Dry your eyes kids - Sonic Slang's 3rd (hmm...maybe 4th) hiatus since 2004 is almost over! Originally I hadn't planned on SS v4.2 until mid June-ish (just prior to my illustrious trip to Bonnaroo 2009), but this new Wilco disc is so gosh darn fantabulous (shades of Summerteeth), my fingers couldn't help themselves.
Please enjoy, while I remember how to work the interwebs...
The Kaiser Chiefs, who've quietly been working their way back into our good graces, are streaming their 3rd LP, Off With Their Heads, at last.fm. The Mark Ronson-produced disc is due in stores on 10.20.
Though the folks at MySpace Music already have a ready-made tagline in the McDonalds-esque "Over a Billion Songs Streamed," their artists still skew a bit too emo/mall punk for my tastes. Occasionally though, you do get a diamond in the rough. Case in point - old-school blues/folk master Ray LaMontagne's latest LP, Gossip in the Grain, streaming here. Enjoy.
The Clash, who's sure-to-be fascinating autobiography is on the way soon, headline this week's free album streams at Spinner with Live at Shea Stadium. Capturing the band at its prime, just pumping this disc through the PA would have made a more rousing send-off than the heart-breaker Mets fans were treated to again this year.
The Pretenders' new LP Break up the Concrete as well as noted magazine poet and children's book author Bob Dylan's latest "bootleg" set are also up for grabs.
Bob Dylan's upcoming (10.07) Tell Tale Signs, the 8th volume in his "bootleg" series began in 1991, is streaming exclusively at NPR. The disc covers the last 20 years, a period that produced three late-career classics in Love and Theft, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times, and also featured the previously reported original version of "Mississippi."
Ben Folds' 3rd solo LP, Way to Normal, is streaming at MySpace this week. Though lead single "You Don't Know Me" (featuring Regina Spektor) heads off towards a more pop/R&B vibe than usual, the rest of the disc is classic Folds. Banging out angry/funny/nerdy piano-pop anthems mixed with the occasional sober ballad, fans should eat it up. But if you're not already on board, Way to Normal isn't likely to turn the tide.
Things have been a bit "meh" in the land of free album streams lately, so it's good to see AOL back on the ball with a triple threat of quality tunage in The Streets' Everything is Borrowed (left) and Ragged covergirl Jem's Down to Earth at Spinner, and Marc Broussard's Keep Coming Back at AOL Music. After the market's Monday morning nosedive, we'll take all the freebies we can get. Seriously...Are you gonna eat that?
Summer may be on its last legs, but USA Today is streaming a preview of Brian Wilson's new LP, The Lucky Old Sun (due 9.02), so at least we have a good soundtrack to go out on.
Predictably, it's a little corny in parts, but after a couple spins we can definitely weed out a few highlights. Sadly, this one won't make it in time for the Labor Day shindigs, but add the title track, "Midnight's Another Day" and the Beach Boys-esque "Can't Wait Too Long" to that Indian Summer playlist, STAT.
Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul 
The Stills: Oceans Will Rise 
The Hold Steady: Stay Positive 
Spinner's got a nice batch of album streams up this week, led by The Verve's comeback disc, Forth (left), as well as Matthew Sweet's Sunshine Lies, a return to the guitar-driven pop-rock sound that made him a 90's cult favorite.
