For those of us who love free music (is there anyone who doesn't?) it has been quite a fruitful holiday season this year. Bradford Cox, of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, no stranger to handing out the freebies, shelled out the rare Carve Your Initials Into the Wall of the Night LP, a 2005 CD-R of tape loop experiments fans had been clamoring for; all in the spirit of giving. Folk-rock newcomers Great Lake Swimmers, riding waves of critical praise for their fourth album, chose to keep the momentum going strong with a variety of free recordings throughout the month of December. Not to be outdone in the arena of holiday charity, Dean Marino from EX~PO, Luke LaLonde of Born Ruffians, Will Currie of Country French, Jay Sad and Graham Wright of Tokyo Police Club have all come together to form an entirely new band just to release free music. They are called Novels, and they want you to hide their CD-Rs in the supermarket.

The result of one fifteen hour session at Chemical Sound in Toronto, Novels is an unlikely experiment that challenges the fan to think of creative ways of distributing the band's music to a mass audience. Dean Marino insists that the group has no intention of selling their albums in stores or online via their website, www.okaynovels.com. Instead, their music will be given away, or even left places to be found by the unsuspecting passer by. Fans are encouraged to devise interesting and engaging ways to distribute Novels' recorded output, such as leaving copies at doctor's offices, and are likewise encouraged to share their stories if they happen to stumble upon one of their CDs.

The first EP by Novels is available now for free download at the band's website. Start brainstorming, kids!