Fall has yet to officially begin, but the album releasing schedule has started to pick up some steam. Now that Labor Day has come and gone, watch for several anticipated full-lengths to drop.

Sonya Kitchell — This Storm (Decca/Velour)

She's only 19 years old, but she could be the best new jazz singer around. Her voice is a throwback to simpler times. She also scores some points with us for hailing from Northampton.

Various artists — Bones: The Soundtrack (Nettwerk)

If we could just pretend these were all Emily Deschanel's favorite picks, the soundtrack would feel like a mix tape from her to us. She must have great taste in music like sis, Zooey. The ethereal soundtrack features Placebo's cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," a Sinead O'Connor song and a Sarah McLachlan remix. … continue reading

You know how sometimes you discover a great, great band and nobody else knows about them and you revel in your discovery and then suddenly everyone knows about them and you're like, wait, they're MINE? I used to feel that way about the Canadian band New Pornographers, but I've gotten over it. Now I'm just glad they're still making consistently great music.

I like them best when Neko Case is with them, but that's not a common occurrence. So I was thrilled to see her in this new live performance video of "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" from the Challengers album.

Shake that tambourine, Neko! But I don't mean to ignore Kathryn Calder — she rocks too. The whole band does, and their sound remains unique. AOLmusic has several other performances of songs from Challengers, as well as an interview with the band.

But allow me to further sing the praises of Neko Case.

She has one of the clearest voices I've ever heard. If water could sing, it would sound like her. I saw her in concert last year, and she seemed superhuman: She never sang even slightly off-key, never made a strange choice of phrasing, never took any kind of misstep. It was either the best or second-best concert I saw last year — I can't decide between Neko and Amy Winehouse (flawless vs. raw; who can decide?). … continue reading