Free Album Streaming: New CDs from The Shins, Yukon Blonde, Lost in the Trees, & More

Following up on their "Saturday Night Live" performance and webcast from an NYC club, The Shins are back with their new album "Port of Morrow" (out today) and you can now hear it streaming online at Spinner.com below. (You can also stream the album at The Shins' website.)



The Shins also performed a live concert on David Letterman tonight (which I just found out now); it's being rebroadcast at 10 p.m. Tuesday and may be archived for later viewing).

Other albums streaming this week include new collections by Lost in the Trees, Yukon Blonde, and Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, as well as a solo album from Daniel Rossen from Grizzly Bear. There's also an album by McEuen Sessions, a project featuring John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and his two sons.

And if you're interested in something besides traditional rock, you can listen to "Amazonico Gravitante" by Argentinian Mati Zundel, who blends electronica and dance beats with Latin wind instrumentation and other traditional sounds.

Also in a different vein is "Radio Music Society," the new album from Esperanza Spalding, the young songwriter and bass player who was the surprise of the 2011 Grammys when she won for Best New Artist.

NPR First Listen:
"Amazonico Gravitante" by Mati Zundel
"Radio Music Society" by Esperanza Spalding

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Port of Morrow" by The Shins
"Rot Gut Domestic" by Margot and the Nuclear So & So's
"Silent Hour/Golden Mile" by Daniel Rossen
"Tiger Talk" by Yukon Blonde
"On Market Street" by Penelope Houston
"A Church that Fits Our Needs" by Lost in the Trees

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Safe in Your Arms EP" by Cory Lamb
"Beautiful Alien" by Atom Smash
"For All the Good" by McEuen Sessions

Free Concert Downloads & Streaming: Superchunk, Of Montreal, Robert Plant, Lost in the Trees

Above: Download or stream an hour-and-a-half concert by Superchunk (seen here playing in Brooklyn last year) free from NPR Music. Photo: duluoz cats

There are some good recent concerts you can now download or stream free at NPR Music. (Note: some shows that have been available for both may now be streaming-only.) Here are some of the more interesting ones available now:

* Superchunk live: The veteran rockers are back with a new album and tour after nearly a decade off. Runs about an hour and a half.

* The spectacle that is Of Montreal in concert: Too bad there's no video; their shows feature all kinds of bizarre costumes and sets. Runs about an hour and a half.

* Robert Plant and Band of Joy live: The former Led Zeppelin singer continues his Americana work with a band that includes, among others, the great singer-songwriters Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller. Runs 53 minutes.

* An abbreviated Lost in the Trees live set: The new North Carolina band brings its French horns, cello, tuba, and other instruments to play a 16-minute set in NPR's offices.