LHB’s Shorties (Sunset Rubdown, Neko Case, and More)

At the Guardian, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr interviews Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis.

JM: What is the state of the independent scene – how have things changed?

GT: The state of independent music is actually extraordinarily healthy. I believe a lot of the greatest music is to be found on independent labels and the spirit and acumen of its operations are much better suited to the nurturing of art and music and mayhem and beauty. I have no perspective though – all I do is listen to loads of records and try to keep up with the programme. There is always amazing creativity and there are always extraordinary artists making music – as long as that continues, then nothing fundamentally changes. Of course there are huge business changes that I could write about, but why bore everyone? These debates are regularly reported in the business pages. I refer you to them.

Drowned in Sound interviews Spencer Krug about Sunset Rubdown.

The Guardian profiles indie music label Wichita Records.

"We've done everything from heavy metal to folk and all points in between," says Mark Bowen, who started the label nine years ago with Dick Green, formerly Alan McGee's business partner at Creation. "We always said we were more about quality than genres, and I think we've proved that. Simian Mobile Disco to Espers – that's fairly varied, isn't it?"

The Arizona Republic profiles The Meat Puppets.

The Observer reviews Nick Cave's new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro.

Having long since written Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner out of his system, Cave's prose, like his songs, has become more taut and tender in the intervening years, less in thrall to its influences and to his own dark and brooding onstage persona. Recently, he has been reading Bellow and Updike as well as, intriguingly, Bret Easton Ellis, another writer who, like Cave, has often been castigated for his supposed misogyny. It shows.

Some bargains at Amazon MP3:

Jay-Z's 15-track The Blueprint 3 album for $3.99
Steve Earle's 15-track Transcendental Blues album for $1.99

WXPN's World Cafe offers a streaming live performance by singer-songwriter Neko Case.

Currently free at Amazon MP3: 1,290 MP3 downloads.

- David Gutowski