For the first half of this list, see Best Creative Commons Music of 2010, Part 1 featuring recent releases by Pixelord, Girl Talk, Geotic, Kristin Hersh, and Gepel.  As with the initial post, all of the music below is available as a free download under a Creative Commons license.

Also, if you are interested in learning more, sign up for the Friday, March 18 Creative Commons Music class at Mid-Manhattan Library.

Image by Rare Frequency, CC BY-NC-SA

6) James Blackshaw - Live at WFMU on The Long Rally 2/2/10 (WFMU)

Born in 1981, James Blackshaw's approach to the twelve-string guitar has already drawn comparisons to such luminaries as John Fahey and Leo Kottke. 

This live recording, which consists of one track each from the albums Cloud of Unknowing (2007), Litany of Echoes (2008), and The Glass Bead Game (2009), is a near perfect introduction to the artist.

Free Download | License: CC BY-NC-SA

 

7) Various Artists - Fly Russia (Error Broadcast)

Taking the #1 spot on this list was Moscow electronic artist Pixelord with the double-barreled laser blast of Lucid Freaks Pt. 1 & 2. 

Fly Russia, also released by Error Broadcast in conjunction with Siberian blog Gimme5, provides a slightly larger picture of the Russian music scene by compiling 15 artists with varying styles, but a single-minded and enthusiastic irreverence towards contemporary dance music.

Free Download | License: CC BY-NC

 

8) Felipe Sarro - Bach: Original Works and Transcriptions (Oddio Overplay)

It's often surprisingly difficult to find quality, Creative Commons-licensed recordings of classical music. This collection, performed by Brazilian pianist Felipe Sarro, is divided neatly in half with nine works by composer Johann Sebastian Bach, followed by nine transcriptions of Bach works for the piano by Russian composer Alexander Ilyich Siloti.

Free Download | License: CC BY-NC-ND

 

9) Various Artists - Re-Fragment (FUSELab)

Marking the return of its Fragment series, FUSELab offers up 15 minimalist techno tracks by relative newcomers like Doyeq and Clapan, alongside established artists such as Modul and SCSI-9. Although this is the second Moscow-centric compilation in our list (the other being Fly Russia listed above) the two releases cover very different ground within the Russian electronic music scene.

Also, despite its specificity of both geography and genre, there is a refreshing range across the release, from the playful funk of "Way29" by Frunk29 to the somber drones of Uruguayan artist Gastón Arévalo's "Noir." 

Free Download | License: CC BY-NC-ND

 

Image by Josh C, CC BY-NC-SA10) Atlas Sound - Live Dublab "Sprout Session" 12.15.06 (Dublab)

Atlas Sound is the solo project of Deerhunter's Bradford Cox.  While the latter embraces a sinewy but muscular "ambient punk," Cox's solo releases inhabit a more intimate, dream-like plane.  In 2010, fans of either project were showered with an embarassment of riches: from the stellar Deerhunter release Halcyon Digest on 4AD to a four volume series of Atlas Sound bedroom recordings, available as a free download on the Deerhunter blog.

This live recording from 2006, digitally unearthed by Dublab and the Free Music Archive on the eve of 2010, captures a gorgeous ambient set that indicates the direction Atlas Sound would head with debut album Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (2008) and its follow-up Logos (2009).

Free Download | License: CC BY-NC-SA

 

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