Downloads

Surfing the Web for new music, video and MP3 downloads can be a serious time investment. Tips from Times staff and contributors will help take the drag out of your click-and-drag. Some downloads may contain explicit lyrics. Except as noted, all of the selections are free and available online at latimes.com/downloads.

“The Traneumentary”

John Coltrane

www.traneumentary.blogspot.com/

This is a comprehensive multi-episode podcast on the artistry of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. Several artists, including pianist McCoy Tyner (from the legendary quartet) and drummer Jimmy Cobb, are interviewed, as are producers Joel Dorn and Michael Cuscuna. It is essential listening for anyone who cares about contemporary music. From the “cool” days with Miles Davis to his challenging takes on such standards as “My Favorite Things,”it’s here. iTunes provides a subscription, but the podcast is also available at the site above.

“Closer”

Travis

www.youtube.com/watchvu2hYn_4yuhc

This affecting video for the new single from Travis’ upcoming album depicts customers and employees (the members of Travis among them) at a supermarket shaking off their shackles of alienation and isolation in a moment of collective epiphany. As singer Fran Healy moves through the aisles, singing the song over the PA system, strangers discover mutual needs and connect. Bassist Dougie Payne is a hopelessly enervated checkout cashier who has exceeded the boundaries of his own boredom, and Ben Stiller has a cameo as the store manager who is most definitely not part of the general good vibe.

“Brainstorm”

Arctic Monkeys

www.nme.com/artists/arctic-monkeys/media/488

Quick cuts between tightly choreographed dance routines and shots of couples enjoying the good life and ads for modern appliances accentuate this herky-jerky tune from the Monkeys’ forthcoming album. The video is a bit obvious, but the track cooks behind singer Alex Turner’s bitter commentary: “She’ll be sayin’ ‘Use me’ / Show me the Jacuzzi / I imagine that it’s there on a plate / You’re our rendezvous rate / Means you’ll never be frightened.”

“Dreams Will Come True”

Cake on Cake

www.desolationrecords.com/dreamsvideo.mov

Strange creatures are tenderly cared for and sung to by a barely seen young woman in a tenebrous room. Each sweet shape inhales and exhales as shiny mucus glistens in the soft light. The soundtrack for this odd vision is a digital keyboard programmed to sound like a toy piano with an awkward drum pattern. Fun in the nursery, indeed.