Free Music for your Summer Soundtrack

The weather is changing, you are cutting your pants into jean shorts, and  you are almost ready for that summer road trip. all you need now is a soundtrack for your summer fun, and we got you covered! here is a list of some absolutely free downloads to get your summer jam started  right.

Basement Up + Jay Elly - The Get Back (2014)
The Basement Up crew from Lexington Ky has doing doing some fine work lately, including a FREE EP from nov. 2013 (Who They Thought We Were, find it here), and a brand new track released just this week called The Get Back (grab it here) with Jay Elly. their website boasts "In an over saturated art form we are increasingly mindful of quality." Hopefully you will agree.

Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap (2013)
37FLOOD writer Logan Nichols told me about this album "it's the future of Hip Hop" I don't know about that but it is a damn uplifting album, and has recently hit certified platinum. If you are one of the few that hasn't grabbed this free album do it now.

DMX – The Weigh In (2012)

It’s easy to dismiss DMX due to his off stage antics, and let’s face it; his personal life has exceeded  R. Kelly proportions.  In 2013 alone he has been arrested 5 times for really stupid things and is currently in a mental institution. But we can’t forget his first 5 albums hit like a brick before his tour of correctional facilities. And even now, exiled in South Carolina, and in between incoherent video diary rants, he is still slaying tracks. In 2012 he released 2 hard hitting LPs, the first ‘The Weigh In’ for free (in current hip-hop mixed tape style) as a prelude to ‘Undisputed’. I think both albums  are well worth any DMX fan's collection, but I keep finding myself going back to the free download, as it is more gritty and with unabashed inflections that read like a prison diary that DMX was so good at in his early albums such as ‘It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot.’ Start with the free album, it costs you nothing, and if you need more grab ‘Undisputed’ as he could definitely use a win right about now. (for further viewing, isDMXinjail.com will let you know if DMX is in jail at any given time).

Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)

Logan also said "It's the future of Hip Hop" about Deaths Grips, and on this one I will agree, even if their personal future is uncertain. Logan also said "there is a 100% chance that they will be dead in 4 years." I might also agree with this. Their completely insane punk rap explosion will force you to reconsider everything you know about music. and possibly reality. and their offstage antics might make you want to smack them, but if alienating the world around them is their conduit for making albums like Exmilitary then so be it.
It's my favorite of their impressive 4 albums in 3 years, and a great introduction to the force that is Death Grips. download it for free on their website. 


Team Totoro - Invites You to Enjoy LASER BEATS (2013) 
Ok we have told you about this one before, but if you are looking for summer jams with Morris Day style antics look no further than Louisville's own Team Totoro. the tracks 'Rompin' and Stompin' and 'Southern Rep' is summer-in-the-south style certified. Download it here for free, and it comes with extra bits and pieces as well for your summer pleasure.  

37FLOOD has here by declared summer 2014 THE SUMMER OF BALLIN' and now you got the jams to prove it..  But If you need more, read our 'Best Free Downloads' list from Summer 2011.

Logan's Best of: 2013

We’ve been in the new year for a little while now and I may be a little late on this, but 2013 was a huge year for music and there’s so much amazing material to sift through. So here’s a short comprehensive list of the best music the year had to offer.

• Chance the Rapper: Acid Rap-

         This is the most original rap album I’ve heard in years. Imagine Andre Benjamin but as a 20 year old Chicago kid instead of a southern gentleman. He's had two mixtapes so far and both are available for free on his website. Acid Rap is both a tribute to Chicago's history and a leap into its future. 

• Eminem: The Marshall Mathers 2 LP-

            Don’t call it a comeback... because it's almost certainly his last album. It's definitely his best album since his real comeback in 2009. Unlike his more uplifting albums Relapse and Recovery, what makes the MM LP 2 stand out is that he's gone back to doing what he does best- being angry.

• Sunn 0))): Black One-

            Technically it was just an unofficial RSD re-issue, but this was one of my favorite records I picked up all year. Really good album to listen to if you don't want to go outside or if you don't believe in electric lights.

• Gubbey Records: Head Cleaner-

            This compilation is over two hours long and features fourty six Louisville acts. Read our Full review here.

• Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City-

            After a three year break, Vampire Weekend went back into the studio with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (known earlier in the year for Snoop Lion's album, Reincarnated). This was the first time they've ever brought in an outside producer since keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij usually produces their albums. It seems like a weird combination, but they're exploring a lot of new territory with this record.

• Portugal. The Man: Evil Friends-

            I was really excited to hear that Danger Mouse was in studio with Portugal. the man. Immediately I thought they'd go back to the synth-heavy styles of Censored Colors and Church Mouth, but this listens more like one of those collaboration albums Danger Mouse is known for. 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Push the Sky Away-

            This has been a constant listen since its release in February. Push the Sky Away is mainly built on a set of loops Warren Ellis made that the Bad Seeds played over to bring structure and depth to the sound. Lyrically, it's some of Cave's most ominous work.

• Megajoos: Mega Deuce:

            Megajoos (pronounced: mega-juice) is an experimental drum and bass outfit from Nashville. Some guy flagged me down in a Post Office parking lot and gave me their CD, and judging by the cover I didn't know what to expect, but these guys bring the fuzz. They kind of remind me of the Pixies' good stuff.

• Zorch: ZZOORRCCHH-

            I'm not sure how they got the name Zorch, I'm sure there's some sort of agreement with the older band by the same name. As I said in an earlier review, Zorch has everything it takes to be America's next big two piece, but their psychedelic electronic prog style might be too much for the masses to handle.

The Flaming Lips: The Terror-

            The Lips turned a new leaf with their 2013 release. Since keyboardist Steve Drozd is 100% sober now, it seems that Coyne gave him the wheel and let him steer the ship. The happy go lucky "it's great to be alive" band that you've grown to love is still in there somewhere, but now they're saying something more like "it's terrifying that I'm alive." 

That's all folks. Enjoy the tunes and good luck out there in 2014.