36 chances to impress me! GO GO!

September 9, 2007 9:01 PM

I have 36 free iTunes Music Store downloads. Any recommendations?

While at the Virgin Festival in Toronto this weekend they were giving out cards for free iTunes downloads. Each card offered 3 free downloads. I, being a sleuth, acquired 20 or so cards. After giving many away to friends, I have 12 cards remaining.

This translates to 36 free, legal downloads. So I am putting it out to you to tell me what I should download. Bonus points for good iTunes-specific downloads only available on the ITMS (rare versions, B-sides, odd covers, one-off singles, etc.).

And here are five bands that are good starting off points for my musical tastes, so you're not lost: The Flaming Lips, Otis Redding, Spoon, Pavement and Nouvelle Vague.

(If it makes any difference, I go through the Canadian store.)

posted by travosaurus to media & arts (16 comments total)

Do a search for iTunes Originals and see if any of your favorite artists pop up. You can get some pretty neat exclusive studio recordings (along with short, mostly mundane interview clips).
posted by danb at 9:05 PM on September 9, 2007

I am not at my computer, and do not have iTunes right now to tell you where to go, but look for the essentials section. It carries, well, the essentials.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 9:20 PM on September 9, 2007

I like Spoon and Flaming Lips also, quite a bit. You might like some of The Beta Band - Assessment, Dry The Rain, Broken Up A Ding Dong come to mind. Beck has a lot of good stuff. His new one and Sea Change esp. I love all of Nada Surf's catalog, esp. The Weight Is A Gift. The Shins new album plays well w/ what you mentioned above.
posted by docpops at 9:34 PM on September 9, 2007

There's a band called Dalhia that was out of Portland, OR. They still do an occasional show (and pack the house on the rare occasion that they show), but they're very much a techno/trance kind of group with an amazingly emotive female vocalist. Both of the albums they produced are available on iTMS or from CDBaby, and I highly recommend them.
posted by SpecialK at 9:46 PM on September 9, 2007

Well, because she is putting out a new album in a couple of weeks, I'd say PJ Harvey is worth checking out. She has a different sound album by album, so check out the preview clips beforehand. The most accessible album is Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, with "Good Fortune" and "This is Love" being highlights.

Rilo Kiley's new album is pretty cool too, and if you want to dig into their backcatalog, "The Good That Won't Come Out" would be a highlight.

23 by Blonde Redhead is a pretty awesome album too. I recommend with the title track.
posted by Weebot at 9:51 PM on September 9, 2007

"Dead," a cover of They Might Be Giants, by Steve Burns. Burns had some Flaming Lips members contribute to his first album and has listed them as an influence on his MySpace page. (His first album isn't on iTMS, or else I'd recommend that as well.)

For cheese, you might like either the original version of the song that Mark Wahlberg was covering in "Boogie Nights" and a useful auditory weapon that, with proper application of protective earplugs, can make nearby enemies' ears bleed.
posted by WCityMike at 9:53 PM on September 9, 2007

Based on your examples: Califone.

Use Pandora.com to find other bands that share similar genome, if not genre.
posted by foobario at 9:59 PM on September 9, 2007

in no real order
the national - boxer
rilo kiley - under the blacklight
silver jews - the natural bridge
hospital - 16 endings
lo fine
polvo
kahoots
archers of loaf
slint
posted by phil at 10:10 PM on September 9, 2007

Built To Spill -- You Were Right, The Plan, Untrustable
The Dexateens -- Diamond in the Concrete, Neil Armstrong
Drive-By Truckers -- Decoration Day, Gravity's Gone, Let There Be Rock
Earl Greyhound -- All Better Now
Heavy Trash -- They Were Kings
Kelly Hogan -- No Bobby Don't
The Negro Problem -- Birdcage, The Meaning of Everything
Robbie Fulks -- Fountains of Wayne Hotline, Let's Kill Saturday Night (live, from Revenge!)
Sparklehorse -- Little Fat Baby
Tapes'n'Tapes -- Ten Gallon Ascot
Through The Sparks -- Local Moon

And you should buy the new Neurosis record, Given To The Rising, cuz it's what Tool would sound like if Tool had balls.

On preview: Slint's seminal record, Spiderland, is not available on iTunes, much to my dismay, and Tweez isn't worth it.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:17 PM on September 9, 2007

Get a track or two from The Duke Spirit's LP, "Cuts Across the Land," I would recommend the title track and "Red Weather." My three favorite bands are Spoon, the Flaming Lips, and the Verve, so I guess you can probably trust my recommendation.
posted by Electrius at 10:25 PM on September 9, 2007

A couple of iTunes exclusive EPs that I've bought and enjoyed are Broken Social Scene's Live at Radio Aligre FM in Paris and Imogen Heap's Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) (that's the exact wording of the album title).
posted by good in a vacuum at 10:36 PM on September 9, 2007

(Hmm, on closer inspection, that Broken Social Scene EP probably isn't an iTunes exclusive after all.)
posted by good in a vacuum at 10:38 PM on September 9, 2007

High Strung— Moxie Bravo

Good Spoon-meets-Mott-the-Hoople.

Great Lakes Myth Society— s/t

Michigan drunk and wistful.

Tyvek— Fast Metabolism

A US McLusky

The Dirtbombs— Ultraglide in Black.

Post-garage Detroit

Nomo— New Tones

Coltrane meets Konono #1.
posted by klangklangston at 11:51 PM on September 9, 2007

Checked out your site. Many thanks for the "Wolf Like Me"- I like that. Suggestions, but not based on anything but at the moment whimsy...

Metric
Combat Baby, IOU and Dead Disco

Peaches
Only AA thinking Triple XXX (AA XXX)

Belly
Untogether

Mae Moore
Bohemia (This shit is Sunday listening but what the hell)

Concretes
Say Something New

Solid State Revival
Step Into the Sun

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Maps

Concord Dawn
Don't Tell Me

Alanis Morissette
Eight Easy Steps

U2
Ever Lasting Love (B Side UK Remake)

and many, many more. Don't know if they are available in CA but maybe you'll get lucky. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention RL Burnside. He is bad ass but dead.
posted by bkeene12 at 7:50 AM on September 10, 2007

Oh, you want "Rare Mexican Cuts from the Sixties". You do.

It's an anthology of Spanish-language somewhat-lounge-y covers of hit 60s songs, including "Satisfaction", "Gloria", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", and "Hey Joe".

It is beautiful.
posted by Katemonkey at 8:55 AM on September 10, 2007

The Nouvelle Vague iTunes exclusive EP is quite good, especially if you're familiar with their other stuff: classic alternative, new wave and other songs revamped.
posted by jeffmshaw at 10:17 AM on September 10, 2007