I’ve recently been enjoying the debut album, Instruments of Mercy, from Oregon-based group, Beautiful Eulogy. In fact so much so that I feel aesthetically obliged to let you know that they’re generously giving it away for free download over at Noisetrade.

BE are made-up of Braille, Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano, and though their roots are hip-hop, their sound is a delightful eclectic mix, with influences from electronica, folk, and traditional hymnody. Their lyrics are shaped by their reformed theology, and surely display something of hip-hop lyricism at its best: elegant, witty, and powerful.

So, go download Instruments of Mercy from here, while it’s currently available.

Pastor Joe Thorn, author of Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself (Crossway/Re:Lit), has described Beautiful Eulogy as having a “clean, multi-instrumental and digital, powerful yet ethereal and atmospheric sound that lifts up the lyrics without overtaking what is being spoken. And what is spoken is powerful.”

If you’ve haven’t come across Noisetrade before, check it out. Its a site that allows emerging bands and artists to build up a fan-following, by giving their music away for immediate download in exchange for your email address. Their weekly email is a tantalising selection plate of different genres and styles; I’ve found it to be a great way of discovering new artists, and all for free (though you are invited, and may well subsequently feel compelled, to ‘leave a tip’).

Here’s the first single released from Instruments of Mercy, ‘Vital Lens’.