LHB’s Shorties (Dave Berman, The Rentals, and More)

At The Poetry Foundation, author Ed Park examines Silver Jews frontman Dave Berman's comics and doodles.

This week, Drowned in Sound is pondering the future of music journalism.

The New York Times reviews Rufus Wainwright's new opera, Prima Donna.

Financial Times examines the changing business models for independent music stores.

Graham Jones, author of Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops? argues that Rough Trade exemplifies the re-invention required to stay afloat in the current climate. "The only way [for record shops] to survive is to diversify into genres and releases unavailable elsewhere. They need to innovate new shopping experiences that will drag people in."

Stream the new Rentals CD, Chapter Two: It's Time to Come Home at the band's website.

At Amazon MP3: Explosions in the Sky's 7-track 2000 album, How Strange, Innocence, on sale for $1.99.

- David Gutowski