The Boston Phoenix profiles singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer.

Shuffler.fm is a new music streaming service, “internet-radio made by music blogs.”

Rocks Off lists the 10 worst back to school soundtracks.

The Georgia Straight profiles Casiokids.

These days, Casiokids no longer sound like a Norwegian version of Girl Talk—or the latest answer to the Dirty Wolf Bear Collective. Instead, whittled down to a quintet, the group comes on like a block party headlined by Matt & Kim, Sigur Ros, and Fela Kuti. Yes, Topp stemning pa lokal bar is that awesome. Sung entirely in Norwegian, the songs swing confidently from the indie-rock–sprayed keyboard-pop of “Gront lys i alle led” to gorgeously layered world-music dalliances like “Verdens storste land”.

PopMatters responds to Gibson's list of the top 50 guitar albums with a top 10 list of its own.

On sale at Amazon MP3: The Morning Benders' 10-track album Big Echo for $3.99.

Writers on Process interviews Best Coasts's Bethany Cosentino about songwriting.

Esben and the Witch – “Marching Song”

Chicago’s unstoppable HoZac Records has just rolled out a new batch of their good stuff for August– and it’s quite a spread.

Super Wild Horses – “Carolina” First up is the debut full-length from Melbourne, AU primitive-pop duo Super Wild Horses. These lasses spin up minimal, post-punk-informed indie pop, and after selling out a debut EP last year, and touring with the likes of Jon Spencer, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and others, they’ve delivered Fifteen, “a heady concoction of hits,” if I do say so myself.

The Flips – “I Just Don’t Know Where I Stand Anymore”The new August batch also brings 2 new 7-inch EPs. The I Just Don’t Know Where I Stand EP comes courtesy of Milwaukee’s 6-piece all-girl group The Flips, who jangle up Brill Building harmonies perfectly suited to the spinny grooves of 7-inches of vinyl.

Outer Minds – “Ordinary”The other 7-inch is the debut EP from Chicago’s Outer Minds, whose über-reverbed, twangy melodies conjure up some good old memories of a psych-twinged garagepop past.

Dum Dum Girls – “Mercury Mary”Lastly, but most-certainly not lastly, is HoZac’s Hookup Klub Round One compilation, collecting all the rawest sides from the first (sold-out) round of the label’s sold-out singles club. This disc collects some amazing tracks from the likes of Woven Bones, Dum Dum Girls, Box Elders, and more PLUS it’s got 2 unreleased bonus tracks (from Idle Times & Teepee). You know you want this.

And of course HoZac has given us a prize pack featuring the whole batch, so if you wanna chance to win it, just enter your email below; we’ll pull a winner at the end of the week.

Contest ended– thanks!