On the music front...

- A pleasant surprise: Some Merge Records releases have recently appeared on Rhapsody, notably the new Spoon CD and last year's splendid Arcade Fire debut. Still waiting for the Superchunk catalog, Paul Burch, Lambchop, Magnetic Fields and others. What gives, guys?

- According to NPR's Morning Edition, there's a controversy surrounding a song by American Idol winner Fantasia called "Baby Mama." The song is a call-out to single teen mothers, and some say it sends the wrong message - particularly the line "Cuz now-a-days it like a badge of honor To be a baby mama." Seems to me that there should be more controversy over the attempted rhyming of "mama" with "honor." Grammatical critique aside (why even start?), I read the lyrics, and can see how they would be inspiring to single mothers. Therefore, it should obviously be condemned for destroying the moral fabric of our society.

- New Music Tip Sheet reports new releases this week from Alkaline Trio, Audioslave, Belle and Sebastian, Alex Chilton, Shelby Lynne, Stephen Malkmus, Josh Redman and Sleater-Kinney. It's going to be a busy next couple of days digesting all of this.