EOIN BUTLER'sguide to downloads, singles and free audiostreams

THE ROLLING STONES

Doom and Gloom Universal **

Fifty years after they split the rock’n’roll atom, Mick, Keith and the Strolling Bones return with a single that seems to have been cobbled together from discarded parts of their old hits. The lyrics relate to the 2003 invasion of Iraq which, at their age, probably counts as a topical reference.

WU-TANG CLAN/KOOL G RAP

Rivers of Blood Soul Temple ****

Directed by RZA, produced by Quentin Tarantino and shot entirely on location in Shanghai, the martial arts blockbuster The Man With The Iron Fists already looks like a cinematic baklava for our time. Add to the mix a brand new Wu Tang track about a double-dealing kung fu weapons manufacturer and, frankly, November 2nd can’t come soon enough.

GIRLS ALOUD

Something New Fascination **

“You boys better know-know- know/We girls gonna run this show.” Good. Well, that’s 6,000 years of patriarchy boxed off.

SPECTOR

Friday Night, Don't Ever Let It End Fiction *

This was intended to be one of those songs – like The Smiths’ There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, Supergrass’ Alright or even Black Eyed Peas’ I Got a Feeling – that condenses the entire experience of being young, horny and alive into a single catchy jingle. Unfortunately, it fails.

NU-CENTZ ft FUNZO

Do You Really Love Me? ***

Irish hip-hop found itself on the receiving end of an almighty shellacking on Twitter this summer, when BBC3 broadcast Irish Rappers Revealed in the UK. One of many worthwhile artists ignored by the documentary is 24-year-old Rob Byrne (aka Nu-Centz). The Tallaght rapper turns in another polished performance here, while Jonathan Lambert's video is worth a look in its own right. youtube.com