Every Thursday Amazing Radio points you in the direction of a fantastic track that can be downloaded for free from amazingtunes.com.

This week’s Free Download of the Week comes courtesy of The Last Dinosaur, a Cambridge-based duo who refuse to recognise the term ‘genre’ and prefer to shun computer technology when in the recording studio.

Grow from The Last Dinosaur on Vimeo.

The band are giving their track Grow away for absolutely nothing via their amazingtunes.com profile. The video for the song, which can be seen above, features slow-motion performances by members of The Invisible Circus. The bright, abstract nature of the performers juxtaposed alongside the laid-back tune creates a striking effect, both visually and aurally. The song itself features vocals by long time collaborator and viola player Rachel Lanskey, and is taken from the band’s forthcoming second LP, The Nothing.

To download our Free Download of the Week, make sure you’re logged into your amazingtunes.com profile and click on this link. You’ll need to hit the blue download icon to start the download, which should take mere minutes. If you haven’t signed up to amazingtunes.com yet, simply head here. Registration couldn’t be easier and it’s completely free.

Catch The Last Dinosaur describing their Free Download of the Week in person on Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.

This afternoon Amazing Radio will be bringing you the latest live performances from The Amazing Sessions.

This week sees Ayrshire Rock quartet Vukovi show off their powerful tunes at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne’s Blank Studios.

Vukovi

As well as recording some of the finest tracks from their ever-growing collection of Pop Rock anthems, the band performed an exclusive unplugged arrangement of their song Snakes and Ladders on location at the CoMusica archways in Gateshead. You can find out more about this video, as well as exclusive pictures and content from Vukovi in The Amazing Sessions, over on the amazingtunes.com blog.

Hear the first two tracks from Vukovi in The Amazing Sessions on Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio. You’ll be able to enjoy a further two live tunes from The Amazing Sessions this Friday from 1pm, as Rich Brant hosts Amazing Live.

Every Monday, Amazing Radio salutes a website that celebrates new and emerging music with the accolade of Website of the Week.

This week’s winning website is Dots & Dashes. Editor Josh says:

“Dots & Dashes was inspired by the goth-like genius of Robert Smith, and started out as a blog housed in a rudimentary template that looked a bit like rotting wallpaper. Maybe it still looks that way. I can’t remember where the name originated from, but it’s just about the only thing that’s remained constant for the eighteen months or so that the site’s been in existence. It’s a labour of love, but a thriving love that grows forever stronger in a relentless struggle to remain (vaguely) relevant, what with a myriad of new blogs and independent websites cropping up daily. Whilst many may take pride in being the first finger on the buzzer to get the latest doom and gloom oOoOO mix out and about on Hype Machine, we (attempt) to conjoin the discovery of new music with more review-orientated content to offer a more conclusive musical experience. Summer tends to be lined with festivals and [as a result] mountains of promos spring up from the carpet weekly to the extent at which we’re unfortunately currently unable to cover all that’s lovingly thrust our way.

“Juggling this sort of obsessive compulsive activity with a degree at times feels like clowning around with Swarovski on marble flooring, although it’s become practically unfathomable to imagine life without Dots & Dashes. If inhaling and exhaling music is the dream, douse me up on sleeping pills and cast me out to hallucination! Several recent dreamweavers to have cropped up in our REM – or at least our inbox – are industrial disco types The Voyeurist, sparse Berlin melodramatists Kool Thing and ethereal duo The Skeleton Dead, all of whom have recently been featured on the site as well as dominating my iPod. We never got round to writing any sort of brief and we’re willing to give anything and everything a spin. All contact information can be found on the site.

“This year we were selected to judge Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent competition which was obviously a colossal honour – Michael Eavis has conjured up the best festival on the planet on a comparative shoestring so to have been able to aid this British institution in any way whatsoever was a pleasure. God bless Glastonbury.”

Hear Josh chatting about his Website of the Week on Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.

Hi everyone it’s Frankie Ward here, ready and raring to bring you another Amazing Folk Roots Show here on Amazing Radio.

I’ve had a hectic week of producing Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson, trying to be better than ‘rubbish’ at playing my acoustic guitar, and attempting to cook more creatively in my cramped shared kitchen where I’m based in the North East.

I’m always hankering for pictures and recipe tips from listeners of the show, and this week is no different so don’t forget to send me your foodie facts, ideas and photos. I’ll be featuring my favourites on this blog alongside my own future efforts.

Here’s the finished result of my attempt to recreate this roasted butternut squash recipe from the BBC Good Food website. I’d recommend serving this warming recipe with a generous musical helping of fun Folk Pop group Felix Fables, with fellow former Track of the Week winners Boat to Row to round off the meal.

Roasted butternut squash with goat's cheese made by my very own hands!

It was rather delicious, although I think this picture doesn’t quite do the size of the thing justice! The shop only had one MASSIVE squash in the entire building left – I literally couldn’t finish most of it, and that’s really quite rare for me.

On the show tonight I’ll be telling you a little bit about my experiences from my trip to the North East coastal town of Tynemouth. It was grey and grizzily on the day I headed down so I couldn’t hit the sandy beach, but I did make the most of the wonderful little gift shops that lined most of the streets.

One of my favourite bits of my visit was when I got to run amok around Tynemouth metro station. Every Saturday the station plays host to an indoor market that sells trinkets, food and vintage clothing.

Tynemouth metro station market

The most intriguing of my finds was a vintage postcard that featured the usual tourist photos surrounding a rather more unusual image of a cat.

The mysterious 'cat postcard'

At first I thought this was a random ‘Birchington in-joke’, (a trade mark of the town if you like). I soon discovered that I was very wrong indeed as I found more cat featuring postcards from other regions, meaning that this ‘cat postcard’ trend was once a national phenomenon. This mysterious trend has continued to haunt me since my trip and I am now requesting you messages to help me solve the puzzle!

Also on the show tonight, I’ll be introducing brand new Soapbox poet Michael Pedersen. Michael combines delicate Sufjan Stevens-esque guitars with a simple direct vocal style reminiscent of previous Amazing Folk Roots Show guest Nev Clay. His work, Sailor Features combines this musical style with the spoken word, Michael’s style of delivery having been shared recently by more mainstream Pop acts such as Kate Nash and The Horrors.

Hear Michael perform in the Soapbox on the Amazing Folk Roots Show from 7pm tonight, or catch the repeat at the same time next Wednesday. Get in touch with me by emailing frankie@amazingradio.co.uk.

Every week Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson finds an Amazing Radio listener their perfect ‘New Music Match’.

This week’s music hungry listener is Sol Mackilligin, who is looking for an act from amazingtunes.com that compliments his love for Plan B, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip and Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s.

Producer Frankie took to amazingtunes.com in search of some retro-tinged hip hop with straight talking flair to compliment Sol’s appreciation of MCs Plan B and Scroobius Pip, whilst looking for another tune to reflect the experimental folk sounds of Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. You can hear the results of this search by having a listen to this three track playlist that Producer Frankie has compiled for Sol.

Sol will be joining presenter Kyle Wilkinson and Producer Frankie on Amazing Radio later today to tell you and the team which track he’s decided to listen to on a long term basis. If you’d like to be Matchmade for the show, simply email your three favourite acts to kyle@amazingradio.co.uk.

Tune into Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson to hear Sol choose his Perfect New Music Match, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.

Thursdays are free on Amazing Radio.

Why, you ask? Well it’s the day that the team behind Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson points you in the direction of a fantastic free download from amazingtunes.com.

This week’s free track comes courtesy of Newcastle-based trio Baskin’s Wish.

Singer Andy of Baskin's Wish

The band are giving a multitude of fabulous, summery Indie-Pop numbers away for free on their amazingtunes.com profile page but, after much deliberation on our part, we’ve decided to highlight their quirky Pop track In & Out. With vocals and some ivory-tinkling reminiscent of a Ben Folds number, the track combines the signature Anglo-Californian Baskin’s Wish sound with memorable lyrics and the occasional smattering of unexpected instrumentation, such as the welcome appearance of a flute.

To download In & Out for free, simply log into your amazingtunes.com account and head to this link. If you haven’t signed up for a profile over at amazingtunes.com yet don’t worry, as creating a profile takes mere moments and is absolutely free!

Tune into Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson to hear Baskin’s Wish talk about their Free Download of the Week, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.

Every week Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson brings you a fantastic free track from one of the talented new and emerging acts over at amazingtunes.com.

This week’s track comes from Newcastle four-piece Pilots.

Pilots

Pilots make exotic beat-driven pop music, with musical nods to The Police and Field Music. Singers Luke Elgie and Rich Sutton share lead vocal duties, Tom Larthe de Langladure multi-tasks drumming and vocals whilst John Martindale provides percussive flair with congas, vocals and other assorted instruments.

Our Free Download of the Week track from the guys this week is one of their ‘darker numbers’, Castles. You can get it for free by logging into your amazingtunes.com and heading to this page. Once there, click on the blue download item to grab the tune. If you’ve not signed up to amazingtunes.com yet, don’t worry, as setting up a profile takes mere minutes and is absolutely free!

Hear Pilots chat about their Free Download of the Week track on Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson, today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.

Every Tuesday Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson likes to find a listener their perfect ‘new music match’.

Last week listener Sinéad Krzyzyk sent in the names of her favourite three artists to give the team an idea of her musical tastes.

Producer Frankie took the names of these three artists (The National, Los Campesinos! and Belle and Sebastian) to amazingtunes.com and compiled a three track playlist that she felt might suit Sinéad’s aural tastebuds. You can check out the playlist in full over here.

Sinéad will be joining Kyle and Producer Frankie on the show later today to reveal who she’ll be listening to on a long-term basis, so don’t forget to tune in!

Catch Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson from 3pm today on Amazing Radio. If you’d like to experience the Matchmaker treatment, simply email your favourite three artists to kyle@amazingradio.co.uk.

Here at Amazing Radio we’re always looking to find you brand new and emerging talent to grace your ears and our airwaves.

Over the past couple of weeks the Amazing team have been revealing who they think you’ll be hearing more of throughout 2011. Today the new music tips come from Amazing Breakfast host Georgie Rogers.

Georgie’s first ‘thumbs up’ goes to rising dub artist Alice Amelia. Georgie says:

“‘Embedded‘, Alice Amelia’s tune featuring production from Cruso, is a track I am trying to bring to the masses in 2011. Dubstep has exploded onto the commercial dance music scene in such a big way and this would easily sit alongside tracks by Katy B, Jakwob’s re-working of Ellie Goulding’s track ‘Under The Sheets’, Magnetic Man and Rusko, as well as being blasted out at a rave, in a club or at a festival. If 21 year-old Alice Amelia continues collaborating with this fella and other dance producers, I reckon she could do really well. Her voice sounds awesome with some big beats under it so I hope to see her doing more of it this year.”

Ex Libras

Georgie’s second shout out is for experimental independents Ex Libras:

“London band Ex Libras were one of the first artists we played on Amazing Breakfast that instantly struck a chord with me.  In the song ‘Underachiever‘, there’s an atmosphere reminiscent of a Radiohead track, but also in parts, the space of a band like The XX. This all comes before the track  builds into an epic finish which floored me upon my first listen. Their performances for The Amazing Sessions confirmed their talents as a live outfit too.  Experimental, devastatingly beautiful and genius, I hope they get the recognition they deserve in 2011.”

Genius, eh Georgie? We’d better give them a listen!

Join Georgie Rogers for Amazing Breakfast, weekday mornings between 7 and 10am, on Amazing Radio.

Here at Amazing Radio we’re always looking to find you brand new and emerging talent to grace your ears and our airwaves.

Over the next couple of weeks the Amazing team will be revealing who they think you’ll be hearing more of throughout 2011. Today the new music tips come from Scottish voice of new music, Jim Gellatly.

Jim’s first musical prediction for super stardom in 2011 is solo artist Shambles Miller. As Jim himself writes:

“I was delighted to discover Shambles Miller on Amazing Radio after initially being tipped off by my pals at the Glasgow Podcart blog. He’s the closest Scotland’s got to Frank Turner, whom I’m also a massive fan of. Perhaps if he can win further acclaim young Shambles will be able to afford another shirt – I swear he only ever wears the same plaid affair every time I bump into him!”

Jim Gellatly

Jim’s second recommendation, Weather Barn is another Scottish act! Jim tells us more:

“I always keep on eye on bands from the North-East of Scotland, having lived in Aberdeen for nine years before relocating to big bad Glasgow. Weather Barn possess everything that excites me about a new band – not least some first class tunes. Their track ‘Park Hands‘ was one of my Amazing Radio favourites of 2010, and I’m itching to hear what they come up with next.”

Sounds like it’s going to be a good year for Scottish music then, eh Jim?

Hear Jim Gellatly being you his latest picks from amazingtunes.com today from 3pm, on Amazing Radio.