You can listen to Panda Bear’s new album, Tomboy in full at NPR.

Pre-Order: Panda Bear – Tomboy

We’re big fans of Sharon Van Etten, whose Epic was one of our favorite releases of the year. Please have a listen to her World Cafe session that just went up today. So good.

Previously: Video: Broken Harbors :: Sharon Van Etten

MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Love More”
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “I Couldn’t Save You”
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Buy: Sharon Van Etten – Epic

[photos by Kate Ehle via nyctaper]

On two different occasions last month I found myself on solo travels to meet friends in Chicago. Once by car and once by train. I’m not complaining, these trips afford uninterrupted listens to albums I’ve been neglecting or simply haven’t gotten around to. Insert S. Carey’s All We Grow. Released earlier this year, this is a record that I would describe as an invested listen. By this I mean it didn’t blow me away on initial listen, but subsequently revealed its beauty on follow up plays. This is a good thing.

In addition, I highly recommend you check out the recently released live show over at NPR taken from last week’s show at the 9:30 Club supporting The Tallest Man On Earth (whose session is also online and amazing). While his tour dates for the year at this point appear to be over, here’s hoping that S. Carey makes his way to Milwaukee before the curtain comes down on 2010.

MP3: S. Carey – “In The Dirt”
MP3: S. Carey – “In The Stream”
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Buy: S. Carey – All We Grow

I encourage you to check out the Kyp Malone guest DJ session that is currently available on NPR’s All Songs Considered blog. It’s not surprising that Kyp brought along a great playlist enhanced by interesting dialogue. His selection of Kermit the Frog’s take on Rainbow Connection leads the discussion to Sesame Street and Stevie Wonder’s rousing (and extra funky) version of “Superstition.” It’s worth a watch and listen if only for a brief walk down memory lane.

Getting back to Kyp Malone, if you have not picked up a copy of his beautiful new album under the Rain Machine moniker you should really add it to your collection today. It’s a solid play from beginning to end, and, in my opinion, deserves consideration for one of the year’s best releases.

Buy: Rain Machine

If you haven’t checked out the Lucero World Cafe show streaming on NPR, make it your next listen. It’s great all the way through, including new material from 1372 Overton Park, and hopefully puts to bed any hesitant fans worried about horn sections on a rock and roll record. I can’t wait to see these guys live in two days.

Listen: Lucero live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia

NPR has been providing a steady diet of great musical goodness lately. Today, you can hear Leonard Cohen’s new album, Live in London, in its entirety, on NPR Music.

I’m hoping to be in the crowd for either of Leonard Cohen’s Chicago Theatre shows on May 5th & 6th. Anyone got their tickets yet?

Elsewhere:

The Avett Brothers new album will be called I and Love and You, I heard a couple tracks from their set at SXSW last week, Rolling Stone has some details on the new record.

Ryan Adams + the Cardinals ended their tour (is it their last) at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta last week. Take a listen to the show here.