MP3 Monday: Themselves & WHY?, Josh Ottum, Stricken City, Langhorne Slim, Shelley Short

You know the drill, free music you need to hear (and legal too, for whoever it was that filed a complaint against my blog ;).

Themselves & Why? - Canada (MP3)

Two Anticon heavyweights combine for this stunning track that you probably should have picked up by now (Pitchfork was on top of this song this morning, of course). Like the first single, "This Blackest Purse," from the upcoming WHY? album, "Canada" is mellow, but no less beguiling or strange than anything either band has provided over the years. WHY?'s Eskimo Snow will be out on September 22nd while Themselves' CrownsDown is set for release on October 20th. (WHY? MySpace - Themselves MySpace)
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Josh Ottum - It's Alright (MP3)

Seattle musician Josh Ottum had compiled quite a few songs in his home studio over the last few years and finally decided to release a sort of 'best of' from all those solo recording sessions. The first single from the upcoming Like the Season is "It's Alright," a bouncy, melodic folk-pop tune that makes me more than curious to hear the rest of this album. More on this guy later, but for now make sure you get this track. (MySpace)
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Stricken City - Pull the House Down (MP3 via The Fader)

Here's another band I don't know much about, but the UK indie-popsters have made a great impression on me with "Pull the House Down," the first single from their upcoming debut entitled Songs About People I Know. The record will be getting a Stateside release on November 3rd, but it's worth being ahead of the game on this one. With a sort of sexy, rhythmic style and a big-voiced singer in Rebekah Raa, this is a band worth keeping an ear on. (MySpace)
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Langhorne Slim - I Love You, But Goodbye (MP3)

Alt-country singer/songwriter Langhorne Slim is back with a new album to be available on September 29th, but you can download an early single here. The new record, Be Set Free, is Slim's third and will be followed by a fairly extensive two-month tour which you can find out more about on his MySpace page.
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Shelley Short - A Cave (MP3)

Portland songstress Shelley Short is back with another helping of lovely low-key folk tunes on October 13th entitled A Cave, A Canoo. Her gently beautiful voice and pleasant piano riffs makes the record's first single, "A Cave," a definite keeper and reminds me that it may be a frustratingly long wait until we can hear the whole thing in a couple months. (MySpace)