NPR Streams New Avett Brothers Album

Here's what you need to know today: NPR is streaming the new Avett Brothers album The Carpenter.

Here's some additional info: It's pretty good, especially "Pretty Girl from Michigan," "Geraldine," and "Paul Newman v. The Demons."

Teardrop Windows : Ben Gibbard

Pretty much all I can say is thank God this teardrop has nothing to do with a waterfall.

Enjoy this breezy track from Ben Gibbard's October 16 solo release Former Lives.

Tallest Man on Earth Readies New Album

I'm a little disappointed the typeface isn't Helvetica.

If you're fond of the gravelly tones of the Tallest Man on Earth, you'll be happy to know Kristian Matsson is at work on a brand new album called There's No Leaving Now. It's slated for release June 12, so add that to your calendar of must-buy impending releases. Personally, I am interested in hearing "1994," because if I had to write a song about that year it would probably be about tire swings and Play-do that smells like mint.

Here's the track listing.

01 : To Just Grow Away

02 : Revelation Blues
03 : Leading Me Now
04 :1994
05 : Bright Lanterns
06 : There’s No Leaving Now
07 : Wind and Walls
08 : Little Brother
09 : Criminals
10 : On Every Page

Dent May Readies New Album

Dent May. That dear little man. If you're still caught up in the magic that was 2009's Dent May and His Magnificent Ukelele, get ready for round two. May announced his sophomore album Do Things will be released June 12, and apparently features no ukelele. Mind blowing. Also mind blowing? This line from his press release about how the album is "somewhere between ‘60s psychedelia and disco-era balladry in the vein of Ashford and Simpson."

Psyched.

The Crown Salesman : Andrew Bird

Here's one for you this fine Friday. It's a new song from Andrew Bird, called "The Crown Salesman." It's a bit of a slow burn, and honestly there's no big payoff, but the guitar distortion is pretty interesting in back of Bird's violin. Guess we're trying new things.

Break it Yourself comes out March 6.

Singled Out: Benson, Bird, Dr. Dog

January isn't necessarily the most exciting time for music (or for anything, now that I think about it.) There's a lull in between the onslaught of "Best Of" lists and when new releases start rolling out around the end of the month. Fortunately, the gears are beginning to turn again. Evidence? Here are three new singles– call them harbingers of a promising year for music. We hope.

"Bad For Me" by Brendan Benson

I'd like to go ahead and declare Brendan Benson as one of Michigan's favorite sons. (Haven't asked Michigan, but I figure they'd be cool with it.) He's set to release a new album called What Kind of World on April 21, but until then, here's "Bad For Me," a piano-driven helping of drama served with... do I detect the slightest whiff of the Beach Boys on the chorus? Yes. I believe I do. 

Download the song courtesy of Stereogum. - Brendan Benson – “Bad For Me”Download

"Lonesome" by Dr. Dog

Check out the catchy, shuffling open track from Dr. Dog's Feb. 7 release, Be the Void. Paste reports the band said the record will be more of a return to form, showcasing "rough around the edges rock." Sounds accurate.

Dr. Dog - Lonesome by antirecords


"Eyeoneye" by Andrew Bird

We've been waiting for Bird to follow up Noble Beast since 2009, and we are almost there, people. In true Bird fashion, the title makes no sense, but the song features all the quirky sounds we expect from an Andrew Bird tune, like whistling, violin and who knows what else. (Pretty Much Amazing flagged a glockenspiel.) Something different though, is the speed "Eyeoneye" works itself up to at the end. Break it Yourself comes out March 7.

Simple Song : The Shins

Finally a mailing list is good for something. The Shins released "Simple Song" off their forthcoming album today for mailing list subscribers. Lucky for you, the Sound Cloud embed is above.

"Simple Song" is Shins-peppy, but a deviation from the Brit pop vein they were tapping on Wincing the Night Away. James Mercer, on the other hand, sounds as English as usual.

Port of Morrow is out March 20, and if you're hardcore about it, you can order a reel-to-reel version of the album.... because so many of us have reel-to-reel machines.

Bits of Things: Insults and Thin Rays of Hope for Music

Stuff has been happening. Here's some of it.

- The war against Nickelback continues. After Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney dissed the ever atrocious Nickelback in Rolling Stone, saying ""Rock & roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world," Nickelback tweeted thanks for the "biggest band" compliment. You're welcome?

- Good news for people who've had mostly bad news. For the first time in seven years, music retailers saw a bump in music sales. It may be a meager 3%, but hey, we'll take it. This also means that the new Nielsen Soundscan report is out, which is just about as exciting as the annual State of the Media Report. I believe a "woot" is in order.

- And speaking of selling music, The Beatles's Abbey Road sold 41,000 copies– vinyl copies, that is– in 2011. That makes it the top selling vinyl record of the year, as it should be. Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons, and Radiohead rounded out the top five.

- Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs is set to release his fifth studio album, What Kind of World, in April. What's more, he'll release it on his own label, Readymade, which is also brand-spanking new. 

- Another release to look forward to is Of Montreal's forthcoming album Paralytic Stalks, out Feb. 7. Until then, Pitchfork is streaming a song from the album titled "Dour Percentage." Have at it. 

Kick in the Shins: New Album on the Way

Half a decade after Wincing the Night Away, the Shins (remember them?) have put out word that we can expect a new album sometime in March. In case you think this is another cruel fake out where they float out a bit of info and then go silent for six months, they've got album art and a track listing to back up their claim. It's ten songs and it's called "Port of Morrow."

Five years is a long time. In the meanwhile, frontman James Mercer has been busy breaking bells and firing his bandmates, so I guess we'll see how this stacks up to the rest of the Shins catalogue. Though in all honesty, I'm not worried. Mercer's sound (and really, the Shins's sound) came through so well on the Broken Bells album and EP, I'm sure this will be the follow up we've been waiting for.

In other news, I don't know about you, but that cover is some freaky stuff. It's either Donnie Darko up there or a llama. (Love child of Donnie Darko and a llama??) Perhaps. 

Track listing: 

01 : The Rifle’s Spiral 
02 : Simple Song 
03 : It’s Only Life 
04 : No Way Down
05 : September 
06 : Bait and Switch
07 : Fall of ’82 
08 : For A Fool 
09 : 40 Mark Strasse 
10 : Port of Morrow

Songs and Shows from Andrew Bird and the National

There are few better post titles I could write. Here are two pieces of very good news that will vastly improve your Sunday.

1. Thanks to music blog Pretty Much Amazing, which is very true to its name, you can stream a new track from The National. It's called "Rylan" and PMA describes it as a very Boxer-esque tune. I couldn't agree more. Think "Ada." Recorded in Toronto, pipped in to the comfort of your own laptop. Check it out below.



2. Andrew Bird finally has news of a follow up to 2008's Noble Beast. On March 5, expect Break it Yourself to hit shelves (or the interwebs, more likely). Paste reports that the album was recorded and produced by Bird himself in something called a "studio barn," which sounds like all kinds of cool. (Maybe the ox and lamb kept time, as they say.) Bird is going on tour, and if you're in Nashville on March 19, you better be at the Ryman in my stead. Here's a video to get you all nice and anxious.


Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself from Mom+Pop on Vimeo.

You're the One That I Want : The Lennings (Yes, from Parenthood)

Man, have I got one for you this evening. Whilst watching Parenthood on NBC, I heard a song that was sort of familiar.

"'Cause the power you're supplying, it's electrifying."

I'm sitting there thinking, "what is that?" And then BOOM. John Travolta is dancing across my brain in tight black clothing and inexplicably white socks.

Grease! "You're the One That I Want!" But it sounds like Bon Iver. Or Iron and Wine. Or some whispery indie band that's decidedly not broadway.

Let me introduce you to The Lennings, a band from Austin, TX (respect) who "blur the line between the Americana and indie pop scenes," according to their Facebook. It looks like they've got their third album slated for the winter of 2012, and if you want to read about how stoked they were to get their song on Parenthood, you can check out their blog.

This maybe the most exciting acoustic cover I've heard since discovering Obadiah Parker's soulful take on "Hey Ya" (life-changing) or Travis's version of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (very moving).

That last one was (sort of) a joke. In all seriousness, give The Lennings a listen. Ooo ooo ooo. Honey.

*I am inspired to put together a set list of bizarre acoustic covers and take it on the road.
**I have no idea why the video features boiling water. 

The Shins Sell Out

I am totally kidding. Couldn't be happier that the long-silent New Mexico indie pop band signed to Columbia Records and is hitting the road this fall.

Look for a new album next year on Aural Apothecary, which is a Columbia imprint run by frontman James Mercer. The band split from SubPop in 2008.

Here's the tour schedule.

8/8 – Eugene, Oreg. : W.O.W. Hall
8/9 – Bend, Oreg. : The Domino Room
8/10 – Portland, Oreg. : The Doug Fir Lounge
8/12 – San Francisco, Calif. : Outside Lands Festival

9/22 – Toronto, Ontario : Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/23 – Philadelphia, Penn. : Popped! Festival
9/24 – Boston, Mass. : Paradise Rock Club

10/15 – Pensacola, Fla. : DeLuna Festival

And if they're not coming to a city near you, please enjoy my personal favorite song of theirs (above), also known as the 2nd most played song on my iTunes.