LHB’s Shorties (Sufjan Stevens, Brendan Benson, and More)

Stereo Subversion lovingly profiles singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens and his music.

Myspace has added music charts.

SEE interviews Charles F of Winter Gloves.

“I don’t think we have this Montreal sound at all,” Charles says. “For me, the Montreal sound a couple of years ago was Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and a bunch of bands influenced by British music and being dark with a lot of reverb. In Montreal a lot of people like dirty music and I don’t feel like Winter Gloves is a part of that. There are more bands playing with keyboards and vintage loops, so I feel like we belong to the Montreal scene more than the Montreal sound."

The Globe and Mail profiles the rise of The Rural Alberta Advantage into the public eye.

But the intimate and lively music of love and loss, memories of yesterday and imaginations of tomorrow, sparked devotion one person at a time online. Starting with a glowing review on Halifax blog Herohill through to exposure a year ago at music retailer eMusic.com, the band's slow and steady stroll to attention arrived in Austin, Tex., in March at South by Southwest. A deal with a stalwart American indie label, Saddle Creek of Omaha, Neb., followed.

Monitor Mix waxes nostalgic for the music blogs of the '00s and shares screenshots of several in their earlier incarnations (including Largehearted Boy).

Cage the Elephant's 11-track self-titled album is on sale at Amazon MP3 for $2.99.

Singer-songwriter Brendan Benson visits The Current studio for an interview and live performance.

- David Gutowski