Free Music Friday: The Cool Kids - Gone Fishing Mixtape

Don’t you just love free music? The Blot definitely does. It’s the second Free Music Friday blog post on The Blot Says… today and I’d do another one in a heartbeat if I knew of another cool full album release out there on the ‘net. So, if you hear of one please hit me up.

The Cool Kids - Gone Fishing Mixtape
{follow link}

Gone Fishing is the second free mixtape from Midwestern rap duo The Cool Kids in the past 12 months. Last July they released That’s Stupid! The Mixtape and are following it up with their latest mixtape, Gone Fishing. I haven’t gotten to listen to this one yet, but I’m a big fan of The Cool Kids and have really enjoyed their last two albums. So I’m sure Gone Fishing will be getting some heavy rotation as we enter this holiday weekend.

The Cool Kids - Gone Fishing Mixtape Track List
01. Introduction to Ice Fishing
02. Hammer Brothers
03. Champions
04. Gold Links
05. Cinnamon
06. Premium Blends
07. Step Back
08. Jump Rope
09. The Last Stretch
10. The Art of Noise (interlude)
11. The Light Company
12. Popcorn
13. Wise Words by GLC
14. Pennies (the updated rosters remix)
15. Broadcasting Live
16. Taking A Break (interlude)
17. Tune Up
18. Weekend Girls (interlude)
19. Summer Vacations
20. Words of Wisdom by GLC (cont.)
21. Knocked Down

Free Music Friday: Coldplay - LeftRightLeftRightLeft

To commemorate the start of Coldplay’s first North American tour date last Friday in West Palm Beach, the British band released their new live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, on Coldplay.com as a free download. Think of it as a thank you to all of their fans for their many years of support. Click here to download your very own free copy of LeftRightLeftRightLeft from Coldplay.com.

Coldplay – LeftRightLeftRightLeft
{follow link}

LeftRightLeftRightLeft will be available as a free download from now until the band plays its final show of 2009. As an added bonus, the band will be giving out official copies of the album on CD to every fan in attendance at one of Coldplay’s upcoming live shows through the end of 2009 (festival shows excluded).

Coldplay - LeftRightLeftRightLeft Track List
1. Glass of Water
2. 42
3. Clocks
4. Strawberry Swing
5. Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
6. Viva La Vida
7. Death Will Never Conquer
8. Fix You
9. Death And All His Friends

Cadence Weapon - Separation Anxiety Mixtape

The Blot hasn’t done a Free Music Friday post in a while, but that’s mainly because there hadn’t been a really great free release to talk about. That changed this week when The Blot’s favorite Canadian indie rapper Cadence Weapon released his Separation Anxiety mixtape. Now I have to warn you that this isn’t a purely free release, it actually follows the Radiohead model where fans are allowed to name their own price to download the album. So you have the option of donating as much or as little as you want to hear a really talented artist’s music.

Separation Anxiety features 20 new Cadence Weapon tracks, remixes and collaborations, and can be downloaded here. And, if you dig the album make sure you go back and donate a little something to help an up and coming artist hit the big time!


I’ve never had the opportunity to see Cadence Weapon perform live, but I’ve listened to his debut album Breaking Kayfabe a ton and really enjoy it. Plus he went on tour with The Blot’s favorite Canadian indie violinist Final Fantasy (a.k.a. Owen Pallett), so you know he has a great appreciation for all types of music. If you can find a bootleg of the 2007 CBC Radio performance where Cadence and Final Fantasy perform in concert together it’s a must download!

The radio performance included a 6 song set (three Cadence Weapon songs and three Final Fantasy songs) featuring the two Canadian indie artists blending their very unique styles in a really fresh way. Let me just tell you, this bootleg was in heavy rotation on The Blot's iPod for a really long time. Needless to say, The Blot expects some really big things from Cadence Weapon in the very near future.

What Made Milwaukee Famous - Free Music Friday

What Made Milwaukee Famous, one of The Blot’s favorite Texas bands, have just released an all new five-song EP that can be downloaded for free for a limited time only from Barsuk Records. From now until Monday, November 17th fans can go here to download the The Sugarhill Sessions EP.


The SugarHill Sessions EP offers listeners a chance to hear the pure heart of the music of What Made Milwaukee Famous. It's just 5 guys in a classic Texas studio with guitars, piano and simple percussion, performing their songs in one take. No bells, no whistles, no overdubs. Called "the Abbey Road of the South", SugarHill is the oldest continually operating studio in Texas. Having played host to the likes of Lightnin' Hopkins, Johnny Bush, and Willie Nelson, SugarHill has been quietly contributing to the musical legacy of Texas for the past 67 years.

The Blot has been a huge fan of these Austin, TX rockers ever since their debut album Trying To Never Catch Up came out in 2006, and I definitely recommend downloading this free EP at the link below if you’re interested in hearing some great indie rock!

What Made Milwuakee Famous – The Sugarhill Sessions EP {MP3 .zip}

Cold War Kids - Free Music Friday

In honor of The Blot going to see Cold War Kids Saturday night at Warehouse Live in Houston, I thought I’d direct everyone to a couple of free MP3s from the Fullerton, CA indie rock band. The Cold War Kids have become one of my favorite bands since I first heard their amazing music back in 2006, so I highly recommend downloading these great free tunes. And remember, if you like what you hear go out and purchase the CWK’s two albums, Robbers & Cowards and Loyalty To Loyalty.


First up is a b-side entitled “Bullies Always Win,” which was previously available only as an iTunes exclusive when you pre-ordered Cold War Kids’ second album, Loyalty To Loyalty. Click here to go to Cold War Kids’ official RCRD LBL webpage to download the song.


The second offering from CWK comes from the MySpace Transmissions website. The band recorded a live session at The Compound in Long Beach a few weeks ago and now you can download the entire 5 song set, as well as watch the five songs being recorded, here.

Cold War Kids - The MySpace Transmissions, Vol. 8 {MP3 .zip}

Adult Swim - The African Swim Mixtape

The Blot loves free music that you can download legally, so this latest release from the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is right up my alley. This is the third or fourth free mixtape released by Adult Swim and they have all been fantastic. Pretty soon the Adult Swim brand will be as synonymous with hip-hop as it is with quirky, offbeat animated series.


The latest free album is African Swim, a 16 track mixtape that features some of South Africa’s best hip-hop artists. You can go here to download the entire album and see some exclusive videos, or right click the link below. If this is even half as good as the Adult Swim Danger Doom Occult Hymn mixtape or the Chocolate Swim mixtape then you will really enjoy African Swim!

Adult Swim – The African Swim Mixtape {MP3 .zip}

Cold War Kids - Something Is Not Right With Me Remixes by Richard Swift

The Blot has been impatiently waiting for the release of the Cold War Kids’ second album, Loyalty to Loyalty, for months now. While I refuse to listen to the album before I have it in hands, I made an exception for these two new remixes of the albums first single, “Something Is Not Right With Me.”


Richard Swift was given the task of remixing the single and pulled off two interesting variations of the song, an Onasis remix and an Instruments of Science and Technology remix. I haven’t heard the original track yet so it’s impossible to give a comparison, but it is good to finally hear some new Cold War Kids music after such a long time.


What’s best of all is that the California indie band decided to release these two new “Something Is Not Right With Me” remixes on their MySpace page and is allowing fans to download the songs for free! So head over to the Cold War Kids MySpace page and get to downloading.


Loyalty to Loyalty is scheduled to be released in stores and online on September 23, 2008 and comes in both a standard and deluxe edition. You can also pre-order the standard and deluxe editions of the album at Newbury Comics where every pre-order comes with an Autographed CD, or at the iTunes store where the album comes with an exclusive track entitled “Bullies Always Win.”

Murs and 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord

After my post yesterday about the new Madvillainy 2 album, I thought it only right to bring attention to another one of The Blot’s other favorite indie rappers, West Coast hip-hop artist Murs. I still remember the first time I ever heard Murs rap. I had downloaded this song he recorded with Danger Mouse, “To A Black Boy,” and was blown away. After having the song in heavy rotation on my iPod for well over a year, I picked up his tenth album and second collaboration with 9th Wonder, 2006’s Murray’s Revenge. It’s a pretty solid album from start to finish and has left me wanting more Murs.

Thankfully 2008 is going to be a huge year for Murs. He signed with Warner Bros. Records and is set to drop his major label debut, Murs for President, on September 30, 2008. But before that, Murs has re-teamed for a third time with hip-hop producer 9th Wonder to release a completely free album, Sweet Lord.


As Murs explains in a video on the album’s website Murs and 9th Wonder.com, Sweet Lord was made about two years ago but never released. Since Murs for President is about to drop, he and 9th Wonder decided to give away Sweet Lord to their fans for free as a thank you for all of their support over the years. All that Murs asks in return is that fans cast their vote for Murs for President on September 30th and buy a copy of the album.


I think this is a brilliant idea. Artists like Radiohead, Coldplay, Lil’ Wayne and Girl Talk have all proven giving away one’s music is an incredible marketing tool and a successful way to build a loyal fan base. It will also allow for a wider audience to sample Murs’ talents and hopefully give him broader media exposure than he would have ever received otherwise. The future seems bright for Murs, but don’t take my word for it. Download Sweet Lord for free below and have a listen for yourself.

Murs and 9th Wonder – Sweet Lord {.Zip file}

The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale and Thats Stupid! The Mixtape

This is a busy time for the Midwestern rap duo The Cool Kids, who have produced two new releases for the summer of '08. First up from Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, a.k.a. The Cool Kids, is a 10 track EP entitled The Bake Sale. Released by Chocolate Industires/C.A.K.E. Recordings, the EP can be found online at both iTunes and eMusic.

The Cool Kids’ second release of the summer is their long rumored first mixtape, That’s Stupid! It’s hosted by Mando Fresco of L.A.’s Power 106 and only has 7 tracks, but it’s definitely worth a listen. Best of all its 100% free! The Blot loves passing along the latest in legal free music, and this is an offering that shouldn’t be passed up. You can download the entire That’s Stupid! the Mixtape in one .Zip file by clicking the link below. Check it out and let me know what you think.

The Cool Kids – That’s Stupid the Mixtape (link to download)

If you’re interested in seeing The Cool Kids in concert this summer, you can find them performing in cities around the U.S. on the 2008 Rock The Bells tour.

Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

The Blot has been waiting for this latest release from Washington D.C. rapper Wale for what seems like forever. This Seinfeld themed mixtape was announced a while ago, and while the release date kept being pushed back, the anticipation for it kept rising. Well, while I was out of town Wale finally released The Mixtape About Nothing for free through his website Elitaste.com.


I haven’t gotten to listen to it yet, because I am downloading it as I type this, but the reviews I’ve read have all been really positive. Wale is definitely the next hip-hop artist primed for a big breakthrough. Wale’s well deserved hype was brought to my attention when he started to work with UK producer Mark Ronson, who put a verse Wale recorded on a remix of Lily Allen’s “Smile.” Since then he’s performed at the 2007 MTV Music Awards and had his single, “Nike Boots,” selected by iTunes to be given away as a free single. Wale was even selected as one of the “Eight New Faces To Watch In ‘08” by Entertainment Weekly. (link) Since then Wale was signed by Interscope Records and now releases his highly anticipated album, The Mixtape About Nothing.

The mixtape is 19 tracks long and can be downloaded for free as a .zip file below. If you like the album you should hit up 10Deep.com, where a t-shirt commemorating the release of Wale’s The Mixtape About Nothing is being sold. The 10.Deep x Wale: Serenity Now t-shirt sells for $40.00 and every order comes with a hard copy of The Mixtape About Nothing.

Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing (.zip file)

The Mixtape About Nothing Track Listing
01. The Opening Title Sequence
02. The Roots Song Wale Is On ft. Chrisette Michele
03. The Feature Heavy Song ft. Bun B, Pusha T and Tre from UCB
04. The Freestyle (Roc Boys)
05. The Perfect Plan
06. The Kramer
07. The Crazy
08. The Vacation From Ourselves
09. The Remake of A Remake (All I Need) ft. Tawiah
10. The Grown Up
11. The Manipulation
12. The Artistic Integrity
13. The Star
14. The Skit (Untz Untz)
15. The Cliche Lil Wayne Feature (It’s The Remix baby!)
16. The Bmore Club Slam
17. The Chicago Falcon Remix ft. The Budos Band
18. The Hype
19. The End Credits

Tapes ‘N Tapes’ Walk It Off Hits Stores Today

Tapes ‘n Tapes’ sophomore album Walk It Off was released in stores nationwide today. I’m pretty excited to finally be able to listen to the Minneapolis, Minnesota band’s new album someway other than streaming online. I had hoped to be able to swing by my local Best Buy later today to pick one up, but it’s looking more and more like it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. If you’re thinking about buying Walk It Off, I’d suggest purchasing it this week at your neighborhood Best Buy or at BestBuy.com where the album is being sold for the low, low price of $7.99. (link)


If you’d like to hear a few tracks before getting the full album, then I suggest heading over to Daytrotter.com where you can download four live recordings of songs from Walk It Off. (link)

The Tapes ‘n Tapes Daytrotter Session

Tapes ‘N Tapes – Hang Them All {MP3}

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are She & Him - Volume One

Another album highly anticipated by The Blot is the first album by She & Him entitled Volume One. While “the album has been finished for a year,” it was just released this week by Merge Records and is getting great reviews by the blog-o-sphere for both its unique sound and the group’s lead singer. (link) While most people have never heard of the band She & Him, I would guess everyone knows at least one of its two members.


She & Him is a “collaboration between indie musician/producer M. Ward and actress/songwriter Zooey Deschanel” (Elf, Tin Man). According to the group’s biography on MergeRecords.com the two artists “first met to record a version of Richard and Linda Thompson’s ‘When I Get To The Border’ for a movie soundtrack.” (link) From listening to a few of the album’s tracks on She & Him’s MySpace page the album sounds like just the right mix of Deschanel’s songwriting/vocals and Ward’s production/guitar playing. But don’t take my word for it, check out the first single from the album “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” below.

She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? {MP3}

If you’d like to preview more songs from She & Him click here to head over to Deaf Indie Elephants for a live recording of their performance at this year’s SXSW festival.

I Believe In Harvey Dent

Now that The Dark Knight’s viral marketing campaign is having to change directions after the unfortunate and untimely death of Heath Ledger, the first non-Joker The Dark Knight related website has been launched. I Believe In Harvey Dent centers around the political campaign of Harvey Dent for Gotham City District Attorney and what a great idea for a site, especially as we’re in the midst of a heated presidential primary. Honestly, the site looks almost identical to many campaign sites I’ve seen for local candidates and has a very realistic feel to it. Check out I Believe In Harvey Dent for yourself and make sure to cast your vote for Gotham City’s next District Attorney.


I am both pleased and disappointed that there still hasn’t been a single picture leaked of Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face. I did read a recent interview with Mr. Eckhart by Wizard Universe in which he makes it sound like that while some of the scared side of Dent’s face is make-up, a lot of it will be computer generated. This may explain why there have been no photos surfacing of Eckhart in his Two-Face costume. In the meantime, there are tons of pictures of Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the Gotham District Attorney who turns into the villain/vigilante Two-Face after having half of his face disfigured by a vial of acid. Check out Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent here.


One cool aspect of the website is that you can support the Harvey Dent for Gotham District Attorney campaign by submitting pictures of yourself promoting Dent for DA. There are already a ton of user pictures up on the site’s You In Action page with random people holding Harvey Dent signs around the country. There is even an MP3 of Harvey Dent/Aaron Eckhart pleading with the citizens of Gotham to take back their streats and elect Harvey Dent the next District Attorney of Gotham City. It’s kind of funny but definitely original...you can check out Harvey Dent’s personal challenge to the citizens of Gotham to come together and support his campaign here:

Harvey Dent – Call To Action {MP3}

Evidently there will also be a country wide tour of the Dentmobile (as seen on the I Believe In Harvey Dent website). While the site says its purpose is to “meet up with other Dent supporters and help us campaign in your streets,” it will really be going around the country to promote The Dark Knight’s summer release. (link) Check back here to see specific dates and locations of the Dentmobile’s tour. There is already a map of the cities the Dentmobile will be stopping in and it looks like Texas has three stops, Austin, College Station and thankfully Houston. This mean’s The Blot Says… will most definitely be covering the Dentmobile’s upcoming stop in the H sometime in the near future.

Tapes 'N Tapes - Hang Them All

The great Minnesota band Tapes ‘N Tapes, which The Blot previously mentioned here, have unveiled the first song off their upcoming album Walk It Off. The song is entitled “Hang Them All” and can be downloaded or listened to below. Check it out and let me know what you think!


Tapes ‘N Tapes – Hang Them All {MP3}

Tapes 'N Tapes' new album is being released April 8th, the same day coincidentally as the new Gnarls Barkley album. You can pick up both albums nationwide wherever mp3s, cds, or records are sold.

Anthony Bourdain Raps About Lisa

Last week a music video for a song entitled “Lisa” hit YouTube. Surprisingly, “Lisa” is a collaboration between Anthony Bourdain and the English band Morcheeba in which Tony “raps” over one of Morcheeba’s songs. It’s really more “spoken word” than it is “rapping,” with Bourdain reading a short story he wrote about a chef named Lisa and a typical night for her working in a restaurant’s kitchen. I wasn’t sure what the deal with song was until I finally watched this week’s episode of No Reservations.


In this week's episode Tony headed to London and Edinburgh and gave the song “Lisa” its national television debut. Not only that, but Bourdain headed into the studio again with Morcheeba to record a brand new song, “Get Carter.”

Only a few brief seconds of the music video for “Lisa” played in this week’s episode, so if you’d like to watch the song in its entirety I’ve included the YouTube video below. For the Bourdainians out there who loved the song and need to add it to their iPods, I’ve also included a link to the MP3 of "Lisa," courtesy of the Travel Channel. There's also been a music video created for Morcheeba and Bourdain’s new song “Get Carter,” which can only be seen here.

Morcheeba with Anthony Bourdain - Lisa {MP3}


Watch the No Reservations Marathon Monday, February 18th starting at 9/8 AM central going all day long and culminating with an all new episode at 10/9 PM central as Anthony Bourdain visits Jamaica.

Tapes ‘N Tapes – Walk It Off

Finally one of my favorite albums of 2006 has a follow-up. Yes, I know The Loon came out at the end of 2005, but I had never heard of Tapes ‘N Tapes and their great debut album until 2006, so to me it’s a 2006 album. Earlier this week the Minnesota based band released the cover and official track list to their next album Walk It Off. Walk It Off will be released on April 8th by XL Recordings. Check out some MP3s off of Tapes ‘N Tapes first album The Loon below.


Walk It Off
1. Le Ruse
2. Time of Songs
3. Hang Them All
4. Headshock
5. Conquest
6. Say Back Something
7. Demon Apple
8. Blunt
9. George Michael
10. Anvil
11. Lines
12. The Dirty Dirty

Tapes ‘N Tapes – Insistor {MP3}
Tapes ‘N Tapes - Cowbell {MP3}

30 Rock – Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

“It’s boys becoming men, men becoming wolves!”

Ok, I know I'm a little late on posting this, but I just couldn't not talk about probably the best throw away line of the year. It is courtesy of Mr. Tracy Jordan, a.k.a. 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan (Saturday Night Live, First Sunday) and I can't stop listening to it. In this particular 3o Rock episode Tracy, while going through a box of his possessions after being kicked out of the house by his wife, finds the gold record he was awarded for his novelty party song “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” (off the album An Evening with Tracy Jordan naturally).

I know what you’re thinking, it must have been a pretty good record if it sold over 500,000 copies and was awarded the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) gold record? Well now you can find out for yourself how good the song is by downloading the extended version of “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah!” Do yourself a favor and don’t pass up on this ridiculously funny novelty song. This is Tracy Morgan at his SNL best.

Tracy Jordan – Werewolf Bar Mitzvah {MP3}
(right click and choose Save Target As... to download this song)

While the song’s music video below is pretty third rate since it only took the 6 second clip from the television show and turned it into a full length music video, the song itself is fantastic. If you don’t want to download the MP3 then at least play the video below so you can listen to “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” and realize the greatness that is Tracy Morgan and 30 Rock.

Rhymefest and the King of Pop

While most of you probably don’t recognize the name Rhymefest, I am sure most of you have heard his work. Rhymefest co-wrote and won a Grammy for his work on the song “Jesus Walks” from Kanye West’s 2004 debut album The College Dropout. In 2006, he released his first album Blue Collar on J Records/Allido Records. The CD while underperforming in sales was truly a great album and Rhymefest is one the most gifted hip-hop artists to come around in a long time. It really surprises The Blot that Blue Collar did as poorly as it did considering how many great songs it had on it and guest appearances by Kanye West, Q-Tip, Mario and O.D.B. along with songs produced by Mark Ronson, Just Blaze and Kanye West. Many of you may recognize the name Mark Ronson from The Blot’s Favorite Albums of 2007. Ronson produced the hit records for Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen before releasing his own album, Version, last year. If you haven’t heard Blue Collar and are a fan of catchy, intellectual hip-hop you should pick up the album on iTunes. I think you will be happy you did.


I bring all of this up because Rhymefest dropped last week what is sure to be one of the best concept mix tapes of the still extremely young year. In anticipation of his latest album El Che, Rhymefest has released Mark Ronson Presents: Man In The Mirror, a Michael Jackson dedication album. Now I know what most of you are all thinking, who wants their name associated with Michael Jackson anymore? And I can’t quiet blame you for asking that, but the truth is the man’s The King of Pop and his music from the 60’s to the 90’s is still some of the best music around. With that being said I was pretty weary of the mix tape’s theme because most people that try to recreate or remix an artist of Jackson’s caliber usually aren’t that successful. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised and found that the mix tape wasn’t much of a recreation or a remix but really exactly what Rhymefest claimed it to be, a dedication album. It’s hard to explain but I enjoyed it and thought some of you might like it as well. The mix tape is free and you can download it here, but be aware it has a lot of expletive language in it:

Download Rhymefest’s Man In The Mirror Mix Tape
(right click and choose Save Target As to download the entire album in .Zip file)

It seems like good timing for this mix tape’s release considering this year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of one of the greatest albums of all time, Thriller. If you hadn’t heard already, to mark the occasion Jackson is going to be rereleasing a 25th Anniversary edition of Thriller with six 2008 remixes of the most popular songs off of the album by some of the biggest names in pop music. I want to actually apologize to the biggest names in pop music here and now because that might have been exaggerating. Instead the album features Will.I.Am, Fergie and Akon and a remix by Kanye West. The songs have already been leaked on the internet and to no one’s surprise aren’t really that good. I’d think these “remixes” are a tad unnecessary and are going to be pretty dated five to ten years from now. Hopefully by then Fergie and Akon will have been wiped clean from the music landscape only to be remembered for their brief reign over the pop music. That being said, I’m a sucker for all things old school Michael Jackson and will probably have to pick up this 25th Anniversary edition of Thriller much like I purchased the Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection box set a few years ago.

Rhymefest talks about his mix tape and the new 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller on his blog at his MySpace Page. You can read the entire entry here, but be aware it, like the mix tape, has some choice words in it. I thought I’d include some of his thoughts (edited of course) for you to read below:

This album was made because I am a fan of not only Michael Jackson, but of great music, in general. I have been listening [recently] to some of the remixes of MJ's 25th anniversary of THRILLER, and my analysis is that they're...aight...but personally, as a fan, I expected a bit more. I put my heart into this s**t and took a risk to bring you an edgy, creative, refreshing perspective of Michael Jackson in rare form.

Bishop Allen – Bishop Allen & The Broken String

This Brooklyn, NY indie rock band might just be one of The Blot’s favorite bands. While many consider 2006 to have been Bishop Allen’s year due to their release of a 4 song EP every month of 2006, I just couldn’t pass up talking about their sophomore album. Bishop Allen & The Broken String, released July of ’07 by the Austin, TX label Dead Oceans, takes many of the best tracks from their 2006 EPs, re-records them, and the result is just an amazing second album.

Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who make up the core of Bishop Allen, are fantastic song writers and performers. They, along with a rotating cast of musicians, have made two unique indie pop albums (the first being 2003’s Charm School) that are extremely fun and catchy. Already Bishop Allen & The Broken String is making waves through the entertainment industry as their songs have been prominently featured on television shows (Ugly Betty, Aliens In America) and in a recent Sony camera ad, which has aired during NFL games this season. Feel free to check out two songs off of Bishop Allen & The Broken String and one song from Charm School below.

You can download Bishop Allen’s sophomore album Bishop Allen & The Broken String for free by signing up for eMusic's no risk trial offer for 25 free MP3s. Click here to sign up today.

Bishop Allen – Click Click Click Click {MP3}
Bishop Allen – Rain {MP3}
Bishop Allen – Things Are What You Make Of Them {MP3}
(from BA’s first Album Charm School)

Bishop Allen Official Site
Bishop Allen MySpace Site

White Rabbits – Fort Nightly

Instead of a generic “The Blot’s Top Albums of 2007” list, I thought I’d pick out a few albums I’ve really enjoyed this year that for some reason or another haven’t gotten the attention from the mass media they deserve.


The first band on this list is the White Rabbits. This six piece indie rock band from New York City via Columbia, Missouri released their debut album Fort Nightly on Say Hey Records. It’s rare these days to find a six piece rock band with two drum kits, but the White Rabbits pull it off really nicely. According to their bio on eMusic, “the White Rabbits refer to their music as honky tonk calypso.” The Blot has no idea what that means but the album is awesome and has been playing in my car for months. The first single from the album “The Plot” is great and you can download an MP3 of the song below.


I had the opportunity to see the White Rabbits last summer in Chicago at Lollapalooza 2007. When the band was added last minute I was super excited to catch them live until I saw they were scheduled as the opening band Sunday morning, meaning to see their set I’d have to wake up super early. With some groaning by Al we decided to set the alarm and head down to Grant Park. I think we’re both glad we did because the show was great and the album translated really well to a live set. It was just unfortunate they were on so early because a majority of the festival attendees (who typically don’t show up until after lunch) missed out.


You can download the White Rabbit's Lollapalooza set Live at Lollapalooza 2007: White Rabbits or their debut album Fort Nightly for free by signing up for eMusic's no risk trial offer for 25 free MP3s. Click here to sign up today.

White Rabbits – The Plot {MP3}

White Rabbits Official Site
White Rabbits MySpace Site