Well, I have been a lot more active posting news and finds on my twitter @eardrums recently than I have been here on the site, but I’ll try to keep you updated on some of it here + give you some recommendations to new releases you should buy. Lots of downloadable free-stuff this time, so get your hard-drives ready! Let’s start with some “VERY SHORTIES” and below this, you will find a lot of free goodies and music recommendations:
- UPDATED! Album details and a free mp3 from the new Serena Maneesh album can be found here:
http://www.4ad.com/news/new-album-detail/
- I’ll start with some self-promo and some EardrumsPop updates: I’ve made a Guest-post in the Danish blog ALL SCANDINAVIAN where I write about my hopes for Norwegian pop in 2010. You can read what bands I have hopes for here: http://allscandinavian.com/2888/best-of-2010-norwegian-style/.
- There have been a lot happening on our new Eardrumspop collaboration compilation-project, previously called The Handshake, now called Between Two Waves. Several artists have said yes to participate, 4 wonderful songs have arrived and there’s still over a month to our deadline. Start looking forward to a release in early March! For updates, check the EardrumsPop website, and if you want to be a part of it, contact me asap!
- Allo, Darlin’s brilliant new single (which I wrote about recently here on the blog) is available as a free download on Fortuna Pop’s website. You can get both songs + cover art from the label’s website: http://www.fortunapop.com/
- When I Was 12 has a lovely christmas song on their myspace player now: grandma got run over by a reindeer. Check it out here: http://www.myspace.com/wheniwas12 (and buy their album, one of my favs of 2009!)
- Friendly Fire Recordings have given away a song from my favourite album of 2010 so far, Oh No Ono‘s upcoming “Eggs” (January 26). It’s definitely worth waiting for, and a lovely album. Listen/download the song here:
http://friendlyfirerecordings.com/Bands/OhNoOno/HelplesslyYoung.mp3
- The band Fight Like Apes gives away a free live album on their website: http://www.fightlikeapesmusic.com/
- 4ad gives away a free mixtape with tracks from their many 2009 releases + one unreleased song http://bit.ly/74BpdS
- Domino Records gives away a sampler with lots of songs from their 2009 and 2010 releases: http://www.dominorecordco.com/xmas2009/?n=6082120e70b13f89ed60&t=bd7db7397f7d8305
- Beat the indie drum, a blog and netlabel I like a lot, have a new christmas release “The Wiggly Tendrils – A very wiggly winter ep”. You can get it for free here: http://www.beattheindiedrum.com/?page_id=328
- Slaraffenland has made a very nice version of Little drummer boy for the label Hometapes’ “Eight days of hometapes” (on hometapes site).
- Indiecater‘s christmas 2009 album is ACE!, – even if you don’t like christmas songs. These songs are just good. www.indiecater.com
- DNTEL posts a free song for December, a new DNTEL, “Waiting for the rest”: http://bit.ly/4gZkRF (click audio)
- Don’t miss out on Sofia Talvik‘s new, free xmas single: http://www.sofiatalvik.com/snowy
- the fine Italian blog Sleepwalking, run by the people behind the band Tiny Tide, I think, have made a xmas ep with indie bands from Italy and Japan. Check it out here: http://www.sleepwalkingmag.com/2009/12/16/christmas-indie-ep-from-japan/
-Middle Distant Runner has a nice christmas song for free here. It’s been a while since I listened to this band, but I really like this song.
If you like good indiepop, you should check out The Tomatometers brand new website. This London-band have released two eps, – both sound really good, and both are available for sale on their site + digital on bandcamp. Lovely (mostly) acoustic based indiepop, with good melodies and very nice vocals.
Holiday Records is a very interesting netlabel, and they have posted several wonderful new releases recently. A christmas compilation with lots of very good indiepop-songs, and most recently the fine band The Arctic Flow‘s new full length album. You should also download The Motif‘s remix-ep, which is one of my favourites. Get it from here for free: http://www.holidayrecords.net/
(They have released a new one today, Victory VIII – Oldworld Holiday Traditions, but I haven’t heard it yet.)
Another good netlabel I have mentioned often in this post is BEKO, and their recent releases are pure gems! Great 2-track singles from The Bilinda Butchers (whose release also includes a wonderful version of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart‘s “This love is fucking right”), Moscow Olympics and Memoryhouse. Highly recommended! New free singles every monday. http://www.beko-dsl.com/
I see now that they have released two more that I haven’t downloaded yet, from Eternal Summers and Romantic States. Downloading now… (update: Eternal Summers were wonderful!!! Romantic States too, but it needs a few more listens).
There are a lot of free christmas compilations and christmas calendars out on the net these days. My favorites are the Norwegian ALTERNATIV JULEKALENDER, which gives away a new exclusive christmas song made by Norwegian indie bands every day this advent. Bands who have been featured so far are amongst others our favourites in Kråkesølv, My Little Pony, Norma Sass, Therese Aune, Team Me, PELbO, Kaja Bremnes, Children and corpse playing in the streets and many more. The archive of Alternativ Julekalender is here: http://altjulekal.dmail.no/archive/
Another great Christmas Calendar is THEORETICAL GIRL‘s own countdown to christmas, which you can find here. She gives away a new recording ever day this christmas, – mostly cover versions, other versions and rarities. Only two of them have been christmas songs so far, and I find that very refreshing. I’m looking forward to this every day! I asked her if she had prepared this before December started, but she actually records most of the songs the day before or close to the publish-day, as December moves on… Amazing stuff! http://theoreticalgirl.blogspot.com/
Bombadil, a band who released one of my favourite albums this year, has made a new and great music video. It’s for their song “So Many Ways to Die”. Love it!
My favourite self-proclaimed singer songwriter, Egil Olsen, has made a new video, featuring the always brilliant Jenny Hval aka Rockettothesky. Beautiful!
Another of my favourite 2010 releases comes from the Swedish band Fredrik. This is their second album, it’s called “Trilogi” and will be released on January 26 on The Kora Records. Here is the video for one of the songs, the beautiful “Vinterbarn” (Winterchild):
Fredrik – Vinterbarn from The Kora Records on Vimeo.
The Woodlands, a band we posted about here on Eardrums earlier this year, has also made a new video. It’s for their song “Can We Stay”, and you can see it here:
Watch my old favourites SUPERCHUNK cover my new favourites TELEKINESIS!
…and I know this is just very clever and creative promo, but the band My First Tooth have made several special video-versions of their song “Margaret Yen” and dedicated each one to different blogs. Here’s the one they made for Eardrums. Thank you! I love creativity, and since the song is good too, I am happy to be your tool for promotion 
…
Margaret Yen – Eardrums from My First Tooth on Vimeo.
SOME RECOMMENDED RELEASES I HAVE BOUGHT LATELY
Most of these should be available in digital format on either iTunes, 7digital, eMusic, AmieStreet, Klicktrack or from the labels/artists websites. Some are even on Spotify, I guess.
Allo, Darlin’ – “The Polaroid song” (single)
Blue Roses – Does anyone love me now (ep)
Camera Obscura – the blizzard (christmas single)
Deep Sht – Weird You
D_rradio – Leaves (beautiful, quite ambient experimental album)
The Hititz – neck manuals (bought on cdbaby.com)
Joel Alme – You will only get it once (single)
Johnny Flynn – Sweet William ep
Lean Tales — Flesh and paper ep
Machinefabriek & Nils Frahm (split) – Dauw (beautiful 2 track single, exp/neo classical)
Meursault – A few kind words + William Henry Miller pt1 (two singles, both very good)
Moddi – Nordnorsk Julesalme (1 track itunes christmas single, the money goes to charity)
The NoTwist – Come in (single)
The Starfolk & Typsy Panthre – Lemon-Lime ep (sideprojects from the people behind The Owls, lovely! Bought on CdBaby)
Tesco Chainstore Mascara – Good Foundations (good indiepop album!)
various – An indiecater christmas (this years best xmas album, bought from indiecater.com)
various – 12 days of christmas (another great xmas album, made by people from The School, bought from cdbaby.com)
The Woe Betides – Natwest tower
Taken By Trees – Anna (single)
Eux Autres – Strangled days (4 track ep, bought on the band’s bandcamp)
The Tomatometers – Boys would always look down (ep, bought on bandcamp)
WHAT RECENT RELEASES DO YOU RECOMMEND? COMMENT, PLEASE!
more shorties next week (maybe…)!
Hi,
I would recommend the new Invocal EP, “Strange Sugar”. It is out from tomorrow and you can listen to snippets of the songs on the band’s MySpace page. It is wonderful music with cello, oboe & guitar and 5-part harmonies. Both funny and very touching at the same time.