing alongside some truly terrific acts at this year’s FreePress Summer Fest.

The band’s top priority is to spread their music to as many ears as possible, which is why they have made their entire record available online for download… for free!

The Watermarks - Thoughts Like Bombs (free album)


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SONG OF THE DAY: Dark Knights Of Camelot - Purple Undertones
(from Hurricane EP, out July 14th on Olympic Records)

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The Walkies

The Walkies are an Akron, OH based band that is made up of Ryan Oxford on Guitar, Scott Hartlaub (former lead singer and guitarist of Goodbye, Ohio!) on banjo, Adam Peters on bass, and Cory Race on drums.

Ryan and Scott formed the band in late 2008. Because of their dedication, they have already cranked out a phenomenal 5-song EP this year aptly named 'EP'. The EP was recorded in Akron and mastered by Magic Garden Studios in Delaware, OH.

If you ever wondered where Bluegrass Street and Indie Rock Avenue Intersect, it's here.

Both Pat Carney and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys have listened to the work of The Walkies and have given their nod of approval.

The Walkies debut 5-song EP can be purchased here. Recommended!

The Walkies - Crops Ain't Worth A Dime
The Walkies - Sing Along
The Walkies @ MySpace


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SONG OF THE DAY: Megafun - Kaufmans Ballad
(from Gather, Form & Fly, out July 21st on Hometapes)

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The Melloncollies

With equal doses winsomeness and irreverence, The Melloncollies are the latest in a hallowed line of Brooklyn-bred quintets to unfurl the witty sonic flag and punch back: yes, pop can be daring.

Their debut album, Goodbye Cruel World, finds the band-led by vocalist/guitarist Simon Erani and rounded out by Peter Claro (production/guitars), Darro Sandler(drums), Paul Briscoe (bass) and Rick Treese (keys), in fine lyric fettle, intent on matching their past successes with their latest salvo. Goodbye Cruel World has been called "an emotive exploration of feelings, failures, and fun," a powerful departure from rote pop and saccharine schmaltz.

The full-length finds Erani and co. in spirited form, with some having remarked that The Melloncollies "loosened their ties, rolled up their sleeves and went for it." The result is "a thrilling and moving album, loaded with personality and irreverence." Fit for iPods and ambitious auteurs alike, the work evokes the impact of the hallmark provocateurs: Dylan, Costello, Springsteen; The Proclaimers, The Romantics, The Wallflowers, Maroon 5, all have a place in shaping one of this year's most earnest releases.

Still, The Melloncollies' sound is overwhelmingly their own. They blend a spoonful of rock 'n' roll, a dollop of punk and a sprinkle of classic pop, all smeared with garage overtones. The sound first surfaced on The Mellonollies' unreleased album, Simple Naïve World, two tracks from which, "Simple Naïve Someone" and "Maybe Someday," were featured in Eight Days a Week, an independent film starring Keri Russel. Goodbye Cruel World, recorded in New York's Electric Lady Studio, follows in the same electric rubric, with major assistance from renowned sound engineers Josh Wilbur (Pink) and Brian Sperber (Moby).

At their essence, The Melloncollies find their root in "Melodies...Great melodies." Erani excels behind a guitar and piano, creating the anthems that inspire the frontman to continue to compose and record songs. As his work with The Melloncollies' becomes ever edgier and more sophisticated, the eventual follow-up to Goodbye Cruel World will surely turn out like its predecessor-timely and timeless at the same time. Recommended!

The Melloncollies - Simple Naive Someone
The Melloncollies @ MySpace


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SONG OF THE DAY: The Dodos - Fables
(from Time To Die, out September 15th on Frenchkiss Records)

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Free albums... Dan Costello/Andy Mitchell

Dan Costello is a songwriter based at The Brooklyn Tea Party, a loft venue and apartment in Bushwick. His new album "Costello" features Rachel Devlin, Michael David Campbell, Eric Wolfson and Brook Pridemore on vocals and a variety of instruments. The album is available digitally worldwide. CDs and Vinyl are only available in person.

Dan is an independent musician, having quit his corporate music job in January 2006. He works as a sound engineer, a recording assistant, a piano player, an open-mic host, an audio consultant, and occasionally as an album producer. He's a member of the Freelancers Union and various arts organizations. He has toured all over Europe, Canada and the United States.

Dan is a member of Creaky Boards, Felt Light Strikes, Eric Wolfson and the War Cabinet, and Brook Pridemore and The Valley Cubs. Dan has produced albums for Soft Black, Annie Crane, Ben Godwin, and Peaks and Valleys and more.

Dan's three albums of original music, "Halloween Baby", "Come Home", and "Costello" are available for purchased download here. You can read about what happens at Brooklyn Tea Party at myspace.com/brooklynteaparty.

Dan Costello - Recession Songs (free album)
Dan Costello @ MySpace

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Andy Mitchell began the first pieces of a new album in late 2008, a little inspired by the appreciation some had given his previous attempts, but on the whole disheartened that they were nothing special and not memorable enough that people would feel compelled to share it with a friend.

"It gave me the feeling that I hadn't tried hard enough, that there must be better songs I can make, longer time I can spend on vocals and recording, and wider sources of influence to widen the range in sound. Perhaps the only worthwhile approach I could have to keep myself moving forward because this album like the others would still be given away for free." said Andy.

Andy Mitchell - Of Nature & Minimal Means (free album)
Andy Mitchell @ MySpace


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SONG OF THE DAY: Why? - This Blackest Purse
(from Eskimo Snow, out September 22nd on Anticon)

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Generationals

Generationals is the collaboration of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer. Following the breakup of their previous band the Eames Era, they returned home to New Orleans in 2008 to form Generationals and record their first record, Con Law.

They tapped the Oranges Band founder Daniel Black (the mind behind the Eames Era's swan song Heroes and Sheroes) to engineer and produce the record at his D.C.-based home-studio. Black recorded Con Law in the style of his heroes—George Martin, Phil Spector, Jeff Lynn and Quincy Jones—with a meticulous attention to detail and a willingness to make the recordings sound old. The result is one of those classic “first record” moments that blissfully wills its listeners into repeat listens.

The sounds of Con Law were cobbled together from the far corners of the instrument room to form a cohesive group of songs written in straight-forward pop structures. Chiming 12-string electric guitars sit next to 8-bit sequencers, synth-bass and trumpet. Often the shakers, hand-claps and acoustic guitars sound like Paul Simon and Tom Petty, while another arrangement recalls Junior Walker and Booker T., all recorded to an old 24-track 2-inch tape machine that threatened to melt down several times.

Live, the Generationals can include as many as seven pieces with background singers, a trumpet, guitars, keys, bass and drums. And when the whole band is singing en masse on songs like "Faces in the Dark" and "When They Fight, They Fight," …shit sounds real good. You would want to be there when that happens.

Park the Van Records returned to New Orleans in December of 2008, four years after the label was birthed in the same zip code. A chance meeting at the Mid-City Yacht Club (not what it sounds like) led to discussion about Park the Van’s dearly missed the Teeth, the Spinto Band, Dr. Dog and the Grant and Ted’s new band. A handoff of their “just mastered” album led to an almost immediate signing with Park the Van. Generationals are the first New Orleans band signed to Park the Van. Con Law, their debut record, is available for your ears on July 21st, 2009 on Park the Van Records. Recommended!

Generationals - When They Fight They Fight
Generationals @ MySpace




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SONG OF THE DAY: Windmill - Big Boom
(from Epcot Starfields, out September 15th on Friendly Fire)

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Free album release... The Grizzly Owls

The Grizzly Owls became inspired by their grandparent's journey from Oklahoma to Bakersfield, California during the Dust Bowl migration. Keeping in tradition with their Dust ... (more) Bowl roots, the Grizzly Owls looked to the originators of the ''Bakersfield Sound'' (country legends such as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard) for role models. The Grizzly Owls are Jenny Andreotti (vocals, harmonica, and percussion) and Joseph Andreotti (guitar, bass, percussion, piano, and keys). The Andreotti's have been married for four years, and have been making music together for seven. After years of struggling with other musical projects, the Andreotti's are confident that they have mastered ''The Grizzly Owls Sound.''

"By Night On My Bed," the Grizzly Owls self-released full-length debut, is the closest the Andreotti's have come to making their initial musical vision a reality. The record was influenced by such greats as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tom Waits, Lee Hazelwood, Nancy Sinatra, Leonard Cohen, Raymond Carver, Henry David Thoreau, the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s, and all of the French new-wave films of Jean-Luc Godard. By Night On My Bed was recorded at the Dust Bowl by Joseph Andreotti and recorded, mixed, and mastered at Red Rockets Glare by Raymond Richards (The Idaho Falls, Mojave 3) The multi-talented Richards also contributed pedal steel guitar, baritone guitar, and vibraphone to the recordings. The Andreotti's (along with the help from Richards) have produced a whimsical record full of tales about death, lust, love, and obsession.

After a successful promotional run with Fanatic, The Grizzly Owls returned to Red Rockets Glare to record another handful of songs. Richards continued to add his unique touch by contributing pedal steel guitar and banjo, while Rob Poynter (Idaho Falls, Harpeth Trace) added drums and some pots and pans to the new recordings. The recordings resulted with a sound that is one part Tom Waits, one part shoegaze, and one part spaghetti western. Recommended!

Grizzly Owls - I Am A Shootist EP (free download)
Grizzly Owls @ MySpace


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SONG OF THE DAY: The Silent Years - Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park
(from Let Go EP, out July 14th on SideCho Records)

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