Free Music Collection: January 2012

The undisturbed soil of 2012 awaits; a new light enters frame, bending our horizon with promise. Instruments calibrate, bodies acclimate; we’re lured by the unheard sound. A series of monthly transmissions back home will chronicle our findings, and this here, is the year’s first:

Free Music Collection: January 2012

  • Sean Nicholas Savage – Flamingo: Our favorite Canadian psycho lounge singer finalizes 2011 with his third album. It’s as simple and brilliant as it ever has been.
  • Joseph Stallion – White Lodge EP: This mysterious producer appeared out of nowhere. But with tracks like “How I Won The War” we can hope he stays around.
  • Kwala – Projectionss EP: A beautiful project introduced to me by my buddy Jake at Speaker Snacks. Gentle free flowing beats for down time or uptime. Mostly just good.
  • King Mob – Empathy: A short, but soulful EP from this Denver project. Somehow both electronic and R&B, but most of all, not disappointing in the least.
  • Landon Speers – Spooky Mulder: You don’t know you want it, but you want it. It’s quiet, it’s strange, it’s synthetic, it’s beautiful.
  • INNIT – Vol. 4: A mix featuring some of Japans most interesting electronic producers, from a collective focusing on these artists. Well worth your time.
  • Thrupence – Serenade/Promenade: A beat tape comprised of throw-away sounds made new. And I’m glad they were, cause this is a 30 minute journey I’ve spent a lot of time listening too.
  • Cultus Vibes – Together: A year end compilation of some truly great artists. Brought to you by one of the purest-hearted digital labels around. Feel the warmth, and enjoy the family affair that is this compilation.

  • Lykke Li – The Lost Sessions: Lykke Li gave away some tracks from “The Lost Sessions” She advises to spread it like a kindlly flu filled kiss. Hmm, ew.
  • When You Awake “We All Go Twang” Collaborative Mixtape: Leave it up to me to bring the folk to the FMC! Someone’s gotta. When You Awake is one of my favorite blogs for just that genre: the twangy/acoustic/folk rock stuff. It’s especially fitting for this season. Artists covered everything from Lucinda Williams to Tom Petty to the Magnetic Fields.
  • Old Ugly Christmas Compilation: The Edmonton label put out a Christmas compilation featuring artists and friends performing their favorite Christmas jams, including my personal favorite: Jessica Jalbert performing “Until the World Lets Me Go”. It’s stunning.
  • Gorilla vs. Bear December 2011 Mix: GvsB final mix of the year, and it’s a goodie!
  • RAJA – The October Series, Red: The first first album to be released. It’s chock full of thickly layered old school hip-hop beats and smothered with arbitrary, often hilarious samples. You can hear Madlib and J Dilla influences strong and clear.
  • RAJA – The October Series, Which: The second album from the series. Here RAJA takes a distinct turn into his darker side. The tracks are still layered thick, but the tempo is cut in half and beats are dirty and electronic. Think Salem meets Gold Panda.
  • RAJA – The October Series, Color: The final album of the trio. The tracks wander around a bit, but are mostly stripped down and littered with beautiful piano fills. Falling along the lines of James Blake and Mount Kimbie, the album is an apparent homage to RAJA’s deceased grandmother.

  • Campfires – Slaughter tropes: The pleasant tambourine-backed strum of 60s sun pop in a garage, as heard by the dad sitting in the kitchen.
  • Kwala – Shabang: Jarringly pretty little sequences of pennies dropping, and vocals start/stopping, entire tracks cracked open, disassembled. Self-proclaimed post-brostep soul beats.
  • Sad Souls – Object of Perception: Another glimpse into a microcosm that loops in perfect symmetry and climate; guitar-based, wordless, endless.
  • Friends Records – Friends Records 2011: Nearly two hours of exclusive Baltimore sounds from our friends at Friends. Includes Co La, Future Islands, Dustin Wong, that magnificent imprisoned Flock of Dimes bride, and so many others.
  • Catamaran – Catamaran: Air travel via mood ring. A surreal, full spectrum destination: golden reggaeton, teal flare gun haze, and a well-placed sax finale.
  • NO MODEST BEAR - Sounds of 2011: A splendid year in blog, summed up by the one and only, Oskar.
  • Crash Symbols – Dope Mountain Fuck Vol. 2: A mega-comp of ambitiously scoped, unclassifiably dope, future varieties, 25 total—big time Crash Symbols activity right here.

Support music you love. See shows, buy physical releases, show love.

Note: Due to bandcamp’s terms of service artists are required to charge a minimal price after a certain number of free downloads. If that’s the case after our posting you can always stream it and if it moves you, support them with a purchase.

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3 Comments

  1. This rules!

    Comment courtesy of Emily — January 2, 2012 #

  2. Thanks Emily! So glad you like it.

    Comment courtesy of Nathaniel — January 2, 2012 #

  3. [...] I’m dragging Mr. Whitcomb aka Think Or Smile seems to have another batch of his Free Music Collection ready for digestion.  One from this month’s was Atlanta’s BOSCO aka Brittany Bosco and [...]

    Pingback courtesy of Favorites: BOSCO – Pacer EP | Pasta Primavera — January 9, 2012 #

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