The Boss has a new album, “Magic,” coming out on October 2.
The lead single, Radio Nowhere is available as a free download on iTunes. It’s no Born to Run, but a solid song.
More exciting is the news that Bruce and the E Street Band will be going on tour this fall, with four dates in the area:

• October 9-10 East Rutherford, N.J., Continental Airlines Arena
• October 17-18 New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden

Both the MSG and CAA shows go on sale September 10
Farther afield, Albany, Hartford and Philadelphia are also stops on the tour, for when NYC and East Rutherford sell out instantly.
Backstreets interviewed Bruce
Rolling Stone talks with producer Brendan O’Brien

While at Magnetic Field last night to see Goes Cube count up some of their new songs (the debuted Goes Cube songs numbered 47, 48 and 49), I realized that I’ve seen some excellent bands play the Field recently that I’ve been meaning to write about.
Low Red Land trekked out from San Francisco to play some shows in their old east coast stomping grounds. They’ve become very excellent, conjuring the sounds of country-tinged Americana twisted through distortion. I’m not quite sure how to classify their music– maybe the alcoholic bastard offspring of Neil Young, Sonic Youth and Wilco?
Modern Skirts have strong pop sensibilities and bring fun. With a lot of piano, their music is lighter than most of the indie rock. There’s a good bit of Ben Folds and REM informing the Skirts’ sound. Strikes me a lot like Voxtrot– who I saw at the Field thinking that they are going to be moving up in the music world (and have since). But I think the Modern Skirts have a higher potential upside– they’re more of a pure pop band.
And Goes Cube continues to sound unique. And loud. Did I mention loud? Beckon the Dagger God was released this past week on Cordless Records (Warner):

Ear Farm Matt has a higher resolution download of the New Music Video for Goes Cube Song 34

I’ve been enjoying the latest album from The Apples in Stereo, New Magnetic Wonder. The songs are densely-layered poppy and catchy. And while I’m not a fan of the songlets– short transition pieces between the songs, the core songs are well-done– Energy and Same Old Drag jump out as two of the stronger tracks.
This video for Same Old Drag is fun, too:

A high-energy performance from The Walk Ons at Southpaw:

Mancino is yet another band from Brooklyn. The three piece is set to release their new full-length, Manners Matter next week, preceded by a CD release party at the Mercury Lounge on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Here’s the fun and clever video for the catchy (if hard to spell) song “Hetchie Hutchie Footchie.”

Van Halen, the Ronettes, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M. and Patti Smith will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. The Times reports that both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar will be inducted with the Halen, but that there will be no love for interim sub Gary Cherone: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Backs New Members.

I’ve been alerted that if I don’t post one of these before the end of the year, the music blogger community will shun me. Even more.
Eh, what the heck. Here are 7:

• Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
  They’re not as good as the hype would make them out to be, but this album is still excellent. And it’s their debut album?
• The Bamboo Kids – Feel Like Hell
  Is this a cheat? Most of these songs were released on “This Ain’t No Revolution” in Europe last year. Whatever. It’s still a lot of fun.
• The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
  Prog-rock sea shanties. Put that way, it sounds really unappealing, but it’s actually all kinds of awesome
• Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
  “Crazy” is this year’s “Hey Ya!” How can you not like it?
• Earl Greyhound – Soft Targets
  Have I mentioned how Earl Greyhound is all kinds of awesome?
• The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
  They don’t sound alike, but thematically, this is the cool uncle to the Arctic Monkeys album
• The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
  Straight-up straight-forward fun

And the “It was released last year, but I didn’t get it and listen obsessively until this year” album of the year is Devin Davis – Lonely People of the World, Unite!
Elsewhere; 2006 Music Bloggregate

Agents of Good Roots, my favorite underappreciated band of the late 90’s, is playing a couple of their occassional reunion shows this week in DC and Richmond:
Thursday, 12/21/06
Iota Club
2832 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
Friday, 12/22/06
Alley Katz
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23223

Time Out NY rates this town’s music critics. They give the top nod to The New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones, followed closely by the Times’ Kelefa Sanneh.

While they’re not quite in their heyday, it’s still pretty damn cool to see John Fogerty play “Fortunate Son” with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: