About a month ago, I posted some great sites to find new free music, usually with no “signup” needed. I wanted to repost some of these sites for new readers, and take the liberty to add a few more.

Daytrotter - This is a studio in Illinois where some big names occasionally stop in, and record about 4 tracks, and then on the site they release these tracks for free. Death Cab for Cutie just did 6 songs with them, 2 of the tracks being from the upcoming “Narrow Stairs.

Emusic - Relatively new on the ‘free music’ scene - these guys offer a sensational trial program. You get 25 songs for free, and then can opt out. If you choose not to, they have plans to download 30-75 songs a month. It’s an exceptional deal actually. I suggest you check out their trial, as their mp3’s also work seamlessly with Itunes.

RCRDLBL - A great site for bands you’ve never heard of. You may be able to name about 10% of their catalog, but they really introduce some really good stuff that’s going on, and make it fun. With daily inclusion of throwback videos (devo, etc.) new mashups from old artists, and global music coverage, this is one hell of an ‘indie’ site. And it’s good for artists. Click on picture to be re-routed.

Download.com - Lots of streaming mainstream artists, and sometimes you really have to dig to find some great stuff. I got about 8 Iron & Wine tracks here, and even some Sufjan Stevens. Really good place. If you sign up for their email list, they’ll also let you know when you can get free downloads pre-album release. It’s brilliant.

Rhapsody.com - So here’s the deal w/ Rhapsody. You sign up for a 14-day free pass. In this system, you can get as much music as you want, at your fingertips. The problem is, it isn’t Itunes compatible. The upside is, it plays right in your browser when you download the plugin.

So, now you have some music outlets to go and load up your ipod or zune for the week. If this was helpful, subscribe to my email newsletter that will keep you informed of free music that I constantly find.

You’ve bought your tickets. You’ve booked your hotel or cleaned up your tent. You’ve worked out the necessary rations of food/liquids and other necessary questionable items. And everyday that Coachella gets closer, you look at that lineup and get confused.

Who is that band? What do they sound like? Where are the from? What stage will they be on? Can I make it there if after ’such and such’ band and take a potty break? Friend, you must calm down. You must breathe easy. In less than a week you’ll be on the grounds of one of the best festivals this summer has to offer. And I’m going to make it easy on you. I want to make sure that your experience is one you’ll never forget.. so here we go.

The problem lies here. Coachella hasn’t posted their exact time schedule yet. So, I’m going to give you the recommendations, and link you to some songs from bands that you will love. Hopefully, if the lineup release is indicative of the show times, this should be safe. Click on the pictures for links to preview.

Friday: Rogue Wave, Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, Vampire Weekend, Jens Lekman, Santogold, Aesop Rock, Tegan and Sara, Aphex Twin, The Breeders, Jack Johnson

Rogue Wave - If you were one of the fortunates to ever enjoy the movie Just Friends, that song that they kept playing over and over was Rogue Wave - Eyes. It’s a short little catchy ditty. This kind of band will start off the festival with not too much rock and pizazz. It’s going to be early Friday, and we need to ease into this rocking lineup. The boys of Rogue Wave are going to do just that. We have so much room to cover.

Cut Copy - Electronica Dance Party!! While it looks like this will be slated somewhere in the 1-2 range, it is a bit early for my taste. I’m not ready to break out the glow sticks just yet, but I am full of java and red bull at this point, so I will be ready to dance. These boys rocked socks at SXSW, and are sure to do the same here.

Architecture in Helsinki - Australian indie pop. Not one other festival lineup in the states gets them. They’re not even playing a headlining show. Or opening up for anyone. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. That, and they’re music is really good. It’s filled up with synths, boy and girl vocals, and by this time during the day you’ll just be hitting your festival stride.

Vampire Weekend - Fun. Fun. And more fun. These New Yorkers are all the craze amongst the under indie worlds. The self titled debut is a hit amongst the critics, and the haters can’t find any justifiable reason to hate. Simple hooks, easy melodies might have you dancing, and surely your upcoming beer buzz will enhance this act to unexplainable levels.

Jens Lekman - This swedish crooner/songwriter grooves. I just recently got into his tunes, and love every bit of them. Fans of Josh Rouse will like this guy, as he brings some orchestra folks along with him, and one hell of a back beat for your run of the mill brown eyed, brown haired guy. Also, if Andrew Bird or Beirut is all up in your Ipod, this is your guy.

Santogold - Oh, you don’t know about Santo? Hear this. Last week she opened up for Gnarls Barkley in New York City. She is jazz, she is soul, and she is the rhythm & blues. All the latest reviews say this Brooklyn babe gives up serious energy in her shows. Maybe the new Amy Winehouse? Wait. She actually has meat on her bones.

Aesop Rock - He bears no resemblance to the Beastie Boys, yet hails from the same place. He actually can rap, and he actually can perform. He writes songs that revolve around video games. What could be cooler than THAT? Nike also commissioned him to do a 45 minute instrumental CD for runners. Though not a runner myself, I find these tracks awesome to listen to.

Tegan and Sara - Ah yes. The Canadian sisters. I had the pleasure of seeing them in late 07, and was blown away. The hype is real, and understandable. Girls can rock, they’re proof. They are performing everywhere this summer though, so if you have another chance to see them, you might wanna check out Serj.

Aphex Twin - I’m not really sure what you’re looking for me to say. Aren’t those two words (Aphex Twin) enough? It’s time to dance again kiddies.

The Breeders - So you were too young see The Pixies in the 80’s and 90’s. But you still spin Surfer Rosa, and are probably on your 3rd copy. With the recent release of The Breeders Mountain Battles, Kim Deal is lo-fi fantasmastic. Even if you disliked the Pixies, you’ll want to check out a few songs from Kim Deal and friends.

and of course, Jack Johnson. (I’m not a fan, and you probably are) So we’ll our count our losses and still part ways as friends. Part 2 (Saturday) up soon. Marinate in Part 1 for a bit.

I was in a friends car about 3 months ago, and Lyrics came on. As a fan of indie hip-hop, I was ecstatic. He was way underground, usually drawing large crowds in the Berkley/Oakland area, but nothing very big outside of our backyard. His rap is fast and furious, and appears on trax (is that correct?) with lots of other folk. His music is hip, so your parents won’t wanna a copy, but I guarantee that your roommate will.

His new CD, Everything at Once, drops(?!?) on April 21st. To see him live this summer, grab advanced tickets to San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate park, and if you really can’t wait until August 24th, your only hope is the west coast. That is unless you happen to be in Europe. Grace his website and you can find dates all over.

I couldn’t find any free downloads for Lyrics, but I did his new single ‘I like it, I love it,’ on KEXP song of the day for 4/7/08. Just go into your Itunes store and search for KEXP, and you’ll get an amazing array of options, the best one of these being the songs of the day. Word.

I’m not one for rap, or hip-hop…..much. But this one song came on today while I was on my way to work, and I wanted YOU to appreciate it as well. The artists name is K-Os. From my understanding, he’s from Canada, and released a couple albums so far.

I got turned onto K-Os from an old co-worker who used to bump a track called “Sunday Morning,” off of his latest cd, Atlantis. If you click on this picture, it will take you to a great track called “Crabbuckit.”

But more importantly, is the encouraging song of the day, ‘The Man I used to be.” Check it out on Itunes. Sorry I can’t link ya there… wordpress has got me all in check, yo!

As one of those constant Internet Surfers, I find myself subscribing to at least one service a day. Most of these I don’t need, but I really want to browse a certain site, and they’re making me sign up. Damnit. Signing up means that I’ll get a ton of unwanted email. And we all hate that.

That being said, lately I think I have found some jewels in the rough. Too many websites out there to go sorting yourself, so hopefully I can take some of the hassle out of it. Honorably, I’ll list some internet radio players, even though the focus here is to get some free music on your Ipod. So, while you’re at work, check out Pandora.com, Songza.com, Musicovery.com, and Last.FM

Last.FM is actually a fantastic site that I’ve come to enjoy, because as I listen to my Itunes, they track what I listen to, how many times, etc. This way, at the end of the month I can totally see that I listened to entirely too much (insert crappy radio band). They also recommend other artists that “sound like” the artist I’m listening to, usually being completely wrong.

I’ve already mentioned RcrdLbl.com, so, I’ll try to keep it to a minimum. They buy songs off artists for a fee, and then let us, the wonderful music junkies, download them for free. Some great new stuff on there, you can usually find a couple tracks a day you’ll enjoy.

While I hate to endorse any big corporate site, I can’t go without noting download.com. It’s run by CNet, and not totally bad because you don’t have to sign up for a service to immediately start downloading. Often you’ll find a couple unreleased tracks there from your favorite artists that they’ve made available for DL.

Amie Street is worth a mention. Usually filled with unsigned artists that you’ve never heard of, Amie Street songs start off for free, then users have to pay a fee per track based on how popular that certain track has become. A great way to find new artists to share with friends, and fill up your mp3 player for cheap.

Another blog that is a great resource for free ‘under radar’ music is FreeIndie.com. Which I have linked below for your pleasure. They are currently doing an overhaul of the site, to feature a Free Indie 2.0, and a lot of users are impatiently pissed. I think that people need to relax a little bit, cause I know that this new site is gonna be completely bad ass.