Marvin

Bam Bam: Bam Bam

Marvin
The self-titled 26 minute EP by Bam Bam is a bit of a thrill to listen to. It sounds like they went into the studio with every trick they had and spared nothing. While Brian Wilson need not worry about losing his throne, this collection of power pop ditties turns how to be immensely creative and listenable. The lyrics are in Spanish yet it is not a problem since it is the infectious spirit and likability of this band that carry the session. “Oro Flash” is the highlight of the set with its slightly psychedelic leanings mixed with enthusiastic vocals but I also enjoyed the Animal Collective sounding “Hi-Q” and the lively “Sin Las Patas Traseras”. No, it’s not Pet Sounds (what is?) but it’s Bam Bam and that’s good enough for a party.
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Just Plain Ant: Dig Deep

Marvin
Dig Deep is a refreshing answer to those dwindling ignorant people that still believe free independent music is inferior to the corporate variety of pop music. Just Plain Ant is an excellent producer of lush and groovin’ hip-hop by any standards. This new free and legal online album is from BlocSonic which is best known for their compilation series of net label music titled NetBloc. This is their first foray into a single artist album and they did Just Plain Ant proud…or is it the other way around? The Richmond, Virginia based artist is at his best and he surrounds himself with equally talented rappers like Jay Slim, Sleaze, and Brad Oblivion.
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Paolo Pavan: Inside

Marvin
I have spent a little time in Italian jazz clubs so I feel fairly safe saying that some of Europe’s best jazz musicians hail from Italy. (I have a French friend who would, and has, aggressively argued this with me). Pianist Paolo Pavan has to be one of the finer jazz artists in Italy and, from the sound of his free online album titled Inside, can clearly hold his own with the upper echelon of jazz musicians throughout the world.
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Momus: Multiple Albums

Marvin
Nick Currie aka Momus released six albums from 1987 to 1993 on the now defunct Creation Records. Since they are no longer in print and unlikely ever to be re-issued, the Scottish singer/songwriter made a momentous decision to release them himself as free and legal online albums.
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D3Zs: Doin’ The Raps [Part 1]

Marvin
D3Zs is a group of hip-hop artists from Canada and Japan. Having met at a show in Kyoto, the artists worked on a number of projects, one being this free online album released by the exciting new hip-hop net label, Random Flow.
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Monk Turner: Love Story

Marvin
Monk Turner’s Love Story is a fascinating concept album. It is a tale of romance that uses the Buddhist Tale of The Ten Bulls as its structure. Each track corresponds to the 10 parts of the classic Buddhist analogy so it will enhance your enjoyment of the album by first reading the tale. However Monk’s songs are entertaining enough on their own. They begin with a rap pastiche titled “Get up, Do Your Thing” which is a bit over-the-top but sweeter ballads like “Wave a White Flag (Surrender)” are on the mark and has a a bit of a Prince influence. My favorite track is the cute 50s tribute titled “We Do This All The Time”. This is a clever and fun album.
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Voodoo Economics: if : then :: iminami

Marvin
Voodoo Economics is a hard act to classify. There are traces of hip-hop, trip-hop, techno, industrial and even goth throughout the tracks on their album titled If: Then:: Iminami. Yet no one genre dominates. In various reviews, the word ‘quirky’ comes up often. The band’s fondness for fragmented riffs and odd time signatures certainly sounds quirky. While this may keep them off the commercial radar there is still plenty of intelligent music from this very professional sounding band for music lovers to admire.
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The Kyoto Connection

Marvin
The Kyoto Connection plays chilled out electro-pop mixed with a generous amount of Japanese sounds. Their 2008 release titled The Kyoto Connection II is now free and online. While the Japanese influence was not quite as dominant as I expected it to be, their music is still full of unexpected surprises in the engaging electronic arrangements.
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Hungry Lucy: Glo

Marvin
Glo is Hungry Lucy's second release. While the music is trip-hop on the surface there is a gentler side to these songs that practically floats to your ears. The Teatime Sessions consists of nine live performances from podcasts titled Tea With Hungry Lucy. These are slightly pared down but still eloquent performances.
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Marvin