Kevin Courtney's guide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams
JACK JOHNSON If I Had Eyes **
The surfin' campfire dude has sold zillions of albums, so there's definitely a market for his folksy beach-bunny tunes. This is from his upcoming album, Sleep Through the Static; sounds like the perfect sedative. Listen to the song on www.brushfirerecords. com, but not while driving heavy machinery.
CONOR FURLONG Peace of Mind conorfurlong.com ***
Here's a real Dublin DIY phenomenon: Conor writes, records and plays all his own music, releases it via his own website, then rings the journo up to make sure he got his CD-R copy. Peace of Mind is a lovely, sad piano-painted tune, as is the B-side (titled B Side), so we'll be looking forward to his call.
CASS MCCOMBS That's That Domino ****
A low, rumbling bassline, scratchy guitar twang, a lonesome falsetto and lyrics about cleaning night- club toilets - this California troubadour sure takes you to some interesting musical places. This track is available free on www.cassmccombs.com, but you'll have to wait till February 4th to buy McCombs's new album, Dropping the Writ.
SEMI-PRECIOUS WEAPONS Magnetic Baby www.semipreciousweapons.com **
Look out, Jake Shears, these glam-bunnies from Brooklyn are out to steal your sleaze crown. They're managed by none other than BP Fallon, whose duties probably include running out for lippy late at night. Are they The Strokes with eye shadow, or just The New York Horrors? Decide for yourself by downloading their entire debut album, We Love You, free from their website.
ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS Please Read the Letter Rounder/Decca ****
Just to rub the Zepheads' noses in it, Planty and his new pal release one of the finer tracks from the superb Raising Sand album. Read it and weep: no word on another Zep gig.
THESE NEW PURITANS Elvis Domino ****
These four 19-year-olds from Southend who weren't even born when PIL released Love Song, blend mecchanik dance beats with sharp electronics and snappy guitars, adding in just the right mix of shouty vocals and singalong chorus. They're in Crawdaddy in February, plugging their debut album, Beat Pyramid.
