NPR First Listen

Add NPR's Exclusive First Listen to my list of the best web sites for those of us who crave a steady rotation of new music. While AOL/Spinner is the place to go to listen to streaming audio of a dozen or more albums for a week or two after their release, and Lala is great for offering one free preview of just about any song, new or otherwise, NPR's site maintains its own exclusive niche.

For previews of select, upcoming albums, in their entirety, this is the site to go. Among those currently streaming on NPR, until May 4, are the following:

• The New Pornographers - Together
• The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
• Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

Additionally, the following records are in queue to become available for listen during the following dates in May:

• The National - High Violet: May 3-11
• The Black Keys - Brothers: May 10-18

Of course, these are just the albums that show up on my radar. There are definitely others that you may want to check out for yourself.