Coachella Impressions 3

The tent can't contain the crowd for Travis Barker and DJ AM. They're in the midst of an incredible set of rap and rock.

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Coachella Impressions 2

Just found out that Glasvegas had to cancel because their lead singer is sick. Am disappointed but am also surrounded by incredible music.

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Coachella Impressions 1

When you've hiked through mud, dust and nearly 100 degree heat from the parking lot to the polo field venue, you must be at Coachella. As always, traffic direction and congestion though the town of Indio was atrocious which led to me missing Joss Stone on the main stage. Paolo Nutini is on the main stage about to wrap up his set, which sounded much stronger than his last album would have suggested.

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Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable

So let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat -- many country music purists and critics don't like the country/pop sensibilities of Rascal Flatts. Those folks won't find much to like on the band's sixth studio album, but they're in the minority and have been for a decade.

Rascal Flatts know what works for them musically and stick with that on their newest offering, Unstoppable. The sound is unmistakably country, but it never gets overly twangy and listeners can relate to the lyrics about love, loss and family even if they grew up in an urban or suburban area.

The album starts strong with "Love Who You Love," whose non-gender-specific message has been celebrated by members of the LGBT community. Even more surprising -- in a good way, since much of the country music community tends to favor more conservative values -- all three Rascal Flatts members have stated that they have no problem with the song being interpreted as a message of acceptance for the gay community.

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"Here Comes Goodbye," the album's second track and first radio single, showcases the range of (oh-so-aptly-named) lead singer Gary LeVox's voice and the emotion he can bring to a song. The single -- which shares a theme of the unexpected loss of a loved one with a previous Rascal Flatts' smash hit, "What Hurts The Most" (2006) -- peaked at #11 on The Billboard Hot 100 and is currently #33 after seven weeks on the chart. This week, "Here Comes Goodbye" is also #1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

"Close" and "Holdin' On," the third and third-from-last tracks respectively, feel like musical mirrors of each other, perhaps designed to show that the male and female experience isn't as different as we think. "Close," which was co-written by Flatts' bassist Jay DeMarcus, is the story of a woman holding on to mementos from her last relationship ("it's just a worn out Notre-Dame t-shirt/she's gotten mad and tried/to throw that thing away/at least a hundred times/but she's got it on tonight"). "Holdin' On" is the same broken-heart-not-ready-to-move-on story, but this time it's the man who's "holdin' on to the wheel/on to the way she made him feel/on to the shifter, on to the pictures/every precious moment with her."

The title track, an ode to the power of love, shows the band at its best. The guitar-driven, triumphant ballad showcases both LeVox's earnest voice and the trio's beautiful vocal harmonies. "Unstoppable" is the kind of track that turns people who aren't country music fans into Rascal Flatts' fans.

For pure fun, the best track is "Summer Nights," co-written by LeVox. The playful tempo and lyrics capture the feel of a late-night bonfire party on the beach, a perfect feel for a springtime album.

While I don't invest in many country music albums, Unstoppable is yet another Rascal Flatts' album that's worth owning in full. The band doesn't reinvent themselves or their country/pop sound on the disc, but sometimes there's no need to mess with a good thing.

Watch the music video for "Here Comes Goodbye":

Listen to audio clips from all 11 tracks from Rascal Flatts' Unstoppable here.

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Retrovideo Friday: Coachella Edition, Moz Style

It's Coachella weekend in California, and Callie will be updating us with plenty of coverage over the next few days. So in honor of the festival, this week's Retrovideo Friday is all about Morrissey, who is slated to perform tonight on the Coachella Stage.

This Week's Pick: "Suedehead" by Morrissey (Year: 1988; Video from: Later with Jools Holland, 1992)

Viva Morrissey. The man has had a long career — he got started as lead singer for The Smiths back in the early 1980s, and is still going strong while releasing albums as a solo artist. In fact, he's been solo longer than he was The Smiths' frontman, and it all began with the 1988 album Viva Hate. While going solo doesn't always work so well for people associated with well-loved acts, Viva Hate got a strong critical reaction upon its release and also produced a number of commercial hits.

One of these is "Suedehead," a song now considered a classic in the Moz catalog. Despite the absence of former bandmate and guitarist Johnny Marr, the song features a memorable guitar riff with Morrissey's trademark, cheerfully-mournful vocals. It's no wonder people gravitated to the song the way they did.

You can watch a performance of the song (below) from a 1992 taping of the BBC program Later With Jools Holland. It's a pretty solid version — the guitars are a little crunchier sounding at first (at least when compared to the record), and you get to witness a young Morrissey in all his shiny-shirted, well-coifed glory. Who knows? Maybe he'll perform it tonight.

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Movie News: Casting News for Nanny McPhee Sequel

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans and Asa Butterfield have joined the cast of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, the sequel to 2005's Nanny McPhee, which starred Emma Thompson and Colin Firth.  Thompson is exec producing the flick in addition to once again writing the screenplay and portraying the title character.

Ralph Fiennes is rumored to be in dicussions for an uncredited cameo in the film. [Variety]

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Movie News: Full-Length Films to Stream on YouTube

YouTube has just announced a deal with studios including Sony and Lionsgate, that will result in full-length, ad-supported library films and TV showed being streamed on the popular video-sharing website, says The Hollywood Reporter. The names of the other studios involved in the deal had not yet been released as of this posting, but is said that "YouTube users who click on a film will be redirected to sites controlled by the studios, which will be able to serve their ads to, and collect traffic from, their own video player." Not surprisingly, the online film offerings are not expected to include new releases. [The Hollywood Reporter]

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TV News: Law & Order: SVU

NBC and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit executive producer Dick Wolf have announced that the show will be returning in the fall, even though discussions with both of the show leads are ongoing. Current contracts for Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (who has been hospitalized several times for a collapsed lung and related health issues since December) expire at the end of this season and both are said to be negotiating for pay raises. [Variety]

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Movie News: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter fans who have been eagerly anticipating the summer release of the franchise's sixth movie received a little bit of good news today: their wait has been shortened by two days.

Reputable Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron reports that WB confirmed to them that the release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed up to Wednesday, July 15, 2009. As of this posting, the official Warner Bros' site for the Harry Potter films still shows the unchanged "in theaters July 17" language, and there is no word on whether any international release dates will also change. [The Leaky Cauldron]

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Prince - Lotusflow3r

With an $11.98 price tag, Prince's Target-exclusive, three-disc set is a steal. I must admit, as someone who had only listened to and purchased singles by Prince and never an entire album, I was curious to see if the experience would live up to the hype. He has, afterall, long been hailed by many fans and critics as a "musical genius."

The first in the trio of discs is the 10-track debut album by Prince's newest protégé, Bria Valente. As the album artwork shows, Valente certainly has the looks one would expect in a Prince protégé, but she seems destined to fade back into obscurity as quickly as most of those women have in the past. Valente has a pleasant singing voice, but Elix3r's smooth, bland R&B tracks slide one into the next without ever catching your attention. The music isn't offensive to the ears, but it's also completely forgettable, unlike the next disc in the set.

Prince's Lotus Flow3r is definitely the strongest album of the three. The guitar-heavy tracks cover a range of styles and subject matter and have kept my interest all the way through the album every time I listen to it. From the deliciously funky grooves of "Boom" and "Dreamer" to the retro flashback of "Crimson and Clover" (spiced up with a touch of "Wild Thing") and the smooth, sweet ballad titled "4Ever," Prince gives us quality track after quality track on this album. My personal favorite, along with "Crimson and Clover," is "Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful." This jam is so unmistakably James Brown-inspired that you can see the late Brown dancing across the stage in your mind throughout the whole track, but Prince is the artist getting the cape thrown across his shoulders when the song ends.

MPLSoUND, the last disc in the set, opens strong with "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me," which has that familiar, confident, sexy Prince swagger, even as the singer's born-again roots show when he tells us he "can't stand nobody cursing at me/when I'm clean."

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Prince can't stop being Prince though -- his sexy lyrical come-ons start in Lotus Flow3r, but really kick into gear in MPLSoUND, which has a much more of retro, classic Prince sound and attitude. "Chocolate Box" and "Dance 4 Me" are perfect examples of this, along with "Valentina," the artist's enticing ode/invitation to actress (and mother of a baby girl named Valentina) Salma Hayek. What keeps MPLSoUND from being the strongest album of the three are the ballads, which bring the mood of the album to a grinding halt and very quickly make you want to skip to the next track.

Overall, the three-disc set is definitely worth $11.98 and a trip to Target. Prince fans seem to agree-- Lotus Flow3r/MPLSoUND/Elix3r debuted at #2 on The Billboard 200, and at #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Independent Albums charts.

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Record Store Day - April 18

Saturday, April 18th will mark the second annual Record Store Day, which is described as "the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music." A huge number of exclusives, including many vinyl releases, from artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Slayer to Brandi Carlile will be offered on the 18th.

According to the Record Store Day website and an April 1 news entry on the Coachella music festival site, exclusive releases will include:

• Wilco's new DVD (indie stores and band website)
• a 7" from The Decemberists
• vinyl releases from Radiohead
• a CD and a limited-run double 10" vinyl live recording from My Morning Jacket
• a double 7" of live tracks from Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams
• split singles from Sonic Youth with Beck and Jay Reatard
• Jesus Lizard's specially packaged set of nine 7" singles
• Guided By Voices' re-release of their Hold on Hope LP, including three bonus tracks
• exclusive 7" singles from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen
• Def Jam's 4 LP gatefold of their music label history
• additional items from artists including the Black Kids, Brandi Carlile, Jane's Addiction, MC5, Metric, Modest Mouse, Rivers Cuomo, Slipknot, The Smiths, The Stooges and Taking Back Sunday.

For a list of participating record stores in your state (or country, for those outside of the US), visit the Record Store Day site.

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This Week's Music (April 14, 2009)

The hard copy of Metric's Fantasies is out tomorrow, along with an EP by Death Cab For Cutie, and reissues by Beck and Oasis. Check out a list of some of this week's new music releases below:

Albums, Singles, EPs:
Bjork - Voltaic (dual disc import)
The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground
Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP
Fastball - Little White Lies
The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
Metric - Fantasies (hard copy)
Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Simon and Garfunkel - Live 1969
Jill Sobule - California Years
Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years (Import)
Wooden Shjips - Dos
Woods - Songs of Shame

Reissues:
Serge Gainsbourg - Songs on Page One (Import)
One Foot in the Grave (with 16 bonus tracks)
Oasis - Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

DVDs:
The Who: Maximum R&B Live

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Keep Dollhouse out of the attic

Warning: This post will contain spoilers for the latest Dollhouse episode, "A Spy in the House of Love."

As previously reported, the future of Joss Whedon's latest FOX project, Dollhouse, is a little uncertain at the moment. In fact, many are saying the show is as good as gone. It's unfortunate that such news and rumors have started circulating this week of all weeks, as Friday night's show was one of the best episodes to date. Dollhouse began picking up rapidly with its sixth episode (which Whedon himself said would serve as a turning point), and this week's episode had a compelling mixture of action, betrayal and incredible reveals.
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Here's what we witnessed this week:

1. Mellie/November reveals that she's a doll to Agent Ballard. While we already knew this, the moment itself was pretty shocking (and heartbreaking for Ballard who will have to keep pretending that nothing has changed).
2. Adelle is not above using a doll (Victor) to fulfill her own needs, even though she's not likely to do it again.
3. Echo is somewhat aware of her doll status — she actually asks Topher to make her "different" to help the Dollhouse catch a spy in their midst.
4. Security Chief Laurence Dominic is the aforementioned spy, an NSA agent keeping tabs on the Dollhouse. By the episode's end, he's sent to the "attic," which basically means he's had the mindwipe to end all mindwipes.

It was a whole lot of stuff to take in, but the pacing was solid and suspenseful — a sign that the show really has hit its stride. I didn't expect to see a lot of these revelations so early in the show's run, but I'm glad to see that Whedon was willing to put them in. The sense of mystery still remains, but those of us watching have also been rewarded for sticking with the show so far.

As I've previously stated, the first few episodes of Dollhouse did not make the show an easy one to fall in love with. The Dollhouse universe is very different from Whedon's other creations. Thanks to the majority of the characters' mind-wiped or evil tendencies, viewers do not get to watch instantly-lovable characters like the protagonists (and even some villains) in Buffy, Angel, or the preemptively-canceled Firefly.

But the latest episodes, this one included, have finally started to show that these characters do have more layers to them than we initially realized. Even mind-wiped characters like Victor and Sierra are increasingly compelling, and while I admit that the show's star — Eliza Dushku — does appear to be the cast's weakest link for the most part, she was great in last night's episode.

It's hard to say who should really be blamed for Dollhouse's messy start. One could blame the executives, or Whedon for not doing a better job of following up on his vision. However, it's still too early to decide whether or not the show will ultimately be a success. FOX should take note of the fan forums and sites that have been buzzing since Friday night, and give the show a little more time to prove itself. If given a chance, it seems that Dollhouse has the potential to develop into a brilliant sci-fi series.

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Music News: Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour

Aerosmith and ZZ Top will be hitting this road for a US summer tour and have announced three dates on their website so far:

• Sunday, August 23 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Irvine
• Tuesday, September 1 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
• Tuesday, September 8 - St. Paul, MN @ XCel Energy Center

Ticketmaster does not currently list the Irvine concert, but does list a Thursday, September 10 Aerosmith performance in Cuyahoga Falls, OH at Blossom Music Center. [NME, Ticketmaster]

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Retrovideo Friday: "Popscene, all right..."

Welcome to the first installment of Retrovideo Friday. This is a new feature where I plan on posting a music video from "back in the day," along with a little history lesson behind what you're watching. Each post will vary from time to time, either featuring an actual music video or a live performance of a song that strikes my fancy. The songs featured may seem like completely obvious choices, or they might be a little obscure... either way, sit back and relax because it's time for a little flashback.

This Week's Pick: "Popscene" by Blur (Year: 1992)

This is an early track by recently-reunited Blur, famous for their role in the Britpop era and that "Woohoo song" (Song 2). Though "Popscene" is a fan favorite, it wasn't all that successful at first, charting in the 30s on the UK Singles Chart back in 1992. The song can be found on US pressings and Japanese reissues of the band's second album Modern Life is Rubbish, but it has never appeared on a UK Blur LP.

Despite the track's slightly sad past, it's one of my favorite earlier Blur tunes thanks to its frenetic pace and insanely infectious horns. There's still something incredibly fresh about it, which makes me wonder why it was such a flop when it was first released as a single. Anyway, Blur have had the last laugh considering their success and the song's immense popularity with fans, so it looks like everything balanced out at the end.

Watch "Popscene" below. Word of warning: while the song itself still sounds great, the video is definitely very dated and almost dizzying to watch. But ultimately, it's probably all part of its charm!

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Rumor Mill: Dollhouse canceled?

It all started with actress Felicia Day's Twitter account. io9 reports that the actress said the season finale — which she happens to be in — will not be airing. Fans were anticipating the finale, which supposedly features Alan Tudyk (formerly of Firefly) in an important role.

Since then, the rumors have been circulating — has FOX canceled Dollhouse? The show has already seen plenty of turmoil. It's been said that network executives kept stepping in when the show was in development, causing creator Joss Whedon to change the pilot and a few other details before he could really begin exploring his vision. And it's bad enough that the show airs on Friday nights at 9 o'clock. It seems that FOX does plan on airing "Omega," Whedon's original ending for the season. But it also sounds like an episode with a lot of potential to cement a fanbase is being kept off the air.

Dollhouse isn't the easiest show to get into, but recent weeks have shown a massive improvement (something that has happened with many of Whedon's other shows, including the long-running Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). The plot has thickened, and I've observed an increasing number of viewers admitting that they're eager to see what happens next. Though many are unsurprised by this latest development, let's hope FOX gives the show a better chance than it already has.

[Photo: FOX]

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Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Four years since their last release (Some Cities) the UK's Doves are back with Kingdom of Rust. Way back in January, guitarist Jez Williams told the NME that the songs recorded for the record were "so schizophrenic, but... also strangely cohesive." Truer words have never been spoken.
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The first three tracks alone are a perfect illustration of Williams' statement. The album starts out with "Jetstream," which begins harmlessly enough before gaining a disconnected, tense quality thanks to its methodically-layered synths and percussion. This somehow manages to flow perfectly into the album's title track, which blends elements of country and orchestral music, while still managing to sound like classic Doves thanks to its cheerfully melancholy vibe. When the song is over, the listener is instantly transported into what feels like a chase scene in a science fiction movie during the first few seconds of "The Outsiders."

It looks like the Doves have gained back a bit of the edge they seemed to have lost back when Some Cities came out, and the end result is a delightful, genuinely interesting mix of sounds. This is also the album where Doves' past as dance act Sub Sub becomes obvious — this may be part of the reason why the album has such a triumphant sound.

The only place where the dance influence becomes a bit of a problem is during "Compulsion," which is a little too reminiscent of Blondie. While I'm not the first person to make this comparison, I would like to note that I'd actually avoided reading and listening to much about/of the album. But I actually found myself humming the melody from "Rapture," when I first heard the opening beats of "Compulsion," which indicates a slight lack of innovation in the latter.

Nonetheless, it can safely be said that this is one of the strongest albums to emerge so far in 2009, and it marks a positive return for the Doves. Long absence or not, they're still a band worthy of the attention they receive. It will be interesting to see what they'll do next.
Stream Kingdom of Rust below:

Kingdom Of Rust - Doves

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Travis at Zellerbach Hall, CA: 4/7/09

I liked the band Travis before I actually knew who they were. At Coachella in 2007, the friends I was with insisted that we arrive in time to see Travis' set. I had no idea who the band was or what songs they were known for, so I spent most of the set exclaiming, "I didn't know Travis sang that! I love that song!" It was a treat to finally get to see a full concert of their music on Tuesday night.

A live performance with a few unforeseen problems and technical glitches tends to be a good litmus test of how talented a band really is. According to lead singer Fran Healy, the monitor had been giving their sound engineer problems all day, so the band regularly had to look offstage to ask him to adjust the mix. There was a loud blast of feedback in the middle of "Driftwood." Healy had to stop and restart "Something Anything" because the technical problems threw him off a bit and he forgot the opening lyrics. After heading into the audience and climbing up onto a chair, he slipped and for a moment fell onto an audience member while -- ironically -- performing "Falling Down" (both fan and singer were fine).
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Healy and his fellow musicians handled the problems with grace and a charming sense of humor, explaining what had happened to their audience and turning the glitches into a chance to further connect with their fans.

Even with the occassional mishaps, the quality of Travis' music and performance is all that the audience is going to remember. The band isn't flashy, but the strength of their songwriting, musicianship and vocals stand on their own and you can clearly hear how Travis became the predecessor to bands like Coldplay. The audience was with them from the first song to the last, with people on their feet for the whole show even though it was a completely seated venue.

Watch a clip of Travis' performance of their hit "Sing":



I hadn't yet listened to Travis' newest album, Ode to J.Smith, but that didn't make the concert any less enjoyable. Actually, I was thrilled that the new songs show they've moved back toward an edgier rock sound that's closer to their first albums. Their encore also included a hilarious cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl." Fran and Andy had so much fun playing up the humor in that performance and kept all the original lyrics.

The evening's opening act was The Republic Tigers, a young Kansas City band. I don't usually make a point of seeing opening acts, but since Radhika recommended them, I did this time -- and I was glad I did! The Republic Tigers played an impressive set of indie/folk-rock. While listening to them, I caught myself thinking of The Killers, but with a harder edge. Their original songs made you want to hear more, but their one cover song was a standout. The Tigers took on Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and I will never know how the lead singer (who had a deep, rich speaking voice) tackled a song with that high a pitch and made it sound good.

Setlist: "Chinese Blues," "J. Smith," "Selfish Jean," "Writing to Reach You," "Re-Offender," "Something Anything," "Long Way Down," "Love Will Come Through," "Closer," "Driftwood," "Side," "Falling Down," "Sing," "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song," "Song To Self," "Sarah," "Turn"

Encore: "I Kissed A Girl," "Good Feeling," "My Eyes," "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"

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Music Notes: Rock the Bells, No Doubt 'deliver' Adam and the Ants cover

- The initial line-up for this year's Rock the Bells, the annual international hip hop festival, is set. Acts will include Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, The Roots, Common, Big Boi (of Outkast fame), KRS-One, House of Pain featuring La Coka Nostra, Reflection Eternal, Tech N9ne, and more. Dates haven't been announced yet, but the festival will be held in the following cities: Chicago, Toronto, Washington DC, Boston, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Vancouver. [Rock the Bells]

- No Doubt will be appearing on the Gossip Girl season finale in May, covering Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver." Personally, I think they did a far better job tackling Talk Talk's "It's My Life." But you can judge for yourself by listening to the player below: [imeem via SPIN]

Stand And Deliver - No Doubt

- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs will appear as musical guests on this week's Saturday Night Live, hosted by heartthrob Zac Efron. [NBC.com]

- Patrick Wolf is set to debut new songs during a May 6 New York show at Le Poisson Rouge. Wolf will be performing acoustic renditions of songs that will be on his upcoming album, due for release sometime in June. [NME]

- Sigur Rós frontman Jón Þór Birgisson, aka Jónsi, is releasing an album with Alex Somers this July. The album will be released under the name Riceboy Sleeps, and will feature nine songs recorded in Iceland. [NME]

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Movie News: Iron Man 2

Filming on Iron Man 2, the sequel to last year's first blockbuster summer action flick, began Wednesday in Los Angeles. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are reprising their respective roles as billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man and Pepper Potts. As was announced last October, Don Cheadle is replacing Terrence Howard as Col. James Rhodes. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are also part of the sequel's cast, with Mickey Rourke slated to play a villian.

The first Iron Man movie grossed more than $582 million dollars worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Iron Man 2 is scheduled for a May 7, 2010 release in the US. [Associated Press via Yahoo! News]

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Hannah Montana: The Movie Soundtrack

It's a given that the legions of tween girls who have been devoted Hannah Montana fans for the past several years are going to love the soundtrack to the upcoming movie. Luckily, it's also an album that most parents can listen to with their tweens without cringing, and there are quite a few tracks that are more sophisticated than your standard kid-friendly fare.

The seven songs credited to Hannah Montana are high-energy tween pop tracks in the same vein as the two multi-platinum Hannah Montana TV soundtracks. The songs credited to Miley Cyrus are generally slower tempo songs with a slightly more mature sound. "Hoedown Throwdown" is one of the exceptions to this rule of thumb. Oddly enough, the song mixes bubblegum pop, country and a touch of hip hop, which should be a train wreck waiting to happen, but instead the result is cute, catchy and playful.

"The Climb" is part of the more mature, less tween-pop middle of the album that reflects the characters' return to Tennessee in the movie. It's Miley's strongest performance on the soundtrack by far. "The Climb" is also her most mainstream, radio-friendly single yet and further shows what the 16-year-old can do as a singer without the Hannah Montana persona. Sure enough, the track entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #6 (her highest-charting single to date) and is holding at #8 after 4 weeks on the chart.

Watch the music video for "The Climb":

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"Butterfly Fly Away" is a lullaby duet between Miley and her real-life and onscreen dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. This well-known connection gives the track a wistful sweetness, even though the lyrics are specific to their characters' backstories. Billy Ray Cyrus also contributes the title track of his new country album (which was released today) to the movie soundtrack. Unfortunately, "Back to Tennessee" isn't a very strong or memorable song. It lacks the fun of his most famous single or the emotional resonance of "I Learned From You," his last duet with Miley. The "I"s at the end of many of the lines sound more like the growls of a papa bear than the end of a musical lyric.

Country music superstars Rascal Flatts recorded new, acoustic versions of a couple of their hits for the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack. "Backwards" was originally released on their Me and My Gang (2006) album and is a hilarious novelty song that plays off of the old joke question, "what happens when you play a country song backwards?" The soundtrack version has been rewritten to eliminate less "kid-friendly" references to bars and beer, and a friend named Jack has been renamed Jackson, Hannah Montana's older brother in the show and movie. References to heart attacks were also changed (with a wink and a nudge) to "achy breaky hearts."

"Bless the Broken Road," the second re-recorded Rascal Flatts' hit on the soundtrack, was originally included on their Feels Like Today (2004) album. The acoustic version of this gentle ballad soars with a simple guitar accompaniment to the harmonies for which Rascal Flatts is known.

The album also includes two tracks from Steve Rushton -- an artist from the UK who recently signed with another Disney music label, Hollywood Records -- but no family-oriented album about a girl returning to her Tennessee roots would be complete without an original song from country music ingénue Taylor Swift. While not a standout track, "Crazier" is appealing to both tween girls and their parents and is a solid addition to an album whose country/pop mix will likely introduce a whole new audience to the current generation of country music.

Walt Disney Records usually releases a two-disc special edition set for high-profile soundtracks such as this, so fans who want possible bonus materials like additional or alternate version tracks, music videos and/or behind-the-scenes video features may want to hold out until around the time of the Hannah Montana: The Movie DVD release . . . although it's doubtful that many tween fans would be able to wait that long.

Hannah Montana: The Movie opens this Friday, April 10; soundtrack is available now.

Listen to audio clips from all 18 Hannah Montana: The Movie tracks and watch the "Hoedown Throwdown" music video here.

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Music News: iTunes Prices Change

Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store has rolled out its new pricing structure, which allows record companies to decide whether their artists' songs should be sold for either 69 cents, 99 cents or $1.29 each. In return for the three-tiered pricing option, music labels have agreed that songs sold on iTunes are now DRM (digital rights management)-free, which will allow users to copy the tracks and play them on multiple computers and iPods/digital music players. [Associated Press via Yahoo! News]

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Out of the House: Kal Penn

Warning: This post contains a major spoiler for last night's episode of House. Scroll away if you want to avoid it!

Last night's episode of House M.D. featured the "departure" of Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), a character who had been on the show since late 2007. Penn was one of three actors (including Olivia Wilde and Peter Jacobson) who joined the cast to play members of Dr. House's new diagnostic team.

But last night, Kutner was written off the show in a rather shocking manner. And Kal Penn has given his explanation for leaving in this interview with Entertainment Weekly.[bxA]

I have to admit that Penn's reasons for leaving are definitely interesting and worth mentioning. After getting involved with the Obama campaign last year, Penn will actually be going to work in the White House as the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. While he isn't exactly quitting acting, he's definitely taking a break from it to focus on this new position. This isn't the first time Penn has worked outside show business. Early last year, he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught a course on "Images of Asian Americans in the Media." So you have to give the guy props for his willingness to take a pay cut and try working in other areas that mean something to him.

But that brings us to the issue of last night's House, which I — like many viewers — have extremely mixed feelings about. Penn's Kutner was an extremely likable character, quite possibly the most positive character on the show. And he was probably my favorite person on House's new team. But early in the episode, his character was written off when he is discovered in his apartment after an apparent suicide.

Suicide is no laughing matter, and in that sense, the show dealt with it well. The characters, much like the viewers, expressed their shock and disbelief as they tried to figure out why Kutner would take his own life. A heavy sense of grief pervaded the episode, and we got the sense that Kutner's suicide will have some repercussions on the rest of the season.

But something about the suicide felt a bit off. And maybe we're supposed to feel that way — after all, showrunner David Shore told Entertainment Weekly that he didn't really want anyone to see it coming (which is sadly often the case with real-life suicides).

Since this is fiction, and a TV show where a well thought-out arc can always be appreciated, I guess the thing that troubles me the most is the fact that Kutner was ultimately a tragically underused character. We did get various glimpses of his personality and background at times — as Wilde's character pointed out last night, he was an eternal "man child," with a fondness for Harry Potter books. In recent episodes, we saw he had an amusing superstitious streak. And he was also the most House-like character, clever with wild ideas, but minus the curmudgeonly demeanor. While he did have a darker side due to a tragic childhood where he witnessed his parents' violent deaths, he was also optimistic. As he once said, a person in his situation had nowhere to go but up.

This is ultimately all we really knew about Kutner while he was on the show. He never had any major story arcs like Wilde's "Thirteen" or Jacobson's Taub, and aside from his family background, we didn't know much about his personal life. Case in point, Kutner's character supposedly had a girlfriend (Nicole Brewster), who was really only mentioned in FOX's online memorial for Kutner.

Even though Penn did not receive word about his new White House position until early this year, it seems he gave the writers a fair warning that he was seriously considering a switch to politics. And if the writers knew about this for a while, they really could have spent more time giving the character more extensive story arcs. They didn't necessarily have to write anything hinting at Kutner's suicidal nature, but it's a sad state of affairs when a character that has been around for nearly two years only makes a significant impact on a show once he's been killed off.

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This Week's Music (April 7, 2009)

Here's a look at some of the music coming out this Tuesday. We've got a brand new release from the Doves, with Kingdom of Rust, their first album in four years. There's also Two Suns from Bat for Lashes (Natasha Khan), the follow-up to 2006's Fur and Gold. Two Suns features the single "Daniel," which was released last month (video below).




There's plenty of other new albums coming out, and a good amount of reissues too (including classic albums from the Beach Boys and Beastie Boys). Here's a list outlining just a handful of what you can expect:

Albums, Singles:
Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
Depeche Mode - Wrong; Wrong - Part 2
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid - Special Edition (with DVD), Live at Abbey Road
The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage (2 discs; live)
Jadakiss - The Last Kiss
Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw
The Rakes - Klang
The Thermals - Now We Can See
The Tragically Hip - We Are the Same
Neil Young - Fork in the Road; CD/DVD edition

Reissues, Box Sets:
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head (2 CD Set)
Erasure - Total Pop! Deluxe Box (3 CD, 1 DVD)
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Hyaena
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Tinderbox

DVDs
Arcade Fire - Miroir Noir; 2-disc edition
Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey
Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere
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Movie Review: Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D

DreamWorks' newest 3-D, animated production is filled with all the amazing, eye-popping, state of the art fodder that one comes to expect from the latest venture into the future of movie viewing. Unfortunately, it seems a lot more attention is focused on those bells and whistles and not enough on the substance of the film's plot. The title, itself, gives the impression that the audience will be treated to a plethora of both those title characters. But it doesn't take long before one realizes that, even there, we get a bit short-changed.

On the day sweet Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is to wed her beloved yet self-absorbed fiance Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd), she is unexpectedly hit by a meteorite and almost instantly transformed into a girl of 50 feet (well, 49 ft. 11 in. to be exact). Before long she is taken to a secret, government compound where she makes friends with a motley crew of monsters who have resided there for 50 years. When the evil, four-eyed alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) threatens to take over earth, the President (Stephen Colbert) and Gen. W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) agree to release the monsters to battle and fend off the unwanted invaders.
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Movie-goers under the age of 12 are undoubtedly going to love this film and the characters of non-threatening, gelatinous B.O.B (Seth Rogen), witty, brainiac Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), and smooth talking yet odd-ball Missing Link (Will Arnett). Together with Susan/Ginormica and an edifice-size, screeching grub named Insectosaurus, they clumsily attempt to fight off Gallaxhar's clone army all while delivering their sharp, kid-friendly punchlines. Adults, on the other hand, will not take to it so readily. Sure, Monsters vs. Aliens makes the attempt to draw the grown-ups in with carefully placed adult humor and references to sci-fi flicks from yesteryear (ie: The Blob, Attack of the 50 ft. Woman, Dr. Strangelove, The Fly, Godzilla etc.). But the movie never really delivers anything more than a lackluster beginning, middle and end. Though the effort is evident, the delicate balance between amazing, animated special effects and an equally amazing storyline is just not achieved here.

I found myself wanting to love this movie. I did have my own moments of being awed by a paddleball leaping out at me or leaves and debris seemingly at arms length with a laugh here and there. But, sadly, that's where my love for this movie stops. The story is, at best, mediocre. I couldn't quite connect to any of characters or feel like they had any real longevity in years to come. In short, my "feelings" for Monsters vs. Aliens is that I'm fond of it and I'll remember it as such, but don't see having any kind of long-lasting "relationship" with it now or ever.[bxA]

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Movie News: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere Contest

Twentieth Century Fox has launched an online contest offering Wolverine fans a chance to bring the movie's red carpet world premiere to their hometown. Fans vote by entering their zip code at the contest site.  Voting closes on April 17th and the winning town will be announced on April 20th.

Wolverine opens in theaters in the US on May 1, 2009. [X-Men Origins: Wolverine official site]

Watch Hugh Jackman's YouTube video announcement of the contest:

Watch the latest Wolverine trailer:

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Metric - Fantasies

Metric finally released their latest studio offering, Fantasies, in digital format via their website and iTunes on Tuesday. It's the fourth studio album for the group — and the first full-length album since 2005's Live It Out, if you don't count the 2007 rerelease of Grow Up and Blow Away.

While some bands have a tendency to change their sound as much as possible during a hiatus from the studio, the members of Metric seem content to stick with their usual sound. On one hand this is slightly disappointing — the acoustic tracks that accompanied Fantasies preorders are fantastic, and frontwoman Emily Haines has shown that she can do the quiet, broody piano thing on solo album Knives Don't Have Your Back. It would be pretty interesting if the band would start incorporating a greater variety of influences and ideas while working on Metric material.

That being said, Fantasies is a great spring/summer album. In classic Metric fashion, it features a hefty amount of new wave-influenced fuzzy guitars, synths and punchy beats. Haines' vocals alternate between sweet (as heard on "Gimme Sympathy") and slightly sinister (as evidenced on tracks like "Blindness"). Though songs do slow down a bit and begin to blend into each other during the latter half of the album, Fantasies goes out on a strong note with the rousing "Stadium Love."

It may not be the next White Album or Kid A, but Metric have proved that they have a strong formula that works for them. So if you're looking for some indie, alternative pop to bop around to, you're definitely in the right place.

Stream Fantasies below:

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Movie News: Sex in the City

Warner Bros. and New Line have announced May 28, 2010 as the theatrical release date for Sex in the City 2. All four leading ladies -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis -- and director/producer/screenwriter Michael Patrick King are returning for the sequel. According to Variety, the first Sex in the City movie grossed $412.6 million worldwide. [Variety]

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TV News: Project Runway

A newly-announced settlement will allow Project Runway to complete its move to Lifetime and begin airing its new season, ending a yearlong legal dispute. The sixth season of Project Runway is expected to start this summer on its new channel, although a specific date for the premiere has not yet been announced. [Variety]

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Music Notes: Bananaz, Monkeys and More

- Gorillaz news: Watch a sneak peek from Bananaz: Taking Down the Virtual Walls of Gorillaz here. Bananaz follows Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's cartoon band from 2000 to 2006. The documentary will premiere online over at Babelgum on April 20, and a DVD release is set for June. [NME]

- The UK's Arctic Monkeys will be releasing the live DVD, Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo, stateside on May 5. The DVD footage is from a December 17, 2007 gig the band played at the Manchester Apollo in Manchester, England. The US version of the DVD will include a bonus CD of live recordings from Austin, Texas. [NME]

- The world premiere of a new Tori Amos video, "Welcome to England," will take place this Friday, April 3, on Yahoo Music. Amos has also recently made announcements about a one-night only exclusive solo performance in London on April 27. Her next album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, is set for a May 19 release. [ToriAmos.com]

- The childhood home of legendary guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, has been destroyed by demolition crews despite previous efforts to ensure its preservation. While many are in mourning, others are opting to look on the bright side. As developer Peter Sikov pointed out, "Can you imagine a guitar made out of wood from Jimi's house?" [Guardian]

- British Sea Power will be releasing a new album in the form of a score for the 1934 film, Man of Aran. You can catch a preview below. [NME]

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