Great Free and Legal Music

Looking for something new to listen to while you crank out that research paper in Lamont? Bored of listening to Lady Gaga and Ke$ha at every party? Here are some great sources of free, legal music to download.

Girl Talk

A mashup mainstay, Girl Talk's albums have gained status as a party essential. Combining various tracks and crossfading between them at astronomical speed, the hyperactive mixes contain samples to satisfy every type of music lover. You can name your own price—including $0—for all five of Girl Talk’s releases here.

Best tracks: "Smash Your Head," "Still Here," "Jump On Stage"

Hood Internet

Where Girl Talk's ADHD-addled frenzy of sound rarely lingers on specific pairing for more than a few seconds, The Hood Internet take a more disciplined approach, producing cuts that focus on pairing just two songs together, and keeping that mashup going for a few minutes, rather than seconds. In addition to their five official mixtapes, the duo has produced a number of other artist-specific works.

Best tracks: "Two Weeks of Hip Hop," "The Ghostface Of You Lingers," "The xx Gon Give It To Ya"

Kanye West's "Good Fridays"

Leading up to the release of last year's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Kanye began releasing a new track every Friday in a program subtly deemed Good Fridays. Although he's since stopped releasing tracks with the platform, the 14 songs he put out are still available for download. That includes a remix of "Power" featuring Jay-Z, the extended cut of "Christmas in Harlem," and the catchiest piano hook of last year on "Good Friday."

Das Racist

Brooklyn-based alt-rap duo Das Racist is one of those bands you've probably heard, but not actually heard of. The duo had their first hit with the infectious, goofy, late night culinary dream, "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell." Since then, the group has produced two well-received albums and released them on their website.

Best tracks: "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell," "You Oughta Know," "rapping 2 u"

Coldplay’s LeftRightLeftRightLeft

Released back in 2009 as a thank you gesture to fans, "LeftRightLeftRightLeft" is an album of live recordings. While four of the nine songs are from Coldplay’s most recent studio release, "Viva La Vida," hits such as "Clocks," "The Hardest Part," and "Fix You" make an appearance as well.