Don't Run Barefoot on Broken Glass

This list is a mix of American indie pop/rock. All tracks are freely available for download from the amazing music site Epitonic. To download the song, click on the name of the song.  The band name links to the Epitonic page about the band.  They all are close to 90 BPM so work for a 180 SPM (strides per minute) run.

Broken Glass by The Baptist Generals 91bpm
From Texas. this track is super pretty and melodic. 

Dots on Maps by Say Hi 90bpm
Pacific northwest. Very melodic and catchy.  

Sick Days by Yourself and The Air 91bpm
Chicago. A little bit more of an edge than the last two, but not much.

Lovesick Teenagers by Bear In Heaven 90bpm
Brooklyn.  Hip. 

Of Pressure by Mirah 94bpm
Washington State.  Might be a bit fast for some, but I like this bpm. I downloaded this song many years ago, before Epitonic hibernated for several years.  Its a super sweet pop song.

Universe Or Worse by Braid 90bpm
Chicago.  A little more rock than pop.  

Stars So Pretty

This list is a mix of American pop and  folk-pop. All tracks are freely available for download from the amazing music site Epitonic. To download the song, click on the name of the song.  The band name links to the Epitonic page about the band.  They all are close to 90 BPM so work for a 180 SPM (strides per minute) run. Enjoy spring running with some happy music. 


Out In The Country by Future Hits 93bpm
Very cute song, only outdone by the cheeky band name. From San Francisco.

A Million Years by Alexander 91 bpm
Alexander is the singer from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, who has appeared in two of my other posts; here and here. Very sweet love song.

We the common by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down 90bpm
This is the same Thao from Mirah and Thao so if you like this you may want to go listen to them too.

A Movie Script Ending by Death Cab for Cutie 92bpm
Death Cab for Cutie are from Washington.

Rich Hum Of air by Shannon Wright 89bpm
Shannon Wright is from Atlanta, Georgia.  I love this song, it has a sort of odd sound to it.  Well her voice sort of stands out; she's intense.

Shine by The Album Leaf 92bpm
From San Diego. Instrumental, pretty.

Every Day is Lighter

It is getting lighter for us folks in the northern hemisphere, but where I am there is still no vitamin-D forming strength sunlight.  2 years ago almost to this very day I got a stress fracture and I don't know if winter and vitamin-D has anything to do with it, but if you do live somewhere dark, and run, well it might be time think about taking a supplement. Actually since the fracture I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement, and vitamin K2, plus I got tested for vitamin-D and was very low, so I take these mega doses of that once a month. 

So now for the music after last month's list of hardcore tracks (Forever Punk) I have swung the other way, the following 6 tracks all have a strong pop influence.  All tracks are available on the amazing music site Epitonic.  Click on the song to download.  The band name links to the Epitonic page for the band. 

Shapeshifter (Epitonic saki Sessions) by Hollows 89bpm
Lo-fi pop from Chicago.  Very melodic. 

16 Military Wives by The Decemberists 92bpm
Sweet indie rock from the pacific northwest USA.

Jaded Bones by Koda 88bpm
Downtempo electronica from Columbia, North Carolina.

Ninnyhammer by Holobody 92bpm
Synth-pop from Montreal.  Could be too cute for its own good, I'm sure I'll get sick of this quite fast, but I am currently quite enchanted.  Luckily there is oodles of great, free running music to consume.

Snap by Nosaj Thing 94bpm
Electronic hip-hop from LA. Quite melodic. Has a very slight 8-bit feel.

Boogie Down by Gramatik & Break Science 94bpm
From Portoroz, Slovenia, but doesn't sound like I'd expect.  I'm not really even sure what I expect from Slovenia?  In the same sort of spirit as the last track, electronic hip-hop.

6 Free Running Songs for July 2012

At the end of June I bought an apartment and since spent every spare minute tearing down wallpaper (wallpaper is evil people), painting, going to Ikea, putting up blinds, curtains, shelves and lots more. I am exhausted and this blog has suffered.  I am leaving on a two week, Internet free holiday this weekend, and I don't want to let July go by without at least one post.  So here's 6 free running songs for July to tide you over.  I promise in August and September to post a lot, I actually have a bunch of songs backed-up that I want you all to know about.

As usual all songs are available on Epitonic for free and legal download.  To download the song, click on the name of the song.  The band name links to the Epitonic page about the band.  They all are close to 90 BPM so work for a 180 SPM (strides per minute) run.  

Angels by The xx 91 BPM
British indie pop, catchy enough to be a hit, real enough for me to like it.

Sinful Nature (Anika with BestMate Remix) by Bear In Heaven 90 BPM
Booklyn indie pop / electronica.  According to last.fm, "the sound of the band incorporates influences from psychedelic music, electronic music and krautrock."

Love (Epitonic saki Sessions) by Secret Colours 91 BPM
From Chicago, Secret Colours,  sounds like an American version of Ride to me.  Garage rock.

Baze by The-Drum 90 BPM
Again from Chicago, The-Drum play and ambient electronic This is my favourite track on the list.

Ghostsong by Daniel Knox 91 BPM
Chicago singer songwriter with a carbaret twist, would sound nice on a mix tape with some Shayer James and Dresden Dolls.

Ex-Dreams by The Men 91 BPM
Booklyn indie rock, very good high-energy fast-sounding runnable track.

Stronger Yet

Here's a track from those Canadian indie rockers, Metric, from their brand new album Synthetica. I'm just on my first listen, but it feel more pop and less rock than than their previous releases, especially this track Clone, with its almost perfect 91 BPM runnable beat.

Get Ready For the Race

Here's a sweet little pop song from Havergal.  I think its officially pop, but almost sounds almost singer-songwriter to me.  Even though with a BPM of 87 this song is a little on the slow side for a 180 SPM run, I had to include it, what with the title and all, Lungs For the Race. Oh and its a free download on Epitonic, just click here to start downloading.

6 Free Running Songs for May 2012

Time for another 6 free running songs post.  As usual all songs are available on Epitonic for free and legal download.  To download the song, click on the name of the song.  The band name links to the Epitonic page about the band.  They all are close to 90 BPM so work for a 180 SPM (strides per minute) run.  

The end of this month I am moving out of the apartment that I lived in with future ex-husband for over 6 years.  Its the longest I have ever lived in one place. Although we've been living apart since Christmas, this move, into an apartment I am buying, feels really definitive. Its the right thing to do, but it still leaves me feeling sad and a bit lost.  The songs this month sort of reflect this, they are a bit melancholic but soothing, that's where I am at.


Oh and everything this month is American.  I like to have things be a bit more international, but somehow that didn't work out this month.


Sea of Miss by Nate Ashley 89 BPM
Dreamy indie folk from pacific north-westerner Nate Ashley.  The download is just over 2mins long and at first I thought the free download version was cut off, but the one on sale at Amazon is the same length.  This song sounds slow and chilled but don't be fooled the tempo is perfect for running. 

Towers by Bon Iver 92 BPM
Again Indie folk.  According to last.fm, Bon Iver is a play on the French phrase 'bon hiver' meaning good winter.

Blue Escape by Willis Earl Beal 88 BPM

This falls under blues, not a genre I am a usual fan of.  Somehow this track works for me anyway.  Willis has a raspy voice and the sound is quite minimal.  There is some kind of back story of him being homeless while he wrote or maybe even recorded this album, the release of which sort of propelled him into the limelight. The lyrics are quite poetic.

Exit the Mine by Baths 89 BPM

Lo-fi indie pop.  A sweet, but a little repetitive, tune from Los Angelian Baths.

Sick Days by Yourself and the Air  91 BPM

Indie pop again.  Yourself and the Air are from Chicago.

Mirando by RATATAT 89 BPM

Taking it up a notch or two, Ratatat can't quite decide if they are indie-rock or electronic. There are no vocals, but this track stays interesting over its not quite 4 minutes.  It has high energy sound that'll put you in the mood for a run. Ratatat are from Brooklyn. 

Have a Good Day

Another song by my kraut pop hero's Wir Sind Helden, Guten Tag. Guten Tag means good day, in have a good day, and is used like old fashioned English Good Day for Hello - who says Good Day anymore?  This was their first hit and the song that made them famous. Its a frantic little pop song with amazing lyrics, I looked around for an English translation of the lyrics and to my surprise the translations seemed really bad, they seemed to get the meaning just the opposite of what I understood listening. But this is the beauty of Wir Sind Helden, they play so much on words that it is kind of impossible to really translate. Anyway she sings

My voice against your mobile phone,
My fists against your nail lotion,
My teeth against those of Dr. Best and his son,
My soul against your gentle epilation.

It was on sale, on offer a special deal:
'Trade in a boring old life for new version'.
I just tried it out at home when I realised:
The product is broken – this is the complaint.

I won't trade anymore, I want my life back.

But in German you trade against something, so I always understood the against in the first 4 lines to meanin exchange for.  Then she sees that the products don't work as advertised. White teeth do not make you happy. But you can also kind of read the first four lines, with the against, just as against, like a rebel against. Anyway if you haven't done it yet, learn German, it's worth it for the Wir Sind Helden catalogue alone!


Its got a BPM of 92 so a bit on the fast side for a 180 SPR run, but not totally out of range.

Everything is a Game!

To a Hammer is a sweet little pop/folk love song by the adorable Erin McKeown. If you like this song you might want to go to her page on Epitonic where she has two other songs available for free download.  Erin McKeown is one of the artistes on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records.  I'm a big fan of Ani and many of the artists she publishes. If you like this socially-conscience singer-song writer type of music check out the Righteous Babe Record page on Epitonic.

And of course the BPM, To a Hammer has a perfect 90BPM, which will help you hit that 180SPM cadence when your running.

Nonsense Sound

Here's a cute and strange little pop song, Golden Phone, from Micachu & The Shapes. Its got a 90BPM tempo so perfect for a 180SPM run. I have no idea what its about. I think its a riddle, so if anyone has any idea what the nonsense sound is please post a comment!

6 Free Running Songs

I've been kind of quite recently, had a lot of crazy stuff going on. To make up for it this post contains 6 free running songs! All these songs can be freely and legally downloaded from the amazing music site Epitonic. Click on the name of the song to download it. I've linked the band name to their corresponding Wikipedia entry for hardcore music fans to get band info.

1. Excuses by Bibio 91BPM
   This song starts a bit low key and takes about half a minute to really get into the beat. But it is worth it! This is a beautiful electronic landscape - with nice lyrics too. I think it might be my favourite on the list. Oh and if the slow start doesn't work for you while running, you could always trim it.
2. R.I.P Burn Face by CocoRosie 90BPM
   Sweet tune, strange lyrics, just as I like it.
3. My Time bu Minus the Bear 92BPM
   Although its a little fast, this is a great tune to run to. A nice little indie pop rock song, hard not to like.
4. Glass Table Girls by The Weeknd 89BPM
   Warning lyrics contain bad words, otherwise super hip and cool, and is he rapping some old Siouxsie and the Banshees lyrics? "this is a happy house, we're happy here in our happy house"
5. Civilian by Wye Oak 90BPM
   According to Wikipedia, Why Oak have been described as "earnest folk-influenced indie rock with touches of noise and dream pop". Yeap.
6. Black Night by The Dodos 91BPM
   Straight up indie rock to get those feet moving.

"You don't have to dance, but move your heart"

I have moved around a lot in my life, but the country that I love best, is Germany.  I didn't have culture shock, when I arrived I felt like I had finally arrived home.  So its about time for some Germany music on my little blog!  So here's The Geek by Wir Sind Helden.

Wir Sind Helden (We Are Heros) is one of my favourite German bands, and very popular in Germany.  Their sound is pop rock and the lyrics are an amazing play on words.  Wir Sind Helden, are a reason alone to learn German.  I have copy and pasted an English translation of the text of this song below the video.

Oh and the BPM is exactly 90, and will get you running at 180 strides per minute.

Are too smart to draw any attention to your awkwardness
And not good-looking enough to get noticed
Do you know just how it is always to fall short
Just not far enough to get somewhere else
It hurts to be like you should
It hurts to be like you are
But when the quarterback comes to take off your glasses
Tell him: Thanks, but they're staying where they are
However, I do know
The wounded shall be the healers
The last shall be the first
Realise it: "The meek shall inherit the earth" 

The wounded shall be the healers
The last shall be the first
The first will be the last to realise that
"The geek shall inherit the earth"
Not your time, not your feet, not your beat, not your people
Not your world, and not your your pain
You don't have to fit in here, but look for something that belongs to you
You don't have to dance, but move your heart
It hurts to be how you imaging that have to be
It hurts to be how you imaging that you are
But when the homecoming queen comes to wake you up with a kiss
Tell her: Thanks, I didn't miss a thing
[Chorus]
It hurts to be like you ought to be
When your teacher asks you:
Shouldn't we see each other more often
It feels good to be how you imaging that you would like to be
When you tell him:
Lord, let this annoying man pass me by