NPR is streaming the new Blitzen Trapper album, Destroyer of the Void (out June 8th).

Publishers Weekly interviews singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash.

Mufin is an online music discovery engine.

Download Squad lists 10 awesome ways to find new music online.

Today is the last day to pick up this month's 100 albums for $5 at Amazon MP3, including:

• Caribou's Swim
• Damien Jurado's Saint Bartlett
• She & Him's Volume 2

The New York Times examines the re-emergence of the music video.

The happy comeback of the music video, a form once considered nearly obsolete, has many sources. Only the most obvious involve changes in the music business. Culturally, the most significant reason music videos are popular again is that they express a very contemporary, entirely YouTube style and even ideology. In short, they’re garish, clumsy, erratic, dirty and densely allusive; they seem to come from the margins, back alleys and black markets of commercial culture.

Frank YangTruth be told, I don’t really like listening to Fucked Up. This isn’t any sort of comment on them in particular, just the fact that hardcore – their genre of choice – has never done much for me though if I were given the choice of current hardcore acts to listen to, I’d certainly choose them. If The Chemistry Of Common Life was Fucked Up’s Zen Arcade, then let me know when they release their Candy Apple Grey.

That said, I am a big fan of how they’ve become unlikely but excellent musical champions and ambassadors for Toronto at home and abroad, how they’ve used their elevated profile as reigning Polaris Prize winners to shed light on important social issues and their ridiculously entertaining and intense live shows. The hometown pride and sense of community was in full effect this past Friday night when they played a free show in the atrium of the Toronto Reference Library. That’s right, a free hardcore show in the lobby of a public library – no tickets, just show up – as part of the Toronto Public Library’s Make Some Noise Take Some Noise program, which makes sure that the library system is well-stocked with local and Canadian music, holds periodic concerts and workshops to engage the community with their local scene and generally be awesome.

Read more at Chromewaves →

Photos: Fucked Up, $100 @ The Toronto Reference Library – May 28, 2010
MP3: Fucked Up – “Neat Parts”

Interview talks to Emily Haines of Metric. They just released a new video from Fantasies.

Video: Metric – “Stadium Love”

Stereogum gets a status update on the new Black Mountain album from Amber Webber. It may or may not be called Wilderness.

Carl Newman of The New Pornographers gives Chart the incredible true origin of their band name – and it’s not the Jimmy Swaggert quote that’s usually cited. New Pornographers vocalist/keyboardist Kathryn Calder has a solo record coming out entitled Are You My Mother? on August 10.

MP3: Kathryn Calder – “Slip Away”

NPR talks to Win and Will Butler of Arcade Fire about their new record The Suburbs, coming August 3.

Dallas Good of The Sadies talks to JAM and The Winnipeg Free Press while brother Travis chats with The Vancouver Sun.

NOW and Exclaim have interviews with Born Ruffians, whose new record Say It is out tomorrow.

The new Diamond Rings single will be out June 18-- just in time for his show at Wrongbar. Pitchfork, however, has a streamable preview of the new track – “Show Me Your Stuff” – right now.

Taken By Trees – “Anna (CFCF Remix)” A remixed version of this track from TBT’s latest, East of Eden, by Montreal’s CFCF. You can check out the original version of the track here.

The Guardian profiles Grizzly Bear.

American Songwriter lists its 10 most anticipated Bonnaroo acts.

Singer-songwriter Diane Birch puts her iPod on shuffle for the Boston Globe.

Heard Mentality recommends six protest songs to support Zack de la Rocha's boycott of Arizona.

Starbucks is giving away 10 free mp3s via iTunes.

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn tells the Daily Record he'd like to hold a Last Waltz-like concert.

"That would be really fun," he said. "It's something I have always had in the back of my mind. The Band played at such a level of musicianship, they were the perfect backing group for so many people. The Hold Steady have got to a place where it would be fun to do something like that."

The Albany Times Union profiles Phantogram.

In a world with more outlets than ever before offering ways to distribute music, it takes a unique sound to stand out. Headquartered in a barn in rural Easton, Phantogram combines ethereal drum loops and spacey vocals with straight ahead guitar and keyboards. Barthel said their influences -- Serge Gainsbourg, Detroit hip hop and even the Talking Heads -- are in their records, but the truth is their song "Mouthful of Diamonds" doesn't sound like any other music on your iPod. As film buffs, Barthel said they write songs that are soundtracks for imaginary movies.

West Coast Sound lists the 10 strangest covers of Michal Jackson's "Billie Jean."

The Arcade Fire's Win and Will Butler talk to Morning Edition about the band's forthcoming album, The Suburbs (out August 3rd).

Morning Edition interviews singer-songwriter Josh Ritter about his new album, So Runs the World Away.

What Cheer? Brigade - “Malaguena” Sixteen tourists arrive on a Pan Am 737 jumbo jet. They are dressed in suits and sun-dresses. They disembark, carrying luggage. They get on a shuttle into the city. Arriving in downtown Paris, they make their way on foot to la Défense. It is the business district. On the sidewalk outside a glass office-building, the tourists snap photos of the skyline, the automobiles, the Parisians clacking past in high-heels. Their luggage is at their feet. From their luggage, they withdraw clubs, placards and whistles. These are not tourists. They are a riot. They are a riot that flew in from Minneapolis to cause a scene at la Défense. They break the building's windows, they stomp out into the street. The Parisians want to know, Pourquoi est-ce qu'ils sont venus?. The mob will not tell them. They are putting on face-paint. [buy We Blow, You Suck]

Read more at Said the Gramophone →