Stockfinster - "Push Push" (MP3)
Stockfinster - "Knuckle" (MP3)
Stockfinster- "Gold Canyon" (MP3)
Stockfinster- "Mitglieder" (MP3)

Stockfinster (German for "pitch black") is the one man band of Malmö-based Sebastian Borg. In the liner notes to "Dead Line", Borg (who commonly appears as "batti") excuses himself for being unproductive and slow. However, for a 76 minutes opus magnus, perfectly arranged and composed like this, many musicians need a whole lifetime for. If any.

The music of Stockfinster is a mixture of Postrock and progressive Pop, essentially enhanced by many electronic elements. There is an element of nostalgia to Borg's music that stems from his melancholic melodies and the late 90's breakbeat patterns. Several time I had to think of early Lamb or other forward-thinking "Trip Hop" acts. From the world of Netaudio, Orange Crush, Endless or Nic Bommaritio might suit for comparison.

Albeit not actually at the edge of contemporary music, Stockfinster has something more valuable to offer: timelessness. Strong, atmospheric melodies, impellent beats, and a supreme production. Should be OK for the next four years, no?

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: "Dead Line" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: stockfinster.nu
Release: Stockfinster - "Dead Line"
Netlabel: sutemos.net

Monokle - "Friday" (MP3)
Monokle - "Magic Go!" (MP3)
Monokle - "Seven" (MP3)

Monokle is Vlad Kudryavtsev and Alexander Kumach, two young guys that sound like one of your favourite bands. On a basis of warm and organic IDM beats, Monokle compose epic Indiepop- and Postrock tracks that imply influence from 40 years of Popmusic ("From Can to Plaid", as Ideology says). You can find pieces of Kraut- and Progrock, 80's Pop, 90's Electronica and loads more in the Monokle music. Listening to this 45 minutes, I am amazed how seamless everything engages.

The album "Tesaurus" is super-versatile but works perfectly as an album, homogenous in mood and atmosphere. Vlad and Alexander blow their tracks up to massive hymns, including numerous stems of synthesizer, guitars and electronic gimmicks here and there. They do well, although most songs on "Tesaurus" don't need all the fuzz- Monokle have the melodies to reach out for everyone. A brilliant example that Netaudio is so much more than just electronic music!

MP3 Electronic Pop Music Download

Download: "Tesaurus" (ZIP)
Artist-Website: myspace.com/monoklemuz
Release: Monokle - "Tesaurus"
Netlabel: www.ideology.de

Wo0 - "Sunkissed Ladymoon" (MP3)

Wo0, founding member of the Belgrade Noise Society, has an interesting approach to "play" his guitar. He uses the pickups of his instrument to receive certain frequencies (from cell phones, radio transmitters, and similar).  Processed by multiple effect pedals and amplified to Rock n' Roll volume, mesmerizing drones emerge that are carefully interlaced and focused in an all-live setup by Wo0. The outcome sounds familiar yet fresh and disturbing.

Warm distortion, rich of overtones, harmonious feedback that underlines Wo0's drones like Möbius strips, you might want to name the experimental moments of Sonic Youth or Montreal's GYBE! for reference. But it's different altogether as no melodies are formed and no "songs" are sung.  Wo0 adapts the physical presence of Noiserock for his textural Ambient Drones. May I name Glenn Branca for a more suitable comparison?

MP3 Ambient Music Download

Download: "With the Flowered Minds" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: www.myspace.com/belgradenoise
Release: Wo0 - "With the Flowered Minds"
Netlabel: www.phantomchannel.co.uk

Did are Guido Savini, Giancarlo Maresca, Andrea Tirone and Andrea Prato from the Motor-City of Turin, which is known for its car factories and network of highways. Maybe this has something to do with their music. Because Dids sound buzzes like a good running engine. Never stopping beats, the baseline goes on without hesitation, guitars are mashing up the scene and electronic elements are everywhere adding this little bit of extra extra. "Ask U2" seems to be a forerunner for their upcoming album that will invade our dancefloors hopefully very soon.

Placed in "The Dancy Issue" in the back-catalogue of the italien netlabel Kirstens Postcard, Dids "Ask U2" EP is surely something that will find it's way all around the world. So, come on and help spreading the word!

MP3 Rock Music Download

Download: Did - Ask U2 (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: www.myspace.com/didmusik
Netlabel: www.kirstenspostcard.com

Three American guys with surprisingly German names, Kurt Feldman with brothers Anton and Christoph Hochheim form a band of two guitars, vocals and a modified Famicom, known as "NES" in Europe (check this nice techtalk article to learn more about their line up).

The Depreciation Guild's first EP "Nautilus" was released over at 8bitpeoples.com (see our Blip feature for a nice live video of the band at the 2007 festival), but their full-length album is online on their website without any label support. This makes sense in a way as their melody-driven Indierock never suited the Peoples that well.

Recorded by Feldman and his companion Akira Hashizume, "In Her Gentle Jaws" (what a title!) features ten energetic and moony Pop tunes with a lot of fuzzy guitars and vocals like recorded in a hall church. The Famicom leads are integral part of their music and not only used as a gimmick. Slightly out of tune, most of their songs don't show up with all of their bliss at first try, but "Sky Ghosts", "Dark Looming" or "Digital Solace" are bittersweet symphonies par excellence.

A light-hearted version of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Cocteau Twins of course... imagine this bands mixed with the sound of Nintendo's oldest console and you know what The Depreciation Guild sound like. Brillant, end to end.

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: "In Her Gentle Jaws" ZIP
Artist-Website: www.inhergentlejaws.com

One thing I like a lot about demos, b-side compilations, live recordings, and, well, certain Netaudio releases is the fact that the music can be quite rough. Unhewn both in sound and songwriting, Dublin Duck Dispensary's  "Luanqibazao" is a good example for what pearls might easily be overseen upon flighty observation. 13 tracks and drafts for Popsongs to come, much excitement can be found in here.

"Bible Stories" is the demo version of an early Arcade Fire tune, "Prestidigitation" features lopsided drums and a happy-sad synth melody that makes you think of Nicholas Thorburn's Unicorns (a big guide very likely!). "I Smell The Blood" is a wonderful guitar-driven Popsong, "Brain Damage" a Wire-style assault of compressed Punk energy. Between a few dubby experiments, "The Death Threat" is another fine Indiepop song you might want to be familiar with. Did I mention the Beta Band for comparison? Stephen Malkmus? Bobby Aherne's influences are legion, but alltogether he manages to make to sound fresh and unique.

Check this delicate live performance!

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: "Luanqibazao" ZIP
Release: Dublin Duck Dispensary - "Luanqibazao"
Netlabel: www.rackandruinrecords.com
Artist-Website: www.myspace.com/dublindd

His debut "I don't know what I'm doing" (2003) was well received in the online community and made him become one of the first "web-musicians" who gained attention beyond the digital world.

"[...] Despite giving my music away for free online, my songs have been licensed for television, played on commercial and campus radio, and I made enough money from licensing and sales to do a real pressing of my first CD [...] " (Brad Turcotte)

"I don't know what I'm doing", that was often compared to the sound of Beck, led to countless remixes that were featured on ccMixter, a Creative Commons remix-platform. Some of these remixes were put on the album "I Don't Know What I'm Doing Remixed".

"I put the source files for my album I Don't Know What I'm Doing online and people made a lot of remixes. I Don't Know What I'm Doing Remixed is a compilation of some of my favorites." (Brad Turcotte)

For his new album "Out of it" he allready made source files available and it will surely not take long for new remixes to come up. "Out of it" continues the melodic sound of "I don't know what I'm doing" but this time Brads indie/alternative rock comes along with stronger beats and even more obvious guitars.

Besides his great music, Brad Sucks is one of only a few "web-musicians" who fully adapted the open source licencing model to music. He uses the BY-SA Creative Commons license, that also allows commercial use of his works (Usually netlabels and musicians go for a noncommercial license that restricts commercial use).

"A lot’s changed since I started putting music on the Internet way back in 2001. Artist-endorsed free downloads were shocking. Flexible pricing was still an untested novelty. It was rare to find source files from artists and sharing music wasn’t encouraged by new artists. Recently I was asked if I’d do anything different this time around. Would I still give the music away for free? Would I still give away my source files? Would I still be easygoing about copyright? Surely I could pull back now and try to cash in. And I honestly couldn’t imagine why I’d do things different. The only reason I, a dude who made an album by himself in a country basement, has had any sort of success is because people took it upon themselves to share my music with their friends. They remixed it, they used it in their videos, they played it on their podcasts, they included it in software and games and it took on a life of its own. To sabotage that would be a huge, retarded mistake. Instead I’ll be grateful if Out of It worms around the world in even close to the same freaky way I Don’t Know What I’m Doing did and continues to." (Brad Turcotte)

If you want to know more about Brad, visit his website and listen to this Interview (Podcast), done by the Redhat Magazine.

Enough said! Now go and listen to Brad Sucks, kids!

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download:Brad Sucks - "Out Of It" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: www.bradsucks.net
Release: Brad Sucks - "Out Of It"

America Del Sur ("America of the South") is basically Phil Cardona and Taylor Ross. Friends from high school days back in Jacksonville, Florida, the band released their self titled debut at Rack & Ruin, a Dutch Netlabel online since early 2008 but with a back catalog of +70 records already.

Here, number 64 is the one you definitely need to know. Cardona and Ross manage to mix angst-ridden Indierock ("Evil Pop") and sophisticated white boy Jazzpop ("I Don't Know You") like a duck takes to water. Their drums sound like shit, the guitars are tied just beneath the chin very probably. There is some Surf in there. But just like for recent NYC darlings Vampire Weekend, it's the fine vocal harmonies that keep the whole thing going- and America Del Sur at heavy rotation in my player. Ace.

MP3 Rock Music Download

Release Site: America Del Sur - "America Del Sur"
Direct Download: "America Del Sur" ZIP
Netlabel: www.rackandruinrecords.com
Artist Website: www.myspace.com/americaofthesouth

Pourquoi me Reveiller was founded in 1998 and means "Why awaken" or in a broader sense "Why should I wake up". In 2005 they recorded their debut full length "They took my bed outside". Although the opener is called "bloody hours of nasty torture", recording the album must have been great fun because each song on their debut LP sounds completely different.

Besides the typical indie-setup (guitar, bass and drums), Pourquoi me Reveiller introduced piano, accordion, electronic sounds, samples and noise elements, that helped to create an eclectic indie-rock album, that ranges from experimental rock to acoustic pop. The Dutch septet is currently working on new songs, until those are put on an album, you can find "They took my bed outside" at Dying Giraffe Recordings.

MP3 Indie Rock Music Download

Release: Pourquoi me Reveiller - "They took my bed outside"
Netlabel: Dying Giraffe Recordings
Artist Website: www.pourquoimereveiller.com

The person behind The Heavens is Richard Green, who is involved in a couple of other bands like Ultrasound and The Somatics. As a songwriter, guitarist and singer he seems to have such a big output of musical creativity that he needs at least three bands to be satisfied.

On The Heavens EP he recorded four catchy songs with the help of some friends, who took care of other instruments, like organ, drums and bass. The Heavens are a good listen for everyone who misses the good old days of traditional Brit-Rock. Their excellent but short self-titled and self-released EP is freely available at Jamendo.

MP3 Britrock Music Download

Artist Website: http://www.myspace.com/theheavensband
Release: The Heavens - The Heavens EP

“Sweets For The Wild 3” comes along as a double-album featuring 22 songs by 22 artists. Because most of the bands are French, you can gain a pretty interesting insight to the French indie scene. All songs are well produced and of high quality. While most of the songs are easy to follow, some of them need some time to get used to, so be patient. One thing is for sure: your patience will be rewarded, because there is a lot to discover: new and upcoming bands and more importantly, a lot of interesting approaches towards pop music.

“Sweets For The Wild 3” is freely available as MP3 and OGG and while you are surfing the Another Record Website, make sure to check out their other releases, too.

Free Indie Music MP3 Download

Release Site: V.A. - "Sweets For The Wild 3"
Direct Download: Volume I MP3, OGG, Volume II MP3, OGG
Netlabel : http://www.another-record.com