10 Best Free MP3 Downloads of February
February may be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn't mean we skimped out on giving you cool new tunes. We're not very good at math, but if we constructed one of those confusing word problems where you have to take a bunch of figures and compare them with another bunch of figures to come up with some sort of average, we're pretty sure February's would be mighty high. No matter how you add it up, we gave away some great music over the past month. Here are the 10 Best Free MP3 Downloads of February to get you started.
John Amadon, 'Meet Me When I Call'
This Portland singer-songwriter sounds like another indie busker from the Pacific Northwest: Elliott Smith. 'Meet Me When I Call' is a gently rolling pop tune that nods to Smith's musical heroes the Beatles. The song comes from Amadon's recent album 'The Bursting Sheaf.'
Cathy, 'We Don't Wanna Be'
New York quartet Cathy explodes all over the place with the two-minute guitar rocker 'We Don't Wanna Be,' which manages to cram in spitting vocals, rolling drums and a tuned-down ending that fades out on ear-piercing feedback.
Chalk and Numbers, 'Boy'
Brooklyn boy-girl duo makes springy indie-pop tune that sounds like it was uncovered in Grandma's basement and dusted off for a hipster renaissance. Familiar story, right? But Chalk and Numbers play it straight, without an ounce of the smugness usually found in this sorta thing.
Falling Still, 'Thin Lizzy'
This L.A. group doesn't sound at all that like the Irish classic rockers they named their song after. But like the '70s band that made 'The Boys Are Back in Town,' Falling Still's 'Thin Lizzy' combines hooks, guitars and clean, sharp production.
Hollis Brown, 'Nightfall'
Rustic Americana rockers Hollis Brown channel everyone from the Band to Ryan Adams on this great mid-tempo shuffle from their new album. 'Nightfall' sounds like it came from the mid '70s, right when everyone was catching up with Bob Dylan's Nashville experiments.
Erin McKeown, 'Proof (Payoff Mix)'
Singer-songwriter Erin McKeown has been kicking around the indie scene for about 15 years now. She's toured with comrades-in-arms Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls. 'Proof,' from her latest album 'Manifestra,' definitely fits within those artists' musical and political agendas.
Ogre Smash Death Boom, 'Pulled in Tight'
Yeah, we're not too crazy about the band name either. But trust us, Ogre Smash Death Boom are way, way better than their moniker lets on. In fact, the hook-stuffed punk number 'Pulled in Tight' is one of our favorite offerings of the month.
Rika, 'Port Dover'
The delicately played 'Port Dover' by Austrian band Rika might not seem very distinguishable on first listen, but give it time, and the song's quiet charms will slowly reveal themselves. By the end of the track, the piano and drums take over, and the send-off is pure heaven.
Super Water Symphony, 'Sunday School Dress'
This indie-pop quintet from Louisiana have a new album coming out in April, and if it sounds anything like the wonderfully cheery 'Sunday School Dress,' we're gonna love it. The tightly packed, and played, song is deceiving; its bigness comes from the lush surroundings.
Tying Tiffany, 'One Second'
She's Italian, she sings like English is maybe a third or fourth language and the pulsating blips and beeps in Tying Tiffany's music have us fearing a robot apocalypse. But the cold, mechanical 'One Second' comes from a long tradition of beat-heavy synth-pop that's more human than you think.