Daughter

Although I recognized some of her pictures during my quest for a beautiful photo for this post It was really the amazing folk duo "The Civil Wars" that recommended today's featured "Daughter" on their facebook page. I'm glad they did. Daughter's debut "His Young Heart" EP is a real treat for your ears. Featuring four songs, with beautiful vocals and heartbreaking honest lyrics that will make you want more. Daughter's Elena Tonra Grew up in a quiet part of north London and spent her days listening to her parent’s vinyl collections and older brother’s rock CDs. Later she discovered the beauty of acoustic and folk inspired music and started to create stories and poems which formed the skeletons of her songs. While wearing clothes that old people may well have died in, and a bowl-cut the Beatles would be proud of, Daughter tells tales of ghosts, drowning lovers and setting fire to her insides for fun. Don't hesitate and give the EP a listen at her Bandcamp page, or download the free track beneath! As a bonus there is a demo EP available for FREE from here.

@ London, UK

♫ Folk, Pop, Acoustic

♥ Landfill (mp3)

▸ Facebook
+ Free Demo EP

Free Music: Susan Enan

It's been over two years since I featured Susan Enan on this blog. Today I recevied an email from NoiseTrade that her album "Plainsong" is downloadable for FREE from their website for a limited time.With this post I wanted to make sure you were not missing out on this great offer! Be sure to check it out! Susan Enan released her debut album 'Plainsong' in 2009. In 2006, while demoing songs for the record, Enan began receiving worldwide attention after her track "Bring On The Wonder" featuring Sarah McLachlan, appeared on the second season of the Fox show Bones. The song was also featured on the shows soundtrack two years later. It took another 6 months to wrap up the record proper which features Enan's remix of "Bring on the Wonder" along with 9 other tracks. In June 2010 Sarah McLachlan recorded her own version of "Bring On The Wonder" for her seventh studio album Laws of Illusion. Susan is currently embarking on a worldwide house concert tour called "Bring On The Song". The self-produced record was recorded in 5 different countries, much of it in Enan's small home studio in Brooklyn. It was finally released in July 2009 and features co-production from Alan Bezozi, musical appearances from Ashwin Sood (drums), Steve Schiltz (guitars), Graham Maby (bass), and vocal appearances from Declan O'Rouke and Sarah McLachlan.  Be sure to check it out!

@ Brooklyn, USA

♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop

♥ Bring on the Wonder (mp3)

▸ Facebook

+ FREE ALBUM

Free Music: Elastic Summer

Now that spring is coming closer and closer, I already cannot wait for summer to start with long days of being outside and doing nothing. If that is the same for you, then already get in the mood in the mood with the happy carefree indie pop of Elastic Summer. A friend of mine recommended Elastic Summer, and when I listened to their EP I just could not believe they're offering their EP for FREE! Elastic Summer is a pop band based in Brooklyn, New York. It was founded by Rebeca (vocals) and Michael (drums) in the Summer of 2010. They then recruited Joe (guitar) and Bryan (on the bass) with an incredibly successful Craigslist ad. Rebeca is a Brazilian from New Jersey. Michael is from California, Joe is from Texas and Bryan is from Berklee College of Music. Together they enjoy asian cuisine, tequila shots, and playing the board game taboo. The average band height is 6 feet and 1/4 inches. The average age is 22. Their first EP, “Elastic Summer,” was engineered and mixed by Rebeca at her house, and released in February of 2011. And now can be downloaded for FREE from their Bandcamp.

@ New York, USA

♫ Indie Pop

♥ Super Powers (mp3) 

▸ Official Website

+ download FREE EP

Anticipated Upcoming Releases [Spring 2011]

Now this new year is already nearing it's second month I decided to put up a list of some anticipated releases for the coming months, it's nowhere near complete, but just chose a random few in no particular order. When possible I've provided free mp3's as sneakpeeks for what's coming.

Lamplight

Katie Costello

♫ Ashes Ashes (mp3)

February 22

Barton Hollow

The Civil Wars

♫ Barton Hollow (mp3)

February 1

Sister Wife

Alex Winston

♫ Sister Wife (mp3)

March 8

101

Keren Ann

♫ My Name Is Trouble (mp3)

February 28

Towards the Sun

Alexi Murdoch

♫ Towards the Sun (mp3)

March 8

Gold in the Shadow

William Fitzsimmons

March 22

The Deep Field

Joan as Police Woman

♫ The Magic (mp3)

January 25

The Valley

Eisley

♫ Smarter (mp3)

March 1

Mondo Amore

Nicole Atkins

♫ Vultures (mp3)

February 8

Wounded Rhymes

Lykke Li

♫ Get Some (mp3)

March 1

Charlatans at the Garden Gate

Tristen

♫ Eager for Your Love (mp3)

February 1

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

February 14

-----UPDATE 29 JANUARY-----

Tell Me
Jessica Lea Mayfield
♫ Our Hearts Are Wrong (mp3)
Feb 8

Propeller versus Wings
Zoey van Goey
February 14

Southerner
Trent Dabbs
♫ Follow Suit (mp3)
February 22

Feel free to post a comment if you think that there are releases that should be on the list! [remember that this is a SPRING 2011 list, so summer releases will be up another time]

Merry Christmas [Part II]

Sorry for the delay, but here's some additional great christmas music! If I've missed some great releases, I'm sure I have, just post it in a comment!

**********

December 2010 EP
The Innocence Mission
♫ In the Bleak Midwinter (mp3)
+ Full EP stream

How To Throw A Christmas Party
Brown Feather Sparrow
♫ Let Us Come Together (mp3)
♫ December Radio (mp3)
+ Full Album Stream

I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun
Beach House
♫ I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun (mp3)

Snow Angels
Over the Rhine
♫ Darlin' (Christmas is Coming) (mp3)
♫ All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue (mp3)
+ Buy

Music For Winter: Volume 2
Dogs on Tour
♫ Jingle Bells (mp3)
♫ Santa Claus, Where Is He (mp3)
+ Free Full Album Download

Tracks in the Snow
The Civil Wars
♫ Tracks in the Snow (mp3)
+ Download Free EP

All I Want is the Truth (For Christmas)
The Mynabirds
♫ All I Want is the Truth (For Chrismas) (mp3)
+ Buy

Merry Christmas!!

Free Music: Alex Winston

Just in time for Christmas, here's a little present from LMLI (in fact it's from Alex ;-) ) It's an FREE EP of Alex Winston. While it’s a great accomplishment to play a single instrument well, it’s a truly rare gift to play many perfectly. With The Basement Covers EP, singer Alex Winston proves she is one of the exceptional few. Classically trained in opera and bred on musical Americana, Winston’s truly unique and refreshing sound, comparable to innovative musicians Lykke Li and Kate Nash, thrives on her self-recorded EP. The beautiful Detroit- native remarkably played each instrument—guitar, piano, drums—on the four-song EP which she recorded in her actual home basement. But for now you can freely download the EP HERE it features versions of songs by Mumford & Sons, the Rolling Stones and Jack Peñate, as well as by Teddy Bears and Francis and the Lights.

@ Detroit, USA

♫ Indie, Pop

♥ Choice Notes (mp3)
♥ It'll Be Better (mp3)

♥ The Cave (mp3)

▸ MySpace

▸ Facebook

+ Free EP

Merry Christmas [Part I]

LMLI all wishes you a Merry Christmas, and to celebrate, today the first special post dedicated to christmas music featuring old and new christmas releases, you should check out. Additionally I've provided some christmas projects from other sites you also should not miss out on! Tomorrow I'll post part two! (I've provided as much free mp3's as possible, you can also try clicking on the album covers to listen to the full albums on Spotify!)

**********

Songs for Christmas
Sufjan Stevens
♫ Sister Winter (mp3)
♫ That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! (mp3)
+ Buy

Let It Snow Baby - Let It Reindeer

Relient K

▸ Merry Christmas, Here's To Many More (video)

+ Buy

By the Fire Side With You
Ellen and The Escapades
♫ By The Fire Side With You (mp3)
+ Buy

Home For Christmas

Maria Mena

♫ Home For Christmas (mp3)

+ Buy

**********

Stay tuned for part two, tomorrow, including (at least) two free christmas albums!

Free Music: Christine Hoberg

Christine Hoberg was recommended by Dieter, a reader and friend. Christine is a singer-songwriter originally from the Great Lakes region of the US. Her LP ‘Nice’ which she wrote, produced, & co-arranged, was released in October 2008. Christine recorded ‘Nice’ backwards according to most album standards, laying down vocals first a cappella to a click track, and later adding piano, guitar, upright bass, cello, and strings. The credits are a complete mash-up of local metro Detroit talent. ‘Nice’ mixes dreamy vocals and throwback jazz with cheeky shots at Hoberg’s exes. It has been described as ‘a mix of vivid orchestrations and gritty vocals’. Her past pieces focused on a pop-head meets the blues mentality often times focusing on intense melodic layering and extensive vocal vamping. The good news is that her album "Nice" now can be downloaded for FREE from here.

 

1. Nice

2. White Ass (mp3)

3. Nutcase

4. J'aime

5. Mon Chat Amour

6. Foolish

7. Whatever You Want Me To Be (mp3)

8. Fish Lips

9. Take Me Away

10. Weaknesses

11. Wore It Down

MYSPACE | DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK

Free Music: Bella Ruse

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, have been hitchiking last weekend, but am back with a new "free music" post, I love to share these FREE downloads. Enjoy! In the last year, minimalist folk duo Bella Ruse have proven themselves to be a talented hardworking band, going on three national tours and recording three EPs. Their simple but engagingly intimate show has impressed festival and club audiences from their hometown of Minneapolis to Seattle to Hollywood, and their songs Push On and Dark Horse have received radio and podcast play worldwide. They have also fully funded their upcoming full length album via Kickstarter.com with the generous support of their fans all across the country. After only a year together, band members Kay and Joseph are poised to have a big impact on the national scene. You can now download their selftitled EP for FREE, click here.

1. Push On (mp3)
2. Dark Horse (mp3)
3. Remember Me
4. J' ai Presque Peur
5. Hold Me Close
6. Heart Of Everyone

MYSPACE | DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK

Free Music: He Is We

He is We are Trevor Kelly (acoustic guitar) and Rachel Taylor (vocals). They met working at Ted Brown Music in Tacoma, WA. When you spend a lot of time with someone and you don’t end up hating them… chances are you’re going to be great pals. They both played music but different kinds. Rachel is into indie pop,melodic metal and girlie stuff. Trevor is into the hardcore metal that talks about bloody things and such. Oh the madness! But it just clicked…And they started writing songs together. The band has changed its members around a bit trying to find the ones that fit. Its all about the right combination. Everythings finally settling down now and they are currently in the process of recording and releasing their debut EP. They recently released “A Mess It Grows” on iTunes, the first single of the upcoming EP. To keep you busy till the full EP drops they decided to share all the music they’ve done up to now for FREE on their Bandcamp page. So don’t hesitate but start downloading already!

1. I Wouldn't Mind
2. Blame It On The Rain
3. Breathe
4. Pardon Me
5. Blame It On The Rain
6. Give It All (mp3)
7. Happily Ever After (mp3)
8. Light A Way
9. Pardon Me
10. Pour Me Out
11. Too Beautiful
12. Radio
DOWNLOAD | BUY | MYSPACE

Free Music: Stef Lang

Last year, Stephanie Lang (aka Stef Lang)was featured on here. The post ended with the promise of an upcoming EP, now almost eight months later Stephanie's debut album is about to be released. The good thing is that you can actualy download it now, for FREE!! For the ones not familiar with Stef's music yet, head over to the earlier post, or read the small biography beneath.

I'm originally from a small town (Ladysmith, BC on Vancouver Island). Most people can't figure out my ethnicity, so here's a secret...(I'm half Filipino, half Canadian). At 17, I left small town life and moved to Vancouver to pursue music. The last three years have been spent playing every pub, bar, club, cafe I could weasel my way into, writing over 250 songs to hone my craft, and building relationships with very diverse and talented people. I'm 21 now, just released my EP "Blood and Bravery" via Universal/Hipjoint Muisc, which I wrote, recorded and produced. My full length debut album "The Underdog" is set to drop June 1st 2010

1. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
2. The Phoenix
3. The Underdog
4. Bend A Little, Bend A Lot
5. Mr. Immature
6. Slave2Love
7. Closet Freak
8. Be Gentle
9. The Other Side
10. Straitjacket
11. Foolish
12. Diamonds (mp3)
MYSPACE | BUY | DOWNLOAD

Free Music: Emily Fehler

Emily Fehler is an up and coming singer-songwriter from Boston. She is currently attending Berklee College of Music which she will be graduating from in 2012. She is signed with Act So Big Forest records and released a selftitled EP in 2008. Her so far untitled, full length debut album is being mastered and will be released somewhere in the coming months. On her free selftitled EP produced by Jonathan Alonzo and Dave Maddocks, Emily plays the guitar, keyboard and dulcimer and is supported by Jonathan Alonzo (Bass, vocals, 12-string, electric guitar, keyboard), Kay Berthoff (percussion), Rion Hover (drums), Kabir Vermouth (electric guitar, lap steel). Emily sounds like a younger mix of Maria Taylor, Feist and sometimes Joni Mitchell Some of those together with Regina Spektor, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith she considers as her influence when she sings about love, life, earth, travelling and everything in between.

EP
1. A Look In Your Direction
2. Your Mother's Quilt
3. Can't Get Enough
4. Man Of Constant Silence
5. Roots
6. Hold Your Fire
7. Stay
SINGLE
8. Mother (mp3)
9. People, Places, Things (mp3)

| DOWNLOAD | MYSPACE |

Contest: Lucy Schwartz Signed EP Giveaway

It's already more than a year ago that I featured Lucy Schwartz on here for the first time. I fell head over heels in love with Lucy's first release "Winter in June" and have been hoping and waiting for new songs from her ever since. The single "Gone Away" she released last year made my anticipation even higher and instantly became my favorite song of hers. Last week I found out about the new "Help Me! Help Me!" EP she's releasing January 26th. The new EP features earlier released singles like "Gone Away" and "Gravity" and three brand new songs.

1. Help Me! Help Me! (mp3)
2. Those Days
3. Gravity
4. Gone Away
5. Respect

The good news is: I may give one signed copy of the EP away for FREE, to one of the readers of this blog. Exciting, eh! Well this is how it is going to work, as you can see on the top of the page, the name of this blog is LetMeLikeIt-a daily updated musicblog. I want everyone to come up with a new tagline, so come up with a catchy new phrase that perfectly suits with what this blog stands for.

You can post your tagline/phrase in a comment (don't forget to add your e-mail address so I can contact you) or mail it to me.

This contest ends the 31st of January 00:00 (GMT+1)

CONTEST CLOSED, WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Free Music: Emilie Lund

Emilie Lund from Stockholm, Sweden. Emilie is a young and talented singer/songwriter who is inspired by musicians like Nick Drake and Coco Rosie. Listening to music of others is by far not her only inspiration: Studying theatre at daytime and taking long walks through the nightly streets of Stockholm is part of her musical recipe. But the most important ingredient for her music is a remote area, far away from the city, somewhere in the Swedish countryside. The woods around that area can be seen as one of her main sources of inspiration. She spent half of her life in a house, practically in the forest – where she used to live with her parents. Whenever she gets there, creative things happen. She doesn’t need much to sound as wonderful as she does: “I like to make music with simple tools, whatever I can find in the house, my voice and my guitar.” Emilie sees beauty in simplicity. Things, just like music, have to have a soul, she says. “The music has to come from somewhere, a feeling that you just need to express. I love simplicity and intimacy and I try not to think too much about the sound.” After Emilie recorded a handful of songs in 2007, we stumbled upon her via Myspace. We immediately fell on love with her music and asked her whether she would like to release an EP with us. We can’t tell you how glad we are she agreed. The 5 tracks of the Emilie Lund EP can be downloaded for FREE – you are also free to copy and redistribute the songs for non-commercial purposes.

@ Sweden
♫ Indie, Acoustic, Pop
♥ Childhood Friend (mp3)
▸ Myspace
+ Free Emilie Lund EP

Free Music: The Wind Whistles

Tom and Liza are the Wind Whistles and they live together in the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada. As an indie folk duo, they both sing and both play acoustic instruments (guitar,bass). Sometimes they play alone and sometimes they bring friends, more times not. They think they sound like a cross of Lemonheads and Violent Femmes while people tell them they sound like a cross of the Decemberists and the Moldy Peaches. Beginning in the spring of 2006, they’ve done the usual artist thing: demo, radio, festivals, tours, friends and lots and lots of shows. In 2007, they have released their first full length “window sills” and try to spread it around as much as they can. That’s why they have decided to re-release their 12-track LP under a creative commons license. Aaahh-records, your new favourite netlabel for absolutely charming music, is very proud to have “window sills” their first release and will do its best to promote the album. In April, Tom and Liza have quit their jobs and headed across Canada with the the Greenbelt Collective, then they will head alone to Europe in May, June, July, August, and back across North America in September and October starting from the East Coast. Annually the Wind Whistles organize the Annually the Wind Whistles organize the celebrated local Beanstalk Folk Festival; a festival in which the ‘Folk’ is a loose term for some of their favourite artists that aren’t rock or too loud. The Wind Whistles are notorious do-it-yourselfers and love to meet generous and creative people that make beautiful things happen. So, please do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Get the FREE album here.

@ Vancouver, Canada
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop
♥ Gold Fever (mp3)
♥ Communication's Dead (mp3)
▸ Myspace
+ Free album "Window Sills"

Free Music: The Black Atlantic

The Black Atlantic is an acoustic indie pop band based out of Groningen, Holland. The Black Atlantic's music is in introspective and intimate affair of melancholy, folk influenced acoustic pop, relying heavily on vocal harmonies and melody on soft strummed guitars, piano and minimal percussion. The band often uses nature imagery to express their stories on love, death and family. The band has toured in various incarnations around the world (US, EU, UK) and have played with bands such as Nada Surf, Patrick Watson and Saturday Looks Good to Me. They recently finished their debut album, entitled “Reverence for Fallen Trees”, most of which was recorded over the fall of 2008 in a log cabin in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Everyone but especially fans of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Sigúr Ros and Patrick Watson should download this album for FREE, highly recommended!

@ Groningen, NL
♫ Ambient, Acoustic, Pop
♥ Fragile Meadow (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website
+ Free Album

Chloe Hall

It had been a while since the last time that I was looking at Myspace for new music until I found the Australian singer-songwriter Chloe Hall last week with some random browsing.
Chloe Hall is an engaging, intriguing and charismatic performer, but it’s the simple, undeniable quality of her songs that will make you want to listen to her songs non-stop. Tragedy is met with grace, loneliness is met with a wry humour – the sun never entirely leaves Chloe’s moody autumnal sky. From her early days as a teenage-troubadour on Australia’s folk-circuit, through years of touring both in Australia and, more recently, North America, Chloe has blossomed into an exciting international artist. Her new album “Outside“, due for release in 2009, reveals the fulfillment of Chloe’s development into the serious recording artist she has always been threatening to become. Chloe is currently on a mission to get 10.000 listeners to her new album and I was more than happy to help her to reach that goal. If you want to be part of it too, read more about it here and start listening to the fully streamable new album Outside.

@ Australia
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Indie
♥ Shipwreck (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website
+ Free Album Stream

Free Music: Tirzah Lemmens

Growing up performing with her father, Tirzah Lemmens has been an aspiring musician from an early age. In the spring of 2008, Tirzah was awarded a residency at the Contemporary Music Center, an invitation only artists' colony on the island of Martha's Vineyard, MA. Here, she spent four months of intense writing, performing, and recording alongside twenty other selected artists and music executives. During her time at the CMC, in addition to performing with artists every week, she was able to work on developing her musical style and refine her songwriting. Tirzah grew up in a small town in Minnesota and attended Northwestern College in St. Paul. After graduating this spring, Tirzah finished her debut EP, “Songbird” which can be downloaded now for FREE, with NoiseTrade, and has started working on a full album. Combining a variety of influences including Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Colbie Caillat, Fiona Apple, Etta James, Aimee Mann, Over The Rhine, Leigh Nash, and others. The EP features five beautiful songs all with Tirzah's pure, ethereal vocals in the piano-driven folk pop songs. All lyrics are wrapped gracefully around genuine stories and meditations on life.

@ Minneapolis, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
♥ Wish (mp3)
▸ Myspace
+ Free EP

Let Me Tell You: Free The Civil Wars Album

I've listened to Joy Williams' music since she released her debut album eight years ago. After releasing four albums she took a break from music. This year she released a new EP, that is more in the singer-songwriter genre and less poppier than her previous releases. Not only is she making music again, she also joined forces with John Paul White and created the band The Civil Wars. Together they play beautiful harmonious folk songs. To promote this new project, they are giving away their first live album featuring 10 beautiful songs for FREE, no hassle, no email required, just click and DOWNLOAD.

Gifts for you!

It's christmas in two days and that's why I want to share this legal free albums with you.

Merry Christmas!

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Alex & Sam
Sounds Like This: Volume One
Indie, Pop, Folk
See You Through (mp3)
Myspace

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Brooke Waggoner
Fresh Pair of Eyes EP
Indie, Pop
Hush If You Must (mp3)
Myspace

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Jonathan Clay
The Acoustic Sessions
Acoustic, Indie, Folk
This One's For Me (mp3)
Myspace

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Jarah Jane
Underwater Balloons
Acoustic, Folk Rock
Stay Awhile (mp3)
Myspace

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Sean Fournier
Oh My
Acoustic, Folk Rock, Pop
Another Like You (mp3)
Myspace