Here’s another plug for Matthew Sweet’s new free “Acoustic and Live Sampler.” It’s awesome. Get it here.

Run, Forever’s new album is called “Settling.” Kinda punkish indie rock and roll. Here’s an mpFREE: Basement

And a second plug for the third STS “Gold Rush” mixtape.  Sugar Tongue Slim is easily one of the most deft rappers in the game today, and this is my favorite rap album so far this year.  Get it free here.

And while we’re on the subject of great new hip hop, E-Dubble!!!!

Internet sensation and classy ukelele player Julia Nunes is on tour with Great Big World, and they’re offering a Justin Timberlake song as a free cover to tempt you. I would totally go to this show but it’s on a damn Monday night when they blow through my area, and my job is more important than music. Sighs heavily.

What a fabulous album.

This is the tenth time Jay Nash has walked into a studio and recorded beautiful songs. “I am just a patron of the arts,” he says on “The Art Thief,” a song about struggling for his love and his craft. And it’s true. This is a man who writes visually about feelings–he tells stories with sadness and truth, songs that make you want to stop and sit still and listen. Music means something to Jay Nash–he’s not jsut doing it because it’s fun, he’s doing it because he has to.

“Sometimes you want to go home…Just a little bit of hope, you carry on.” he sings on “Sometimes.” And that’s exactly what this album feels like.

Available on May 14th here and on iTunes.

Darn good indiefolkpop worth a check.

A nice quiet album. Very atmospheric, without being annoying ambient music.

Neat dubstep.

And finally, a very neat cover!

Indie folk from SoMaryland–my neighbor!  I’m really digging this.  It’s definitely folk-y, but some of the modern rhythms almost feel like hip hop.  Mos def worth your time.

Free here.

And she stars in her own comic (sort of)!

The first quarter of the year is usually when a bunch of 2012 releases come to my attention–either because I was too backed up to hear them last year or because I just hadn’t heard of them yet. This is one.

Pesky Nixon is another one of those dudes who will give you his album on Bandcamp just for the price of an e-mail address. And it’s worth much more than that. Especially his cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It’s a completely new take on it.

And his cover of You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere is freakin’ awesome as well.

Check it out.