Stream The National's Boxer

Bloggers and critics alike have been falling over themselves for The National's (myspace) latest release (my partner in crime, Flatlander, included). Beyond the blogger hype, their record, which dropped yesterday, has received rave reviews from NYT AND Pitchfork (loosing street cred or universally good album?).

I am not in that camp. I have to admit that my listens to both Alligator and this latest disc have been casual and what I hear again and again is that these are creeper albums. I'm saving judgement until I can really have an opportunity to sink my teeth into it. This is where AOL comes in: The Boxer is a part of this week's full cd listening party. So if you haven't grabbed a leaked copy or purchased it yourself, then head over to AOL this week and judge with me what all the hype is about.

Also at the Listening Party is the latest Jeff Buckley posthumous release: So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley. Talk about milking it! I'm a big big fan of Buckley's body of work, but this is starting to get ridiculous. This is the fifth LP since the man succumbed to the mighty Mississippi (two were live albums), not including two reissues. It's time to put a stop to all of this. My fear is that record companies are starting to think that people actually want these things. What's next, Elliott Smith's body of work hitting 25 disks on the 25th anniversary of his death! (Note: All after death albums aren't bad, such as the latest Elliott Smith release, but there's a line between sharing hidden gems and capitalizing on a legacy.)