Hymn for Her, "Lucy and Wayne's Smokin Flames" (Hymn for Her) Lucy Tight's cigar box guitar is the Devil, whispering sinful thoughts in your ear....

By Alex Koenig Ten years have passed since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' breakout debut LP, Fever To Tell. A decade in the dynamic and unforgiving music bus...

-- Tyler, the Creator, "Wolf" (Odd Future/Sony/RED) Before you listen to Tyler, the Creator's third album, "Wolf," keep this in mind: The rapper liv...

By Alex Koenig The Exploding Hearts sought to finish what their punk forefathers started. The Portland quartet donned ripped blue jeans and dishev...

-- Gretchen Wilson, "Right on Time" (Redneck) Most current country rockers draw on hard-rock arena riffs lifted from the 1990s, but Gretchen Wilson'...

Blake Shelton, "Based On A True Story" (Warner Bros.) The more Blake Shelton rises in stature, the more he parades his swaggering, mischievous person...

Depeche Mode, "Delta Machine" (Columbia Records) If you haven't caught up with Depeche Mode since "Catching up With Depeche Mode" or other collection...

By Alex Koenig Reviewing a Strokes album for a new generation of fans requires reminiscence so let me take you on a trip down memory lane: The fiv...

Another week, another round of harsh critiques. In music, Theme Park released their self titled album this week, a project packed with upbeat tracks t...

With this triumphant return to his punk rock roots, the burning question on everyone's mind is whether or not this is the beginning of a Larry Livermore return to the music business.

It's a week of reunions. Everyone wants to sing with Tony Bennett, the Jayhawks want one more shot at the Americana brass ring, and the superstars in SuperHeavy want nothing less than global domination.

Let's step into the fall musical rush, along with Lindsey Buckingham and John Doe -- a bunch of dudes well past 40, all proving that rock (and country and folk) can age gracefully.

Beyonce's baby bump is speaking louder than any of the new releases this month. So while we wait for the flood of fall albums to descend next week, I want to spend this week playing five records that got by me earlier in the year.

This week, the Muppets get some indie cred, Stephen Malkmus gets reined in, Barbra gets sentimental, Game gets vulnerable, and Beirut strips down. It's a perfect "Play" week. Thank God. I was starting to lose hope.

This week is full of funky flashbacks, false steps, and bad musical jokes. Sly Stone is still missing and Blue October can't get beyond the rage. Leave it to Jeff Bridges and his country heart to keep the week from being a total blow-out.

It's tough to crack down on an album that's guaranteed from its conception to get vast amounts of unmitigated praise and hype, but this time the self-proclaimed royalty is just getting lazy.

It's dudes only this week -- that is, if you consider 13-year-old Greyson Chance a dude. John Hiatt, Mat Kearney, Trace Adkins, and Richard Buckner are digging deep into American music roots and pulling out gold. Or at least shiny objects.

It's a week of musical fresh starts. Joss Stone flies as a free agent, alt-metal singer Ronnie Radke is free from prison, and Vanessa Carlton is the ultimate free spirit. Play 'em all after you give your favorite Amy Winehouse record one more spin.

Ponder this musical deep thought as you look for beats to escape the heat: what if the Brooklyn Godfathers of Geek, They Might Be Giants, threw a house party next door to DJ Khaled and his T&A posse?