Those of you who know my taste in music know I’m not all that crazy about hip-hop, but I have to say, there are a few tracks on the new Super Chron Flight Brothers album (titled Indonesia) which are pretty cool.

I particularly like “African Robotics” and “Broccoli.” Don’t ask me why: it’s very, um, Mouse on Mars meets Wu-Tang Clan, or something. With moments of Pete Namlook-ishness, and smatterings of that flutey Futurefantastafricanistic sound (yeah, my own term, baby) that always makes me think of Sonny Fortune’s hypnotic flute solo on that amazing Miles Davis album, Pangaea.

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Maybe this is just an example of a subgenre of hip-hop I haven’t encountered before — wouldn’t be surprising, and this review of the album (which is pretty bang-on) suggests this is the case.

And I wouldn’t likely have known that if they hadn’t put it up free for download. And while I might not buy their next album, I might. The chance went from 0% to something more than 0%. And they lost nothing.

Just in case you were wondering about whether distributing stuff free online works. Well, it can work, and not doing so, when you’re obscure, seems vaguely like not giving yourself free publicity. Hmmm.

Of course, I’m several months late for International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, and have nothing finished which hasn’t been sold or sent off for consideration. But y’know, I did make some sales in the last couple of months, and several of them are to people who are paying me to give my stories away for free on the Internet. Which, hey, works for both of us.

First publication of the lot coming up in October. One I’m chuffed about, too!