Free Download Tuesday

Those of you who follow the blog know of my love/hate relationship with Coldplay. I kind of can't stand their bloated, self-important whiny Brit-pop, but then they come out with "Viva La Vida," which I have always grudgingly admitted is the greatest pop single of the past decade.

Due to my Coldplay-centric inner conflict, I have never actually purchased a Coldplay album, but now that Coldplay is offering a free download of their new live album as a thank-you to fans, I am powerless to resist. (I am a sucker for a free download, and this one does feature a live version of "Viva.")

Follow this link to download leftrightleftrightleft.

And while we're on the subject of free downloads, Vampire Weekend's first single from their upcoming album is available via this link, thanks to the greatest radio station in the world, 93 XRT.

Live from Austin, via Hulu

If you couldn't make it to the Austin City Limits festival this year, Hulu is here to rescue you. They're currently streaming live and delayed performances from Austin via this link. Today's schedule includes Airborne Toxic Event, Bon Iver and The Decemberists. Tomorrow look for Passion Pit, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, and the B-52s, among others.

I've heard Hulu also plan to compile a "Best Of..." selection on Monday as well. It's the next best thing to fighting the heat and crowds in Texas. Or... maybe even better?

A thousand hugs from 10,000 lightning bugs

Scanning the Red Eye today, I saw that Grey's Anatomy darling Kate Havnevick was opening for a band called Owl City last night at Metro in Chicago. Intrigued, I headed over to Owl City's Myspace Page and was quickly blown away.

Bright Eyes-style, Owl City appears to be the name of a one-man band, and that one man is Adam Young, a Minnesota native who creates the perfect poptronica sound I've been hoping for in other bands like Phoenix, Mute Math, and Passion Pit but have always been slightly disappointed by. Until now.

Among Young's listed inspirations are Imogen Heap, Sigur Ros, Cary Grant and optimism, four of my favorite things, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that I love every single track I've heard so far. Young has a very similar voice to Ben Gibbard's (of Death Cab and Postal Service, among other indie exploits), but unlike Gibbard, Young uses his child-like, speak-songish tenor to perfect effect, balancing it with clean, light, happy, major-key electronic pop arrangements that get in your ears and bounce around happy in your brain for hours.

Further research revealed that Owl City's major-label debut album, Ocean Eyes, has a perfect five-star rating from 73 reviewers on Amazon, and the show at Metro was sold out last night, so the secret is out on Young, and yet somehow no one has ever heard of Owl City yet, either. If you fall into the latter camp, do yourself a favor and fix that situation.

Check out this witty video for "Fireflies" (it features a Speak 'N Spell!).

If he wanna rock, he rocks; if he wanna roll, he rolls...

One big benefit to Conan taking over the Tonight Show is that the musical guests seem to have come up a notch. I caught Eric Hutchinson there, on an otherwise unremarkable Friday night a couple of months ago, and fell in love so instantly and totally that I went out and bought his album without hearing another track on it. I was not disappointed.

On Sounds Like This..., Hutchinson combines the neo-Rat Pack vocal stylings of Michael Buble or Jamie Cullum with an irresistible, acoustic singer-songwriter pop sound with hooks that don't quit.

Favorites include the album opener "Ok, It's Alright with Me," a musical Zen meditation that hints at the difficulties Hutchinson faced in putting out this album (hint: it took over five years and three labels,) "Food Chain," and "Rock & Roll", (which in my opinion would make an excellent soundtrack for another obsession of mine, "Gossip Girl.")

Don't believe me? Watch the video for "Rock & Roll" and fall in love yourself.

James Taylor Live at 1

I find it absolutely impossible to pick a single desert-island disc, so instead I often play the Desert-Island Artist game: If you had to pick one artist whose entire discography you could bring with you on the desert island, who would it be? I still can't really choose, but for me, James Taylor would definitely be on the short-list.

Check out his intimate, acoustic set for the Borders Live at 1 series and you'll hear why - basically it's because I feel fine anytime he's around me.

The setlist includes interviews as well as "Something in the Way She Moves," "Suzanne," "Carolina in My Mind," "Secret o'Life," "Sweet Baby James," and "Mexico." The perfect soundtrack for August.

Truth Be Told

They're streaming the debut from Dublin-based R&B singer Laura Ibizor over at AOL Music and it's definitely worth a listen. It's a flawlessly produced combination of soul, gospel, classic R&B and pop, perfect for lazy summer nights with all the windows open.

Unlike some of the other soul-infused efforts to come out of the British Isles recently, this doesn't feel nostalgic - it's perfectly current and yet timeless at the same time. Check it out.

Help save Paste!

Those of you who follow the blog regularly know of my undying devotion to Paste Magazine. They have impeccable musical taste and they love to share new music with their readership - every single issue of Paste comes with a 20-song sampler of new music. I've discovered some of my favorite new bands thanks to those editorial ears.

But right now, Paste needs our help! It would only take $1 from every single person on their email list to keep the magazine alive through the current economic crisis, and as an incentive to make a donation, Paste has posted more than 70 exclusive music tracks that all become yours - FREE! - when you make a donation to help keep Paste alive.

It is a star-studded roster of indie music, all yours for FREE when you donate as little as $1. Pretty amazing, right? Artists include Ben Folds, Bettye LaVette, Brandi Carlile, Cowboy Junkies, G. Love and Special Sauce, Gomez, Greg Laswell, Jamie Lidell, Josh Ritter, Katie Herzig, Loney Dear, Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson, Meiko, Matthew Sweet, Neko Case, Of Montreal, Over the Rhine, Rosie Thomas, Robert Pollard, She & Him, the Decemberists and SO many more.

All this for as little as $1, and it's for a great cause. So come on, everyone, let's SAVE PASTE!