It's always nice seeing your friends do well - which is why we were well chuffed to see Little Boots top the BBC Sounds Of 2009 list today.

Big things will be swinging her way this year. In honour of her win I thought I'd remind you of our recent free Little Boots download. Check back this afternoon for another free track.

So our friends in New York Apache Beat just finished the video for their new single 'Tropics' at the end of last year.

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There can't be anybody in the world who doesn't love a bit of Diplo .

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Happy New Year to all Daily Download peeps, and apologies for the break in free music. Now we're back from hibernation you can expect a non-stop flow of the best new music so check back every day or subscribe to the RSS for digital freebies daily.

First up for 2009: Unicorn Kid

(Pic: Clare McIntyre)

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'Alternative' Christmas songs: everyone's at it. Gone are the days when the only seasonal tunes on offer were gaudy 'favourites' by Slade, Elton John and Macca.

Here, then, are a few festive choons you won't hear soundtracking a cheesy supermarket ad starring Richard Hammond - plus links to download them for free. It's a Wizzard-free zone, we promise.

Lady Gaga – Christmas Tree
A feast of festive double entendres from the widely-tipped electro newcomer (pictured above). Her "Christmas tree is delicious", apparently. Whatever that means.
[Music Bitch]

The Knife – Christmas Reindeer
One of the sparsest, most oblique Christmas songs you're ever likely to hear.
[Brooklyn Vegan]

Deerhoof – Xmas Tree
A typically challenging missive from the San Francisco leftfielders. Don't expect sleigh bells.
[Brooklyn Vegan]

Low - Just Like Christmas
An unexpectedly jaunty moment from Minnesota's gloomiest Mormons.
[Road 2 Nowhere]

Death Cab For Cutie - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Interesting to hear Ben Gibbard's breathy tone replacing the full-throated gospel passion of Darlene Love's original.
[Road 2 Nowhere]

Glamchops – Countdown To Christmas
Eddie Argos' love note to the stomping festive hits of the '70s.
[Reverb Nation]

Glasvegas – Fuck You It's Over
"Fuck you! Fuuuuck you!" You don't get lyrics like that with Jona Lewie.
[Plague Of Angels]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – All I Want For Christmas
Not, thank God, a cover of the Mariah Carey song.
[Pretty Much Amazing]

The Hives & Cyndi Lauper – A Christmas Duel
A bah-humbug duet in the mould of 'Fairytale Of New York'. It was apparently Lauper's idea - she's a big Hives fan.
[Cava Cool]

Jimmy Eat World – Last Christmas
Does it still count as 'alternative' if you cover Wham!? Probably not, but the emo vets strip out most of the sonic schmaltz from this festive standard.
[Lost In Your Box]

Lykke Li has gone collaboration crazy of late. The other week she teamed up with Bon Iver for a loose-limbed shake-up of 'Dance, Dance, Dance'.

Now her cover/remix of Kings Of Leon's 'Knocked Up' has surfaced online. And the Swedish singer has retooled the song magnificently, ditching the rumbling guitar minimalism of the original in favour of bleak, Crystal Castles-inspired synth-desolation.

Bonus marks too for choosing a song from 2007's 'Because Of The Times' – the band's moodiest album - rather than the glossy and increasingly over-exposed 'Only By The Night'.

Lykke Li's cover of Kings Of Leon's 'Knocked Up' is being hosted by Minneapolis Fucking Rocks.