Friday Free MP3 Mixtape: The Album Leaf, Hundred Visions + More

Hopefully you've been enjoying Diffuser.fm's daily free MP3 downloads, one of the newest daily features added to our site. With so many great indie and alternative bands out there eager to share their latest tunes, we've been tracking down as much free music as we can for our readers.

And now, we bring you all seven of the free MP3 downloads we've posted in the last week, packaged in one handy .zip file. Read a little about each song below, and at the bottom of the page, click the download button to get the .zip -- something we call the Diffuser.fm Friday Free MP3 Mixtape.

The Young Evils, 'Dead Animals' - What do you get when you mix together the Beach Boys and Marilyn Manson? Try the Seattle-based five-piece the Young Evils, who pair positively sunny pop melodies with dreary and morbid imagery to striking effect. 'Dead Animals' is off their new EP, ‘Foreign Spells.'

Black Carl, 'The 1' - Self-described "desert soul" purveyors, Black Carl go for a minimalist funk vibe on 'The 1," a song that offers up indisputable evidence of their efficiency in composition. “We all sat down and wrote the verses, and within 8 hours, we had a fully realized and finished recording,” drummer John Krause tells Diffuser.fm.

Helvetia, 'Pumpkin Rose' - "I had a very vivid dream where my wife was giving birth to a pumpkin and a pretty little rose was growing out of the top of it," Helvetia frontman Jason Albertini says of the inspiration behind 'Pumpkins Rose,' an off-kilter psych-pop gem off the band's forthcoming ‘Nothing in Rambling’ album. Congratulations?

Christopher Smith, 'Pillars and Pyre (Andy Dixon Remix)' - Andy Dixon turns in a perfectly spinnable remix of Christopher Smith's 'Pillars and Pyre,' but mostly it makes us curious to hear the source material. The original comes from the Vancouver-based singer's latest album, ‘Earning Keep.’

Hundred Visions, 'Where Do I Sign?' - Austin rockers Hundred Visions crank out workmanlike, punk-infused ditties with enough hooks to start a hanger factory. 'Where Do I Sign?' embodies their R.E.M.-meets-Replacements-meets-Husker Du vibe perfectly -- just make sure to listen through to the end to find the answer you've been looking for.

Fine Times, 'Hey Judas' - Power-pop duo Fine Times are turning heads with their impressive self-titled debut, and 'Hey Judas' shows why. Layering unexpectedly amusing lyrics over a bed of silky smooth synths, the tune sounds a lot bigger than the sum of its parts. Partial credit definitely goes to Howard Redekopp's (New Pornographers) polished production.

The Album Leaf, 'Descent' - The Album Leaf is the solo project of veteran post-rocker Jimmy LaVelle of Tristeza, who has been making stunningly gorgeous ambient music on his own since 1998. "I wanted to keep things raw," Lavelle says of the ‘Forward/Return' EP from which 'Descent' comes. "Return to basics while the band moves forward."