It’s Friday, and we’re back with another installment of our regular roundup of downloadable MP3 goodness, both from around the web and from our own servers. This week there’s an entire album of beautiful ambient synth work from D’Eon, plus new tracks from Beach House and Clams Casino, the return of Bobby Womack, a couple of whacked-out remixes and a song from a singer who’ll go into your iTunes under “Finnish/Ethiopian”. In other words, there’s plenty of interesting sounds awaiting you after the jump, and since they won’t cost a penny or land you an RIAA lawsuit, as your attorneys we advise you to start downloading immediately.
Beach House — “Myth” Yay for the return of Beach House, who’ve just released the first track off their upcoming new album Bloom. The song’s called “Myth”, and it sounds… well, it sounds like Beach House, really. It’s perhaps more reminiscent of their early work than the airbrushed sheen of Teen Dream, which is fine by us — make up your own mind by grabbing the track here.
THEEsatisfaction — “Enchantruss” We try not to quote press releases, but it’s not every day that you get sent something that’s described as a “funk-psychedelic feminista sci-fi epic”. “Enchantruss” is as awesome as it sounds, spacily futuristic hip hop based around a lazy, loping beat and weird vocal loops. It also features a guest appearance from Shabazz Palaces’ Palaceer. Get hold of it via Gorilla Vs Bear.
D’Eon — “Music for Keyboards” This collection of ambient instrumentals from Montreal producer and Grimes collaborator D’Eon first surfaced as a stream on Stereogum last week, but happily, he’s now offering the whole thing for free download. It’s available via Fact Magazine, who described it as “Part Oneohtrix Point Never, part Tangerine Dream, part early Aphex Twin”; to us it sounds like Eno & Fripp without the Fripp parts. Either way, it’s beautiful, and we highly recommend downloading the whole thing right here.
Clams Casino — “Swervin” While we’re on atmospheric instrumentals, grab this new track from Clams Casino — it’s moodier and darker than D’Eon’s work, but no less compelling. It’s available via XLR8R.
Bobby Womack — “Please Forgive My Heart” Bobby Womack’s voice, Damon Albarn and Richard “XL” Russell’s production, and some pretty creepy cover art. What more could you ask? Get this song via The Fader. (And yes, you have to offer up your email address, although we still think that’s a pretty good deal.)
Mirel Wagner — “The Road” Behold: the first track on your iTunes that’ll go by the designation “Finnish/Ethiopian”. Less facetiously, though, Mirel Wagner has a beautiful voice, and she makes music that’s both quietly compelling and perhaps just a wee bit spooky. Download “The Road” via Stereogum.
Woods / Amps for Christ — “From Oatmeal to Buttermilk” Woods’ Sun and Shade was one of the more under-rated albums of last year, and the Brooklyn psych crew are back with a new split album with producer Amps for Christ. The album features four tracks from Woods, four from Amps for Christ, and one collaboration — the latter is entitled “From Oatmeal to Buttermilk”, and is available for download right here.
Dive — “Geist” Dive is a side project for Beach Fossils’ Zachary Cole Smith, and it features lots of a) guitars, b) reverb and c) shoegaze-y vocals buried deep in the mix. If you’re into such things, “Geist” is available via Pitchfork.
Young Prisms — “Floating in Blue” Speaking of shoegaze, here’s a track from a band who don’t so much channel the ’80s as sound like they could have stepped right out of a time machine. Bless. For all that they’re derivative, though, Young Prisms aren’t bad — download single “Floating in Blue”, along with a remix by Violens, via Brooklyn Vegan.
Balam Acab — “Swing My Way” Frankly we’d rather not swing Alec Koone’s way, but still, check out his remix of KP & Envyi’s “Swing My Way” via Fact.