Deliciously chill — hip hop duo The Clipse drop another effortless mixtape in Till the Casket Drops

If 2009 goes down anything like 2008, the Internet will be flooded with artists throwing the fruits of the labours online for free as they react to an uncertain music industry. When that happens, Radio Silence will be there. Until the flood begins, the holiday-induced downtime provides a great opportunity to highlight a few stragglers from late 2008.

The Social Registry — 2008 Recap/2008 Leaked Tape (www.analoguemagazine.com/tag/the-social-registry/)

Last year was a good year for Brooklyn-based record label The Social Registry. It released albums by Blood on the Wall, Grouper, Sian Alice Group and notably Saint Dymphna by Gang Gang Dance, which ended up on many best-of-2008 lists, including my own. In an effort to celebrate the year that was and as a thank you to its fans, the label recently offered up two free albums, 2008 Recap and 2008 Leaked Tape.

Recap, as the name would suggest, is essentially a summary of the label’s year and features a few cuts from five albums it released. Obviously, it’s not going to be of much use to devoted fans, but for those who assume that Blood on the Wall must be a metal band, and who haven’t been introduced to Growing’s droning instrumental soundscapes or Sian Alice Group’s anything-goes experimentation, the album is a nice entry point.

Leaked Tape, on the other hand, offers some alluring rarities for more seasoned listeners, including a stellar remix of Gang Gang Dance’s “House Jam” by British dance pranksters Hot Chip and a live version of Growing’s “Rave Pie Only” that features Austo from Japanese rock gods Boris on percussion.

Bug Lung Baby — Trilobite Trash (rcrdlbl.com/2008/12/18/exclusive_new_download_bug_lung_baby_trilobite_trash_ep)

When not fronting indie rockers Mason Proper, Jonathan Visger retreats to his basement under the moniker Bug Lung Baby. Trilobite Trash is a new four-song EP Visger put together for online music community RCRD LBL. The EP finds Visger flexing his songwriting muscles across a diverse landscape of sounds. “This Life” rides waves of synths and crisp production to a pleasant shoegaze plateau. “Palinopsia” flirts with hip hop, stadium rock guitars and laptop glitches. “Neutral Man” is an upbeat pop song that uses layers of Visger’s voice to achieve a spectral feel that provides an interesting counterpoint to the generally sunny vibe. The album is short, but contains a wealth of well-executed ideas and interesting textures, making it well worth a quick download.

The Clipse – Road to Till the Casket Drops (www.complex.com/ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC/Clipse-Mixtape)

It would be disingenuous to begin a new year of Radio Silence without mentioning at least one hip hop mixtape. Fortunately, The Clipse have emerged with yet another quality tape to fill the obligatory spot. On the surface, Road to Till the Casket Drops is a little bizarre, as it is supposed to serve as both a prelude to The Clipse’s upcoming album, Till the Casket Drops, and a launch party for their new Play Cloths clothing line. All of the confusion evaporates when the album begins, though. Pusha T and Malice long ago established themselves as two of the best MCs spitting today, and while the album doesn’t provide any surprises, more of the same isn’t really a bad thing when the quality is as high as The Clipse consistently reach.