John Mayer’s Battle Studies is estimated to sell between 275,000 and 300,000 copies this week, which should make it the number one album on Billboard’s 200 chart. If it tops the chart, this will be Mayer’s second number one; 2003’s Heavier Things, which sold 317,000 in 2003, was his first. Casting...

Do you like pop music? Do you like snappy visuals? Well, 2006 was a pretty good year for both. I’m a big fan of Camera Obscura’s loving recreation of early 60s advertising, the Long Blondes’ wittily cinematic split screens, the Bicycles’ endearingly DIY-goofiness, Love is All’s invigorating live...

British pop-singer Leona Lewis has recorded the theme song for director James Cameron’s long-awaited sci-fi epic Avatar. The song, titled “I See You,” will play over the film’s end credits. Lewis just released Echo, her sophomore album and follow-up to 2007’s international smash Spirit...

Crush Bands are back with O’Spada, a Swedish quintet that takes their cues from the jacked-up, synthed-out sound of early-80’s Prince, the swooning lite-jazz funk of Teena Marie, and slick grooves of post-disco, post-funk bands like Raydio or the mighty Ready for the World. The band is tighter...

With Rod Stewart continuing to focus on his solo career, the remaining members of the Faces — guitarist Ron Wood, keyboardist Ian McLagan, and drummer Kenney Jones — have begun to make preparations for a 2010 reunion tour. Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall may be tapped as Stewart’s permanent replacement...

Although a great deal of music being written right now is by no means unmelodic, there's still an assumption in certain quarters of the community that contemporary music equals gnarly music.

by Trevor Hunter The legendary trumpeter releases a two-disc set of new pieces on Firehouse 12. In short: this is one of the best CDs of the year.

This one, you'll see, is a little different from the last two. I expand into some writing that has, maybe, the length and detail l'll have in the finished book. And no, this isn't the actual book text. Still just...

Liam Gallagher has started a new band with his former Oasis bandmates — minus his older brother Noel. Guitarist Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell, and drummer Chris Sharrock are working with Gallagher on new material; Gallagher promised in an Italian radio interview that this version of the group...