We don’t always cover the most diverse range of artists here at Pop Damage, but just because we aren’t writing doesn’t mean we aren’t listening. For your summer listening pleasure (great for long drives, pool parties and barbecues), here is a round-up of some free, first-rate music for the summer and beyond:

1. Stereogum’s Cruel Summer Mixtape: Stereogum’s impeccably curated mix contains a diverse cocktail of buzzed -over indie sounds, from The Acorn to Washed Out (Not quite A-Z, but impressively close). This is the go-to item on this list for catching up on your hot indie acts and hiding out from hip-hop.

2. Das Racist’s Shut Up, Dude Mixtape: From the maker’s of last year’s number one jam of the summer, “Combination Pizza Hut/Taco Bell” (I’m only half kidding about it’s jam status), comes this funny, clever joint. These guys are not just one note joke rappers — they are articulate, humorous dudes with interesting things to say about music and hip hop culture. And “Combination” is still awesome.

3. Culdesac by Childish Gambino:  Childish Gambino is the name that Donald Glover of Community and writer for 30 Rock raps under. Far from being a joke, on his first proper album (Glover previously released two mixtapes where he rapped over indie songs from the likes of Sleigh Bells and Grizzly Bear) he demonstrates that he has more in common with Drake and Kanye than the boys in Lonely Island. His raps are confessional and personal, dealing with a lot of the same subject matter as Drake’s Thank Me Later. Don’t worry, he’s no pretender to that throne, just another angsty young guy struggling with the unique challenges fame has thrust his way. A less summery but still very rewarding listen (I put it on the list because it is available for free on-line, like the rest of this content).

4. The Big Boi Mixtape for Dummies: By now, astute reader, you might be thinking, “I didn’t think Nate liked rap. He mostly reviews white boy indie rock.” This is true dear reader, but everything has its season, and for most of the rap/hip-hop I enjoy, the season is summer. That’s definitely the case for this career-retrospective mixtape, generously dropped by the less flaky half of Outkast (sorry, Andre, Idlewild sucked) to tide fans over ’til the release of Sir Luscious Left Foot…the Son of Chic Dusty (which is, by the way, the best possible thing he could have named his first proper solo album). So listen to and cherish this collection of Big Boi appearances from throughout the years, including one track from the new album. It’s good stuff.