Funbargo, or Free Music I Downloaded Off The Internet
This mix is about having no monies but impeccable taste.
Why It’s Pretentious: So last semester, I created this thing called Funbargo, which is what happens when you look at your schedule and your bank account, and then get really really sad. From then on, you don’t spend money on anything, in hopes that you will get work done instead of procrastinating by going to PUNK PUNK RAWK RAWK SHOWS or THE MOVIE THEATER or SHOPPING MALLS. In the spirit of Funbargo, here are my favorite songs that I’ve download for free since I started two weeks ago:
I’m not much for genres prefaced by “Christian-” but I am a sucker for a) rappers who spit so fast I have to do a double-take, b) soul-inspired beats, and c) Lion King samples. You had me at “Nants ingonyama bahithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama.” EP available on NoiseTrade.
I remember being a little weary about Nashville’s Vinyl Thief because their aesthetic is very Mylo Xyloto-era Coldplay, but when I saw them live, their synth-based pop and hyperactive ginger lead singer blew me away. This number is a particularly dark and sultry 80s-infused tune. EP available on NoiseTrade.
3. Pop Song Animal - The Atolls
Ah, The Atolls. We all know how much I’ve jammed to their “Older Nazi Boyfriends,” so I was stoked to find out that their other songs are equally as raucous. An LA-based garage band, they sound a bit like The Cars channeled through moody early-naughts dance-punk champs like The Bravery, She Wants Revenge, and Stellastarr*. Stream their new Get Popular EP, get their old The Atolls EP for free, and get new single “Pop Song Animal” for free— all on Bandcamp.
Imagine The Strokes covering David Bowie.
Download via YVYNYL.
Come May, I expect girls across the nation to pick up a guitar and a bad attitude after having their lives made better and more bitter by listening to Super Treatment. Its Joan Jett-inspired babe-shred is going to spit in your face and tear you apart with its teeth and you’re goinna like it. Download via Spin.
6. The Only Place - Best Coast
No surprise that my favorite California ladycrush hit us with a sunny surf-pop tune, but there’s less fuzz this time around and no sign of her three signature emotions (I want you, I miss you, I need you). Is this what growing up sounds like? If so, look out, adulthood— here I come! Download via the Best Coast website.
