Each week, Playlist’s Glenn Peoples looks at special tracks offered by the iTunes Music Store and other select online music merchants. Here are the selections for the week of March 7th.
Not long ago, Wilco re-released its latest album, A Ghost Is Born, with an added five-song EP. American fans who already owned the CD are able to go online and access the EP as a free download. iTunes now has that EP, the A Ghost is Born Tour EP. The three live songs were recorded at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wisconsin in October of 2004. The two studio tracks are from the A Ghost Is Born sessions. (iTunes also has a version of A Ghost Is Born with that five-song EP.)
The Game, who recently had a very public parting of ways with 50 Cent, has a three-song Sessions@AOL EP at iTunes. One of the songs, “Westside Story,” features his old pal 50 Cent.
Other iTunes exclusives worth mentioning are Beck’s “E-Pro” (Homelife remix), Clem Snide’s Live & Acoustic at KEXP.org, Baby Bash & Frankie J’s “Obession (No Es Amor” (Spanglish version) and the “Bitches Ain’t S**t” single by the always entertaining Ben Folds.
iTunes’ pre-release section has a few important songs. First is “Krafty,” the new single by New Order. (It’s also available at Napster and Rhapsody.) The legendary band’s next album, Waiting for the Siren‚s Call, will be out on April 26th in the U.S. Garbage’s radio edit of “Why Do You Love Me” is also available; the full-length album, Bleed Like Me, is set to be released on April 11th. Next is “Ready Fi Di Ride” by Shaggy. Lastly is the The Secret Migration Part 2, the second pre-release EP by Mercury Rev.
iTunes’ free download of the week is Astaire’s “L-L-Love,” a spirited, sultry pop song by a brother-sister combo that recalls the European sleekness of The Cardigans and the tight, guitar-driven rock of Garbage.
Destiny’s Child has an EP for the song “Soldier” with four dance remixes at numerous online stores, such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster and MSN Music.
Just added to Sony’s Connect store was The Smith’s The Queen is Dead and Rank , a gaggle of Ray Charles titles on Rhino Atlantic, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds’ Live at Luther College , DeBarge’s Greatest Hits and Ottmar Liebert’s Leaning Into The Night .
Rhapsody has a few new ones worth your time. It has added The Cars’ Candy-O , which rounds out the Cars albums. (The bad news: you can only listen to three of the 11 songs. But hey, “Let’s Go” is one of the three, and that’s what really matters.) Bjork’s Selmasongs is a new addition. The 1996 self-titled debut album by the now-famous Fountains of Wayne was added for you lovers of power pop. Lastly, Aaliyah’s One in a Million , the Eagles’ The Long Run and Hotel California , Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning and a stack of Madonna albums are all now in the Rhapsody catalog.
Bleep.com has the new EP by thesaurus-toting rapper Aesop Rock, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives . The CD is a limited edition edition, but not the digital version. When the CDs are on eBay, you can buy the tracks at Bleep.com.