By rights, Nicole Atkins’ debut full-length Neptune City should have been in heavy rotation in my CD player for well over a month now – except it got pushed back from its original release date of August 20 to its new street date of October 30 and so I’ve had to make do with the Bleeding Diamonds EP and the various album tracks that’ve crept out via her MySpace or videos or what have you – until now.

Check out the link below for a full album stream of Neptune City which, I’m happy to report, confirms that the album is every bit as good as I’d hoped. The production is ultra-lush – some might complain too much so, but I think with a voice as powerful as Atkins the arrangements need that extra bit of goosing to keep up. It’s also stylistically broader than the Bleeding Diamonds EP, less torch and more rock. I’ve been reserving a place in my year-end list for this record – looks like it wasn’t jumping the gun.

Upstage has an expansive interview with Atkins in which she talks about her clothes, her dreams, her music and the series of American Express ads she and her band are currently appearing in. She’s in town on October 14 with The Raveonettes at Lee’s Palace.

Stream: Nicole Atkins & The Sea / Neptune City
Commercial: Nicole Atkins for American Express
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Bleeding Diamonds”
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Carouselle”
Video: Nicole Atkins & The Sea – “The Way It Is” (MySpace)
Video: Nicole Atkins – “Neptune City” (YouTube)
MySpace: Nicole Atkins

I had hoped to find the time to talk about Jens Lekman’s new album Night Falls On Kortedala before its October 9 release date, but looking ahead over the next week and change, it’s doubtful I will. So I’ll just say that it’s wonderful in the same way that his earlier work so if you like that… there you go. The Guardian has an interview and there’s a bit of an embarrassment of riches in the way of AV from the album to dive into.

MP3: Jens Lekman – “The Opposite Of Hallelujah”
MP3: Jens Lekman – “Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo”
Video: Jens Lekman – “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar” (MOV)

Pitchfork reports that Cat Power will release her second covers record on January 22 of next year.

Dave’s Live Music Blog has some audio from Great Lake Swimmers’ instore at Criminal Records in Toronto earlier this week. They’re playing the Phoenix tonight and will be opening up for Feist on February 18 at the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts. NPR has an interview and session with her and Chart has a conversation with her boyfriend, Kevin Drew about the possible return of Broken Social Scene in a non-“presents” capacity next year.

Okkervil River does press with The Philadelphia Daily News, The Daily Tar Heel and AM New York.

Billboard gets an update on that recording of Mates Of State’s fifth album, due out early next year.

John Vanderslice, in town at the El Mocambo on Monday, is the subject of features from ArtVoice, Washington Square News, The Boston Herald and WikiNews.

The San Jose Mercury talks to Matt Berninger of The National. They’re at the Phoenix on October 8 for a show that may well be sold out by the time you finish reading this sentence. Or maybe this one.

NME reports that Liam Gallagher of Oasis no longer hates Blur. In other news, no one cares.

And tangentially, Drowned In Sound reports that all four members of Blur are meeting for the first time in five years to discuss reunion plans. Will NME be sending paparazzi and reporting back on who had what for lunch? Of course they will.