During the holiday season, it can be depressing buying gifts for everyone else and not having enough money left over to splurge on yourself. To help during this time of year, a few artists are giving away their music for free. Now you can treat yourself without the guilt of having to dig deeper into your pockets for retail therapy. Below are three albums worth the effort to download, and even if you don’t like them, at least you’re not out the extra cash.

Vanguard Records’ Holiday Sampler
This gem is a must for anyone who likes folk, acoustic and indie rock. It’s nearly an hour-long compilation of original songs by 16 different artists who make guys (and gals) and their guitars attractive. Probably one of the most organic albums I’ve heard in a while, it doesn’t have any of the polished studio sounds so many bands feature on their radio-friendly tracks. This sampler gives a true depiction of what these musicians would sound like live. It made me fall in love all over again with musicians I’ve long forgotten about — like Joshua Radin, Erin McKeown and Needtobreathe — as well as spark my musical interest in newer artists like Meiko. Thanks to the stripped-down sounds, the album allows the lyrics to shine, which is refreshing.

To download this CD, click here. In exchange for the free download, you’ll have to surrender your e-mail address to be put on the label’s mailing list, but it’s a small “price” to pay — and you can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time.

Get Busy Committee’s Uzi Does It Mixtape by DJ Cheapshot
I never thought I’d hear Bjorn, The Cure, The Fresh Prince, Def Leppard and Smashing Pumpkins together on one album let alone blended together with hip-hop beats and catchy rap rhymes. However, it works. Although the 42-minute remix features some explicit lyrics — what rap album doesn’t? — the transition from rhymes to well-known radio-friendly artists is so smooth, it isn’t jarring to hear The Cars have a track right next to NKOTB. Featuring Ryu, Apathy and Scoop Deville (who make up Get Busy Committee) the trio proves their years of mixing tunes for other artists pays off in their new venture and why other artists like Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda are raving about them.

The album is available here for download.

Menya’s The Sleepover Series (Vol. 1)
New York City based self-described electro-clash hip-hop group Menya is made up of NYU music students and proof you don’t need to stick to one genre to grab listeners’ attention. The draw of the group is the beats they produce. Hip-hop may be the base, but poppy electronica sounds drive the rhythm  of this 12-track album. Don’t expect fluffy, light-hearted lyrics, though. Instead, think potty-mouthed, half-sung, half-rapped lyrics. But as mentioned, the music is more about the sound than the words with this group, although they do three covers of pop artists and make them their own that are almost more fun than the originals: Vanessa Carlton’s “White Houses,” Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up” (renamed “(So What) I Hook Up” on Sleepover) and 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me” (also renamed on the CD to “Ho’s Revenge”).

To download Sleepover, click here.

*Special bonus: Ilan Rubin’s The New Regime
Don’t forget about the NIN drummer’s debut album re-release. It’s available for free here until New Year’s Eve. For a full description of the album, click here for my review.