One of HeadCount's favorite bands The National is gearing up for a big year. They have a huge nationwide tour including a sold out date at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the release of their 5th full length LP 'High Violet' on May 11th. Check out a 5 page article on these guys and listen to the full album on the New York Times website. Hurry, tomorrow's the last day it will be available.
The National aren't the first band to release their album streaming to the public prior to its release date. Recently, MGMT, Gorillaz, Wilco and several others have done the same thing. With nearly every album being leaked online these days, and often the quality of these leaks being much worse then the final release, it makes sense for bands to be ahead of the game and get the album they feel is the finished product out to the public before our ears are tainted by a crappy unedited version.