NPR Streams Benson, Mt. Eerie, CoYB

Now this is a civilized way to help deemphasize leaks...

By Blurt Staff

NPR Music's latest round of pre-release album streams includes the new records from Brendan Benson (pictured, above), Mount Eerie and Choir of Young Believers. It's part of NPR's "Exclusive First Listen" series (www.npr.org/firstlisten). Benson and Mount Eerie are already streaming; CoYB will start tonight at midnight.

Details:

With his fourth album, Brendan Benson continues the solid solo career he established years before forming The Raconteurs with Jack White. My Old, Familiar Friend features meticulously crafted songs that NPR Music's Robin Hilton says are full of "ridiculously catchy hooks, perfectly placed handclaps and harmonies and sweet, buoyant melodies." Hear the entire album now here.

After ending The Microphones, Phil Elverum continued to explore the themes of death and failed relationships under his Mount Eerie moniker. On Wind's Poem, Elverum backs his traditional subject matter with a new style only hinted at in past releases. Lacing the album with layers of distortion and warbled synths, he creates the dark atmospherics that define a sound he calls "black wooden." Preview the full album at NPR Music.

Denmark's Choir of Young Believers may sound like a mass of robed singers, but its big sound is actually the solo work of Copenhagen native Jannis Noya Makrigiannis. His debut album, This Is For The White In Your Eyes, offers orchestral pop that mixes both modest folk arrangements and ambitious, grandiose indie pop. The entire reverb-soaked experience will be available for streaming beginning Wednesday, August 6 at 11:59 PM ET at NPR Music.