Staff Music Picks: February 2014

Posted by Staff

Have you tried Freegal yet?  No!  Now is the time to start.  Songs are available in MP3, the standard music file format and will play on any digital device.  The files are encoded at the same high quality you'll find on iTunes or Amazon MP3, but they are DRM-free, which means the songs you download are yours forever.

Freegal is a fantastic service, but there is so much available, we provide patron and staff playlists (also available on Pinterest) to help you find something great to download. We'll cover everything from classical to country.   To access the library of available music, you will need your Edwardsville barcode and PIN.  Scroll to the bottom of our webpage, click on the Freegal link, and away you go!  Please be advised that an an entire album will require multiple downloads (patrons are currently allowed 3/week).  You can also download a free Freegal app on Apple and Android marketplaces; to use type in '62025' for your location and select Edwardsville Public Library.

We recognize that the search functions are not easy to use in Freegal - they've been improved, but they are still not the greatest - please be patient.  If we've listed something here, it should be available.  Some staff favorites can not yet be found on Freegal, but are available through SHARE.  We will clearly indicate these albums/songs and add a link to our catalog.

Pam O. picks Mumford & Sons Sigh No More.  "I listen to this when I'm cleaning house.  My favorite songs are Little Lion Man and White Blank Page.  This band has a unique twist on traditional folk music that is at once joyful and a touch angry.  Good to yell/sing while cleaning!"

Joyce D. picks Joan Baez.  "She is a constant music companion.  I really like Joan Baez Volume I.  This album was her introduction to the folk music world.  Her clear, pure voice makes the traditional folk music new." This album is not available on Freegal or SHARE, but many others are.  Her older works have been re-released and do not have original dates on Freegal.

Jessica W. picks One Direction and thinks Take Me Home is the best album.  "This is typical boy band music, very much pop.  I like them because their music is upbeat and keeps me awake and focused when studying.

Karen K picks Ben Folds - any album.  "I listen to this when I'm bored.  Ben Fold's lyrics tell interesting stories and he's not afraid to go outside the music box when it comes to instrumentation."  There are quite a few albums of Ben Folds solo as well as those of the group effort, Ben Folds Five.