It’s funny, these blogs. Although I’m fairly new to this, I’ve noticed one pattern: a leaked track causes such a buzz a few months before an album’s release date that by the time the album is actually released, it seems like old news. I suppose that’s the nature of the cycle. Regardless, lest we forget, Twin Cinema, the new long player from The New Pornographers comes out next week.

The store at Matador Records is offering a pretty sweet deal: $10 for a preorder, which includes a limited edition (aren’t they all?) 7″ with an unreleased song. (While you’re there, preorder the “special edition” of Interpol’s Antics, which includes a bonus disc with five tracks. Only $10.) Or you can buy Twin Cinema at Amazon here and get instant access to an audio stream of the entire album. Really, you can’t go wrong either way.

Anyway, I’m a sucker for anything with Neko Case. So here’s to rekindling the buzz:

The New Pornographers | Use It (courtesy Matador)
The New Pornographers | Twin Cinema (courtesy Matador)
The New Pornographers | The Bones of an Idol (courtesy … um, me)

The Greenhornes will be in Phoenix this week, opening for the White Stripes. I’ve only recently heard of the Greenhornes, but I’m really enjoying their new EP East Grand Blues (produced and recorded by Brendan Benson). For background: The Greenhornes, from Cincinnati, were the backing band on Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose album, and bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler will serve as the rhythm section for the Raconteurs, the on-the-side collaboration of Jack White and Benson.

The music — with its brooding low-end melodies — is eerily reminiscent of ’60s bands like the Animals and the Byrds; that’s not to say the Greenhornes are copycats. The influence is obvious, but there’s a bit of a modern garage rock update to it. For comparison’s sake, I’ve digitzed the Byrds’ Turn! Turn! Turn! and the Animals’ Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood from vinyl 45s. (I think if you listen to I’m Going Away and Turn! Turn! Turn! back to back, you’ll hear the influence.)

The Greenhornes | I’m Going Away
The Greenhornes | Shelter of Your Arms
The Byrds | Turn! Turn! Turn!
The Animals | Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

So, I’m wholly convinced now that I will like just about anything put out on Merge Records. If one of my favorite artists, Richard Buckner, moving to that label wasn’t enough, I’ve fallen for the new album by the Radar Bros., The Fallen Leaf Pages.

I picked it up on whim — having not listened to any of their previous albums — and can’t stop playing it. It’s moody, open-ended, unassuming and always seems to creep close to these sonic crescendos before fading into this lilting guitar-piano-drum amazement. I like how the songs take their time — as if there’s no rush to find the end.

Buy it here.

Radar Bros. | Is That Blood (personal favorite)
Radar Bros. | The River Shade
Radar Bros. | Papillon

Sufjan Stevens: Anybody ever hear of this guy? OK, seriously, folks. Inspired by a post about bargain-bin hunting over at Can You See the Sunset from the Southside, I headed to Tempe on a mission to pluck a quality, cheap CD.

And I did. I snagged an Asthmatic Kitty label compilation To Spirit Back the Mews (2001) for a mere $5.99. I was quite proud of myself. That is, until I went to AK’s Web site and discovered I could have bought it for $6 at their store.

Nevertheless, I’m convinced I found a gem. It contains 37 tracks — some of which is quirky filler material — and runs almost 80 minutes. What you really want to know is that there are four Sufjan Stevens songs on it. You should also know is the rest of it is just as solid as the Sufjan tracks, especially the songs by Half-handed Cloud and Liz Janes. It takes some patience to work through the album — although the longest track checks in at just under five minutes — but it’s really worth it: a bit of folk, a bit of twang and really nice songwriting. (Liner notes explain that a contribution in advance of proceeds of the album were made to New York Firefighters 9-11 Relief Fund. Another portion of proceeds will be donated to The Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary.)

But I’ll provide what you really want.

Sufjan Stevens: The First Full Moon
Sufjan Stevens: God’ll Ne’er Let You Down
Sufjan Stevens: Bushwick Junkie
Sufjan Stevens: I Can’t Even Lift My Head

BONUS
Half-handed Cloud: He’s Not the Swindler We Are

So, Elbow’s new album — Leaders of the Free World — comes out Sept. 5. It won’t receive nearly the amount of pub Coldplay’s latest piece o’ crap got, but I’m hopeful it will blow X&Y (or X&Y&Zzzzzzzzzz, as my brother put it) outta the water.

I’m here to help fuel the hype:

Stream the video for Forget Myself here.

And be a day ahead of the news, with this BBC article — dated August 9 … it’s that whole time zone phenomenon — in which singer Guy Garvey interprets the lyrics for the album for us.

If you’ve already been over to Gorilla vs. Bear — and chances are good that you were — you know that Chris and I are posting some good workout songs today. I was lamenting my recent laziness about getting out and getting to the gym. And with the monumental Austin trip but a mere 48 days away — not that I’m counting — I figured it was time to get in shape.

So it’s time to get to LA Fatness … ahem, I mean, Fitness. After all, I convinced myself I’d work out more if I bought an iPod Shuffle. Seemed like sound reasoning at the time. It’s light, it’ll fit in my pocket. That is, when I actually put it in my pocket and get to the gym.

As for my music, I tend to lean toward the more aggressive mode for motivation: Rage Against the Machine, Jawbox/breaker, Quicksand, etc. But I’m thinking I should change it up. I know we have a few biking bloggers — Mallie at South of Mainstream and Ryan at My Yellow Country Teeth. So let’s get some suggestions going. What tunes keep you going throughout the day or at the gym?

These are a few I’ll be listening to while I try to bench-press the bar:

sourceVictoria: Opportunistic
Heiruspecs: Something For Nothing
No Knife: Permanent For Now
RJD2: Cut Out to Fl.
Styles of Beyond: Winnetka Exit
Jimmy Eat World: You

BONUS — Come on! Push it, you Nancy boy!
DJ Radar and Puma as Four Hand Stroke: Sectorize
Queens of the Stone Age: The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret

No music here, but a shout-out to a good guy and and ex-Zona resident: Jim Mahfood. Jim is an independent comic-book artist with ridiculous credentials. He’s probably best known for drawing the Clerks comic book, at director Kevin Smith’s request no less.

Jim’s also responsible for the Grrl Scouts series and Stupid Comics strip in the Phoenix New Times. Music plays a huge role in Jim’s art. You’ll often see his characters wearing T-shirts pimping some of his favorite artists. When he lived in Arizona, Jim created live mural art on stage during the Bombshelter DJs’ — Radar, Z-Trip, Emile — weekly gig, a practice he continues for national acts. Recently, Jim illustrated the fold-out mural on Z-Trip’s recent major-label debut, Shifting Gears and Felt, a comic-book companion to the new album, Felt 2, by Slug and Murs.

Jim has art for sale at his Web site or at his store. Or you can drop in at your local comic book shop for his work, which combines humor, music and always some political riffing.

I was looking through some old concert ticket stubs (yeah, I’m a pack rat), thinking of summer concerts of days past. I came across an August 1, 1999, show for Soul Coughing at Stubb’s in Austin. At the time, I was a sportswriting intern at the Austin American-Statesman.I’ll always remember the show because a) I saw Soul Coughing; and b) Morphine was on the bill. But, sadly, about a month earlier, Mark Sandman passed away on stage of a heart attack at a concert in Rome. He was only 47.

Clearly, the news of his death wasn’t on par with someone like a John Lennon; however, I was (still am) totally into Morphine. That band was doing things musically that few — if any — were: Billy Conway on drums, Dana Colley on saxophone and Sandman playing a homemade two-string bass. It was sometimes amazing what they were able to coax out of such minimal instrumentation. The low-end vibes were downright (dare I say it?) sexy. For proof, check Cure For Pain, the group’s sophomore — and breakthrough — album.

Colley and Conway went on to form the Twinemen, a fine outfit but, frankly, it was hard not to think that Sandman should still be around. A box set — Sandbox — came out last year, with two discs of Sandman material compiled by Colley and Conway, plus a DVD. (I have yet to purchase.)

So, here’s to remembering Morphine:

Cure for Pain (audio stripped from enhanced video on Bootleg Detroit; song performed live at The Montreux Jazz Festival in 1995)
Pulled Over the Car (from B-Sides and Otherwise; originally from Japanese CD release of Yes)
Thursday (from Cure for Pain; listen to the bass!)
Potion(from Like Swimming; listen to the sax!)

Even though I just saw Richard Buckner this past November in Phoenix, I’m really excited to see him again tonight in Tucson with Anders Parker, whom I saw open for Jay Farrar not too long ago in Los Angeles.

This will be at least the fourth time seeing Buckner, and I really wouldn’t pass up a chance to see him at any time. I remember the first time, probably about eight years ago, at Balboa Cafe in Tempe with my brother; Buckner opened for Alejandro Escovedo. I was floored by Buckner. I’ve never seen one man and a guitar command that sort of presence at a show. “Husky” seems to be the most-used adjective to describe his voice, and rightfully so. (I thought “husky” was only used to describe big-boy jeans.) It’s not exactly flattering, but it’s fitting.

His songs are the stuff of drunken loneliness, open country and empty yearning. I distinctly remember in October 2000, having accepted my first sportswriting gig in Lubbock, Texas, listening to his debut “Bloomed” as I drove into Texas wondering what the hell I was exactly doing. The album was recorded in Lubbock, and I thought I’d develop some closeness to the music because of it. Like when he sings, “He didn’t know much misery / But there was plenty of time to learn.” That borders on cheesy, I know, but the album pulled me through some serious homesickness (if you lived in Lubbock you’d understand)

That said, I’d recommend anything he’s put out, especially “Bloomed” and his latest, “Dents and Shells” (on Merge … you know, home of the Arcade Fire).

I have too many songs I’d want to include here, so I’ve recorded his KCRW appearance from last year (split into two MP3s, before and after the Nic Harcourt interview).

As for Anders Parker, I’m still new to his music. But I’m liking his newest, “Tell it to the Dust,” quite a bit.

Richard Buckner: Live on KCRW (Part I)
Richard Buckner: Live on KCRW (Part II)
Richard Buckner: Ariel Ramirez (from Devotion+Doubt; yes the song on that VW Touareg commercial)
Richard Buckner: Up North (from Bloomed)
Anders Parker: Tell it to the Dust (from Tell it to the Dust)