The National’s “Fake Empire” appears in an Obama ad

Tickets for a free Wire/Times New Viking show were made available yesterday at Other Music; go get some!

Blitzen Trapper does Daytrotter, hardly even knows her

Sufjan Stevens scores Natalie Portman’s short film Eve

Mackenzie Philips charged with heroin possession

U2 pen 50 to 60 new songs, but new album is pushed back to 2009

Ben Folds Five to reunite for one-off show in Chapel Hill, where they will perform The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Slipknot edges out the Game for the top Billboard spot this week

Metallica’s Death Magnetic leaks, Lars is okay with it

ESPN columnist Paul Lukas opening for Magnetic Fields

Albums faring a bit better as year goes on