Blog

On December 1. Lie In The Sound will start the advent calender 2009 with a free X-Mas Song each day.

The best Mp3s of 2008 can be downloaded here.


Fireflies – X-mas Song

Celestial – Saving Up Her Wishes

Belle And Sebastian – “Are You Coming Over For Christmas?

Lightspeed Champion – “Another Song About Being Alone At Xmas

Death Cab for Cutie – Christmas (Baby, please come Home) (Download-Link)

Sufjan Stevens – That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!

Sufjan Stevens – Sister Winter

The Raveonettes – Come On Santa

Allison Crowe - Tidings

Enjoy! If you have any tips for free + legal X-Mas songs, feel free to post them in the comments.

DifferentStars

“Her voice will just send shivers down your spine, and just rip your soul out, and make you happy to be alive. The new track from Allison Crowe, Going Home Tonight…” And so boston-based media maven C.C. Chapman introduces his podcast audience to this new creation:

http://www.allisoncrowe.com/GoingHomeTonightAllisonCroweprealbumversion.mp3 (pre-album version)

Allison Crowe, known for her singularly amazing, often live, performances and her free, independent, spirit, is currently wrapping up the recording of twelve songs to be released as “Spiral”, her seventh CD/album in seven years.

Until now, Crowe’s much-loved recordings have been, essentially, solo affairs – her own voice, piano, and guitar accompanied by rare touches of bass and percussion (and, once, on her secretsalbum, accordion, and uillean pipes).

With songs in her repertoire calling for a broader palette, on “Spiral”, the bicoastal canadian musician comes together, from newfoundland to british columbia, with her touring band: Billie Woods, guitar and bgs (backing vocals); Dave Baird, bass and bgs; and laurent boucher on percussion. turtle recording studio’s main man, larry anschell, engineers the white rock, B.C. studio sessions, and joins in on electric guitar.

Orchestrating, arranging, and producing the album is los angeles-based film composer, kayla schmah, an artist who’s followed her own path for a decade, and today works in hollywood with emmy-award winning composer Edward Shearmur while independently orchestrating and composing on various projects.

alan pedder, Editor/Publisher of uk magazine, wears the trousers, notes: “The culmination of a decade-long friendship, Schmah is bringing to the album the lush orchestration that Crowe has been seeking since penning some of these songs during a 2007-08 creative spurt that saw her develop two albums’ worth of material. Some of those songs ended up on 2008’s Little Light, without orchestration, and some will make it onto Spiral alongside newer songs and, as is always the case with Allison, a selection of covers. This unfinished version of ‘Going Home Tonight’, a Crowe original, is a swelling, emotional ballad cloaked in strings that are rich enough to carry and accentuate the voice.”

The strings, celeste, tympani and more on this pre-album version debuted on the eclectic us arts and entertainment blog, muruch, which has adopted Crowe as musical mascot, commenting: “Allison’s voice and piano playing are as beautiful as ever.” allan showalter, host and curator of 1 heck of a guy, the web’s snappiest Leonard Cohen related blog, calls Going Home Tonight “gorgeous”. That’s qualified by fellow american, multi-blogger and video game programmer, jeff taylor, who labels it: “Absolutely gorgeous”. jessica kuijer of France’s ctn music, says: “I LOVE THIS new song!!!”. Canadian merch monkey, reena kudhail, exclaims: “That's a bloody fantastic song.”

A direct video for “Going Home Tonight”, filmed on salt spring island, B.C., (where Allison Crowe and Kayla Schmah first met, at the turn of the century), is on youtube:



C.C. Chapman winds up his Accident Hash intro: “If you ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER, get a chance to see her live, please do. Her CDs do not do this woman justice. Her performance, her voice, her everything…

Before the excitement of “Spiral” is released, Allison Crowe performs live – presenting her Tidings concert series from the pacific to the atlantic.

For music, tour dates and more info, please visit: http://www.allisoncrowe.com

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, summer is nearing its end - and autumn/fall starts to reveal itself.

For me, it's a season of musical revelation.

Allison Crowe has started to create her next album. She travels from Canada's atlantic coast to the pacific in about two weeks' time to record her fellow musicians - billie woods, on acoustic guitar; dave baird on electric and acoustic bass; and laurent boucher on percussion.

These are the band-members who've toured with Allison in 2009.

There'll be an electric guitarist, joining the group on about three songs. Right now Alley is working with a brilliant, and incredibly sympathetic, orchestrator. One of the big questions at the beginning of this process was - how would the strings and orchestral elements Allison was hearing on several songs be realized?

We've learned over the years, that it's like alchemy, the joining of art and science (in the form of technical engineering/production). It's a magic that calls for invention, serendipity, inspiration.

It's early on, two songs in to what promises to be a 12 song collection - but, I'm hearing it.

My Dad made buttons for my brothers, sister and myself that said "I am a beatle" and I was happily wearing that more than forty years ago, before I'd learned to ride a bicycle.

At this moment, I feel the same excitement that stirred when george martin (now Sir) got together with those four lads from liverpool.

Much more to come ( :

Finding indie artists of today covering Frank Sinatra on iTunes inspired me to look through my music library for some more singers of today covering the hits of yesterday, preferred songs from the 30s, 40s or 50s. Well, this was the plan but finally it turned out that I wasn't able to find covers of such old songs. The second approach was gathering cover songs twice as old as the performer but this rule has been broken if I found a cover song that was too awesome to exclude it from the list. Special thanks go to the people at the Flowerbox at KGRL's website for their contributions.

Retro cover songs

1. Dream a Little Dream of Me - Nicole Atkins
   
2. Amapola - Gaby Moreno
   
3. Fly Me To The Moon - Anna Ternheim
   
4. All of Me - Meiko
   
5. The Things We Did Last Summer - A Fine Frenzy
   
6. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Muse
   
7. The Nearness of You - Norah Jones
   
8. I'll Never Smile Again - Priscilla Ahn
   
9. Midnight Train to Georgia - Indigo Girls
   
10. Whispering Grass - Heidi Talbot
    
11. Goodnight Sweetheart - Jill Barber
    
12. More Than This - Missy Higgins
    
13. Angie - Tori Amos
    
14. Something In The Air (Live at Abbey Road) - Hayley Sanderson
    
15. Summertime - Theresa Sokyrka
    
16. Moon River - The Innocence Mission
    
17. I've Got You Under My Skin - Neneh Cherry
    
18. Dream a Little Dream of Me - Dala
    
19. Strangers in the Night - Anna Ternheim
    
20. Gentle On My Mind - R.E.M.
    
21. Danke Schoen - Rie Sinclair
    
22. Bei Mir Bist Du Schön - The Puppini Sisters
    
23. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky - The Outlaws
    
24. Not Fade Away (live) - Sheryl Crow & Keith Richards
    
25. Wild Horses - Jewel
    
26. Dance Me To The End Of Love - Madeleine Peyroux
    
27. Sway - The Puppini Sisters
    
28. Cruisin' - Theresa Sokyrka
    
29. Sea of Love - Cat Power
    
30. Cry Just A Little Bit (Shakin Stevens Cover) - Cloetta Paris
    
31. Wicked Game - Courtney Jaye
    
32. How Deep Is Your Love (with Sia) - The Bird and the Bee
    
33. Sentimental Journey - Renee Olstead
    
34. In The Mood - The Puppini Sisters
    
35. Singin' In The Rain - Jamie Cullum
    
36. My Heart Belongs To Daddy - Olivia Ruiz
    
37. I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl - Nikka Costa
    
38. At Last My Love Has Come Along (Live) - Christina Aguilera
    
39. Jeepers Creepers - The Puppini Sisters
    
40. Cruisin' (feat. Gwyneth Paltrow) - Huey Lewis & The News
    
41. Go Your Own Way - The Cranberries
    
42. (Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay (live) - Sara Bareilles
    
43. Autumn Leaves (Live) - The Bird and the Bee
    
44. Little Wing - The Corrs
    
45. Paint It Black - Vanessa Carlton
    
46. Paper Moon - Erin McKeown
    
47. You're Only Lonely - Schuyler Fisk
    
48. The Girl From Ipanema (KGRL FPA Live Session) - Blondfire
    
49. Mas Que Nada - Sunshine State
    
50. Somethin' Stupid (Stoopid) - Frente!
    
51. One Fine Day - Kat Edmonson
    
52. This Masquerade - Theresa Sokyrka
    
53. Can't Find My Way Home - Alana Davis
    
54. Cinnamon Girl - Euro-Trash Girl
    
55. Crazy (Live) - The Kills
    
56. You Just Like Me 'Cause I'm Good In Bed - Missy Higgins
    
57. I Ran (So Far Away) - Love Is All
    
58. I Want Candy - Melanie C
    
59. Eye in the Sky - Jonatha Brooke
    
60. Dance With Me - Regine Velasquez
    
61. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Acoustic Version) - Katie Melua
    
62. God Only Knows - Jonatha Brooke
    
63. End of the World - Nina Gordon
    
64. Across the Universe - Fiona Apple
    
65. Someone To Watch Over Me - Kat Parsons
    
66. Working Class Hero - Tina Dickow
    
67. On The Road Again - Katie Melua
    
68. At Last - Ali Slaight
    
69. I Put a Spell on You (Live) - Katie Melua
    
70. My Sweet and Bitter Bowl - Jonatha Brooke
    
71. Blue Moon - Tanita Tikaram & Mark Isham
    
72. Always On My Mind - Iron & Wine/Calexico
    
73. In Your Eyes (Live) - Sara Bareilles
    
74. Song To The Siren - This Mortal Coil feat. Elizabeth Fraser
    
75. Buckets of Rain - Neko Case
    
76. Don't Stop Believin' - Petra Haden
    
77. Two Tickets To Paradise - Geoff Farina
    
78. The Times They Are A-Changin' - Tracy Chapman
    
79. Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard (Live) - Julie Doiron
    
80. Sound of Silence - Emiliana Torrini
    
81. In the Ghetto - Natalie Merchant & Tracy Chapman
    
82. The Needle and The Damage Done (Neil Young) - Laura Marling
    
83. The Same Old Song [The Four Tops] - Iron & Wine
    
84. Trouble - Marissa Nadler
    
85. Downtown Train - Everything but the Girl
    
86. Dancing in the Dark - Tegan and Sara
    
87. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Sarah Blasko
    
88. Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan
    
89. Let It Be - Allison Crowe
    
90. Imagine - Tracy Chapman
    
91. Here Comes The Sun - Sarah Bettens
    
92. Fire and Rain - Dido
    
93. You Keep Me Hangin' On (Duet With Nena) - Kim Wilde & Nena
    
94. I'm on Fire - Heather Nova
    
95. Have a Little Faith in Me - Mandy Moore
    
96. Super Trouper - Camera Obscura
    
97. I Love Rock 'N' Roll - Britney Spears
    
98. You Sexy Thing - Stereophonics
    
99. I Want You Back - KT Tunstall
    
100. Like a hurricane - Heather Nova
     
101. Sound Of Silence - TheTrees
     

I'm doing my first tempts on Spotify, so if you're on there, this is the playlist I compiled from the songs I found Retro Cover Songs

It's been a few years since nick hornby, in a New York Times op-ed piece, "Rock of Ages", spoke of "that high-low fork in the road" asking: "Who has the nerve to pick up where Dickens or John Ford left off? ...who wants to make art that is committed and authentic and intelligent, but that sets out to include, rather than exclude?"

An answer is Allison Crowe, creator of such recordings as "Disease", "Skeletons And Spirits" and "Wedding Song" and interpretations of popular music from Leonard Cohen to Pearl Jam andl The Loving Spoonful.

This week the Chicago Tribune newspaper named the "5 best versions of Cohen's 'Hallelujah' " and counter-culture blog MIX listed the top "non-shills" in the music business. Allison Crowe is the only artist on both lists. Being ranked alongside Leonard Cohen, John Cale, Jeff Buckley and KD Lang for her transcendent, single/first-take, recording of "Hallelujah", and lining up with Ani DiFranco, Janis Ian, Trent Reznor, Radiohead and others for her integrity, is emblematic of Crowe's singular success.

She launched her own record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd., in 2003 and approaches music very differently to the industry standard of recent decades. The wholly independent vocalist and multi-instrumentalist shows you don't need to "play the game". You simply need to make great music. And you need to mean it.

"In a world of copycats and wannabes in the singer-songwriter field, Crowe is a true original and is playing in a league of her own", writes Tom Mureika. In this latest concert review penned for Westcoaster.ca, Mureika, a writer for AllMusicGuide, describes Crowe as an "astonishingly gifted artist" with "a dynamic stage presence - she is at once commanding and enrapturing." Saying: "Crowe is easily the most talented singer-songwriter to burst on the scene in quite some time... There were even times when her compositions came across like a modern day Carole King." Mureika concludes: "Her unique stylings, incredible range of delivery, songwriting chops and knack for interpreting cover tunes sets her apart from her peers".

AMG/Westcoaster.ca's Mureika is reporting on a sound heard coast-to-coast in canada, where Crowe resides on, both, Atlantic and pacific shores, and 'round the world live, on the internet and mp3 players everywhere, on Rogers, ATV, and CHUM television, the BBC, CBC radio and more.

From Canadian college radio station CFBX, where Crowe's newest of six CDs/albums, "Little Light" was top of general and specialty charts for weeks running this Spring, (since replaced on the roots chart by the latest from Neko Case, 'Middle Cyclone'), to audiences numbering in the millions worldwide for her videos on YouTube, and song tracks on such social networking platforms as Jamendo and Last.fm to mainstream outlets iTunes and Amazon, Crowe's appeal bridges the iconoclastic and the populist.

UK audiences heard from Allison Crowe when she was a sensation at the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness, Scotland (crowned the "UK's Best New Festival' in early 2008). Crowe's performance in the Scottish Highlands, on-stage between Carol Ann Duffy, appointed Britain's Poet Laureate just this month, and Master of The Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, is the stuff of legend.

Recently, two prominent tributes to Leonard Cohen have featured her song contributions. During a triumphal Beatles Week 2008 concert series, BBC Radio 2 interviewed and recorded Allison Crowe in liverpool performing "Hallelujah" for its documentary, "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall", that explores the many facets of this Leonard Cohen creation. Hosted by Guy Garvey of Elbow, other participants include musicians Imogen Heap and Kathryn Williams alongside producers John Lissauer and Andy Wallace.

MOJO magazine's December '08 issue paid tribute to Cohen with a celebration of his "deep and moving music". Of Allison Crowe's contribution of "Joan Of Arc" to its 'All Star Tribute", (featuring Judy Collins, Nick Cave, Martha Wainwright and others), a cover-mount CD titled "Cohen Covered", MOJO says: "Once famously described by the Vancouver Courier as possessing a style akin to 'Elton John meets Edith Piaf', the Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe is renowned for her ability to blend control and melodrama. Certainly she does so on this spirited cover of Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate classic, a track which also powerfully showcases her considerable talent as a fine interpreter of song."

Jeffrey Pitcher, Artistic Director of Theatre Newfoundland Labrador has worked with Crowe on TNL's "Sexy and Dangerous" production in Corner Brook for two years. He says: "No matter where she is in this world, that voice, that conviction, it crosses all borders. She's one of those rare artists that fits into any culture, any community because she is who she is – an incredible talent."

"Ever wonder what it would have been like to listen to a gifted singer/songwriter from Saskatchewan in a small, intimate hall before she became Joni Mitchell? Don't fret the missed opportunity. There's no need to turn back the clock. Check out Allison Crowe," says Robert Reid in The Record (Canada). Longtime WGTE/NPR (USA) host Ross Hocker calls a performance by Crowe "the most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life".

Allison Crowe (voice/piano/guitar) and her band-mates, Billie Woods (guitar), Dave Baird (bass) and Laurent Boucher (percussion), embark now on tour - a string of dates that launch in her atlantic home, newfoundland this Saturday, May 9, at Bianca's, in st. john's, NL and Wednesday, May 13 at the arts and culture Centre, corner brook, NL - and take the quartet to a range of european cultural capitals:

23.05.09 - the lot, edinburgh, scotland
25.05.09 - the halo, london, england
28.05.09 - aula carolina, aachen, Germany
29.05.09 - jazzbar vogler, munich, Germany
03.06.09 - jazzlokal mampf, frankfurt, Germany
06.06.09 - venue/city tba
09.06.09 - osterkirche, berlin, germany
11.06.09 - divadlo dobeska, prague, czech republic
13.06.09 - tunnel-vienna-live, wien, austria

For music and more info visit: www.allisoncrowe.com

My other blog posts about free music available on Last.fm can be found HERE

Abscondo [acoustic/folk]

Ali Whitton [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Allison Crowe [singer-songwriter]

Anders Tengdahl [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Anders Westerlund [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Beeshop [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

bert jerred [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Canadian Island [acoustic]

Clementine [finnish singer-songwriter]

Daniel Bautista [acoustic]

Dan Masquelier [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

The Dog Days [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Dulci [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Emma Forman [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

The Flying Black Hats [acoustic]

For Your Ears Only [acoustic/instrumental]

Gafyn Davies [singer-songwriter]

Gökçer Yelken [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

The Heaving Seas [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Hiver [piano/singer-songwriter/electronic]

The Horses of Instruction [acoustic]

Hot Pants [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

ifes [acoustic/indie]

in grams [acoustic]

Jake Skubisz [singer-songwriter]

Jamie Dams [singer-songwriter]

JARED ROCK! [acoustic/folk]

Jason Ferris [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Jason Silver [piano/singer-songwriter]

Jena Kraus [folk/singer-songwriter]

Johnny Wrong [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Johannes Hopfner [acoustic/folk]

Josh Woodward [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Julia A. Noack [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

KJN [acoustic]

Koonsidi'o [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Krystian Dell [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Last To Be Picked [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Laura Helde [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Le Luci Della Centrale Elettrica [singer-songwriter]

like a fire in nebraska [acoustic/mellow]

Lisbeth Wennberg [ambient/singer-songwriter]

Liz Ball [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Lut Luttik [singer-songwriter]

Magnus Tengdahl [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Mount Analogue [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Niclas Stagnér [singer-songwriter]

No, Really [acoustic/folk]

now you see them [acoustic]

Oonagh Ryder [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Patrick Ripoll [acoustic/electronic]

Philip Babineaux [singer-songwriter] (click on the albums to find the free tracks)

RESIST NOT [acoustic]

Rider Where The Trees Are Low [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Rodrigo Daniel [acoustic/lo-fi]

Selah Sue [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Shelby Sifers [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

shino [acoustic]

Sofia Talvik [singer-songwriter]

Sophie Nash [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

The Soundrops [acoustic]

Spencer Bell [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Stephen Chavez [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Tae-Ming Tigers [lo-fi/singer-songwriter]

Terry Springford [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Wilson Noble [acoustic]

Your Yellow Dress [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Zach Bronow [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

50 Cent Free [acoustic/singer-songwriter]

Диана Арбенина [acoustic]

Макс ИвАнов [acoustic]

"Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on" singer-songwriter Allison Crowe.

The Canadian musician has transformed into a much-acclaimed and loved international presence in music - all without the sort of corporate-backing, grant-funding, and ad-shilling elements that can be like kryptonite to an artist of talent and integrity.

Crowe's latest props come from Hollywood director Zack Snyder whose movie version of The Watchmen opens today in theatres worldwide. The creative team behind The Watchmen blockbuster already list Allison Crowe alongside Jimi Hendrix in their fave pop culture music listening right now (on their Cruel and Unusual Films site).

What can now be revealed is that, for the past year+, two of Allison Crowe's recordings of iconic songs have been part of The Watchmen film's creation.

Crowe, one of the most original and exciting songwriters and performers to emerge since rock's golden age, is also world-renowned for the beauty and emotional power of her song interpretations.

"Allison Crowe is the best thing to happen to 'Me and Bobby McGee' since Janis Joplin changed Kristofferson's lyrics", says American culture blogger Allan Showalter (in his 1 Heck of a Guy blog).

Her recording of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah"Hallelujah", a song with devotees for each of its plenitude of renditions, has found a cherished place with global audiences. "Crowe's version is a living thing, a meditation and a celebration and a benediction," says one reviewer. Another calls her Tidings album, single/first take, version of Hallelujah, simply, "one of the most amazing things ever recorded onto magnetic tape".

The Watchmen movie, a faithful adaptation of the seminal graphic novel created by writer Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, presents an alternate reality set in a 1985 when Richard Nixon is still US President, and costumed heroes are outlawed as vigilantes. Characters inhabiting this twilight world, writes Slant mag, are "all psychological misfits, their perversions and sadism warped reflections of superhero virtues, and Snyder pulls few punches in his depiction of them, from the Comedian gunning down a pregnant woman in cold blood… to the sexually messed-up Nite Owl and Laurie (Silk Spectre II) sc***ing".

Discussing this latter scene, in which leather/latex fetishism of costumed crime-fighting serves to conquer male impotence, Zack Snyder provides insight into the wedding of music to imagery and action. "I originally had a different version of 'Hallelujah' on that scene - it was the version by Allison Crowe, and it was really beautiful," he explains to the Boston Phoenix. "Too beautiful, as it turned out, because when I showed it to my buddies, they were like, 'Wow, you really mean this, this love scene.' So I was like, okay, that didn't work."

To fit this particular dystopian vision, Allison Crowe's singular, modern, covers have made way for the film's use of the original song recordings. The famous Janis Joplin and Leonard Cohen tracks are paired, instead, subversively.

It's tremendously exciting for Crowe to be part of The Watchmen movie process and, "mind-blowing", as she describes it, to receive such respect and appreciation. Looking to the independent Ani DiFranco as a model, she says it's an honour, and, "stirs a certain somewhat buried hope that things can still be done the way I believe they can... and that there are still people who love music for music's sake".

Allison Crowe is readying now for performances in Western and Atlantic Canada, and her return to Scotland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and more concert locations this Spring. Visit http://www.allisoncrowe.com for music and for more news.

http://cd-rwu.blogspot.com/ - 21 XII 2008

Only free music

1. Entertainment For The Braindead - Fences (msc Remix)
2. Entertainment For The Braindead - Resolutions (Chrissumer Remix)
3. Entertainment For The Braindead - Colours (Album Remix)
4. Tracing Arcs - Animals
5. Tracing Arcs - A Pig & A Cow
6. Surf Sluts - Scary Tale in Olde York
7. Allison Crowe - Silent Night
8. Jennifer Avalon - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
9. Adrian Charkman - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Allison Crowe - What Child Is This (Greensleeves)
11. Fruhstuck - Angel
12. Fruhstuck - Song of Deliverance