iTunes: Free Tuesday

Welcome to this week's edition of iTunes: Free Tuesday. Today, we're switching things up in honor of the Canadians who get their own free version of John Hodgman's "The Areas of my Expertise", a freebie the USians were offered in December. Hodgman plays "PC" on those Apple "PC and Mac" commercials and his unabridged audio book is reportedly hilarious. So without further ado, here are this week's international offerings. The US freebies follow after the break.

International

Australia: Punk & Metal's Dead by Fish Fingazz
The debut single from Sydney's Fish Fingazz illustrates the band's knack for using music as a high-powered assault weapon to rock body and mind at all costs. "Punk & Metal's Dead" is in-your-face and angry yet energetic without compromising soul or integrity. Like Batman, the music will grab you by the throat, lift you off your feet, and menacingly growl, "Tell all your friends about me".

New Zealand: Punk & Metal's Dead by Fish Fingazz
The debut single from Sydney's Fish Fingazz illustrates the band's knack for using music as a high-powered assault weapon to rock body and mind at all costs. "Punk & Metal's Dead" is in-your-face and angry yet energetic without compromising soul or integrity. Like Batman, the music will grab you by the throat, lift you off your feet, and menacingly growl, "Tell all your friends about me".

Canada: Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John
Some songs take a few listens before you really get a feel for the essence. Most of us wouldn't have been able to spot our favorite song on the first listen. Well, enter then, Swedish group Peter, Björn and John. This is one of those tracks that has you hooked for life in three minutes. It's indie pop bubblegum, but it's also bubblegum with long-lasting flavour. You can whistle to it, you can dance to it, you can sing along. It's just a ridiculously catchy tune and we hope you'll be singing it for weeks. Oh, and yes, it's free.

Canada: The Areas of my Expertise by John Hodgman
In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although best sellers such as Poor Richard's Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman, which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up.

France: Le brasier by Polar
Né en Irlande et résidant en Suisse, Polar a commencé par sortir des disques en anglais marqués par le folk et le rock indépendant. Miossec lui emboîte le pas et lui propose des textes en français : de cette collaboration né son quatrième album, Jour blanc, qu'il a eu l'occasion de rôder en première partie de son ami Cali. Extrait de ce nouvel opus, « Le Brasier » est notre Single de la semaine sur iTunes.

UK: This Month, Day 10 by CSS
CSS is a Brazilian group whose name stands for Cansei de Ser Sexy, a phrase that means "tired of being sexy". The band has a frantic, manic energy which is derived from the club sounds of São Paulo, but are also inspired by lo-fi punk-rock and fashion. Does this make them the coolest band on the planet? Er . . . probably. Listen to our free Single of the Week, "This Month, Day 10", and make your own decision.

More great freebies after the jump.

US Music

US: Callin' Me by Consequence
First, a little back story. Consequence used to be heavily involved with the A Tribe Called Quest crew and can now count Kanye West as a friend and producer. For this track from his debut, Don't Quit Your Day Job, Consequence keeps it mellow and heavy with a funky snare loop that hits like a bomb. His rhyming style is quick witted and smooth.

US: Don't Let Go by Pacha Massive
"Don't Let Go" is a big, catchy track that can fill a room with its atmospheric funk. The track is the work of Pacha Massive (a.k.a. DJ Nova and Maya), a duo who hails from the Bronx. The band's music is heavily indebted to afro-Cuban dance music, dancehall, and reggae. With the smooth, swirling guitars and the ethereal chorus, the song is a lush mix of creativity and rhythm.

US: Caprice No. 9 en Do Majeur by Angèle Dubeau
Angèle Dubeau is one of Canada's most successful violinists. This week's free Discovery Download pits her 1733 Stradivarius violin against one of the 24 fiendishly difficult caprices written by Pietro Locatelli, himself a child prodigy violinist and a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli. If you enjoy the caprice, check out Angèle's new album, Solo, which showcases repertoire ranging from the Baroque to Brubeck.

US TV Shows

US: Rules of Engagement Pilot
Rules of Engagement is a comedy about the different phases of male/female relationships, as seen through the eyes of a newly engaged couple, Adam (Oliver Hudson) and Jennifer (Bianca Kajlich), a long-time married pair, Jeff (Patrick Warburton) and Audrey (Megyn Price), and a single guy on the prowl, Russell (David Spade). As they find out, the often confusing stages of a relationship can seem like being on a rollercoaster. People can describe the ride to you, but to really know what it's like you have to experience it for yourself.

US: The Hills, "Who do you trust?"
With a year in Los Angeles under their belts, Lauren Conrad and her friends Heidi, Audrina, and Whitney are learning that being young women in the big city isn't as easy as they thought. The girls are older, wiser, and now single, facing new challenges at work and school. But this year when new boys force them to make tough choices, Lauren and the girls are about to find out that not even friendships can be taken for granted.

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