Stereogum — Surfer Blood. As far as indie rock debut LPs go, this is about as good as it's going to get in 2K10. These are dudes that will toss off a Neutral Milk Hotel cover without even bothering to unslouch on the couch, slack but properly studied, like th... more info

Guardian Music — I had been looking for a voice to capture how it felt to hear that Vic Chesnutt had died, when I realised that voice was his ownI first heard Vic Chesnutt one Saturday morning in Dublin, many years ago now. Lying in bed in early summer, gulls cawing ... more info

Chorus.fm — It's been quite a decade for us. We've seen music pass through digital, manipulative frequencies and watched others strip their sounds bare. In a decade where there was not only an industry shift, but a creative shift in rediscovery, I'm going to thr... more info

Guardian Music — Michael Stipe, Patti Smith and others pay tribute at memorial to melancholic singer-songwriter who died on Christmas dayA memorial service has been held for the American musician Vic Chesnutt, who has died aged 45. Chesnutt, described by REM's Michae... more info

Stereogum — This morning we sent out the final 'Gum Drop of 2009 and in the spirit of the season decided to pass along an updated take on a Holiday standard. Last year Neutral Milk Hotel/Music Tapes' Julian Koster released The Singing Saw At Christmastime . ... more info

411 Mania — Hear the new Final Fantasy single, the new Frightened Rabbit album, Fugazi live recordings, news on the the new Cat Power album, Steve Albini and the poor vs. the USPS, Neutral Milk Hotel videos and more. more info

Guardian Music — Last week was all about reaching maturity. This time we want you to suggest songs about unthinking over-indulgenceThis week's A-list focused on the darker side of coming of age. For a while, I considered balancing that with a B-list made up almost en... more info

411 Mania — An interview with St. Vincent, bands added to the Pavement ATP and Primavera Sound festival, Future Islands get a record deal, news on the new Interpol album, a new Spencer Krug project, U2 to play Glastonbury, rare Neutral Milk Hotel live footage an... more info

Stereogum — Watch well-recorded videos of NMH doing "Two-Headed Boy" and "April 8th" at the old Knitting Factory on March 7, 1998 via Merge, the label that just released On Avery Island and In the Aeroplane Over The Sea on 180 gram vinyl. more info

Rawkblog — It’s been over a decade since Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs and Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, two albums that pushed the boundaries of chamber-pop and psychedelic rock in an era of indie innovation that has few rivals. ... more info