Tonight: Land of Talk, Suuns, & Little Scream at Bowery Ballroom

I've been wanting to see Montreal indie rockers Land of Talk for a few years now, but missed them a couple of times. And then came singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell's encounter with throat polyps, which caused the band to cancel its 2009 tour.

But now Land of Talk is back and sounding as good as ever, and with a new album "Cloak and Cipher" that came out in late August. Land of Talk plays Bowery Ballroom Saturday night on a bill with Suuns and Little Scream.

Suuns, also from Montreal, used to be called Zeroes but changed their name because of legal reasons. They made a big splash at last month's CMJ festival, and the NY Daily News said their music is "repetitious, distorted and sometimes as lumbering as a zombie trying to walk. But it's also got momentum, thrills and mystery to burn." The New York Times called Suuns "drone scholars."

Tickets ($15) are still available at the link above at the door. Doors at 8 p.m.; show scheduled to start 9 p.m.

Live Tonight: Bob Mould & Lenny Kaye at City Winery

If you're in New York tonight and want some rock & roll to shake off the rainy weather, you might want to check out former Husker Du member Bob Mould at City Winery. also on the bill is Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith band member and much more) at City Winery. Tickets are still available, according to the website, and range from $30 to $40.

As I noted a couple of weeks ago, Bob Mould is at City Winery again tomorrow night, with Marshall Crenshaw (seems like that show is sold out or close to it).

City Winery is a nice, intimate venue that recalls bygone spaces like The Bottom Line. And as its name suggests, they make and serve a wide range of wines.

New Music Podcasts: Basia Bulat Live, Tom Petty & Nick Cave Covers, Nick Lowe Live Set

There are some notable new episodes of music podcasts out now; here are a few things worth checking out:

* CBC Radio 3 has a live set with folky singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Basia Bulat

* Nick Lowe performs a brief live set (13-minute) in the intimate confines of the NPR Music offices (you can view the video online, or download the audio-only podcast)

* The Coverville podcast shines the spotlight on recent birthday boy Tom Petty (60 years old!) and on Nick Cave, with covers of (and sometimes by) each artist

Free Album Streaming: Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise," Cee Lo Green, Matt & Kim, & More

Here is a sampling of some of the new and reissued albums currently available for free streaming online. Some of the albums I'm especially interested in hearing: "The Promise," the collection of tunes Bruce Springsteen recorded during the sessions for "Darkness on the Edge of Town;" the tribute album to the great (and highly influential) Brazilian band Os Mutantes; and the self-titled album by Black Dub, produced by legendary producer Daniel Lanois.

See the respective websites for a full listing of album previews being offered. The date that streaming ends is given, when known.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Black Dub" by Black Dub (streaming until Nov. 23)

NPR First Listen:
"The Promise: The Lost Sessions, Darkness on the Edge of Town" by Bruce Springsteen (streaming until Nov. 16)
"The Lady Killer" by Cee Lo Green (until Nov. 9)
"El Justiciero, Cha, Cha, Cha" (A Tribute to Os Mutantes) by various artists (until Nov. 9)

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
Band on the Run (Reissue)" by Paul McCartney & Wings
"Sidewalks" by Matt & Kim
"Now and Then" by Smokey Robinson
"An Introduction to... Elliott Smith" by Elliott Smtih
"Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters" by Ray Charles
"Fire Works" by the Sainte Catherines

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Cardiology" by Good Charlotte
"Living Alone EP" by Teddy Geiger
"Dreams" by Neil Diamond

Great Music Cheap: Last Call for Amazon's $5 MP3 Albums for Oct. (Plus a FREE Halloween Music Mix)

Today is the last day to scarf up $5 MP3 albumsfrom Amazon.com for October. Since I bought a number of CDs this month, I'm going to have to restrain myself in getting some of these Amazon $5 specials. Too bad, since there are some classic titles and some new favorites.

(One album that I will be buying: through the end of today, Amazon is offering one of my favorite albums of 2010,"The Five Ghosts" by Canadian band Stars, for only $3.99.)

Among the $5 MP3 albums from Amazonfor October:

"The Five Ghosts" by Stars
"Myth Takes" by !!! (Chk Chik Chick)
"Thief" by Destroyer (Dan Behar from The New Pornographers)
"Momento" by Bebel Gilberto
"Isolation Drills" by Guided By Voices
"Tossing Seeds (Singles 89-91)" by Superchunk
"Who Is This America?" by Antibalas
"Fidelity!" by Chrissie & The Fairground Boys JP (Chrissie Hynde's latest project)
"Passing Strange" - Original Cast Recording
"Rio" by Aterciopelados
"The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire
"Dookie" by Green Day
"The Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance
"Transference" by Spoon
"Under The Blacklight" by Rilo Kiley
"See You On The Moon" by Tift Merritt
"Exile In Guyville" by Liz Phair
"Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
"Shaking The Tree - 16 Golden Greats (Remastered)" by Peter Gabriel

On a totally different subject, today is Halloween and if you're looking for some free music to stream for a party, or to get yourself in a spooky mood, check out the 2009 Creative Commons Halloween Mix from the Free Music Archive. It has a selection of interesting folk, industrial, and rock music; it's not your typical "Monster Mash" selection of familiar Halloween cliches.

There's a 2010 mix too, but it seems to have less music and more noise, sound effects, etc.

Prince to Perform First NYC Shows in Six Years - Tickets on Sale Sat.

Prince has been making catchy pop tunes for several decades now, but he doesn't tour very often. And I've heard that he hasn't toured on the East Coast since 2004.

But Prince is rectifying that in December with five shows in the New York area, two at Madison Square Garden and three at the Izod Center, across the river in East Rutherford, NJ (where the Nets and Devils used to play).

Prince is calling this his "Welcome 2 America" tour, which is to support his latest album "20Ten," which came out over the summer. Tickets for all five New York area Prince shows go on sales Saturday, October 30th at 10 a.m.

On Saturday you can buy Prince tickets for the New York area concerts:

* IZOD Center, Dec. 14
* IZOD Center, Dec. 15
* IZOD Center, Dec. 17
* Madison Square Garden, Dec. 18
* Madison Square Garden, Dec. 29