Columbia, SC-based band Mary Shelley Overdrive has made two albums available as free downloads.
The band made a splash earlier this in 2008 with an impromptu collection of covers titled Hideous Sexy. Inadvertently released the same weekend as Bo Diddley’s death, the album featured a cover of his classic “Who Do You Love,” described by New York Magazine as a “muscle-bound goth dirge.”
Hideous Sexy was a collection of cover songs recorded during the creation of the band’s self-titled LP, released September 24, 2008. Hideous Sexy has been available as a free download at the band’s website, www.maryshelleyoverdrive.com, since May.
Joining that album are two more EPs — Shock Theatre, and Bride of Shock Theatre. Both are also posted as free downloads.

Shock Theatre is a re-mastered version of the band’s first EP, originally posted for download in October, 2007. It was later discontinued but, after the release of Hideous Sexy, the band was hit with requests to make their freshman effort again available to the public.
“Shock Theatre was recorded when we were still trying to find our sound,” said guitarist Simon McCorkindale. “We had some problems with it and wanted to tinker a little with the sound before making it available again.”
Most of those changes were minor adjustments to the mix. During the re-mixing process, though, the band decided to record new vocals for the cover of Rob Zombie’s “House of a Thousand Corpses,” turning it into a duet between singer Mark Wood and bassist Miss Wyckedevil Jones.
When the band finished its self-titled LP, they returned to the studio and recorded seven new songs in a week. Titled “Bride of Shock Theatre,” it’s a collection original compositions peppered with covers of tunes by Blue Oyster Cult, New Math and Bauhaus.
“It’s got a rushed, impromptu sound that I like,” said singer Mark Wood. “It sounds very ‘live.’ We didn’t do many takes or spend much time obsessing over details.”
Hideous Sexy, Shock Theatre and Bride of Shock Theatre are available as free downloads at maryshelleyoverdrive.blogspot.com. These albums are available to bloggers, podcasters and radio stations to post and share however they wish.