Until today. While walking the dog beach with Boy Z and Timmins, I saw a huddle of a half dozen people on the shore looking nervously out at a shadowy form in the surf. We jogged over to have a look and saw what was very clearly a fairly large shark about five meters from shore. (I know that I recently misidentified a coromorant as a penguin, but today there were others their to confirm my i.d.) Regrettably, I didn’t have my camera, but I’ve got to tell you it was pretty exciting. I suspect the big guy had figured out that the dog beach was a good source for little canine treats. Since my close encounter, I’ve been reading about shark attacks in South Australia. This is something that I need to stop doing right now.

But that’s not what I came here to talk about today. I came to talk about the sixth best album of the year by an unsigned or independent artist. Just a reminder of where we’ve been thus far:

10. The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive”
9. The Black Angels – “Directions To See A Ghost”
8. Sun Kil Moon – “April”
7. Frank Turner – “Love, Ire & Song”

I love a good pop band. Unfortunately, most Top 40 radio is populated by really crap pop bands. So, when I find one that is exceptional, it’s easy for me to fall in love. And earlier this year, I fell in love with New York’s Vampire Weekend. There’s nothing exceptional about their self-titled debut (XL), it is just masterful, joyful, ska-inspired pop music. But I challenge you to listen to them and not be almost immediately smitten. I was living in Oxford at the time the album came out and spent a good couple of months skipping along to “Oxford Comma” even though I’m sure that the song has pretty much nothing to do with the university town in the south of England. Have a listen to that track and if you like what you hear, buy the album from .

And that just leaves your daily reminder about the December giveaways here at A Free Man. I’ve got a metric ton of great new music to give away and two contests currently running. There are a lot of good entries for the Tagline Contest, but none that I’m completely sold on yet – so there’s a window of opportunity to win some free music. All I need from you, gentle readers is a new pithy tagline for A Free Man. Leave your inspired creation as a comment on this post. The Noble Savage is ahead in the limerick contest by a nose, but there’s a lot of time left. Head on over and vote for your favorite.

Image credits:

Shark

MP3: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”

London based singer-songwriter Owen Duff has offered up his latest EP “The Stop Gap”as a free download. A little reminiscent of Badly Drawn Boy, but definitely worth a listen.

MP3: Owen Duff – “Act of War”

Over on the other side of the Atlantic, New York’s Baskervilles have just released their latest LP “Twilight. Chirpy Mitch Easter produced indie pop.  

MP3: Baskervilles – “A Little More Time”

Toronto’s Luke Doucet wrote my favorite track of the week. Solid roots rock fueled by fierce song-writing. His debut, “Blood’s Too Rich” is out Tuesday.

MP3: Luke Doucet – “Blood’s Too Rich”

Los Campesinos is the self-declared second most punk-rock band in Britain. The Welsh septet’s latest LP, “Hold On Now, Youngster” was out earlier this year on Wichita.

MP3: Los Campesinos – “Death to Los Campesinos”

Gotham’s Dream Bitches are the second act from the Big Apple that caught my attention this week. Four of five Bitches are women, but this act is not your little sister’s girl band. Their sophomore LP “Coke and Spriters” is out on Recommend If You Like Records.  

MP3: Dream Bitches – “Me & The Major”

Thomas Bryan Eaton is another member of the burgeoning music scene in Brooklyn. Like fellow Yankees the Felice Brothers, he’s making music that sounds like it should be coming out of the Midwest or the South. Solid Americana.  ”Dreams, Demons & Butterflies” is his new one,  due in July.

MP3: Thomas Bryan Eaton – “Meant To Last”

Philly quintet Dr. Dog is staying busy. Their newest record, “Fate” is out in July and their supporting that release with live dates all over the U.S. and Europe for the rest of ‘08. Look out for these guys.

MP3: Dr. Dog – “The Old Days”

One-woman band (and purported elementary school teacher) Cannonball Jane is making some wonderfully creative homemade music. Get her latest effort, “Knees Up”, direct from Jane.  

MP3: Cannonball  Jane – “The Secret Handshake”

To finish up this week, a new feature here on A Free Man – the week’s best remix. During my time in the City of Dreaming Spires I was often enchanted by the Oxford-Cambridge rivalry (Top Toffs?). London producer Nikolai Levey captures that competitive spirit in his Cambridge remix of Vampire Weekend’s “Oxford Comma”.

M4A: Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma (Nikolai Levey’s Alternate University Version)”

I had directed this crotchetiness at Vampire Weekend earlier this year. The singles that got leaked on the net tended to be poorly produced and noisy, so it was easy to write off the Gotham act as unlistenable. Once they started to get some hype, the grumpy old man persona was firmly entrenched.

Well, I’m not to old and grumpy to admit when I’m wrong, albeit a little late – Vampire Weekend are the real deal. The NYC quartet are nearly flawless in their self-titled debut. The most charming thing about these guys is that they’re insightful enough to realize that there is no truly “new” music. With that in mind they draw from diverse genres (ska, dub, Afro-pop, post-punk) to make the closest thing to a new sound that I’ve heard since Arcade Fire’s debut. What’s truly incredible is that they draw these diverse influences together as effortlessly as anyone has since the heyday of the Talking Heads.

I know I’m about the last music blogger on the interweb to tout these guys, but if for some reason you haven’t bought their debut – do so now. I’ve pasted two of my favorite tracks below. The full-length album (XL) is available from eMusic, Amazon and .

MP3: Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma”
MP3: Vampire Weekend – “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”