In honor of The Beach Boys recent reunion announcement, here’s a great cover of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by Jon Foreman with Keith Tutt, II on cello at the Invisible Children Benefit show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles!

The Beach Boys fans everywhere rejoice!! The surviving original members are getting back together to record a “new” album and do a 50 date tour in honor of the group’s 50th anniversary. Seriously, the harmonies of these California legends are second to none! Read more at the link provided to The Beach Boys website.  Also, check out the article in Rolling Stone.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Time for another edition of the Free Music RoundUp! Ready? Here we go!

This week’s free Holiday song on iTunes comes from The Civil Wars! Download “O Come O Come Emmanuel” here until Monday night!

Over at NoiseTrade get a free three song Christmas download from the talented Sandra McCracken!

NoiseTrade is also offering a free download of Matt Wertz’s album Twenty Three Places. Phenomenal album from a phenomenal musician. If you already have the album, it also includes a download of his Christmas song “Snow Globe.” Snatch this up!

While you’re there pick up a great Christmas Collection 2011 from Sleeping at Last and A Neighborly Christmas from Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors! There’s a ton of great music over at NoiseTrade… don’t pass these up.

Amazon.com is offering their “25 Days of Free Holiday Music,” where they offer a great holiday track each day in December. Already up is a great track from Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame!

The folks at Brite Revolution are offering a Winter Warm-Up Mixtape featuring the likes of Humming House, Andrew Belle, Tyler Ward, Amy Stroup, The Young International and many more.

That’s not all from the great folks at NoiseTrade. They are also offering Thousand Foot Krutch’s new single “War of Change” along with a great sampler of songwriters called The Best of American Songwriter Sessions. This compilation features the likes of Ron Sexsmith, Justin Townes Earle, Ben Sollee, Johnny Flynn, Elizabeth Cook, Robert Ellis, Jessica Lee Mayfield, Damien Jurado and many more!

There are a couple free offerings from Trent Reznor out there this week.  First is a free download of The Slip from his band Nine Inch Nails. Also out is a six-track sampler from the upcoming “The Girl With The Flower Tattoo” soundtrack from Reznor & Atticus Ross. This duo was responsible for the Oscar and Golden Globe for “Best Original Score” award winning soundrack to “The Social Network.”

Abandon Kansas is offering a free download of their Ad Astra Per Remix EP for one tweet or Facebook share!

Enjoy all this great music!

Here’s your End-of-October Mixtape Monday… on November 1st!  Due to traveling and other commitments, I had to delay Mixtape Monday to Tuesday. I am deeply sorry for the delay! Without further ado, here are the ten tracks for this week that I’m listening to and you should be too! Enjoy.. and as always let me know what you think!

Check out this week’s Mixtape on Spotify!

1. Muse - “Feeling Good”

“Feeling Good” was originally written in 1965 and made popular by Nina Simone. The classic has been covered by many artists, but in September of 2010 the British magazine NME called Muse’s cover the greatest cover song of all time. They gained the honor beating out The Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout” and Johnny Cash’s “Hurt.” I love Muse’s music and overall groove, so when I heard this cover in the 2008 film Seven Pounds, it stuck as one of my favorites by the band.

2. Grouplove - “Colours”

This track was introduced to me by the guys in Switchfoot as a tune I should check out.  ”Colours” is one of those tunes that you’ll find humming for hours. I’m new to this band and their music, but if this track is any indication, I’m looking forward to checking out more of their music.

3. Coldplay - “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”

The first single off the just-released Mylo Xyloto, “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” gets your foot tapping and head bopping. This is the only song off the new album streamed on Spotify currently.

4. The Beach Boys - “Good Vibrations”

Arguably one of the greatest rock n’ roll songs off all time, “Good Vibrations” is like a mini rock symphony. The layers, harmonies and intricacies of this song, crafted by the genius of Brian Wilson, are mind-blowing. I have dusted this track off again in honor of the at-long-last release of the SMiLE project! The Beach Boys and record companies involved have finally come to release these tracks that have been locked in a vault for almost fifty years.

5. Rodrigo y Gabriela - “Diablo Rojo”

Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican guitar duo, known for their fast passed instrumental music. “Diablo Rojo” comes from their 2006 self-titled album. It is a definite fan favorite and is bound to get you dancing.

6. Nickel Creek - “Somebody More Like You”

The California-based Nickel Creek was an incredible progressive bluegrass trio that blended harmonies and beautiful musicianship.  ”Somebody More Like You” comes from the 2005 album Why Should the Fire Die?  I’ve had the honor of seeing this band in concert and their live shows were like no other.  It was refreshing to see how they could do so much with so little production.  

7. The Fugees - “Killing Me Softly With His Song”

Inspired for this mixtape by Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake’s “History of Rap 3” collaboration the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, this track was my jam in high school.  A cover of Robert Flack’s 1973 classic, The Fugees put this song back on the front burner when they released the track on 1996’s The Score. I love Lauryn Hill’s vocals on the remake.

8. Spoon - “I Turn My Camera On”

“I Turn My Camera On,” off the 2005 album Gimme Fiction, used to be featured on the warm up playlist before Switchfoot shows a few tours back and was on the band’s iTunes Celebrity Playlist. There’s an unmistakable groove to this song that often puts it on my repeat list.

9. Pocket Vinyl - “Field Day”

Piano-driven slam rock… that’s the way one would describe the talented Pocket Vinyl. Their sound and shows are unique in many ways. Eric Stevenson provides his own rock groove while the gifted Elizabeth Jancewicz creates a live painting on stage. I highly recommend you check this duo out if they come to a city near you!  ”Field Day,” from 2010’s The Protagonist, is a track that takes you on a journey over overcoming odds and gets you jamming the whole way.

10. Dispatch - “The General”

“The General” is one of those songs that should be on everyone’s playlist. I was reminded of this song again thanks to the good folks over at NoiseTrade.  Right now, you can get the track for free(please leave a tip if you’re able to) as part of their five-song NoiseTrade Sampler.  I highly recommend this Boston-based acoustic roots-rock trio.

Ahh belated Mixtape Monday… you bring joy to my Tuesday.  I hope that’s what you’re saying right now as you wrap up your listening. Go ahead… spin it again! You know you want to. Or check out the past Mixtape Monday’s here and here.