Surfing the Web for new music, video...
Surfing the Web for new music, video and MP3 downloads can be a serious time investment. Picks from Times staff and contributors will help take the drag out of click-and-drag music choices. Some downloads may contain explicit lyrics. All are free, except as noted.
-- Chris Lee
*
“Over and Over
Again (Lost & Found)”
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
https://clapyourhandssayyeah.com
/mp3/lostAndFound.mp3
No, the tremulous falsetto you hear is not the Talking Heads’ David Byrne, although CYHSY’s singer, Alec Ounsworth, certainly is Byrne’s sonic doppelganger. “Over and Over” is precisely what made the much-hyped indie favorites so muchly hyped: longingly familiar, precious yet forceful art rock.
“Sister”
She Wants Revenge
www.contactmusic.com/new
/home.nsf/webpages
/shewantsrevengex24x05x05
While this Los Angeles-based duo’s “I-wear-black-on-the-outsidebecause-I-feel-black-on-theinside” posturing won’t endear them to goth-averse listeners, “Sister” channels ennui and romantic anguish with Sisters
of Mercy-style melancholic grandeur.
“More Shine”
Si*Se
www.iTunes.com
A cool mojito of Salsa-tinged electronica, strident violin and impassioned vocals by lead singer Carol C., this title track from the New York seven-piece’s first effort in six years is offered as iTunes’ free download of the week.
“The Great Escape”
We Are Scientists
www.wearescientists.com/music
With their pulsing guitar and three-part vocal harmonies -- and stated intention to create “big beautiful rock songs” -- the Brooklyn trio’s quirky individualism taps into something universal. “I’ve got a great idea,” goes “Escape’s” chorus, “I’m gonna stay right here / While everything is added up.”
“Dimensions and
Verticals”
Say Hi to Your Mom
www.sayhitoyourmom.com/
music.htm
Despite the band’s glib name, this song exists in a kind of irony-free zone. It’s dreamy emo full of droning walls of guitar and synth shot through with crisp drumming; the sound of a band in need of a hug.
More to Read
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.