Most blogged artists: The War On Drugs, Kanye West, The Drums

(AFP/LEON NEAL)

Philadelphia-based experimental folk-rock band The War On Drugs is the most popular artist on The Hype Machine on September 6. Kanye West maintains his number two slot, while Neon Indian, Ra Ra Riot, and Chromeo re-enter the most-blogged top ten.

The War on Drugs jumped two slots to first place after releasing their newest single, a mellow strummer titled "Comin' Through." In a follow-up to their 2008 Wagonwheel Blues, the indie outfit is expected to release a new album, Future Weather, on October 26. "Covered with limber guitar hooks" (Stereogum.com), the track "has me salivating for the full LP," blogs Hearya.com. "If the song 'Comin' Through' is any indication of what is to come from their new album," blogs Sons Club (sonsclub.wordpress.com), "then consider me super stoked."

Brooklyn-based surf pop outfit The Drums is back in the blogs after releasing a free digital download of their cover of Arcade Fire's "We Used to Wait," recorded for the UK's BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. Of the remake, RCRD LBL (rcrdlbl.com) writes that The Drums, led by Jonathan Pierce, turns "the original's quiet gloom into a tantrum of pouting bass and remonstrating guitar angles, Pierce shouts sounding sent from a wet face through a snotty nose."

Rapper Kanye West holds steady in the number two slot after releasing a new song, "Devil In A New Dress," on his KanyeUniversecity blog, just before firing a series of Twitter missives apologizing to Taylor Swift. The track is the second song in his G.O.O.D. Friday series, in which the artist plans to release a new song every Friday until Christmas 2010. "It sort of sounds like that early Kanye that we all fell in love with," writes We All Want Someone to Shout For (weallwantsomeone.org) of the new single. "He slows things down a bit and pulls out something from deep down inside."

The 10 most blogged artists on The  Hype   Machine  on September 6 at 10:00am GMT:

• The War On Drugs (+2)
• Kayne West (unchanged)
• The Drums (+1)
• Acid Washed (-2)
• Neon Indian (re-entry)
• Ra Ra Riot (re-entry)
• Chromeo (re-entry)
• Matt & Kim (new)
• Wiz Khalifa (new)
• Oh Land (-1)

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.