iTunes: Free Tuesday
TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.
Once again, the US store has a week with no new videos. Between the writers strike and NBC pulling their content, one starts to wonder when and if any free TV episodes will appear. Personally, I'm a huge fan of these–they have helped me discover any number of new TV shows in advance of their premiere. Right now, I'm addicted to "The Shot", a show I only became aware of from the free first episode on iTunes.
US Music
US: Jaci Velasquez, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. We're keeping the yuletide love coming with another free holiday tune. This one is a cover of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" from Jaci Velasquez. The Texas-born singer turns the popular carol into a lively folk-roots jam with some great work on the organ keys.
US: Michael Bolton, Walkin' In a Winter Wonderland
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. The famed pop tenor vocalist Michael Bolton brings us our special holiday version of Single of the Week (Kringle of the Week?). Bolton has the power to knock this track out of the park and back if he chooses, but he remains subdued here, working in the mode of a mellow, soulful entertainer with a satin-smooth jazz combo working right along with him.
US: Carter's Chord, O Come O Come Emmanuel
The sister trio of Becky, Emily, and Joanna Robertson are the daughters of Barny and Carter Robertson, who were a part of Waylon Jennings' band, the Waylors. Playing more the role of harmonizers rather than outlaws, the group (recently signed to Toby Keith's label) applies their stylish ease and country grit to . . . but of course, a 12th-century holiday hymn.
International Music
Australia: Sparkadia, Animals
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Sparkadia is a four-piece from Sydney. The group says its influences come from the Police and classic pop songwriters such as Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. This track, "Animals," might not bring any of those artists to mind (well, perhaps there is a touch of the early Police in there, with a hint of Bacharach's baroque melancholy), but it is a brilliant pop song – equally forceful and delicate.
New Zealand: Sparkadia, Animals
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Sparkadia is a four-piece from Sydney. The group says its influences come from the Police and classic pop songwriters such as Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. This track, "Animals," might not bring any of those artists to mind (well, perhaps there is a touch of the early Police in there, with a hint of Bacharach's baroque melancholy), but it is a brilliant pop song – equally forceful and delicate.
Canada: Nicole Atkins, The Way It Is
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Nicole Atkins has said in interviews that there is a specific sound she's aiming for in her music. "I want to sound like a girl group in a David Lynch movie" were the words she used and we really can't come up with a better description than that. Atkins belts out this tune from her full-length debut like a mixture of Ronnie Spector and Loretta Lynn, but the arrangements are nothing but grandiose and colored by noir-ish black and whites. Bells ring, strings sing, and the distant twang of a guitar calls out. But Atkins is the guiding light here. Roy Orbison would be proud.
Nederland: Lucky Fonz III, Christmas Lights In a Cave
Elke week komen wij met een track van een artiest of band en bieden deze gratis aan als onze Single van de week.
UK: Burial, Ghost Hardware
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. "Ghost Hardware" is a cut from the elusive London dubstep producer Burial's second album, Untrue. The track is an expert manipulation of mood, rhythm, and sound. The bass lines are huge and ominous, as if coming down from the darkest storm clouds. But the murky, disembodied diva voices offer bits of light and hope. Atmosphere and technique combine in a track from one of the more exciting electronic acts out there.
France: French Cowboy, Happy As Can Be
Chaque semaine, nous trouvons un morceau d'un artiste ou d'un groupe que nous avons apprécié et nous vous le faisons partager.French Cowboy, c'est le nouveau projet de quatre membres de feu The Little Rabbits, groupe majeur de la scène française, disparu en 2005 après sept albums mémorables. Avec leurs voix puissantes, ne mégotant ni sur la rage ni sur le lyrisme, ils ressemblent à une bande de beach boys écorchés, ayant pour plage le désert d'Arizona où les surfer girls sont devenues des héroïnes de Johnny Cash. Le résultat est un album de folk-garage envoûtant.Si vous aimez ce morceau, obtenez l'album ici.
Japan 今週のシングル: makichang, ame to kasa to tsunaida te
ブレイク直前、iTunesが注目する新人アーティストの楽曲を無料でお試しいただけるこのページ。今週ご紹介するまきちゃんぐは来年早々にデビュー予定、岡山市在住若干20歳のシンガーだ。率直で時には痛ましいほどの歌詞と、伸びやかで深みのあるヴォーカルがとても印象的。ピアノとヴォーカルでシンプルな"雨と傘と繋いだ手"は、ヘッドフォンでじっくり聴きたい切なさあふれる冬気分の1曲。