It’s nice when the online music community takes after the Sunday tradition at grocery stores of an abundance of free samples for all. Room40 celebrated its 10th anniversary in March, and to further commemorate a decade as one of the most innovative Australian labels around, they’ve released 10, a free download compilation of 40 tracks by Room40 “friends and family” (which is way better than a new brand of bruschetta or cubed cheese on toothpicks). If you’re one of many who didn’t get to snatch up a copy of Grouper’s new double-album A I A (TMT Review) before it sold out in record stores (as Liz Harris is wont to do), there’s a track for you here, in addition to offerings from Xiu Xiu, David Grubbs, Greg Davis w/ Ben Vida, Tenniscoats, Andrea Belfi, Koen Holtkamp, and a few dozen more.
As usual, you can also check the label’s site for cool samples that aren’t on 10, currently including Tim Hecker, Room40 curator Lawrence English, and yet another track from Grouper. Download 10 for free by subscribing here, and don’t forget: you can always buy music sometimes too.
10 tracklisting:
01. Chris Abrahams, “Water”
02. Asher, “untitled”
03. Andrea Belfi, “Poaofbp”
04. Candlesnuffer, “Euclid’s Fudge”
05. John Chantler, “The Droning Chord”
06. Richard Chartier, “Rendered1_2009”
07. Chihei Hatakeyama, “Fkpkc002”
08. Leighton Craig, “Endless Blue Sky”
09. Greg Davis and Ben Vida, “Two Dozen Windows”
10. Taylor Deupree, “Live:Brisbane”
11. DJ Olive, “Monday”
12. D.N.E., “Volatile”
13. Erikm, “Sossusvlei”
14. Ben Frost, “Feeding”
15. Friedl + Vorfeld, “Blau”
16. Glim, “Fusibil”
17. Kraig Grady, “Bima”
18. Erik Griswold, “From Heaven Above”
19. David Grubbs, “You Could Look It Up”
20. Grouper, “Hollow Tone”
21. Koen Holtkamp, “Broken Circle”
22. Rafael Anton Irisarri, “Distance”
23. I8U, “Higgs”
24. Jeph Jerman, “No Words”
25. Ulrich Krieger, “Cephei”
26. Minamo + Lawrence English, “Luminous”
27. Scott Morrison, “Ballad for Velizy”
28. Pimmon, “Limited E Country”
29. Steve Roden, “One of Forty Rooms”
30. Marina Rosenfeld, “Sweetest Sensation”
31. Sebastien Roux, “More Songs (Excerpt)”
32. Philip Samartzis, “Davis Station”
33. Janek Schaefer, “Unfolding Honey”
34. Steinbrüchel, “Same”
35. Tenniscoats, “Tasmania: for a Bay”
36. David Toop, Scanner, Io3, “Live at Open Frame”
37. Zane Trow, “Initled”
38. Tujiko Noriko Trio, “Heartga Live”
39. James Webb, “Piglet”
40. Xiu Xiu, “Ingeborg Bachmann”
• Room40: http://room40.org
