Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Leonard Cohen, Ingrid Michaelson, Matt Pryor, & More

This is another good week for album previews, with new releases from Ingrid Michaelson, Leonard Cohen, Martin Sexton, and even rock and roll legend Dion, among others.

Ingrid Michaelson's "Human Again" is one of the albums streaming free this week.

There are also new streaming albums from some artists who I've just recently heard of, including the Belgian musician who goes by the name Gotye and Canadian band The Darcys (whose new EP "AJA" is, as you'd guess, a set of Steely Dan covers). And there are albums from musicians that are totally new to me, such as Ana Tijoux and Adam Arcuragi.

Of Adam Arcuragi NPR Music wrote, "This isn't groundbreaking music: You can hear Bruce Springsteen here, 16 Horsepower there, and some dark, gospel-infused folk along the way. But it's all so full of soul, so unadorned; it's a sound that always feels as if it's reaching toward the sky."



And some albums from last week's post are now streaming at other sites (listed below). Enjoy!

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Tank Full of Blues" by Dion
"AJA" by The Darcys
"Fall Like Rain" by Martin Sexton
"May Day" by Matt Pryor (formerly of The Get Up Kids)
"Plastic Moon" by Madi Diaz
"The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy" by Nada Surf
"Something" by Chairlift
"Clear Heart Full Eyes" by Craig Finn
"The Lion's Roar" by First Aid Kit
 Also at Spinner: new albums by Leila, Cardinal, Lazerbeak, and Mark Stoermer.

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Human Again" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Emotional Traffic" by Tim McGraw
"Sinners Never Sleep" by You Me at Six
"Listen to This" by Anchored

KCRW Album Preview:  (all streaming until Jan. 31, and also at NPR Music)
"Old Ideas" by Leonard Cohen
"Making Mirrors" by Gotye
"La Bala" by Ana Tijoux

NPR First Listen:
"Like A Fire That Consumes All Before It…" by Adam Arcuragi

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Nada Surf, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Craig Finn, & More

This week there's finally a meaty selection of new albums for you to preview online. The releases include Craig Finn of the Hold Steady stepping out for a solo album, Nada Surf with the latest effort in its 20-year-long career, the second album from the duo Chairlift, and a lot more.

There are new albums from First Aid Kit, Ani DiFranco, and singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin, and a change of pace for the flamenco guitar-meets-hard rock duo of Rodrigo y Gabriela. On "Area 52"the  pair revisit nine of their previously recorded songs, but with an orchestra from Cuba filling out the sound. (See the album trailer below.)

To add another twist to the album, "Area 52"is produced by Peter Asher—yes, the one who produced many of Linda Ronstadt's 1970s albums and before that was half of the 1960s recording duo Peter and Gordon.


One of the album trailers for Rodrigo y Gabriela's "Area 52."

Some albums I mentioned in last week's post are now streaming at other sites (shown below), including the releases by Cate Le Bon and Kathleen Edwards.

As usual, most of the albums are streaming for a week unless otherwise indicated (KCRW seems to be the only streaming site these days that actually gives dates).

KCRW Album Preview:  (all streaming until Jan. 24)
"The Lion’s Roar" by First Aid Kit (also streaming at NPR Music below)
"Area 52" by Rodrigo y Gabriela (also streaming at NPR Music)
"The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy" by Nada Surf (also streaming at NPR Music)
"Something" by Chairlift

NPR First Listen:
"Clear Heart Full Eyes" by Craig Finn
"Emotional Traffic" by Tim McGraw

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Which Side Are You On?" by Ani DiFranco
"Beautiful Things" by Anthony Green
"We Don't Know Any Better" by Black Taxi
"Little Spark" by Jessie Baylin
"CYRK" by Cate Le Bon
"Voyageur" by Kathleen Edwards

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"All Our Heroes Drank Here" by Hannah vs. the Many
"Buena Vodka Social Club" by Leningrad Cowboys
"Strange Ways of Going Home" by Sep7ember

Concerts On Sale: Wild Flag, Jeff Mangum, Glen Campbell, Jane Birkin, & More

Glen Campbell received an all-star tribute at the CMA Awards last night, and you can see him live when his farewell tour comes to New York.

Whatever your taste in popular music, there's something you're bound to like in terms of concerts coming to the New York area in the next few weeks (and months). A lot of these shows go on sale tomorrow and tickets are sure to sell quickly, so you might want to note the on-sale times for the best selection.

Wild Flag plays at Webster Hall, April 1st, 2012, and no, it's not an April Fool's joke. The immensely popular all-female rock band is returning to NYC, and in a bigger venue, after three smash shows last month. On sale: Friday, Nov. 11th, 12 Noon.

Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel returns to the area after two recent sold-out shows at the Loews Theatre in Jersey City. He'll do two concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Fri., Jan. 20th and Sat. the 21st. On sale: Nov. 11th, 10 a.m.

Nada Surf is touring again and will be at Webster Hall on April 7th (their Jan. 24th show is sold out). Coincidentally, Jan. 24 is the day their latest album, "The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy," comes out. (You can download a song from the album, "When I Was Young," at their website.) On sale date for the April 7th show: Nov. 11th, 12 Noon.

New Jersey native Sharon Van Etten will play two NYC shows, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Feb. 24th and Bowery Ballroom on the 25th. Shearwater opens on both dates. On sale: Nov. 11th, 12 Noon.

Country/pop legend Glen Campbell, who has Alzheimer's disease, is making his farewell concert tour, and it stops at Town Hall on Sat., Jan. 7th. Campbell received a moving tribute at the CMA Awards last night, and tickets for "Glen Campbell: The Goodbye Tour" go on sale Nov. 11th at 11 a.m. You can download the title song from his new (and final) album, "Ghost On the Canvas," at Glen Campbell's website.)

Another legend, British singer Jane Birkin, is touring again, singing the songs of her late husband Serge Gainsbourg. The worldwide tour, described as "Serge Gainsbourg and Jane via Japan," stops at Town Hall on Sun., Dec. 11th, and tickets are on sale now. (See Jane Birkin's recounting of the reasons for the tour here. It isn't quite clear to me, except that she's touring with a group of Japanese musicians and it's somehow related to helping that country heal from the earthquake and tsunami of earlier this year.)

Tickets for many other shows went on sale today; check venue websites or Bowery Presents for the shows they promote, including those at Bowery Ballroom, Terminal 5, Mercury Lounge, the Wellmont Theatre, etc.