• Musically the band may not have changed much, but just the fact that Time has an article called "Major Label, Minor Key" is a sign of Death Cab For Cutie's big league status. (Time doesn't spend too much time on indie labels.) When you get outside the usual circle of music scribes you get descriptions like "go-to band for a particular kind of postadolescent melancholy." And here I've been busy with semantics while debating the band's indie rock status.

• Franz Ferdinand Plan To Release Exclusive New Singles. (Stereoboard.com) The band likes the idea of releasing "something on its own as a single."

• AOL Music Ramps Up Album Pre-Releases, Grabs Stones Content. (Digital Music News) This week will see album previews by the Stones, Brooks & Dunn, Kanye West, Death Cab For Cutie and Bob Dylan. This is great exposure for these artists. Also of note is AOL's page of free MP3s.

• Ladytron: Rise Of The Machines. (The Independent) "Anyone familiar with the glacial electronic surfaces of the first two Ladytron albums will be surprised at how physical, how dirty, how rock the new album often sounds." Simon Price, author of Everything, a great book on the Manic Street Preachers, has a fine article here.

• Coolfer has ignored the Osbourne/Iron Maiden Heavy Metal Beef until now. Billboard.com's article about Sharon Osbournes' admittal/press release is one for the ages. Of the involvement she had with cutting Iron Maiden's sound during the band's performances she wrote, "Was Dickinson so naive to think that I was going to let him get away with talking sh*t about my family night after night? I don't think he realizes who he's dealing with."