Fiona Apple is doing her first musical contribution in a movie, for Judd Apatow’s film This is 40– which is set to hit theaters on December 21st. The soundtrack for the film also includes artists such as: Wilco, The Avett Brothers, Paul McCartney, Ryan Adams, Norah Jones, just to name a few.

Listen to “Dull Tool” below!

The soundtrack is set to hit stores on December 11th via Capitol Records.

This is 40 Soundtrack Tracklist:
01. I’m Your Angel – Yoko Ono
02. Always Judging – Norah Jones
03. What Do You Like? – Graham Parker with Punch Brothers
04. Sick Of You – Lindsey Buckingham
05. Rewrite – Paul Simon
06. Shining Through The Dark (Live) – Ryan Adams
07. Lunch Box Odd Sox – Paul McCartney
08. Brother & Sister – Lindsey Buckingham Featuring Norah Jones
09. Theme 1 (Debbie & Oliver) – Jon Brion
10. Watch The Moon Come Down – Graham Parker & The Rumour
11. Days That We Die – Loudon Wainwright
12. She Acts Like You – Lindsey Buckingham
13. Dull Tool – Fiona Apple
14. Lucky Now (Live) – Ryan Adams
15. I Got You – Wilco
16. Live & Die – The Avett Brothers

Bonus track (digital only):
17. Protection (Live) – Graham Parker & The Rumour

In honor of today’s election day, Sufjan Stevens was feeling rather patriotic and put together his own rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Stevens’ soft vocals drown themselves beautifully in a mixture of orchestrated drums, horns, guitars and layered harmonies.

The Twilight Saga has some great artists and bands contributing new original tunes to the soundtrack, among those: St. Vincent, Green Day, Passion Pit, Feist and Ellie Goulding. You can take a listen to 90-second snippets of the tracks below.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II soundtrack is set for release on November 13th, the movie hits theaters November 16th.

St. Vincent – “The Antidote”

 
Feist – “Fire in the Water”

Green Day – “The Forgotten”

 

Passion Pit – “Where I Come From”

 

Ellie Goulding – “Bittersweet”

The Gaslight Anthem’s cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” is definitely a track you want to add to your Fall playlist, especially if you’re looking for an acoustic woodsy tune, this is it! The cover will be featured on the band’s Black Friday Record Store Day Hold You Up EP, available November 23rd.

Mumford and Sons are set to release a new documentary film, The Road to Red Rocks, on January 22nd. The film features live footage of the band playing the two-night gig at the famous Morrison, CO venue, interviews, and additional footage of the Sons throughout their Gentlemen of the Road tour. The Road to Red Rocks will also be released in the UK on November 26th, and Australia as well as New Zealand on November 30th.

The Road to Red Rocks will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and a Special Edition package that features audio vinyl, a deluxe edition of Babel, and a 96-page book.

Check out the trailer and the tracklist for the film below!

The Road to Red Rocks Tracklist:
Lovers Eyes
Little Lion Man
Below My Feet
Roll Away Your Stone
Lover of the Light
Thistle & Weeds
Ghost That We Knew
Awake My Soul
Whispers
Dustbowl Dance
I Will Wait
The Cave

Back in July, Christopher Owens– lead singer of the band Girls, chose to part ways with the band, and work on a solo career. Owens is set to release his debut solo album, Lysandre on January 15th via Fat Possum Records.

The 11-track album is described by Owens as a “a coming of age story, a road trip story, a love story.”

Stream the first two tracks “Lysandre’s Theme” and “Here We Go.”

A little bit of Halloween and a little bit of Christmas, Sufjan Stevens chose the perfect time to release the video for “Mr. Frosty Man”– the track is featured in Stevens’ forthcoming holiday music box set. The animated video, created by Lee Hardcastle, follows Frosty in his venture to fight-off zombies.

Sufjan’s Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas will be available on November 13th via Asthmatic Kitty Records.

The Dirty Projectors are following up their album, Swing Lo Magellan, with the EP About to Die, out November 6th via Domino Records. According to Longstreth, “While You’re Here” is a tribute song to TV on the Radio’s late bassist, Gerard Smith, who lost a battle to cancer last year.

Listen to the track below:

On Saturday night Southern comfort was felt throughout the Hollywood Bowl, as Angelinos dressed in cowboy hats, plaid shirts– with beer in hand– packed a full-house for Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour. Los Angeles was the last leg on the US portion of the tour, and Paisley made sure it was a memorable one.

Without a doubt Paisley is a likable guy, not only because he can write songs about pretty much everything, from drinking and cars, to swooning the ladies, but also because of his humor and down-to-earth persona. This humble gent from West Virginia had everyone in the audience feeling like they were watching a close friend perform in an intimate setting, rather than being in the 18,000 capacity filler that is the Hollywood Bowl.

Along with great country tunes, Paisley  joked about politics and the “feminization of the modern man” mid-tune, “I’m Still A Guy.” Adding how the ladies are hard on guys by making the fellas get facials, highlights, waxing and being the purse-holder at the mall.

One of the things that makes Paisley shine onstage is his guitar playing, showing off his lead-guitar skills in songs like “Alcohol” and “Ticks.” While also bringing some variety to his fans, with newly released lead single “Southern Comfort Zone” off his forthcoming album– a synthesizer-friendly tune that strays away from his traditional sound, proving that he can do it all.

A moment that hit home for everyone, showing just how genuine Paisley is in his entirety, was when he made his way through the crowd half-way up the amphitheater, where he performed a solo guitar version of “Letter To Me.” He took that time to thank everyone for their attendance, especially in “these economically hard times.”

American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery joined him on stage for “Celebrity,” as did Kimberly Perry– from the Band Perry– for a duet of “Whiskey Lullaby.” But McCreery and Perry weren’t the only cameos during the show, fans rushed to the front with cameras in hand, cheering wildly when they saw Carrie Underwood join Paisley for the power ballad “Remind Me,” just to discover it was a very well played-out hologram of the singer. The tour name says it all: virtual reality.

The concert held an array of diversity that pleased just about every attendee: classic country covers, duets, the organic simplicity of an acoustic guitar and a great voice, a lovers’ soundtrack under the drizzling rain, honkey-tonkey tunes to dance to between the seat isles, music that celebrated family, love and most importantly, life.

Brad Paisley Virtual Reality Tour Setlist:

Camouflage
The World
Welcome to the Future
Ticks
This Is Country Music
Waitin’ on a Woman
Celebrity
She’s Everything
Online
I’m Still a Guy
Then
Letter to Me
Mud On The Tires
Working On a Tan
Whiskey Lullaby
I’m Gonna Miss Her
Remind Me
Old Alabama
Water

Encore:
American Saturday Night
Alcohol

Last June, the Black Lips ventured off into the walls within Jack White’s Third Man Records to record the album The Black Lips Live at Third Man. The album contains thirteen tracks jam-packed of old material as well as songs from last year’s Arabia Mountain and a cover of “You Must Be A Witch” by the band Lollipop Shoppe. The album is available in 12″ vinyl and digital download. You can purchase your copy here.

Other bands to look forward to in regards to live releases through Third Man: the Shins and the Kills.

The Black Lips Live at Third Man Tracklist:
A-side:
01. Family Tree
02. Stuck in My Mind
03. Oh Katrina
04. Make It
05. Lock And Key
06. Modern Art

B-side:
01. I Saw a Ghost (Lean)
02. You Must Be a Witch (the Lollipop Shoppe cover)
03. Fad
04. Dumpster Dive
05. Drugs
06. I Got a Knife
07. Bow Down and Die

by Michelle Bird

Storyteller of hearts, unraveling the truths of love’s hidden agenda is what John Vesely does best while writing music under the moniker Secondhand Serenade. His new album, A Naked Twist in My Story, is a stripped-down acoustic version of 2008′s A Twist in My Story. 

The nostalgic sounds of a piano, intertwined with violins opens up the first track “Like a Knife.” The title of the song sums up best what it’s about: when someone who meant so much suddenly walks away, it ends up hurting like a stab from a knife, and Vesely’s emotionally inundated vocals will definitely make you feel the wound.

Tracks that follow include favorites, “Fall For You” and “Maybe,” as well as the lighthearted romantic ukelele tune, “Stranger.”

The simplistic affair between the piano and Vesely’s voice in “Your Call” makes the song that much more intimate. Vesely’s vocals shine throughout , as violins stay on the outskirts, letting the sound of the ivories strip every lyric sung to its bare bones.

Every track on the record has had either something added or the arrangement changed. It also contains a bonus track, “Belong To”– which blends right in with the rest of the album, leaving the listener craving for new material from Vesely, who is currently in the process of just that, as he works on a new record.

Ultimately A Naked Twist in My Story delivers exactly what your heart wanted to hear or say, and there’s no better form of expression– especially when it comes to love– than music; to push you forward, to give you hope, to mend your wounds.

Album favorites:

Like a Knife

Suppose

Stranger

Fall For You

Maybe

A Naked Twist in My Story Tracklist:

1.  Like A Knife
2.  Fall For You
3.  Maybe
4.  Stranger
5.  Your Call
6.  Suppose
7.  A Twist in My Story
8.  Why
9.  Stay Close Don’t Go
10. Pretend
11.  Goodbye
12. Secondhand Serenade – Belong To (Bonus Track)

A Naked Twist in My Story is available for purchase  on iTunes.

Regina Spektor just revealed the video for the track “How,” off her latest album What We Saw From The Cheap Seats– released this past May. The video starts off with black and white tones and close-ups of Spektor’s flawless face, as she sings of her lost love– things start to get more colorful as the climax of the video is reached. It’s hard not to swoon over Regina after watching it.

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After Foo Fighters’ frontman, Dave Grohl, talked to the crowd at New York City’s Global Citizen Festival on Saturday night and announced: “We don’t have any shows after this. This is it, man. Honestly I don’t know when we’re gonna do it again…and this is the perfect place to do it,” many speculated that the band was over, no more Foo Fighters. Today Grohl issued a statement letting Foo lovers know that this isn’t the end, but just a hiatus.

“Hey everyone…

Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you…

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn’t think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But… I can’t give up this band. And I never will. Because it’s not just a band to me. It’s my life. It’s my family. It’s my world.

 Yes… I was serious. I’m not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it’s a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It’s one of the reasons we’re still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it’s good to just… put it back in the garage for a while…

But, no gold watches or vacations just yet… I’ll be focusing all of my energy on finishing up my Sound City documentary film and album for worldwide release in the very near future. A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I’ve ever worked on. Get ready… it’s coming.

Me, Taylor, Nate, Pat, Chris, and Rami… I’m sure we’ll all see you out there… somewhere…

Thank you, thank you, thank you…

Dave”

Dave Matthews Band has announced a full line of US tour dates this winter in support of their latest LP, Away From The World. The tour kicks off in New Jersey on November 30th, and ends in Philly on December 22nd. Playing a few selected shows with the Matthews Band is the “Ho Hey” folk music gang The Lumineers.

Dave Matthews Band 2012 Tour Dates:
11/30 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ IZOD Center
12/01 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ IZOD Center
12/04 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
12/07 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
12/08 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
12/09 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
12/11 – Duluth, GA @ The Arena at Gwinnett Center
12/12 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena *
12/14 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena *
12/15 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena *
12/18 – Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena *
12/19 – Manchester, NH @ Verizon Wireless Arena *
12/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center *
12/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *

* = w/ The Lumineers

Kids of 88 just released the music video for the first single off their upcoming sophomore album, Modern Love due out on October 5th. Watch the video below!

Muse had fans shocked when they started releasing tracks off their new album, The 2nd Law, with an triggering dubstep feel. But now it seems, with “Madness” hitting the airwaves, people just can’t get enough of the new tunes. The 2nd Law is now streaming in full over at Soundcloud, follow this link. Muse stated that this album contains a lot of influence from bands like The Beach Boys, Queen and David Bowie. The 2nd Law will be released on October 2nd via Helium 3/Warner Bros. Records.

Florence Welch– from Florence and the Machine– is guest vocalist in Calvin Harris’ new video for the track “Sweet Nothing.” In the music video, Welch is portrayed as a small-town singer in a hole in the wall bar/strip club pouring away her troubles on stage. Watch the video below!

Muse hit up Germany as their first stop on the world tour in support of their latest album, The 2nd Law. The setlist was full of some great new tracks, which you can watch the videos for below. Those included were: “Supremacy,” “Panic Station,” “Follow Me,” “Save Me,” and “Animals.”

“Supremacy”

“Panic Station”

“Follow Me”

“Save Me”

“Animals”

Not to get confused there are currently two upcoming Hollywood productions that deal with the life of Jeff Buckley, a biopic on the late singer, and Greetings From Tim Buckley– which tells the story of Buckley’s involvement in his father’s tribute concert.

You can watch the trailer for Greetings From Tim Buckley below, staring Penn Badgley as Jeff. The movie has a love story feel to it, rather than focusing on the music aspect, but Badgley’s performance as Jeff looks quite promising.

Green Day’s new album– first of their music trilogy– ¡Uno! is now available for streaming pleasure. Head over to the band’s Facebook page to do so. PS- You will have to “Like” their Facebook page to listen to the tunes.

¡Uno! will be released on September 25th via Reprise Records. ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! are to be released on November 13th and January 15th.

¡Uno! Tracklist:
01. Nuclear Family
02. Stay The Night
03. Carpe Diem
04. Let Yourself Go
05. Kill The DJ
06. Fell For You
07. Loss Of Control
08. Troublemaker
09. Angel Blue
10. Sweet 16
11. Rusty James
12. Oh Love