NPR

I'm pretty much a blubbering mess right now and that is not a fat joke thank you very much. Thanks to the wonderful people over at NPR we can all now stream the great Ryan Adams brand new album Ashes And Fire. While the album won't officially hit shelves until October 11th, the preview should allow for plentiful listens of the legal variety ahead of the street date at which time we should all buy multiple copies of the new album to make the greatest living songwriter not named Brian Wilson feel loved. A segue of sorts to the theme of the new album, but I'll let you decide. Listen away, it's great. 

Those not partaking in the super sold out west coast shows following the album's release will also be happy to learn Adams has announced a new set of US dates starting on December 2nd in Philadelphia. As has been the case with his latest outings these shows will feature Ryan solo, otherwise known as a show you can't miss. Dates and stream below. Happy days.

12/2 Philadelphia, PA – Academy of Music Tix on sale Friday @ 10am
12/4 Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House Tix on sale Friday @ 10am
12/6 New York, NY – Carnegie Hall Tix on sale Friday @ 11am
12/8 Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre Tix on sale Friday @ 10am
12/10 Toronto, ON – Winter Garden Theatre Tix on sale Friday @ 10am
12/11 Chicago, IL – Cadillac Place Tix on sale Saturday @ 10am
12/13 Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre Tix on sale Saturday @ 12pm

Today is a good day for people that don't download leaked albums early as NPR is currently streaming My Morning Jacket's new album Circuital ahead of its May 31st release. The eleven song set has the interwebs a buzz about some mythical "return to form" for the Louisville based rockers but we never really thought they abandoned any form in the first place. Either way add another awesome album to the MMJ catalog and enjoy the goodness below.

In related news Jim James and company will be taking part in the Unstaged series with a Todd Haynes directed webcast of their performance at The Louisville Palace Theater on Tuesday. Assorted oddball promo videos have been made about the production like the one below suggesting attendees dress fancy. Looks like it's time to dust off your monocles.

It really goes without saying that NPR does the lord's work and by lord I of course mean Lord Susselberry of Edinterd, but that is neither here nor in Edinterd. One of the latest gems being offered up from their music utopia is a set from South By Southwest by none other than SHA favorites Middle Brother. Unfortunately there's no professional video of the set but that doesn't stop it from being memorable as you do get to hear a band member (sounds like John McCauley?) profess to their mom about the first time they tried acid. Considering how it all turned out I'm sure she is still pretty proud. Good times. Lesson to learn from this set? Shouting can be really expressive and sound pretty too.

The first paragraph of Robin Hilton's introduction for the NPR Exclusive First Listen of Bright Eyes new album The People's Key should get any and all fans of Conor Oberst's various musical outlets extremely excited. So much so that we are just going to reprint it right here.

I won't mince words: This is the best record Bright Eyes has ever made. In fact, it's the best record the band's frontman, Conor Oberst, has ever been a part of. Publicists like to say as much any time an artist releases a new album, but in this case, it's actually true. The People's Key is a career-defining work of art.

While we can't vow for the accuracy of the above statement as we have yet to listen to the album ourselves, it certainly has our hopes up. Check out the stream below until the album is officially released February 15th.