Most blogged artists: The National, Blitzen Trapper, MGMT

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Brooklyn-based indie rock band The National is the most buzzed act in the music blogosphere on March 25, according to The Hype Machine. American power-pop band Big Star is in second, as bloggers pay tribute to the group's lead singer, Alex Chilton, who died on March 17. In third place is Blitzen Trapper, an experimental folk rock band from Portland, Oregon.

The National's most recent album, 2007's Boxer, received widespread critical praise. The band has been releasing news of its next album piecemeal: first the release dates of May 10/11; then the name, High Violet; then a tracklist; and now a single, "Bloodbuzz Ohio," shared as a free or deluxe download on www.highviolet.com. Heavier Than Air (heavier-than-air.blogspot.com) says the track has "a greater spring in its step than the inward focus of previous material... . Matt Berninger's immediately recognisable croon is as sweetly alluring as ever."

Blitzen Trapper also achieved critical success with the release of its 2007 album, this one called Wild Mountain Nation. A follow-up album, 2008's Furr, earned the band a two-page feature in Rolling Stone. The band has just announced the June release of a new album, Destroyer of the Void, on Sub Pop Records, and is offering a free download of the song "Heaven and Earth" as an album sneak peak.

Brooklyn indie duo MGMT is continuing to generate buzz in anticipation of the official release of its second album, Congratulations, in early April. The latest: following an album leak late last week, the band decided to stream the entire album, free, on its website. Listen at www.whoismgmt.com.

The 10 most blogged artists on The Hype Machine on March 25 at 10:30am GMT:

• The National (new)
• Big Star (-1)
• Blitzen Trapper (new)
• Teenage Fanclub (unchanged)
• MGMT (+3)
• Jonsi (-1)
• She & Him (-1)
• Holy Fuck (-5)
• Neon Indian (re-entry)
• Caribou (new)

Launched in 2005, The Hype Machine aggregates information from more than 1,000 music blogs worldwide. Known for identifying up-and-coming artists, the site enables music fans to easily find out what music is hot in the blogosphere and to instantly hear and buy mp3s.

http://hypem.com