Free MP3 Madness! From Mates of State to Rachel Lampa, Sixpence None the Richer to Ravel (and some rap thrown in for good measure)

Enjoying the summer, but need a new soundtrack for the season?? Don't worry, I've got you covered, and you won't have to spend a cent!

We'll start out with another summer playlist of 22 tracks, this one offered by Nylon and including MP3 from Of Montreal and Phoenix, among a myriad of others. You can't pick and choose here so you might have to go weed out the ones you don't like later, but really who's going to complain about that?

Then, if you've been downloading Amazon's free tracks here and there but are a little tired of scrounging for them, swing by to check out this grandfather listing of the 800+ MP3s currently available! Fans of Christian contemporary music will be glad to see Jaci Valesquez, Barlow Girl, Big Daddy Weave, and Rachel Lampa, and even if you've been keeping up with the ones I've recommended along the way you're likely to find a couple you'd missed... I stumbled across a Mates of State track I had forgotten to download, and Death Cab for Cutie and Sixpence None the Richer are in there too... Lots of favorites!

Another find from that listing that I stumbled across and enjoyed enough to go download the rest of their album from eMusic (six tracks are free on Amazon, but the rest are pretty good too) is a rather obscure UK duo named Fitzsimon & Brogan. Apparently the two were members of a band called Pretty Blue Gun in the 90s, and are re-releasing some of that material now. Their sound is a fun, upbeat blast from the past, and they carry their 70s and 80s influences with pride. They made me think of ABBA, who I love with steadfast loyalty, so that made me happy. If it's up your alley, it's good stuff!

If you have an eMusic membership then don't forget about the 200+ tracks available for free there too... The ones that stood out to me this week are a little different than my usual fare, including instrumental (a beautiful Ravel track and a lush modern take on the piano ) and rap (an album called The Wages of Syntax). The last one is actually a whole sampler CD from the underground rap label Syntax... they happen to be pretty good, and they happen to be Christians. Give it a chance; it makes for a great change of pace, and you might be impressed.

I'm not too impressed with iTunes' offerings this week, but if you like Arrested Development, or zany, clever hilarity in general, swing by there to download the pilot episode in its entirety for free. They have several other comedy sketch type shows available for free download right now that I'm looking forward to checking out too. The shows are a bit of a jackpot in and of themselves, because whole episodes are rarely offered for free... And Arrested Development easily rates as one of my favorite comedy shows of all time, so don't miss out!

Lastly, don't forget that 3Hive and Fingertips both have "stream this page" options that basically give you a radio-style overview of all their newest downloads... love something, and it's yours! It's an easy way to stay up-to-date without going into overload.

Ok, that's the last of today's ration of free-and-legal tunes to see you through the week... let me know what you think of the tracks, or if you find anything good I've overlooked!

Breaking News!! The entirety of Regina Spektor's new album is currently streaming on MySpace. The album won't even be released until the 23rd, so get the full-length early preview here. Yes friends, that shiny shimmery stuff in the air is indeed audible gold. Enjoy!