The tracks for the March 2010 sampler are no longer available. Please visit the latest sampler for more tracks! www.utne.com/sampler
Every month, Utne Reader presents free, downloadable music gleaned from current and upcoming releases on independent labels, curated by senior editor Keith Goetzman.
Dessa
The one-woman powerhouse known simply as Dessa breathes fresh life into hip-hop with a literate sensibility and an aversion to genre clichés: “Children’s Work” is in part about her early love of books. Look for a review of her album A Badly Broken Code (101 Distribution) in the May-June Utne Reader.
Track: “Children’s Work” by Dessa (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
The Holmes Brothers
The deep, resonant harmonies of the Holmes Brothers are a balm for troubled minds. Their new album Feed My Soul (Alligator) is another strong recording in a long and storied career.
Track: “Living Well Is the Best Revenge” by the Holmes Brothers (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
Rogue Wave
The follow-up to Rogue Wave’s captivating 2007 album Asleep at Heaven’s Gate has been a long time coming, in part because of health issues that dogged the band. The dance beats on Permalight (Brushfire) might at first come as a surprise, but it doesn’t take long before they naturally weave their way into the band’s blissful sounds.
Track: “Good Morning (The Future)” by Rogue Wave (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
Anaïs Mitchell
Retelling the myth of Orpheus with a cast of indie rock and folk musicians is not your everyday album approach. Anaïs Mitchell tackles this daunting task adroitly on Hadestown (Righteous Babe) with help from collaborators including Greg Brown, Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), and Ani DiFranco.
Track: “Way Down Hadestown” by Anaïs Mitchell (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
Si Kahn
A Labrador retriever daydreams of taking to the skies on this whimsical song from Courage (Strictly Country), the new release by vaunted veteran singer-songwriter Si Kahn. Elsewhere on the album he sings odes to working men and women including custodians, the workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and a trucker who loves to play music with friends.
Track: “Otis Is Flying” by Si Kahn (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
Clem Snide
The lyrics of frontman Eef Barzelay carry a sardonic air, but Clem Snide’s music rewards close listening by revealing shades of warmth and wit. The subtle title track from the new album on 429 Records unfurls into a riveting Wilco-like instrumental burst in the midsection.
Track: “The Meat of Life” by Clem Snide (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)
Josh Rouse
Midwest-born singer-songwriter Rouse has some serious huevos to issue a mostly Spanish album called El Turista (Yep Roc/Bedroom Classics)—but he pulls it off admirably, in part because of the album’s openly whimsical air. After all, don’t we all want to live on islands?
Track: “I Will Live on Islands” by Josh Rouse (To download, right click on the link and “Save Target As.”)