WHAT'S BUZZING ON THE MUSIC BLOGS!

Every week Blog Fresh travels the virtual globe to speak with the best music blogs and find out what they're listening to. Well, it's been a few days now since we returned from some real travel, to the South by Southwest music confab (which we'll refer to as SXSW from here on out), and we're not sure we're fully recovered yet. (Note to self: next year, drink more water; remember to eat.) But we sifted through all the various recording and interviews we did down there to bring you this (somewhat beer-and-bbq-stained) edition of the show "live" from Austin, Texas.

Our host Abbey was there and, as she kept busy shooting photos for Stereogum and her own two sites (Punk Photo and 'Sup Mag), we also armed our Blog Fresh producer (and writer of Sound Bites) Bill with a microphone to talk firsthand with some of the many bloggers in attendance about what was rocking their world at SXSW. One such blogger -- Ryan from Ryspace.com -- even supplies us with an exclusive live recording of Octopus Project, allowing us to actually hear exactly what he heard, straight from Austin.

In addition to picking up some low-flying airplane noise for you, we also talk with Maura from Idolator, Maria of Her Jazz, and bring you a report from the "Blog Factor" panel discussion that featured Matador Records co-prez Gerard Cosloy and NPR blogger Carrie Brownstein (who, you may recall, used to be in a band called Sleater-Kinney). Plus, a special Blog Fresh chart counting down the Top Ten most-blogged about bands at SXSW. And now, we promise not to bring up SXSW again.

Until next year. Meantime, enjoy the fresh batch of tunes...

1. CUT/COPY – "Lights & Music"
2. KIRSTEN KETSJER – "Ernie and the Sandstorm"
3. PONYTAIL - "Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came from an Angel)"
4. THE OCTOPUS PROJECT – "Bees Been Strugglin'"
5. THE LONG BLONDES – "Guilt"
6. TYVEK – "Mary Ellen Claims"
7. --BLOG FRESH CHART--
8. CHART SELECTION: THE MAE SHI - "Lion and the Lamb"
9. THE PHYSICS OF MEANING – "Down at Columbia and Cameron"
10. MARK MALLMAN – "Death Wish"

Blog Fresh theme performed by High Contrast (courtesy of Hospital Records.)