If you're an indie pop fan but the concert marathon-long face of the Bruce canon and cult has put you off, you're in luck: The most joyous, jittery, poetic, romantic, ramshackle, sparked up-by-punk-and-girl groups-and country Bruce Springsteen album has just been released. It's called The Promise and it was recorded almost 35 freaking years ago though. Just as Megan Seling at The Stranger bakes yummy candy bars in yummier cupcakes, Bruce helped develop his mystery religion by creating album within album within album; there's lost LP goodness spilling all over box sets and bootlegs if you're hungry for his communion.

But if you have a soft spot for "Born To Run"-style typhoon-of-sound, suicide machine-near teen death and sleaze, little stuff like that has been available. Due to a horrible war he had with some business dude named Mike who tried to control his career because he had no creativity of his own, Bruce had a whale of a bummer after splashing New Jersey uber-power-pop foam in our faces and getting on the covers of too many cornball newsmagazines on the same day. Out of this darkness eventually came Darkness On The Edge Of Town, a really good album, at times (exactly 7/10) really great. It was my first and I loved the rage of "Adam Raised A Cain" but wanted more of the spank-me, wrong side of town, dirty-hotel, speed trip going raw vibe of "Candy's Room." Too many songs about burdens and bosses, though I thought it was cool he was trying to keep rebellion an active agent in the mainstream. But if you're going to make a song as kind of dreary as "Factory," at that time I thought, it should sound like something on Factory Records (such as mope-bombs Joy Division).

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In case, for some reason, celebrity endorsements still (or ever) mattered, Bob Dylan has officially announced his endorsement of Barack Obama.

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Democratic contender Barack Obama just solidified the New Jersey vote today when The Boss himself threw his iconic red handkerchief down in Obama's court.

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This week's Billboard charts are littered with greatest hits albums, Christmas albums, live albums and such fun.

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MySpace Music has taken to placing a Top 5 list on its music landing page. Today's entry comes from Tom Higgenson of the band Plain White T's. The list is amusing: My Top 5 Unrequited Love Songs.

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