South By Southwest 2015 Music Festival: Free Downloads, Webcasts, & More

See below for details on free SXSW Music downloads and more.

Today is not just St. Patrick's Day, it's the kickoff of the music portion of the sprawling South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. Here's our guide to how to take part in SXSW Music if you're not there, an annual (usually) feature of Podcast Party.

NPR Music is doing its usual extensive coverage, including song downloads and streams, live webcasts, podcasts, previews, and more.

• listen to NPR's All Songs Considered SXSW 2015 preview 
• listen to or download their hand-picked collection of 100 songs from this year's SXSW artists, the Austin 100 (you can download all or just the ones you want) 
• and read their article on how to experience SXSW Music without being there

(If you want a lot more free song downloads from SXSW 2015 artists (and we mean a lot), go to the unofficial SXSW torrent page. It features two parts containing a total of more than 8 gigabytes of tunes.)

NPR hasn't announced a webcast schedule yet, but we'll update this post when (if?) they make this info available. They also do "late-night dispatch" podcasts each night of SXSW Music, in which each of the NPR Music correspondents on hand sum up the best acts they've seen that night (sometimes recorded in random places like a parking lot).

[Update, March 18th: NPR's SXSW showcase takes place tonight and while it won't be streamed live, it will be posted online "in the days after the concert." The show features Australian Courtney Barnett (playing her new, not-yet-released album live) ... Belgian singer Stromae, who's gotten hundreds of millions of views for his video "Papaoutai" ... and TV On The Radio, playing tunes from their latest album, "Seeds."]

Santa Monica's KCRW also has great SXSW coverage. Start with this article on "Newbies to Know at SXSW 2015." And see KCRW Music during the week for more coverage.

Also, check out Podcast Party's coverage from previous years, including 2013, 2012, and 2011.

Enjoy!

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Daft Punk, Majical Cloudz, the Handsome Family, & More

"Get Lucky" featuring Pharrell Williams, from the new Daft Punk album (see streaming link below).

The big news of the week in terms of streaming albums is the much-talked-about "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk. It's streaming now on iTunes, where the group's fans gave it more than 4,000 five-star reviews before it was even posted.

Daft Punk fans have been posting their excitement all over the Internet today. And comments from the critics, while not quite as gushing as those of the diehard fans, are nevertheless quite positive (see Rolling Stone's review of "Random Access Memories.")

It includes contributions from Strokes singer Julian Casablancas, legendary producer and guitarist Nile Rodgers, electronic music composer Giorgio Moroder, Pharrell Williams, and more, and has a strong '70s disco vibe. Take a listen at iTunes, and see how the innovators in the electronic dance music genre are taking on the form now.

NPR Music once again has an eclectic mix of streaming albums, including the new ones from the Handsome Family and Latin rock group Piñata Protest. More albums may be added as I come across them. Dive in and enjoy, and leave your reactions in the comments section below!

[ADDED May 14th: Majical Cloudz]

iTunes Preview: 
"Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk (click on "View in iTunes," which will open that program. If you don't see a link to preview the CD, click on Daft Punk and it should come up.)

YouTube:
"Promises" by The Boxer Rebellion 
 
Pitchfork Advance: 
"Impersonator" by Majical Cloudz
 
NPR First Listen:
"Wilderness" the Handsome Family
"The Lighthouse" by G&D
"El Valiente" by Piñata Protest

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Savages, She & Him, Natalie Maines, & More

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel are back with their third non-holiday album as the duo She & Him, creatively called "Volume 3," and it's one of the new releases streaming online this week. Also streaming is the new solo album by Natalie Maines, former lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, the debut album by all-female British band Savages, and others.

On a related note, there may be fewer albums being streamed each week as the result of AOL's decision to close down AOL Music and its Spinner component. Even sadder than the loss of the music content is the fact that all the employees lost their jobs. Maybe other websites will pick up the slack, in terms of streaming and in hiring some of the now-former AOLers.

[Updated May 2nd: Patty Griffin added.]
[Updated May 1st: see below to stream new releases from Fleetwood Mac and The Boxer Rebellion.]




"Silence Yourself" by Savages (below)


iTunes:
"Promises" by The Boxer Rebellion

WSJ Music Journal:
"American Kid" by Patty Griffin

NPR First Listen:
"Extended Play" EP by Fleetwood Mac [streaming for a limited time] 
"Volume 3" by She & Him
"Mother" by Natalie Maines
"MCII" by Mikal Cronin
"Sera" by La Vida Boheme

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Bigfoot" by Cayucas
"Haunted Head" by Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds

 Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Still Life" by Alessi's Ark
"The Yesterday Will Never End" by Hawk and Dove
"Iron Man 3 Original Sountrack" by various artists (including Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, Passion Pit, and Rogue Wave)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Small Town Talk" by Shannon McNally feat. Dr. John

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Meat Puppets, Kim Richey, Amy Speace, & More

The Meat Puppets' "Rat Farm" is one of the new albums streaming this week.

Here's a brief (and quite late) post here on some of the new albums streaming online this week. At least you've got a few more days to enjoy these.

Among the items of interest is a new album by the Meat Puppets, who started out as a punk band in 1980 and influenced many bands including Nirvana.

Nick Drake lives on in a new collection of his songs covered by artists including Teddy Thompson and Lisa Hannigan, and Robyn Hitchcock. The collection was put together by Joe Boyd, one of Drake's producers, and was culled from several years of live "Way to Blue" concerts that Boyd put on around the world over a period of years.

And there's a new album by one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Kim Richey. In addition to putting out a number of her own discs, Richey has seen her songs covered by a range of artists, including Brooks & Dunn, which had a hit with their version of her "Every River." (Another talented female singer-songwriter, Amy Speace, also has a new album that's streaming this week; see below.)

Fire up your web browser and enjoy!

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Top of the Pops" by Art Brut
"Way to Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake" by various artists
"Death" EP by Bloody Knives
"Rat Farm" by Meat Puppets
"Love Me, Love Me Not" EP by Ariana & the Rose
"As It Is On Earth" by Spacehog
"Weekend" by Underground Lovers

NPR First Listen:
"Sing To The Moon" by Laura Mvula
"Love Has Come For You" by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
"Twelve Reasons To Die" by Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge
"The Secret Will Keep You" by Brass Bed
"You Knew" by Mother Falcon

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"How to Sleep in a Stormy Boat" by Amy Speace
"Thorn In My Heart" by Kim Richey
"Something Beautiful" by Oleander
"Stairway to Hell" by Ugly Kid Joe
"Stories" by The Bunny the Bear

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from The Flaming Lips, Iron & Wine, Todd Rundgren, & More

One of rock's most legendary musicians/songwriters/producers, Todd Rundgren, has a new album coming out, and that's just one of the free streaming albums available for you to listen to this week. The Flaming Lips haven't been around as long as Rundgren (they have a mere 30 years of music making under their belts), but they also have a new album that's attracting a lot of interest.

Also of interest this week is the new album by singer-songwriter Iron and Wine, the latest from the rocking Portland trio The Thermals (who are great in concert), and a 10-year retrospective from Canada's Arts and Crafts label, a double album featuring songs and artists that have put that indie company on the map: Broken Social Scene, Feist, The Stills, Stars, The Dears, Dan Mangan, and Ra Ra Riot. (See the full track list here.)

And there's a disc by The Shouting Matches, the blues-rock side project by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.



Pitchfork Advance: 
"Desperate Ground" by The Thermals
"Floating Coffin" by Thee Oh Sees

NPR First Listen:
"The Terror" by The Flaming Lips
"Inspiration Information/Wings Of Love" by Shuggie Otis
"Grownass Man" by The Shouting Matches
"Ghost On Ghost" by Iron and Wine

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"State" by Todd Rundgren
"Beyond Was All Around Me" by Young Man
"The Boat of the Fragile Mind" by Belle Mare
"Henry Blak" EP by Henry Blak
"Electric Sounds" by Sad Baby Wolf
"Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013" by various artists

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"42: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" by various artists
"Stars In Stereo" by Stars In Stereo
"Talking Underwater" by Kree Woods

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Black Angels, Mudhoney, Kurt Vile, Drowning Pool, & More

There are some great new albums streaming online this week, from newer acts like Kurt Vile and Kopecky Family Band to more established groups such as Drowning Pool, The Black Angels, and Cold War Kids, and even the return album by Mudhoney, one of the original grunge bands from Seattle.



And speaking of older artists, also streaming this week is the remastered version of Albert King's blues classic, "Born Under A Bad Sign," which was originally released in the late 1960s. Yes, the title tune is the song that Cream made famous, but King did it first. What's more, King is backed on this album by a stellar group of musicians in the form of Booker T. & The MG’s, including Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, and Donald “Duck” Dunn.

Another notable release streaming this week is the latest album from the Brooklyn-based folk/indie/Americana collective Hem, its first album of original new songs since 2006 (unless you count their soundtrack for the 2009 Public Theater production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," which was performed in Central Park).

And Pitchfork has two tasty albums: the new release from Canadian indie rockers The Besnard Lakes and "Rkives," the anthology from the late great Rilo Kiley.

There are many more albums streaming this week; see the links below to NPR Music, Spinner, and AOL Music for the full listings. Enjoy!

NPR First Listen:
"Wakin On a Pretty Daze" by Kurt Vile
"(Awayland)" by Villagers

Pitchfork:
"Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO" by The Besnard Lakes
"Rkives" by Rilo Kiley

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Dear Miss Lonelyhearts" by Cold War Kids
"My Shame Is True" by Alkaline Trio
"Kids Raising Kids" by Kopecky Family Band
"Migrant" by The Dear Hunter
"Vanishing Point" by Mudhoney
"Indigo Meadow" by The Black Angels
"The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver" by various artists
"Born Under A Bad Sign" by Albert King

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Resilience" by Drowning Pool
"Departure and Farewell" by Hem

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Wavves, The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, & More

It's a relatively slow week for new streaming albums, but there are a few titles that sounds interesting. Among them: the new collection from San Diego surf-rockers Wavves, the new Jeff Tweedy-produced album from Low, the latest from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the new disc from singer-songwriter Josh Rouse, and a Smithsonian Folkways-inspired collection from Ridgewood, New Jersey native Julian Lynch.

(UPDATE 2, 3/19: "Girl Who Got Away" by Dido added below.)
(UPDATE: New album by The Strokes, "Comedown Machine," added below.)


Part three of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's six-part "Specter At The Feast" short film series, directed by Malia James (who's also a member of Dum Dum Girls).

There's also "Night," the intriguing collaboration between folk/country singer-songwriter Tift Merritt and classically trained concert pianist Simone Dinnerstein.

For fans of old-style soul, there's an album of new material by '60s legends The Delfonics (whose material has lived on through extensive sampling by hip-hop artists). It features songs written by producer Adrian Younge, who also features his backing band on the album.

(Note: Low is playing in NYC at the Society for Ethical Culture; get tickets here.)


Video from the new collaboration between Tift Merritt and Simone Dinnerstein.

Pitchfork: 
"Comedown Machine" by The Strokes

CBC Radio:
"Girl Who Got Away" by Dido

NPR First Listen:
"Afraid of Height" by Wavves
"Lines" by Julian Lynch
"Amygdala" by DJ Koze

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Specter at the Feast" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
"The Happiness Waltz" by Josh Rouse
"The Invisible Way" by Low

AOL Music's Listening Party:
"Night" by Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Sleeper" by Carmen Villain
"Adrian Younge Presents the Delfonics" by The Delfonics

South by Southwest Music 2013: Free SXSW Downloads, Podcasts, Streaming Shows, & More

Hear live concerts and more from South by Southwest; see schedule below.

The music portion of this year's South by Southwest festival starts March 12th (running through the 17th), and as usual there are plenty of ways to sample music by the artists involved and the actual concerts down in Austin. Here are a few of the best ones (I'll post if I come across them):

* NPR Music's SXSW coverage is, as usual, pretty extensive; there are live webcasts of concerts and the keynote, interviews, and more. On March 13th there'll be live webcasts with Nick Cave, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Youth Lagoon, Alt-J, and more; the next day they'll stream Dave Grohl's keynote address. Other live sets include Divine Fits, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Iron and Wine, Dawes, and Charles Bradley.

NPR's Alt.Latino will broadcast live sets as well, featuring Café Tacuba, Molotov, and Bajofondo. And if you miss any of these live webcasts, don't worry: NPR tends to archive them online and make many of them available for download as free podcasts.

See the complete schedule of NPR Music's SXSW 2013 lineup here, and listen to their "Austin 100" playlist of songs (which you can also download individually, or in one big 800 MB zip file).

* Sample more than 1,200 songs by SXSW 2013 artists with this year's edition of The (Unofficial) SXSW Torrents. It's split into two files, the first is over 6 GB, the other a little over 1 GB.

* Amazon.com has two free SXSW 2013 samplers, one from Polyvinyl Records (featuring Deerhoof, Japandroids, Of Montreal, and more) and "Don't Mess with Texas" from The Orchard, with Loal Natives, Charles Bradley, The Virgins, Young Galaxy, Ra Ra Riot, and more.

* L.A.'s KCRW radio was one of the first radio stations to broadcast from SXSW, and it will have plenty of festival coverage as well. See the complete KCRW SXSW schedule here.

* The Alternate Side and its parent, WFUV, will have plenty of live music from SXSW on March 15th as part of the Public Radio Rocks SXSW Day Stage featuring Vampire Weekend, Divine Fits, Iron & Wine, Emmylou Harris, Dawes, Charles Bradley, and Pickwick.

* Fellow blogger Andriana of Gluttony is the New Black has put together a very thorough guide to the essentials of surviving SXSW for the website The Line of Best Fit. It covers music, of course, but also gives tips on the best food, open bars, parties, getting around, and more.

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Dave Grohl & Friends, Son Volt, They Might Be Giants, & More

Dave Grohl's new album of songs for the "Sound City" soundtrack is one of the albums headlining the crop of new albums streaming online this week. He's playing South by Southwest and other selected dates with his new supergroup, called"Sound City Players."



Other interesting new albums streaming this week is  along with a new album from No Depression alt-country pioneers Son Volt. And if you like Nine Inch Nails or the soundtrack work Trent Reznor has done with Atticus Ross, you'll want to check out "Welcome Oblivion" by How to Destroy Angels, the new group featuring Reznor, his wife, and Ross, among others.

Also streaming this week: Brooklyn duo They Might Be Giants are back with a new album (as hard as it is to believe, they've now been around for 30 years). And KCRW is featuring an album by the brother-and-sister duo known as Wild Belle.

NPR First Listen:
"Sound City: Real To Reel" by Dave Grohl & Friends
"Mala" by Devendra Banhart
"Muchacho" by Phosphorescent

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Isles" by Wild Belle

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Welcome Oblivion" by How to Destroy Angels
"Nanobots" by They Might Be Giants
"Honky Tonk" by Son Volt
"Hands" by Superhuman Happiness
"Bloody Amateur" by Bloody Amateur
"Lines We Trace" by Hey Marseilles
"Swords" by Lovers and Reflections
"The Wilderness" by k.s. Rhoads
"Eden" by Bow Thayer
"Varsity" by Christina Courtin

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Johnny Marr, Josh Ritter, Chelsea Light Moving, & More

Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has put out a number of excellent albums, and his new "The Beast in its Tracks"—written after his recent divorce—is one of the most anticipated albums streaming online this week. It's available on NPR Music, as are several new albums from indie groups: the new collections from Youth Lagoon, Waxahatchee, Chelsea Light Moving (fronted by Thurston Moore), and Cloud Cult.

Stream Josh Ritter's new album, and a live show, at NPR Music.

(As the photo above notes, you can stream Ritter's show from New York live on Monday, March 4th at 8 p.m. Eastern.)

Spinner is streaming another much-anticipated disc, the new release from former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Also on Spinner: albums from Doldrums, Suuns, and BOY, among others.

KCRW is offering a two-disc collection documenting Celluloid Records. Artists in this collection include Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Manu Dibango, Fab 5 Freddy, and Ginger Baker. and a track featuring legendary producer and Chic leader Nile Rodgers.

Learn more about Celluloid Records and see the track listing here.

NPR First Listen:"Wondrous Bughouse" by Youth Lagoon
"The Beast in its Tracks" by Josh Ritter
"Cerulean Salt" by Waxahatchee
"Presente" by Bajofondo
"Chelsea Light Moving" by Chelsea Light Moving
"Love" by Cloud Cult

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Change The Beat: The Celluloid Records Story 1979-1987, Disc One and Disc Two" by various artists 

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Messenger" by Johnny Marr
"Black Sun" by Gold Fields
"Nights and Weekends" by El Sportivo & The Blooz
"Images du Futur" by Suuns
"Lesser Evil" by Doldrums
"Mutual Friends" by BOY
"Modern Dances" by Teen Girl Scientist Monthly
"Galapagos" by Post War Years

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Stay Golden" by Taddy Porter

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Eels, Ron Sexsmith,The Bronx, & More

If you're a fan of Eels, the eclectic rock group led by (and sometimes consisting solely of) Mark Oliver Everett, better known as simply "E," you'll want to check out their new modestly titled album, "Wonderful, Glorious Eels," which is steaming on Spinner this week.

[Update, Feb. 8th: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "" is now streaming at NPR Music as of today. See link below.]

Among the other albums streaming this week are new releases from Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith and L.A. punk group The Bronx (which put out a mariachi album a couple of years ago). And, speaking of eclectic, NPR Music has "The Jazz Age" by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, which features the Roxy Music leader giving the band's music a new twist as jazz pieces will full orchestra. If you're curious to see how Ferry interprets classic tunes like "Love is the Drug" or "Avalon" as big-band tunes, this is the album for you.

The album seems to have been issued late last year, but is streaming this week on NPR Music.

NPR First Listen:
"Push the Sky Away" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"The Jazz Age" by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
"At Peace" by Ballake Sissoko

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Automechanic" by Jenny O

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Regions of Light and Sound of God" by Jim James
"Wonderful, Glorious Eels" by Eels
"The Bronx IV" by The Bronx
"Fury Oh Fury" by Nico Vega
"Forever Endeavour" by Ron Sexsmith
"Companion" by Companion
"Us Alone" by Hayden
"Closer Still" by Summer Hours

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"House of Mercy" by Bex Marshall

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Richard Thompson, Frightened Rabbit, Jim James, & More

There's quite an interesting group of artists with albums streaming online this week. Whether you like current indie bands like Frightened Rabbit, Tegan and Sara, and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down or veteran acts like Eric Burdon, Richard Thompson, and Swing Out Sister. (Speaking of veteran, 79 year old Wayne Shorter is back with a new album streaming this week, too.)

And Jim James of My Morning Jacket is stepping away from the band for his first solo album.



Although I'm familiar with Eric Burdon's work since the 1960s, I have to admit that I didn't know he was still making new music. But I'm glad to hear it, considering the body of work he's assembled over decades. Besides this new album, he's making a limited number of appearances and concerts in the near future. For those in the New York area, he'll be doing a performance and signing at J&R Music World tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 29th.
 
NPR First Listen:
"Electric" by Richard Thompson
"Regions of Light and Sound of God" by Jim James
"We the Common" by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
"Without a Net" by Wayne Shorter

The Guardian:
"Pedestrian Verse" by Frightened Rabbit

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Heartthrob" by Tegan and Sara
"Adam Green & Binki Shapiro" by Adam Green & Binki Shapiro
"Play Nice" by Donora
"Out Of View" by The History Of Apple Pie
"Breaking Away" by Being There
"Til Your River Runs Dry" by Eric Burdon

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Sentimental Journey" by Emmy Rossum
"Running Still" by Charlie Winston
"Private View" by Swing Out Sister

Now Streaming: New CDs from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ra Ra Riot, Buke and Gase, & More

There's a good mix of new music streaming online this week, no matter what your musical preference is. You'll find new albums from Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Ra Ra Riot, and the innovative Buke and Gase (who utilize unusual instruments such as a baritone ukelele).



There's also a new album, "The Beautiful Wild," by Canadian singer-songwriter Jenn Grant; a new album from psychedelic rock group Linus Pauling Quartet; and a best-of collection from The Pogues. And KCRW has the new album from Pillowfight, the mixmaster who has collaborated with everyone from DJ Shadow to Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz.

That's just a sampling of what's streaming this week. Take a look below, and go to the individual websites for more streaming albums.

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Beta Love" by Ra Ra Riot
"True North" by Bad Religion
"Paragraph Nights" by Drgn King
"Little Broken Hearts Remix EP" by Norah Jones
"The Very Best of the Pogues" by The Pogues
"Nobody Dances in This Town" by He's My Brother She's My Sister
"13.0.0.0.0" by This Town Needs Guns
"The Beautiful Wild" by Jenn Grant
"Yearling" by The Parson Red Heads
"Assault on the Vault of the Ancient Bonglords" by Linus Pauling Quartet

NPR First Listen:
"II" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
"General Dome" by Buke and Gase
"News from Nowhere" by Dark Star
"Heavy Flowers" by Blaudzun

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Pillowfight" by Pillowfight

Now Streaming: New CDs from Christopher Owens, Hilly Eye, Widowspeak, & More

A couple of long-awaited debut albums are the most notable of this week's new free streaming albums. Ever since Christopher Owens left the popular (and now defunct) indie-rock band Girls, fans had been wondering when he would appear with a solo album, and what it would sound like. Wait no more, for you can now preview Owens's "Lysandre" below at Spinner.

Hilly Eye's debut album is streaming at Paste this week.

The album came out today on Turnstile/Fat Possum, and Owens and his band will play two nights at Bowery Ballroom next week, Jan. 21st and 22nd (get tickets here).

Amy Klein had been working on musical side projects when she was with Titus Andronicus, and cited those efforts in her decision to leave that successful New Jersey band. Klein has been playing in two different bands, Hilly Eye and Leda, since departing from Titus, and it is the former that is now releasing its first album.

While the two-piece Hilly Eye (Klein and Catherine Tung) has released a few songs in recent months, its first album, "Reasons to Live," is streaming this week at Paste Magazine (below). You can enjoy the noise-rock, psychedelia-inflected album this week, and see the band play at the Don Giovanni Records showcase on Feb. 8th at Music Hall of Williamsburg (get tickets here). The album drops Jan. 22nd.

Also streaming this week: the new albums from Brooklyn's Widowspeak and Philadelphia's Free Energy, plus the soundtrack to "West of Memphis," the documentary about the years-long effort to free the West Memphis Three. The soundtrack features contributions from a diverse range of artists: Henry Rollins, Natalie Maines, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Marilyn Manson, Band of Horses, and Eddie Vedder, among others.

There are more albums streaming besides the ones shown here; see the websites below for NPR Music, Spinner, and AOL Music to see their full line-ups. Happy listening!

Paste Magazine: 
"Reasons to Live" by Hilly Eye

NPR First Listen:
"Almanac" by Widowspeak
"No Beginning No End" by Jose James
"My True Story" by Aaron Neville

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Lysandre" by Christopher Owens
"Love Sign" by Free Energy
"West of Memphis Soundtrack" by various artists
"Don't Stop" by Willy Mason
"Manifestra" by Erin McKeown
"Don't Let Me Sleep" by Midnight Spin
"Academy Songs, Vol.1" by Holopaw
"Sky Burial" by Rice Cultivation Society

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Plan-Do-Check-Act" by Recovery Council
"The Lone Bellow" by The Lone Bellow

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Yo La Tengo, Dropkick Murphys, & More; New David Bowie Single

New albums by Yo La Tengo and Dropkick Murphys headline this week's selection of free album previews. And on the occasion of David Bowie's 66th birthday today, Ziggy Stardust is giving the gifts, in the form of a new song and video ("Where Are We Now?," below) and the promise of a new album, "The Next Day," to come in March.  It's his first album of new music in 10 years; read more in Rolling Stone.

And to commemorate Bowie's big day, CBC Music has put together a video collection of seven of the best (and worst) Bowie collaborations, from "Under Pressure" (with Queen) and "Peace On Earth/The Little Drummer Boy" (with Bing Crosby). You can guess which category those tunes belong in.



Yo La Tengo played some of the songs from its new album, "Fade," at its Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's last month, and now you can hear the whole album below at Pitchfork.

NPR Music is streaming new music I wasn't familiar with, including The Lone Bellow, a group it compares to Mumford & Sons and The Civil Wars, and the soundtrack to the film "Hecho En Mexico," which features songs by a number of contemporary Mexican performers, including Lila Downs, Ruben Albarran of Café Tacuba, Julieta Venegas, and Kinky.

Check it all out below...

Pitchfork:
"Fade" by Yo La Tengo

NPR First Listen:
"The Lone Below" by The Lone Bellow
"Somewhere Else" by Indians
"Hecho En Mexico (Soundtrack)" by various artists

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Signed and Sealed in Blood" by Dropkick Murphys
"Gangster Squad (Original Soundtrack)" by various artists
"5-4-3-2-1...Perhaps?" by Snuff

Now Streaming: New CDs from Graham Parker & The Rumour & More; Replays of Holiday CDs

There's a small list of streaming CDs for this between-the-holidays week, but there's one in particular that we'll be giving repeated listens: "Three Chords Good" by Graham Parker & The Rumour, the outfit that created the classic late-'70s rock album, "Squeezing Out Sparks."

Parker has played with a number of backing groups over the decades, but it's good to see him with back with his band The Rumour—for the first time in 31 years, according to his website. It's kind of fitting that he's got a new album with them the same year that Neil Young has recorded a new disc out with Crazy Horse.

Streaming this week: Graham Parker's first album with The Rumour in 31 years.

Also streaming this week: "XX 20th Anniversary" by Rage Against the Machine, marking 20 years since the debut of their first album, and a live recording from the Deep Blues Fest featuring Buffalo Killers, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Radio Moscow, and more.

Considering the date on the calendar, it's not surprising that a few of them address the tidings of the season. NPR Music is streaming three previously released holiday collections: volumes six through 10 of Sufjan Stevens's "Silver & Gold;" the Christmas album by pop singer-songwriter Tracey Thorn, half of the successful duo Everything But the Girl; and "What Christmas Means" by KEM, a collection of holiday standards that was released earlier this year.

[Added Dec. 1st: Ke$ha and Wayne Coyne]

NPR First Listen:
"Silver & Gold" by Sufjan Stevens
"What Christmas Means" by KEM
"Tinsel and Lights" by Tracey Thorn

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Three Chords Good" by Graham Parker & The Rumour
"XX 20th Anniversary" by Rage Against the Machine
"Big Dipper Crashes on the Platinum Planet" by Big Dipper
"The World Is Too Much For Me" by Challenger
"Runner" by The Winter Sounds
"Alive At The Deep Blues Fest" by various artists

iTunes:
"Warrior" by Ke$ha

KCRW:
"Wayne Coyne's Human Head Shaped Tumor" by various artists ("McSweeney's and KCRW present this radio drama in the style of Mercury Theatre's War of the Worlds, featuring the music from the Flaming Lips, Bill Callahan, Okkervil River, Eleanor Friedberger, Nico Muhly, and Oneida.")


AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Foreign Land" by A Lion Named Roar

Now Streaming: New CDs from Bad Brains, Massive Attack, & More

There's a slim selection of albums streaming this week, but if you're a punk fan you'll definitely find some titles of interest. Spinner has the "Into the Future" by Bad Brains, a remastered release of The Smoking Popes' "Born to Quit," and "We Will Remain Sedate" by Midway in Wake. This week the site also features the 2010 remastered version of Massive Attack's "Blue Lines," and the new albums by papercranes, Kate Earl, and The Twilight Sad, among others.

And fans of the band Live will want to check out the new solo EP by frontman Ed Kowalczyk, "The Garden," streaming this week at AOL Music.



"Rubella" from the Smoking Popes' album "Born to Quit." A remastered version of the album was reissued last month.

As always, there are more albums streaming than those shown here: see the websites for full listings. We'll add albums streaming from other sites as we learning about them.

Happy listening...

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Into the Future" by Bad Brains
"Blue Lines (2012 Remaster)" by Massive Attack
"No One Can Ever Know - The Remixes" by The Twilight Sad
"Three" by papercranes
"Stronger" by Kate Earl
"Born to Quit (Reissue)" by The Smoking Popes
"We Will Remain Sedate" by Midway in Wake
"Beautiful Sharks" by Keith Canisius

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"The Garden EP" by Ed Kowalczyk
"Young Volcanoes" by Zac Clark

Now Streaming: New CDs from The Deftones, School of Seven Bells, Bush Tetras, & More

There are some tasty new albums streaming this week—as well as one that's nearly 15 years old but is seeing the light of day for the first time. The new ones includes the latest efforts by The Deftones, School of Seven Bells, El Perro Del Mar, and Ari Hest. And an old favorite of ours (see below).


You'll probably hear this Bush Tetras song, and a lot of their just-released "Happy," at their NYC gig on Nov. 29th.

The unreleased album is "Happy," the late-'90s collection from the influential New York post-punk band Bush Tetras. The album was apparently stuck in record-label hell as various companies were sold or merged. "Happy" is finally coming out of limbo as ROIR acquired the rights to is, and released it Nov. 13th. (Read an interview with Bush Tetras talking about the album, and a biography of the band.)

Bush Tetras will play at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on Nov. 29th (with Suicide, which will perform its first album in its entirety).

Although we don't write about Celtic music a lot here, we've long been fans of it, and so it's good news to see a fresh album from Irish folk singer-songwriter Susan McKeown. She's been a favorite since we heard her first album, "Bones," all the way back in 1995. She's got a great, expressive voice that's magnificent for singing Irish tunes as well as American folk tunes, but she can also rock. And she's also collaborated with musicians from other genres, including the Klezmatics.

The Dublin native, who's now lived in New York for more than 20 years, is out with her latest solo album, "Belong," this week. We're definitely looking forward to spending a lot of time with that one.

NPR First Listen:
"Instrumental Tourist" by Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin
"The Odds" by The Evens

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Koi No Yokan" by The Deftones
"Put Your Sad Down" EP by School of Seven Bells
"Pale Fire" by El Perro Del Mar
"Happy" by Bush Tetras
"Soft Eyes" by Bear Colony
"Transit of Venus" by Black Forest Fire
"Jan" by Jan

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"The Fire Plays" by Ari Hest
"Belong" by Susan McKeown
"Scrimshaw" by Nels Andrews

Now Streaming: New CDs from Cody ChestnuTT, Café Tacuba, & More

There aren't a lot of new albums streaming this week, but a few stand out (including a reissue and an archival release from a jazz master). Soul singer Cody ChestnuTT has been getting a lot of buzz recently (including at last week's CMJ), and you can hear why when you preview his new album, "Landing on a Hundred." NPR Music says the album "fleshes out and enriches his sound in every way, while showcasing a powerful voice that still conjures Stevie Wonder and countless other influences and antecedents."


Café Tacuba performing"De Este Lado Del Camino" ("From this side of the road") from their new album.

As fans of Latin rock, we're excited to see another album from Mexico's Café Tacuba, one of the longest-running bands doing rock in Spanish, and still making good albums after all these years.

In the continuing series of reissues designed to make us all feel old, you can listen to the 25th anniversary edition of Peter Gabriel's "So." Remember when people actually carried around huge boomboxes like Lloyd did in "Say Anything"? Yeah, seems like 100 years ago...

Reaching back even further into musical history, Charles Mingus was making jazz history in the 1960s, and some of his old live recordings from then have come to light. Below you can hear selections from "The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65," a seven-disc set of tunes made by bands led by Mingus, some of them unreleased.

Also this week you'll find new releases from the Kopecky Family Band and Canadian sensation Diamond Rings. And you'll get another chance to hear the new releases from Bat for Lashes and Pig Destroyer. As always, there are more albums streaming that what's listed here; see the websites below for full listings.

Fire up your boombox, er, digital music gizmo, and dig in...

NPR First Listen:
"Landing on a Hundred" by Cody ChestnuTT
"The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65" by Charles Mingus
"El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco" by Café Tacuba

KCRW Album Preview: 
"III" by Shiny Toy Guns

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Man With the Iron Fists (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" by Various Artists
"The Haunted Man" by Bat for Lashes
"Free Dimensional" by Diamond Rings
"Between Buildings, Towards the Sea" by Autumn Owls
"So (25th Anniversary)" by Peter Gabriel
"Kids Raising Kids" by Kopecky Family Band
"Rabbit Inn Rebellion" by State Radio

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Collide & Conquer" by Hunter Valentine
"Let Down" by Lilly Hiatt
"Book Burner by" Pig Destroyer
"Four-Letter Words" by Simon Spire

Now Streaming: New CDs from Titus Andronicus, K'Naan, Bat for Lashes, & More

With all the wonderful punk noise that Titus Andronicus has been making since it burst upon the scene a few years back, it's easy to forget that they have only two albums out. That changes in a week with the release of their third album, "Local Business," and you can preview it now at NPR Music (see link to their "First Listen" series below). Another eagerly awaited album there is "The Haunted Man" by Bat for Lashes, the follow-up to her 2009 release, "Two Suns."



Speaking of eagerly awaited releases, Spinner has "Country God or the Girl" by K'Naan, the Somali-Canadian rapper (see the video for "Hurt Me Tomorrow" above). What does his music sound like on his first album following his worldwide mega-success, including his song "Wavin' Flag" being used as a World Cup anthem by Coca-Cola? Like many people, I'm interested to find out.

Spinner also has the latest by Donald Fagen, best known for being half of Steely Dan. Also this week are new albums by ZZ Ward, Widespread Panic, and more, as well as second chances to stream the latest from Jason Lytle and Trey Anastasio.

NPR First Listen:
"Local Business" by Titus Andronicus
"The Haunted Man" by Bat for Lashes
"Book Burner" by Pig Destroyer
"Mars" by Sinkane

[Updated Oct. 16th:] Spin.com:
"Lost Songs" by ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Til the Casket Drops" by ZZ Ward
"Country God or the Girl" by K'Naan
"Our Nature" by Savoir Adore
"Sunken Condos" by Donald Fagen
"Wood" by Widespread Panic
"Kinder Machines" by Beaten By Them
"Geronimo" by Piney Gir
"Animator" by The Luyas
"Traveler" by Trey Anastasio
"Dept. of Disappearance" by Jason Lytle