Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing"
Photo: Capitol

Despite what you might think, there are actually great music videos out there. And two of them are nominated for Video of the Year at the VMAs: Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (which is about as close as an "iconic" clip as we have these days) and Kanye West's stylized, minimal "Love Lockdown." The other three in the category — Eminem's "We Made You," Britney's "Womanizer" and Gaga's "Poker Face" — are certainly among the biggest, and they should rightfully be lauded for that. But, in my estimation, they're hardly the best, either.

That might explain why pretty much everyone I talk to is hard-pressed to name a music video that's moved them in any particular way over the past year: People only knew about the huge ones, so choosing their favorites is sort of like trying to decide between "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "The Final Destination" for Best Picture; you tend to abstain completely. People have been weaned on a steady diet of blockbusters, which has turned their brains into mush. So I decided to remedy that.

I've compiled a list of my favorite music videos released over the past 12 months, clips that, for whatever reason (gruesome special effects, copyright issues, child-exploitation laws), have largely flown beneath the radar. It's a shame, because all of them are amazing. They give me hope and remind me of a time when I used to fill VHS tapes with old clips by Beck and Pavement. My hope is, by watching them, you'll remember that time too.

So here are my picks for Video of the Year. And yes, there are something like 13 of them. Brevity has never been my thing. And it really shouldn't be anyone's — brevity (and pretty much everything else) killed the video star.

Coldplay, "Strawberry Swing"
I think there are about 15 different versions of this video (or something like that), but this is my favorite: a whimsical, stop-motion clip that stars Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as a cape-clad superhero. He soars — and sinks, and crawls — through a world made entirely of chalk drawings (the work of British collective Shynola), rescues the damsel in distress and walks off into the sunset. It's joyous, magical, downright brilliant stuff — proof that videos can still move you.

The Dead Weather, "Treat Me Like Your Mother"
Jack White and Alison Mosshart don leather jackets, trudge through a suburb in Palmdale, California, and address the oedipal complex by blasting the sh-- out of each other with machine guns. Clips are emptied. And reloaded. There is much blood, and even more sexual tension. Somewhat fittingly, this premiered on Cinemax, where this kind of coital carnage happens on the regular, though usually in the "Busty Cops" series.

Dinosaur Jr., "Over It"
If you like old dudes skateboarding (and wiping out big time) on the streets of Tallahassee, Florida, well, then this is the video for you. If you don't like old dudes skateboarding (and wiping out big time) on the streets of Tallahassee, Florida, well, then what the heck is wrong with you?

Franz Ferdinand, "Ulysses" and "No You Girls"
Franz Ferdinand released a pair of really great, strangely overlooked videos to promote their really great, strangely overlooked Tonight: Franz Ferdinand album. "Ulysses" is a sweaty, sticky trip though dingy bars and even dingier motel rooms — like a series of Polaroids of a night you'd soon forget, even if you can't remember all of it. The alternate version of "No You Girls" — directed by the band itself — is a never-ending loop of backstage antics and televised performances, sort of like what would happen if Michel Gondry directed a tour documentary.

Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks"
The great Patrick Daughters (Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps," a million others) reimagines Grizzly Bear as ultra-creepy, oddly greasy Kewpie dolls, complete with glowing red cheeks, bottomless dimples and saucer-huge eyes. The only thing? Those cheeks keep glowing, and those dimples just get deeper, and those eyes — yow. It just gets creepier and creepier, until everyone's head explodes into showers of sparks. There are also gratuitous bow ties involved.

Lily Allen, "The Fear"
If Merchant Ivory Productions decided to make a version of "Alice in Wonderland," only with dancing butlers, pirouetting presents, smoke bombs and Allen's gravity-defying bangs, this would be it. A sexy, cheeky and effervescent big-budget pop video, the kind they generally stopped making 20 years ago. Brilliant stuff. Then again, I might be a bit be a bit biased.

MGMT, "Kids"
Over the course of six super-unsettling minutes, MGMT (and director Ray Tintori) positively brutalize a tiny child — certainly no older than 2 — with visions of terrifying, maw-dripping, blood-oozing monsters, basically sentencing the kid to a lifetime of therapy (and seriously calling into question the qualifications of his parents). Of course, it's genuinely awful, but it's also pretty provocative, too, recalling the sorta-twisted Saturday morning visions of Sid and Marty Krofft and the definitely twisted photography of Jill Greenberg, only, you know, on drugs. Art? Child abuse? Both? They certainly don't make 'em like this anymore. Mostly for legal reasons.

Modest Mouse, "King Rat"
The late Heath Ledger had something to do with this warped animated clip — I believe the correct thing to say is that he "conceived" it — which spares no detail in its depiction of illegal whaling (or, more specifically, in its depiction of whales hunting humans). Bodies are flailed and skinned and turned into petroleum products in particularly graphic detail, while Isaac Brock wails and spits in the background like a Tourette's patient. A bit gratuitous, a bit graphic, but undeniably gripping too.

Neil Young, "Johnny Magic"
Like if your dad made a music video, only if your dad was awesome and decided to convert his 1959 Lincoln Continental into an electric vehicle and write an album about it.

Phoenix, "Lisztomania (Brat Pack Mashup)"
The late John Hughes probably would've loved Phoenix, or at least been deeply flattered by them, since they bottle all the jittery joy of his best films in their hooky, boyish super-pop. So, somewhat fittingly, this bootleg video takes the best track on their Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix record and syncs it with the best moments from Hughes' films (and "Mannequin" and "Footloose" too) — i.e. whenever anyone dances/embraces/pirouettes for no particular reason — with predictably joyous results. Watch whenever you want to ram your head through your cubicle wall.

Wale, "Chillin' "
Roughly 40 percent of this video takes place outside of Ben's Chili Bowl, which is probably my favorite restaurant in the universe. The other 60 percent is pretty great, too, but, seriously — have you ever had a chili half-smoke?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Zero"
Karen O dons her leathers and prowls the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown, strutting her stuff, denting the roofs of cars and generally freaking out passersby. By the end of the clip, she's found her YYY mates, and they rock out in a 24-hour discount store while tickertape showers down from the ceiling. It's tough, sexy and overly-blissed — just like the song itself.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• The Other Videos Of The Year

• Coldplay
• Grizzly Bear
• The Dead Weather
• MGMT

Jay-Z
Photo: MTV News

Attention, all you hand-wringing hipsters out there, Jay-Z doesn't understand why you were so shocked to see him at the Grizzly Bear show on Sunday. After all, if his back catalog is proof of anything, it's that Jigga's taste in music isn't strictly limited to hip-hop.

"I don't understand why people are always surprised to see me at shows!" Jay told MTV News on Monday (August 31). "I've always said that I believe in good music and bad music, so I'm always at those type of events. I like music. The second Blueprint, the reason it was so all over the place was because I love music so much, so there's records on there with Lenny Kravitz and Sean Paul and Dr. Dre. I've done records with Chris Martin. I'm all over the place because of my taste in music."

So, no, he didn't head down to the Williamsburg waterfront with Beyoncé and her sister, Solange, to drum up publicity for his upcoming Blueprint 3 album (as had been suggested by some members of Hipster Nation), but rather because he genuinely likes Grizzly Bear. And as he sees it, their music plays an important role in the continued evolution of hip-hop.

"They're an incredible band," he said. "The thing I want to say to everyone — I hope this happens because it will push rap, it will push hip-hop to go even further — what the indie-rock movement is doing right now is very inspiring. It felt like us in the beginning. These concerts, they're not on the radio, no one hears about them, and there's 12,000 people in attendance. And the music that they're making and the connection they're making to people is really inspiring. So, I hope that they have a run where they push hip-hop back a little bit, so it will force hip-hop to fight to make better music, because it can happen, because that's what rap did to rock."

So, dudes in Grizzly Bear (and various indie-rock outfits around the world), get ready: Jay-Z is expecting you to "push back hard" against hip-hop. You might tear your favorite V-neck in the process, but in the end, the fight will be worth it.

"When rock was the dominant force in music, rap came and said, 'Y'all got to sit down for a second, this is our time.' And we've had a stranglehold on music since then," Jay said. "So I hope indie rock pushes rap back a bit, because it will force people to make great music for the sake of making great music."

• Jay-Z
• Grizzly Bear

Stephenie Meyer
Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and the rest of the "Twilight" franchise cast spent their summers working on other projects and getting their photos snapped by every paparazzo in the universe before heading back to Vancouver to film "Eclipse." Sliding just a bit further under the radar, "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer drifted through the sunny season listening to indie rock and sneaking into a movie theater to catch the trailer for the latest adaptation of her vampire saga.

In an update on her Web site, Meyer wrote, "Admittedly, I went to see the 'New Moon' trailer on the big screen (yes, I'm a total dork. Who cares? It was worth it)."

She ended up staying for the main attraction, the Vanessa Hudgens-starring "Bandslam," loving the soundtrack and how the story "turned upside down some of those lame female-interaction stereotypes."

	Stephenie Meyer's Favorite Bands

Though Meyer didn't say whether she got any writing done over the last couple months, she's been listening to a ton of music. Her fave albums? Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, Silversun Pickups' Swoon, the White Rabbits' It's Frightening, the Dead Weather's Horehound, Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, the Weakerthans' Reunion Tour, Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid and Meese's Broadcast.

"I really should have known about Meese a while ago, but thanks to a mislabeled CD mix, I didn't realize Meese was responsible for one of my favorite songs until I went to their concert," she wrote. "And then I was glad that I already loved them, because the guys in Meese are possibly the nicest people in the world."

She caught Meese live in a concert along with the Fray and Jack's Mannequin. The 35-year-old author also checked out Blue October, whose frontman, Justin Furstenfeld, accompanied Meyer for a song-and-story tour last year to promote the release of "Breaking Dawn," the final book in the franchise.

Meyer wrapped up her Web site post with a shout-out to her "Twilight" fans, and the hope that she'll meet them in the fall.

"I'm looking forward to seeing some of you in November for a little movie release that I'm excited about," she wrote, referring, of course, to "New Moon." "Too many months to go!"

• Stephenie Meyer's Favorite New Music

• Animal Collective
• Silversun Pickups
• Grizzly Bear
• The Dead Weather

MTV News Picks For Best Albums of the Year (So Far)
Photo: MTV News

The actual midway point of 2009 occurred on July 2, one week after the death of arguably the greatest entertainer of our generation. It was a pretty somber way to cap off the first 182.5 days of the year and, obviously, pretty much everyone's attention was turned to eulogizing the King of Pop (myself included ... twice over).

One piece I had intended on writing was my annual mid-year "Best Of" list, taking a look at my favorite albums released so far. And, well, here it is. There's lots of ground to cover, and I used a lot of words to do it (more than 2,000?! Jeez ... ), so let's get right to it. Here are my picks — some honorable mentions and a straightforward Top 10 — for the Best Albums of 2009 (So Far).

Honorable Mentions

Bat for Lashes, Two Suns
Multiple-personality music from schoolteacher-turned-songsmith Natasha Khan, Suns envisions pop music much in the same way M83's Saturdays=Youth did: through a John Hughes-ian filter. An album filled with gauzy vintage synths and odes to teenage love, as told by Khan and her alter ego Pearl, it's bravely backward-looking and weirdly prescient at the same time. If only all pop could be this good.

Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid
Black Keys' main man goes solo, makes the best (or at least most somber, rousing, dusty, creaky, pretty, dank, horny, focused, swampy, sweaty, spooky, funky) Black Keys album yet. "I Want More" is a herky-jerky haunted-house ride, "When the Night Comes" is a plaintive, plucky ballad, and "Goin' Home" sounds like a Beatles B-side. There's a lot here, and it's all good.

The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love
The Pacific Northwest's reigning poets laureate ditch the diction and make a batsh-- prog-rock album (OK, it's still plenty wordy — the title track is broken into three sections, with handles like "The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone"). They unveiled it with a big, booming show at South By Southwest, and frontman Colin McCoy unveiled some burly sideburns for the occasion. Not surprisingly, this one runs a bit long, but there are hooks for days. Bookworms shouldn't be able to rock this hard, but the Decemberists do.

The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
Grating, overly cutesy choir exercise, or daring, artfully arranged vocal experiment? To be honest, I can't really seem to decide, though given that this album has received near-universal acclaim, it seems to be the latter, which is why I keep giving it second (and third, and fourth) listens. There's something here; I'm just not sure I've got the patience to find it.

Ida Maria, Fortress Round My Heart, and the Dead Weather, Horehound
Both are currently stuck in the six-disc changer of my friend Monty's car, so I will grade them both as incompletes for the time being. But Ida rocks and rambles like the female Craig Finn, and the Weather recalls the rattling, ethereal darkness of the Jesus and Mary Chain, so, you know, based on what I've heard, both are plenty good.

Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown
The album that drew the unenviable task of following the decade's biggest rock spectacle, Breakdown might not be a better album than Green Day's revelatory American Idiot, but it's certainly a more accomplished one. A difficult album about a difficult topic (because, really, how do you encompass this upside-down decade?), it's proven divisive among GD fans and rock critics alike, though, according to my pal Christopher Weingarten, this is the best album of the year. And really, who am I to disagree?

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Swoony, gossamer-thin nu-gaze (get it?!?) from a bunch of Brooklyn kids too young to remember My Bloody Valentine or Sarah Records. Somehow, nothing gets lost in translation. Pure, unadulterated joy — whirringly, blurringly so.

Silversun Pickups, Swoon
The year's most unlikely rock-radio success story, the Pickups proved they weren't just flashes in the pan thanks to "Panic Switch," a very angsty track on their very angsty album. Frontman Brian Aubert told us the song is about a nervous breakdown, which is fitting, because it probably gave a few program directors shakes when they realized they had to fit the track next to Shinedown's latest. It's just one song, but at this point, we'll take all the small victories we can get.

UGK, UGK 4 Life
The real King of the South (his highness Bun B) leads a funeral procession for his partner (the late Pimp C) and a victory lap for the beloved Underground Kingz. In keeping with tradition, the beats are smooth like a wood-grain grip, the production is plush like velour seat-covers, and B emits vocal sparks like a dragging muffler. It's hardly a somber affair — more like a joyous celebration, which is probably why Bun included the ode to hirsute ladies. You know, for old time's sake.

The Top 10

10. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Fun, funky and free — not to mention rambling, shambling and downright terrifying at points. And partially sung in Spanish. Mos Def is pretty much everything at this point (actor, rapper, poet, rocker, dodgy interview subject), and this album perfectly captures his free-wheeling, wide-ranging personae. It leaps through time (and time signatures), genres and generations with glee, gets political and doomy at points, is biting and smart and also a genuine thrill to listen to. Throw in cameos by Slick Rick (as a soldier in Iraq on "Auditorium") and Mos' Black Star partner Talib Kweli (on the J Dilla-produced "History"), and you've got the album his fans have been waiting for since 1999's milestone Black on Both Sides. Welcome back to earth, Ford Prefect.

9. Lily Allen, It's Not Me, It's You
Super-smart pop from a woman who makes no bones about being anything but, It's Not Me details the breakups, makeups, booze-ups and punch-ups of Allen's recent years, only, thanks to her growing strength as a songwriter, it's never alienating or off-putting. Lily's a very normal girl, unsatisfied by her lover (the great "Not Fair"), let down by life ("The Fear," "22") and just looking for a little tenderness ("Chinese") or forgiveness ("Back to the Start"). She's also brave enough to admit that she feels all those things, which puts her head-and-shoulders above everyone else in her field. She's the perfectly (im)perfect pop star, which is just what we need in these imperfect times.

8. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali
A married musical couple from Mali who just so happen to both be blind? Sounds like a music journo's wet dream (and it probably is). Still, on A&M's Welcome to Mali, the duo make breathtakingly beautiful, undeniably inspired music, blending rock guitars with Syrian violins, Egyptian flutes and Dogon percussion — to name just a few. Sometimes little more than Mariam's achingly pretty voice, others a whirling, rousing boogie powered by Amadou's ax, it's music for all seasons and all people. Released overseas last year, it saw the light of the day here in the States back in March, and I'm thankful to have gotten the chance to hear it. You should too.

7. Wilco, Wilco (The Album)
Am I a 30-something white dude who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn? Pssht, no. I'm a 30-something white dude who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (there's a difference), and yet I still like the strummy, somber, decidedly NPR-ified version of Wilco. Jeff Tweedy and company appear to be aging gracefully here — except on the unwieldy "Bull Black Nova," of course, which seems to be about murdering someone in a car — and, in the process, they've created the summertime anthem for anyone who owns a battered Volvo wagon and spends their Saturdays playing kickball in McCarren Park. But don't hold that against them.

6. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Beautiful, aural indie-rock from the gentlest band in Brooklyn (or the world, for that matter), Veckatimest — named after a small island in Massachusetts, just in case you were wondering — is full of carefully strummed guitars, hushed drums and, most notably, otherwordly harmonies, the musical equivalent of a million New England summer sunsets. A stunning, gorgeous album, featuring songs like "Cheerleader" and "Two Weeks," which are among the finest you'll hear this year. It leaked super early, but that didn't matter: Grizz fans are loyal, so when the album improbably bowed inside the Billboard top 10 (#8!), Grizzly Bear acted like any muted, genuinely nice indie band would — they Twittered a "thank you" note to their fans. Sometimes nice guys do finish first ... or eighth.

5. Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted
Yes, seriously. The finest pop album you'll hear this year, full of perfectly crafted, big-budget tunes, All I Ever Wanted is sort of like some high-powered musical F-14, with Clarkson as the pilot. Some might say that the album is her peace offering to Clive Davis (after the whole My December debacle), but I like to see it as her finally realizing her full potential as a pop megastar. We get big, bold tunes like "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up" mingling with weepers like "If No One Will Listen" and "Cry" (duh). She is empowered yet vulnerable, everything you could ask for in a star of her caliber ... pop perfection, delivered by the best voice in the business. Kelly is back. It's almost like she never went away.

4. Dinosaur Jr, Farm
In 2005, alt-rock elders Dino Jr surprised pretty much everyone by setting aside their differences and reuniting for a European tour. In 2007, they surprised pretty much everyone by recording a new album that was actually pretty awesome. And now they're back with Farm, an album that's even awesomer than their last one. So, I guess the question is: At what point do we stop being surprised? Held up by a couple of epic, solo-laden tracks ("Plans" and "Said the People"), Farm is shiftless, stoner rock that sounds exactly like the dudes playing it look, if that makes any sense. But don't let the glasses, paunches and poor posture fool you — as evidenced by the songs here, these dudes can kick your ass ... once they get up off the couch, that is.

3. Dan Deacon, Bromst
Massive-yet-molecular, full of never-ending builds that head heavenward and deep burrowing lows that strike limestone, Deacon has always made electronic music unlike anyone else ... and on Bromst, he's gone orchestral. Sure, this is still very much music crafted on laptops, but he's added a multitude of instruments to the madness here, which gives songs extra sonic wallop, and moves the album into the space of really, truly great art. This is communal stuff, hands-on and hippified, the kind of music that ascribes to a higher quality. It's also maddening, beautiful, ear-splitting and pin-drop quiet ... a cacophonous spazzer one second, churchly hushed the next. It's carefully crafted and composed chaos, with Deacon holding the conductor's baton. One bone to pick, however: If he really is our Mozart, perhaps he should stop wearing cutoffs.

2. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Retro pop hyper-focused on a futuristic re-imagination of post-modernism and neo-classicism as proletarian touchstones? That you can dance to? Why, of course they're French — but don't let the book-speak fool you. Phoenix are, at their very bourgeois heart, a pure pop band, and on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, they've crafted the year's most unabashed ode to the power of pop music. It's an album of undeniable melodies, joyous choruses and razor-sharp hooks — one that you wish would go on for eons (but sadly, is over in just 10 too-short tracks). Sure, conceptually they may be aiming for the stars, but with songs like "Lisztomania," "1901" and "Rome," they're also gunning for your heart, your hips and your lips. History can be awesome sometimes.

1. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
The blogs were right. Proclaimed to be "The Album of the Year" all the way back in January, and it's turned out to be about the only thing I can remember that has actually lived up to the hype ... if not exceeded it. A massive, hugely important record, one that represents one of this decade's most impressive groups operating at the absolute peak of their powers, MPP is the one people are gonna remember for a long, long time. Immaculately produced (Those highs! Those lows!) and full of bizarre, undeniable art-pop ("My Girls," "Lion in a Coma," "Summertime Clothes"), it shows what's possible if you stick to your guns and never, ever sacrifice your ideals. Amazing, breathtaking, undeniable — this time the hype machine got it right: The year really was over in January.

If there's something I've missed — or if you've got a list of your own — you can let me know in the comments below ... or e-mail me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• MTV News RAW: Lily Allen

• Lily Allen
• Mos Def
• Kelly Clarkson
• Grizzly Bear
• Animal Collective

Eminem's <i>Relapse</i>
Photo: Interscope Records

Eminem asked the crowd at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night if they missed him, and clearly they did, because his comeback album, Relapse, will top the Billboard album charts for a second week in a row next week, thanks to 211,000 more units moved. After debuting at #1, Slim Shady held onto the top spot despite a 65 percent drop in sales and is on pace to cross 1 million copies within the next two weeks, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Way in the distance at #2 are Green Day, whose 21st Century Breakdown held onto that spot with 76,000 in sales after a 54 percent drop-off in business, putting the veteran Bay Area punk trio on pace for sales of 500,000 by next week.

While more than half of the top 10 positions on last week's chart were filled by fresh faces, the only debuts on this chart's top spots came from pasty-faced growler Marilyn Manson with The High End of Low (#4, 49,000), reggaeton stars Wisin y Yandel with La Revolución (#7, 36,000) and a surprisingly hearty #8 bow from indie faves Grizzly Bear, whose Veckatimest (33,000) is one of the most rapturously reviewed albums of the year so far.

The rest of the top 10: the "Hannah Montana" soundtrack (#3, 52,000), Lady Gaga's Fame (#5, 45,000), Kenny Chesney's Greatest Hits II (#6, 43,000), Taylor Swift's Fearless (#9, 33,000) and Rascal Flatts' Unstoppable (#10, 27,000).

A number of last week's big debuts saw serious double-digit drop-offs, including Isolated Incident from comedian Dane Cook (down 58 percent to #12), Method Man and Redman's Blackout 2 (down 64 percent to #18) and Busta Rhymes' Back on My B.S. (down 72 percent to #22). Other big droppers include Internet sensation Kate Voegele, whose A Fine Mess (11,000) shed 70 percent of its business to drop from #10 to #42, and Tori Amos, whose Abnormally Attracted to Sin (11,000) dropped by 73 percent to #44 after debuting at #9.

Mandy Moore manages a #25 debut with her sixth album, the more pop-country-leaning disc which bears her birth name, Amanda Leigh (15,000), while French electro-popsters Phoenix leap more than 130 spots up to #37 on sales of 12,000 for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a 300 percent increase from the week before.

"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert is learning a lesson in pop humble pie, as his iTunes compilation, Season 8 Favorite Performances, plunges 20 spots in its second week to #52 on sales of under 10,000. Winner Kris Allen's similar compilation takes an even bigger nosedive from #50 to #125 on sales of just 4,000. If it makes them feel any better, season-two winner Ruben Studdard's Love Is also tanked in its second week, dropping nearly 70 spots to #101 on sales of less than 5,000, for a two-week total of just over 20,000 for the former platinum-selling crooner.

Look for things to get shaken up again next week, with the latest from the Dave Matthews Band, 311 and Taking Back Sunday.

• Eminem And Jay-Z: Live In L.A.
• A Look Back At Eminem's Career
• Eminem's 'We Made You' Video & Analysis

• Eminem And Jay-Z Perform At The 'DJ Hero' Launch

• Eminem
• Green Day
• Grizzly Bear
• Marilyn Manson

Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell perform in Austin on Thursday
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

AUSTIN, Texas — The beauty of South by Southwest lies in the scheduling. Take a stroll down Sixth Street between the hours of 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., and you'll hear a cacophony of sludgy metal, blooping electro and booming hip-hop pouring out of the windows of each and every club. It's a 500-band pile-up, all within a 10-block radius, all the time. And it's pretty amazing.

Take, for example, Thursday night, when over the span of a few short hours, the SXSW schedule-makers threw together the whisper-quiet indie of Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear and the revelatory rock of Los Angeles legends Jane's Addiction, and set them in venues that ran the gamut from a Presbyterian Church to a gutted supermarket in a strip mall by the interstate. It was, to say the least, rather inspired. (There were loads of other gigs as well — head over to our SXSW hub for more!)

But this was hardly haphazard planning. Grizzly Bear's gig at the Central Presbyterian Church — a warm and cozy chapel with high-arching ceilings and knotty wood-paneled walls — was perfectly tailored to their brand of atmospheric, harmonized indie, as the intertwined vocals of frontmen Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen floated up to the eaves, curled like puffs of smoke, then disappeared.

Gauzy guitar lines and gently tapped Casio tones swirled about the space, making themselves at home. And the audience (many of whom had begun queuing up hours earlier to land a spot in the pews) sat in reverent silence — fitting, given the location — as the Bears worked through songs from their 2006 album, Yellow House, and their upcoming Veckatimest, the latter's newfound focus on gentle reverb being particularly suited to the churchly location. It was all very ethereal, very pretty and a tad bit surreal ... just like Grizzly Bear's music.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, of course, is Jane's Addiction, L.A.'s leading purveyors of perversity, and the godfathers of alternative rock. Recently reunited with long-estranged bassist Eric Avery, they began shaking off the rust (they hadn't performed in their original incarnation in more than 17 years) at tiny L.A. clubs earlier this year, but their Thursday night headlining gig at Playboy's "Rock the Rabbit" party was their first time working a big room. Or, more specifically, a big supermarket.

In a move that was either pure coincidence or pure brilliance, the Playboy bash was held in an empty grocery store attached to a slightly skeevy strip mall in a decidedly unsafe area of Austin. It's difficult to think of a more perfect setting for Jane's tawdry, tarty rock (the bevy of Bunnies parading around the party were a nice touch too). Whether it was due to the joy of feeling at home, or the joy of playing music together again, Jane's came out feisty, fiery and fierce.

On this night, there were no selections from Jane's softer side, just plenty of pummel, from opening number "Three Days" to the incredibly raucous set-closer "Stop!" Showing a swagger that only the best bands possess, Jane's threw haymakers, with guitarist Dave Navarro pulling solo after solo out of his axe, frontman Perry Farrell patrolling and posing, and the reformed rhythm section of Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins remaining in lockstep.

Songs like "Standing in the Shower ... Thinking" (during which Farrell patted his crotch dry with a towel, then tossed it into the crowd), "Ted, Just Admit It ..." and a particularly massive "Ocean Size" sent the crowd into hysterics — there was even some crowd surfing, which sent the Bunnies scattering — and showcased a band still very much at the top of its game. Navarro and Farrell shared a smooch, Avery and Perkins exchanged knowing nods, and frankly, it was as if those 17 years never happened.

MTV News was Live & Mobile at the South by Southwest festival this week, with blogs, articles plus live and on-demand video of all the bands, gigs and BBQ!

• South By Southwest 2009: Looking Back

• Don't Mess With Texas: SXSW 2009

• Jane's Addiction
• Grizzly Bear

Photo: MTV News

• Gnarls Barkley
• Kid Sister
• Cobra Starship
• Fall Out Boy
• Girl Talk

Deerhunter's Bradford Cox
Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images

If there is a busier guy in the indie-rock fraternity (and it does at times feel like a fraternity, complete with hazing) than Bradford Cox, I'd like to know who it is. The Deerhunter frontman — whose band made a stunning, droning, blood-smeared, dress-wearing splash last year with the acclaimed Cryptograms album, Fluorescent Grey EP and explosive live shows — has begun '08 on a slightly more relaxed but just as busy note.

We caught up with Cox during the second week of a tour to support Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, the debut of Atlas Sound — a solo project that finds him in a dreamy, discordant, more electronic and less noisy place than Deerhunter. To go along with the new album, there is also something of a new Bradford. Having just recently kicked a dependence on the anti-anxiety medication Ativan, Cox seems more at ease both on- and offstage.

"My spirits are much better," he said. "One thing about Deerhunter is that it takes a lot out of you to perform that way. With Atlas Sound it's different, it's more relaxed. My goal on this tour was to maintain my sanity."

But as the year goes, his schedule only gets more insane. Atlas Sound will be on the road in America through mid-March, then will head to Europe to open for Animal Collective and play festival dates. In between, Bradford has penciled in a late-March trip to Morocco to spend a fortnight working on music with pals Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett.

"Ed's rented this villa where we would record," Cox explained. "We want to make, like, a pop album. We haven't come up with [a name for the project] yet. Ed just wants to call it 'Morocco,' but I think we ought to come up with some name. It should be a lot of fun. I feel like I might have to get some [immunization] shots though. I'm real sensitive to, like, unusual foreign places."

Closer to home, Cox also hopes to resume working on Ghetto Cross, his collaboration with fellow Atlantan Cole Alexander from the Black Lips. "I hope kids like it. Cole and I used to be the best of friends, and as both of our bands have been traveling more, we've kind of drifted apart. So as soon as I get off tour I am gonna call Cole up and say, 'Get your butt over here, we're gonna record some songs!' "

There is also the matter of a soundtrack he's reportedly been working on with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, which is reportedly for the film adaptation of director Spike Jonze's interpretation of "Where the Wild Things Are" (the uncertain status of that film has been the subject of much recent speculation in the movie world). Cox wouldn't comment on the project except to say that "Karen is a wonderful composer and she's just created some beautiful music."

Of course, there is also Bradford's main gig.

Plans call for Deerhunter to begin work on a new album this summer at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room studio, with an eye toward a Halloween release. While on their current hiatus, the members have been working on new music, and though it's still early, Cox said fans may be in for a surprise. "I think we're on a new page here with Deerhunter," he said. "We've all been listening to pop music, and I don't think any of us are quite as interested [as before] in ambient music right now. All the songs we've written, there's no weird effects, it's all just guitars plugged into amps, so it's very much like a '60s pop record or something. I'm really looking forward to it." He laughed. "I don't know how the [Deerhunter] audience will react to it, we might alienate a good portion of them."

Finally, there is the copious "unofficial" music Cox works on during downtime (although it's hard to imagine him having any), holed away hermit-like in his Atlanta bedroom. He creates several songs a day, both covers and new tracks, often unrefined and compiled into self-styled EPs posted on his well-trafficked blog. There, he also raves, rants, reminisces and even reaches out and offers "healing music" to kids with serious illnesses. Other artists may release more polished tracks online, but Bradford says that in terms of sheer volume, they can't touch his output.

He is so prolific, he said, partly because music is his life, that it "occupies the same part of my brain" that a romantic relationship would, and also because he hopes to inspire other kids to take advantage of technology and create bedroom music of their own. But there may be another, darker reason: a sense of his own mortality.

"I made the Atlas Sound record last summer when I was going through some stuff related to my physical condition, and I had this impression that I didn't have very much more time left." The condition Cox refers to is Marfan syndrome — a connective-tissue disorder that has plagued him since childhood, and which can have serious cardiovascular complications that worsen with age. The 26-year-old says he "doesn't really monitor" his health as much as he should, "so I really have no idea what's going on. But that's why I don't really care about anything but making as much music as I can — to be remembered by."

He's already accomplished that, but contrary to what some other indie types have suggested, Cox scoffs at the notion that he's "made it." "A lot of young bands, like 16- or 17-year-olds starting up bands, say, 'Hey man, all we need is a good Pitchfork review and we'll be set.' Well, we had the good Pitchfork review [three, actually: Cox's batting average on the much-ballyhooed site is currently 8.76] and I still make less money than I did putting vinyl on signs. It's hard, hard, hard work."

Still, he's not complaining. "It's been a fun, fun year. For the most part ..."

• Raising Hell In The ATL

• Deerhunter
• Atlas Sound
• Grizzly Bear
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Jay-Z's <i>American Gangster</i>
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

With 55 days left in the year, here's your quintessential guide to new releases this week ...

The Top Five:

Jay-Z's American Gangster: Like Roger Clemens, Jay keeps coming back out of retirement so he can play again — and he decides on his own watch when it's best to do so. While it's not officially connected with the film of the same name, his perfectly timed American Gangster is sure to enjoy some of the runoff from the film's marketing — did you forget that Jay is a businessman? For proof of how much the music mogul's LP has already been talked about, look no further than Jim Jones, who has already put together a mixtape in response, Harlem's American Gangsta. Jay's sweetheart, Beyoncé, joins him on the concept album, as do Diddy, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Pharrell, Beanie Sigel, Jermaine Dupri, Bilal, Nas and more.

Chris Brown's Exclusive: Like Jay, fast-rising R&B singer Brown has also been doubling up on publicity — while his new album drops this week, he's going to be chasing it with the November 21 flick "This Christmas." "I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people," he previously told MTV News of his intentions for the album. And while that supposed Michael Jackson collaboration didn't make it onto the disc, Lil Wayne, Game, Big Boi, Will.I.Am and T-Pain are on the guest list, with Swizz Beatz, Dre & Vidal, Scott Storch and others lending their production talents too. Don't miss the limited-edition version, which also contains a DVD.

Cassidy's B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story: "It's called B.A.R.S. 'cause I was locked behind bars, I was known for spittin' bars and Barry Adrian Reese is my biological name, so I just felt like it was the perfect title," the rapper recently told MTV News about his new release. Cass already has a club monster on his hands in "My Drink N' My 2 Step" — adding to the album hype, a remix of the track featuring Kanye West, Ne-Yo and Swizz Beatz has also already slipped out, as has the second single, "Innocent Man" (featuring Mark Morrison). John Legend also plays a role on the album, as a guest star on "Celebration."

Angels & Airwaves' I-Empire: That's a lot of hip-hop weight for one week, but repping the rock front is Tom DeLonge's band, which is putting out its second album this week. With an album cover resembling some '80s space movie for kids and a title that already feels outdated, but as DeLonge insisted to MTV News, the band has a "grand vision." A&A fans might want to head over to Best Buy to pick up the package — the version the retail chain is selling has bonus acoustic versions of "Do It for Me Now" and "Everything's Magic."

Bright Eyes' Motion Sickness: Live Recordings: The lauded folk-rock group has issued every one of its releases through Saddle Creek, an indie label out of Omaha, Nebraska, that owes its very existence to the band. But Conor Oberst decided to release their new concert effort on the Team Love label he co-founded in 2003. The 15-track CD — the sixth one Team Love has put out so far — overviews Bright Eyes' early-2005 tours in support of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and features a pair of noteworthy cover songs, of Feist's "Mushaboom" and Elliott Smith's "The Biggest Lie."

Five Face-Offs:

Nas and Nazareth: The rapper's controversial new album is still more than a month away, but fans can whet their appetite this week with Greatest Hits, which has two new tracks: "Less Than an Hour," the theme to "Rush Hour 3"; and "Surviving the Times," which features Cee-Lo. But while Nas is going to have to elbow past Jay-Z and Cassidy this week, he should beware another opponent who isn't a rapper: cheesy hard-rock vets Nazareth, whose Hair of the Dog - Live album is getting reissued this week in remastered form.

Ashley Tisdale and the Who: If you never see Nas and Nazareth mentioned in the same sentence, try this one on for size: both the "High School Musical" star and the classic-rock vets are telling tales this week. "There's Something About Ashley: The Story of Headstrong" traces Tisdale's growth from when the writing process for her debut album began through its release and her subsequent tour with the "HSM" gang. "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" follows the band throughout its entire career and features interviews with not just the bandmembers but with fans U2, Eddie Vedder and others as well. Fittingly, the Who's two-DVD set runs just slightly longer than Tisdale's: It's 237 minutes long, while hers is roughly an hour.

Ricky Martin and Imani Coppola: Ricky Martin has an interesting strategy this week. He's putting out three versions of his Live: Black & White Tour concert set — a CD, a DVD and a combined CD-plus-DVD package — and yet, according to the Sony Music store, the standalone DVD actually retails for four bucks more than the CD-plus-DVD edition. Curiously, singer/violinist Imani Coppola drops The Black & White Album this week via Mike Patton's Ipecac label (she toured with his Peeping Tom collective). And, believe it or not, the Hives' Black and White Album drops next week.

Demon Hunter and Monster Magnet: One heavy-rock band is battling evil creatures this week while the other is attracting them. Storm the Gates of Hell, the fourth album by Christian metal band Demon Hunter, features a DVD and two bonus tracks on select editions — "No Reason to Exist" and "Grand Finale" — while MM's 4-Way Diablo has 13 doses of slabby goodness.

Kasper Bjørke and Kim Hiorthøy: Two artists with strokes in their names releasing albums the same week? Who woulda thunk it?

Song Title of the Week:

"Candy Sun Smiles" from Oh Astro's Champions of Wonder

Album Cover of the Week:

Kasper Bjørke's In Gumbo

New Releases:

· 60 Watt Kid - 60 Watt Kid (Absolutely Kosher)
· Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (Geffen) [Buy Now]
Read: "Angels & Airwaves' Revolution Has Begun — Just Wait 29 Years, Tom DeLonge Insists"
· Arp - In Light (Smalltown Supersound)
· Barenaked Ladies - Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan (enhanced; Shout! Factory) [Buy Now]
· Bear in Heaven - Red Bloom of the Boom (Hometapes)
· Kasper Bjørke - In Gumbo (Plant Music / Defend Distribution)
· Black Swans - Change (digipak; La Société Expéditionnaire)
· Mike Bones - The Sky Behind the Sea (The Social Registry)
· Bottomless Pit - Hammer of the Gods (Comedy Minus One)
· Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness: Live Recordings (Team Love) [Buy Now]
· Chris Brown - Exclusive (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Jive) [Buy Now]
Read: "Pharrell, Will.I.Am Joining Chris Brown's Exclusive Club"
· Buckethead - The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock (TDRS) [Buy Now]
· Jimmy Buffett - Live in Anguilla (two CDs and one DVD; Mailboat) [Buy Now]
· By the End of Tonight + Tera Malos - Complex Full of Phantoms (Temporary Residence)
· Captain & Tennille - The Secret of Christmas (Retroactive Entertainment)
· Cassidy - B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story (enhanced; RCA) [Buy Now]
Read: "Cassidy Talks About Car Crash, Fatal Gunfight — And Explains Why He's Better Than Ever"
· Citay - Little Kingdom (Dead Oceans)
· The Classic Crime - Seattle Sessions (EP; Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· Clipd Beaks - Hoarse Lords (Lovepump United)
· Imani Coppola - The Black & White Album (Ipecac)
· Cops - Free Electricity (Control Group)
· Demon Hunter - Storm the Gates of Hell (also available as a CD/DVD set or Deluxe Fan Edition; Solid State) [Buy Now]
· Dion - Son of Skip James (Verve Forecast)
· The Dream Jam Band - The Dream Jam Band (two CDs; Dream Jam Band)
· Dri - Smoke Rings (Range Life) [Buy Now]
· The Drift - Ceiling Sky (live; Temporary Residence)
· Alex Dupree & the Trapdoor Band - Los Meridanzas (Belle City Pop)
· Dust Galaxy - Dust Galaxy (Eighteenth Street)
· Einstürzende Neubauten - Alles Weider Offen (Potomak) [Buy Now]
· El Capitan - Stickeen (Grass Roots)
· Five for Fighting - Back Country Live (special edition comes with DVD; Columbia) [Buy Now]
· The Frantic - Audio & Murder (Empyrean)
· Rob Gee - Rob Gee (Rock Ridge)
· God Forbid - Sickness and Misery (Koch) [Buy Now]
· Grizzly Bear - Friend (Warp) [Buy Now]
· Sara Groves - Tell Me What You Know (INO/Columbia)
· Kim Hiorthøy - My Last Day (Smalltown Supersound)
· Infamous Mobb - Reality Rap (Sure Shot) [Buy Now]
· Jeremy Jay -- A Place Where We Could Go (EP; K)
· Jay-Z - American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella) [Buy Now]
Read: "Jay-Z's American Gangster: A Guided Tour By Jigga, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell And Others"
· Kanekoa - Under the Coconut Sky (Artist Garage)
· Lauren Kennedy - Here and Now (PS Classics)
· Brad Laner - Neighbor Singing (digipak; Hometapes)
· Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats From Santa's Bag (Ubiquity)
· Little Big Town - A Place to Land (Equity) [Buy Now]
· London After Midnight - Violent Acts of Beauty (limited-edition version also available; Metropolis)
· Ricky Martin - Live: Black & White Tour (also available with DVD; Sony International) [Buy Now]
· Minipop - New Hope (Take Root)
· Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo (SPV) [Buy Now]
· The Mother Truckers - Broke, Not Broken (Funzalo)
· Neomenia - Luna Nueva (Locomotive)
· Nonpoint - Vengeance (Bieler Bros.) [Buy Now]
· Oh Astro - Champions of Wonder (Illegal Art)
· Pedro - You, Me & Everyone (Mush)
· The Pine Hill Haints -- Ghost Dance (K)
· John Sebastian/ David Grisman - Satisfied (live; Acoustic Disc)
· Statik Selektah - Spell My Name Right (The Album) (Showoff/Brick)
· Sigur Rós - Hvarf/Heim (with DVD; XL Recordings) [Buy Now]
· Silent Fate - The Autumn Machine (TMS)
· Sissel - Northern Lights (Denon)
· Rick Springfield - Christmas With You (Gomer) [Buy Now]
· Sylver - Cross Roads (Toucan Cove)
· Tokyo Police Club - Smith (EP; Paper Bag) [Buy Now]
· The Valley Arena - Sesso Vita (SideCho)
· White Williams - Smoke (TigerBeat6)
· White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds - Introducing: White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds (I and Ear)
· Richard Youngs - Autumn Response (Jagjaguwar)
· Zookeeper - Becoming All Things (Belle City Pop)
· Various artists - A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Live (Rounder)
· Various artists - "Downtown 81" soundtrack (Recall)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Aerosmith - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Aerosmith - The Millennium Collection (Geffen/UMe)
· Garth Brooks - The Ultimate Hits (two CDs and one DVD; Pearl)
· David Byrne - The Knee Plays (two CDs; Nonesuch)
· Neko Case - Black Listed (Anti-) and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (with bonus CD; Anti-)
· Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - Furnace Room Lullaby (Anti-)
· Nat King Cole - Cole Español/More Cole Español; Just One of Those Things/ Let's Face the Music; Love Is the Thing/ Where Did Everyone Go?; Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love/ Ballads of the Day; Penthouse Serenade/ The Piano Style of Nat King Cole; Ramblin' Rose/ Dear Lonely Hearts; Songs From St. Louis Blues/ Looking Back; The Touch of Your Lips/ I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore; Welcome to the Club/ Tell Me All about Yourself (Collector's Choice)
· Dr. Dre - Death Row Classics: Chronicles - Deluxe (two CDs; Death Row/ Koch)
· Excessive Force - Gentle Death (Metropolis)
· Lisa Gerrard - The Very Best of Lisa Gerrard (4AD)
· Gram Parsons - Archives Volume One: Gram Parsons With the Flying Burrito Brothers Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 (Amoeba)
· Merle Haggard - Legends of American Music: Merle Haggard - The Original Outlaw (three-CD box set; Time Life)
· Barrington Levy - Barrington Levy in Dub: The Lost Mixes From King Tubby's Studio (Cooking Vinyl)
· George Lynch - Guitar Slinger (Cleopatra)
· Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full (deluxe edition with DVD; Hear Music)
· Van Morrison - Still on Top: The Greatest Hits (Hip-O/Ume)
· Moby Grape - Moby Grape '69 and Truly Fine Citizen (Sundazed)
· Nas - Greatest Hits (Columbia)
· Nazareth - Hair of the Dog - Live (Cleopatra)
· Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy (Epitaph)
· Teddy Pendergrass - The Essential Teddy Pendergrass (two CDs; Philadelphia International Records/ Legacy)
· Plain White T's - Stop (Fearless)
· Lou Rawls - The Essential Lou Rawls (two CDs; Philadelphia International Records/ Legacy)
· Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift (with DVD; Big Machine)
· Bobb Trimble - Harvest of Dreams and Iron Curtain Innocence (Secretly Canadian)
· Upsetters - Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (Cooking Vinyl)
· Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends - Solos, Sessions & Encores (Epic/Legacy)
· Russell Watson - The Voice: The Ultimate Collection (Decca)
· John Williams - The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Sony Classical)
· Robin & Linda Williams - Radio Songs (Red House)
· Various artists - 100 Greatest TV Themes, Vol 2 (four-CD box set; Silva)
· Various artists - An Introduction to Blues Harp (Fuel)
· Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (Putumayo World Music)
· Various artists - Ultra 2008 (two CDs; Ultra)

Music DVDs:

· Barenaked Ladies - "Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan" (Shout! Factory)
· Blackfield - "Black Live in New York City" (Koch)
· Michael Bolton - "Best of Michael Bolton Live" (Adrenaline)
· Five for Fighting - "Back Country Live" (Columbia)
· Barry Manilow - "The First Television Specials" (five-DVD box set; Rhino/ Stiletto New Media)
· Ricky Martin - "Live: Black & White Tour" (Sony International)
· Oasis - "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" (two DVDs; Hip-O)
· Keali'I Reichel - "Kukahi: Keali'I Reichel Live in Concert" (also available in HD format; Punahele Productions)
· The Rolling Stones - "Just for the Record" (five DVDs; Passport)
· Ashley Tisdale - "There's Something About Ashley: The Story of Headstrong" (Reprise)
· Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - "Pride and Joy" (Epic/Legacy)
· Paul Weller - "As Is Now" (Adrenaline)
· The Who - "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" (Universal)
· Andy Williams - "The Best of the Andy Williams Show" (Time Life)
· Various artists - "Bang Your Head" (two DVDs; Locomotive)
· Various artists - "The Best of the Jammys, Volume Two" (Image)

Digital Releases:

· A.P. - Still Naughty (All Bets Down)
· Blue Scholars - Joe Metro EP (MassLine/Rawkus)
· Cy Curnin - The Returning Sun (self-released)
· Great Northern - Sleepy Eepee (EP; available exclusively on iTunes; physical release due in February; Eenie Meenie)
· Maoi - Carbon Dioxide (Kitty-Yo)
· Rhythm King and Her Friends - The Front of Luxury (Kitty-Yo)

Coming Attractions:

November 13:
· Alicia Keys - As I Am (J)
· The Killers - Sawdust (Island)
· Led Zeppelin - Mothership (also available with DVD; Atlantic)

November 20:
· Beyoncé - "The Beyoncé Experience Live" DVD (Columbia)
· Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (digital-only reissue with bonus tracks; Vice) and Flux (digital-only EP; Vice)
· Daft Punk - Alive (enhanced two-CD deluxe edition; Virgin)
· Gorillaz - D-Sides (special two-CD, glossy-box edition due same day; Virgin)
· Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D (with DVD; Interscope)

November 27:
· Christina Aguilera - "Back to Basics: Live" DVD (RCA)
· Common - ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common (Relativity/Legacy)
· Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds: Deluxe Edition (with DVD; Jive)

• Britney Spears Falls Short Of #1; Jay-Z Prepares For Billboard Battle

• Jay-Z
• Chris Brown
• Cassidy
• Angels & Airwaves
• Ashley Tisdale

Beyoncé's <i>B'Day</i>
Photo: Columbia

Attack of the Killer B: What does Beyoncé want for her B'Day? How about a #1 album? And with the Labor Day weekend leading to a serious lack of competition, it's extremely likely she'll get what she wants. On the topic of gifts, she's been passing out a few herself to the ardent fans who preordered her LP. Those who relied on Sony Music's online store got a limited-edition hologram photo; people who bought it through Wal-Mart's music-download vehicle were presented with an exclusive remix of "Deja Vu"; and those who went the iTunes route got an exclusive song called "Lost Yo Mind" plus a "Deja Vu" download. If you didn't preorder, want some extra goodies and are willing to shell out a little more cash, the international version has four bonus tracks, including "Check on It" featuring Bun B and Slim Thug and three hidden songs: "Encore for the Fans," "Listen" (from the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack) and an extended mix of "Get Me Bodied." The Japanese pressing has those tracks plus "Creole." Now that's what you call generous.

Book of Revelations: Audioslave have been doing the preorder thing too, treating fans who bought Revelations at Sony Music's online store to a download of "Original Fire" and a coupon, and presenting those who shopped at iTunes with even more bonuses: a live video for "Show Me How to Live," a track-by-track description of the LP, the "Original Fire" video and a digital booklet. Best Buy will offer a deluxe edition of the LP that's upped with a bonus DVD containing a 16-minute film by Danny Clinch. But everyone will have a chance to check out "Wide Awake," about the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, "Jewel of the Summertime" and "Sound of a Gun," all of which appear on the regular edition.

Torturous CDs: Heavy-rock vets Iron Maiden and Alice in Chains have touring in their sights, but they'll be going head-to-head this week in the record racks. Maiden's ridiculously epic A Matter of Life and Death has only 10 tracks but clocks in at a CD-bending 71:52, and the limited deluxe edition is even heftier with a bonus DVD featuring interviews and a pair of in-the-studio performances. The Essential Alice in Chains is pretty chunky too, outdoing 2001's 10-track Greatest Hits with 29 songs splayed over two CDs. Highlights on the set, which was initially announced in 2004, include "Get Born Again" and "Died," the two songs the band recorded for its Music Bank box set, and remixes of "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter," which appeared on the "Last Action Hero" soundtrack when Governor Schwarzenegger was still busting up the big screen.

Deep Freeze: Speaking of Ahnold, who also played Mr. Freeze in "Batman & Robin," poet Black Ice slips up the racks this week with his CD debut. A mainstay on Russell Simmons' "Def Poetry Jam," the spoken-word prince increases his vocabulary with The Death of Willie Lynch, getting a boost from Musiq ("Takeyatime"), Floetry's Natalie Stewart ("Shine") and Chyna Black ("Lone Soldier"). Black Ice has an even bigger heavyweight in his corner in Mary J. Blige, with whom he's been touring this summer.

This week's remaining releases are a little thin, but even so, there's plenty of random trivia to be aware of: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, JJ Cale and Waylon Jennings all contribute to Uncovered, the latest effort by Southern songwriter Tony Joe White. ...The big Boss man himself, Bruce Springsteen, gives his pal Joe Grushecky a boost by piping up on "Code of Silence," a track that appears on the ex-Iron City Houserocker's A Good Life. ... Yes, that really is Colin Hay from Men at Work joining Latin electro-rockers Kinky on their third LP, Reina. ... Also spotted: Afro-beat creator Fela Kuti, cropping up on "In Africa," a DVD by ex-Cream and Blind Faith member Ginger Baker. ... George Winston's Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions - A Hurricane Relief Benefit is pretty self-explanatory and has 100 percent of proceeds going to relief organizations. Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, James Booker and others help further the effort. ... Rex Moroux also has his mind on New Orleans, as his LP Royal Street Inn is named after a hostel in the city, as does folk singer David Rovics, whose Halliburton Boardroom Massacre features "New Orleans," "Paul Wolfowitz" and "Song for Cindy Sheehan." ...

Honkytonk Homeslice and Zilla are both String Cheese Incident side projects, and they'll be competing for jam-band attention with the digipak Honkytonk Homeslice and two-CD All Iz, respectively. ... Massachusetts hard-rockers Seemless recorded their What Have We Become at Longview Studios, the same studio that's been graced by Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones. ... It's been 10 years since NYC underground heroes Alice Donut recorded together with their original lineup, but that streak is being broken with Fuzz. ... Roman Numerals, who log a self-named LP this week, feature guys who used to be in Dirtnap, Shiner and Season to Risk. The latter band was featured in 1995's Ralph Fiennes-starring "Strange Days." ... Threatening duo Jucifer have put out three LPs, but each one has dropped on a different label. This week's If Thine Enemy Hunger comes courtesy Relapse. ... Vader's Impressions in Blood is the 18th item the 20-year-old metal band has logged in its catalog.

Song Titles of the Week:

The track list to Horse the Band's Pizza EP: "Anti-Pizza," "Crippled by Pizza (Pizzarrhea in the Pizzeria)," "Werepizza," "Pizza Nif," and, of course, "T.M.N.T."

Other Notables:

Grizzly Bear's Yellow House: Christopher Taylor has blossomed his formerly one-man, field-tape-dependent project into a four-piece act that will be opening for TV on the Radio for a handful of October gigs. Grizzly Bear now employ woodwinds, effects pedals and four-part harmonies, a new blend they show off on "Central and Remote," "On a Neck on a Spit" and "Colorado."

Sebadoh's III reissue: Widely considered to be essential indie-rock listening, the 1991 release is bolstered by a 17-track bonus disc chock-full of rarities. That includes the band's Gimme Indie Rock! EP from the same year, four-track demos of "The Freed Pig" and "Never Jealous" and more.

Made Out of Babies' Coward: This New York loud-rock foursome earns the honor for most unsettling album cover of the week: It features the up-close image of a kid who's been beaten to a pulp. Don't expect the music itself, documented by noise guru and noted engineer Steve Albini, to be any sweeter. Tracks include "Mr. Prison Shanks," "Gunt" and "Proud to Drown." Yikes.

New Releases:

• A Love Ends Suicide - In the Disaster (Metal Blade)
• Alice Donut - Fuzz (Howler)
  Buy Now: Fuzz (Howler)
• Criss Angel - "Mindfreak" soundtrack (Koch)
• Dave Aude - Audacious (Koch)
• Audioslave - Revelations (Epic)
  Read: "New Audioslave LP: 'Led Zeppelin Meets Earth, Wind & Fire' "
  Buy Now: Revelations (Epic)
• Beyoncé - B'Day (Columbia)
  Read: "Beyonce's Triple Threat: New Album, Film, Fashion Line Before Year's End"
  Buy Now: B'Day (Columbia)
• Black Ice - The Death of Willie Lynch (Koch)
• Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth (Nuclear Blast America)
• Kate Campbell with Spooner Oldham - For the Living of These Days (Large River)
• Dawn of Azazel - Sedition (enhanced; Ibex Moon)
• Dead Hearts - Bitter Verses (Ferret)
• Ecstatic Sunshine - Freckle Wars (Carpark)
• Elin - Lazy Afternoon (Blue Toucan)
• Billy Gilman - Billy Gilman (Image)
• Goatwhore - A Haunting Curse (Metal Blade)
• Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (Warp)
• Joe Grushecky - A Good Life (Schoolhouse)
• Robin Guthrie - Everlasting (EP; Darla)
• Hell-Born - Cursed Infernal Steel (Ibex Moon)
• Hem - Funnel Crowd (Nettwerk)
• Honkytonk Homeslice - Honkytonk Homeslice (digipak; Sci Fidelity)
• Horse the Band - Pizza (EP; Koch)
• Incantation - Primordial Domination (Ibex Moon)
• Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (limited-edition version with bonus DVD due same day; EMI)
  Read: "New Iron Maiden LP Is So Deep That Even The Band Doesn't Get It"
  Buy Now: A Matter of Life and Death (EMI)
• Jars of Clay - Good Monsters (Essential)
• Libby Johnson - Annabella (Wrong)
• Jucifer - If Thine Enemy Hunger (Relapse)
• Kinky - Reina (Nettwerk)
  Buy Now: Reina (Nettwerk)
• The Klezmatics - Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah (JMG)
• Lakes - Photographs (EP; Militia Group)
• Lantana - Unbridled (BGM)
• Los Amigos Invisibles - Superpop Venezuela (Gozadera)
• Made Out of Babies - Coward (Neurot)
• Mark Mallman - Between the Devil and Middle C (Badman)
• Rex Moroux - Royal Street Inn (333)
• The Polyphonic Spree -
• Roman Numerals - Roman Numerals (Anodyne)
• David Rovics - Halliburton Boardroom Massacre (digipak with DVD; Mi5 Recordings)
• Seemless - What Have We Become (Equal Vision)
• Strike Anywhere - Dead FM (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Tall Paul - The Beat Technique (Koch)
• Teitur - Stay Under the Stars (digipak; Equator)
• Trainwreck Riders - Lonely Road Festival (Alive)
• Vader - Impressions in Blood (Candlelight)
• Tony Joe White - Uncovered (Swamp)
• George Winston - Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions - A Hurricane Relief Benefit (RCA Victor/ Windham Hill)
• Zilla - All Iz (Sci Fidelity)
• Various artists - "Phat Girlz" soundtrack (Lakeshore)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Alice in Chains - The Essential Alice in Chains (two CDs; Columbia/ Legacy)
  Buy Now: The Essential Alice in Chains (Columbia/Legacy)
• Michael Bolton - The Essential Michael Bolton (two CDs; Columbia/ Legacy)
• Miles Davis - Cool & Collected (Columbia/ Legacy Jazz)
• Kinky Friedman - Last of the Jewish Cowboys: The Best of Kinky Friedman (Shout! Factory)
• Laurent Garnier - Retrospective 94.06 (two CDs; Mute)
• Lowlife - Godhead (LTM)
• Yves Montand - Unreleased, Rare & Essential (DRG)
• Sebadoh - III (Domino)
• Aaron Tippin - Aaron Tippin: Now and Then (Rust)
• Joy Williams - Every Moment: The Best of Joy Williams (Reunion)
• Various artists - Sundown: A Windham Hill Piano Collection (Windham Hill/ Legacy)

Music DVDs:

• Ginger Baker - "In Africa" (Eagle Vision)
• Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone - "Live at Montreux 2002" (Eagle Vision)
• Jeff Healey - "Live at Montreux 1999" (with CD; Eagle Vision)
• Peggy Lee - "In Concert Series" (Passport)
• Roger Whittaker - "Roger Whittaker in Concert: Greatest Hits" (Foreign Media Group)
• The Who - "Music Box Biographical Collection" (Music Video Box)
• Various artists - "Gigantour" (two DVDs; Image)

Coming Attractions:

September 12:

• John Mayer - Continuum (Columbia)
  Preorder: Continuum (Columbia)
• Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Reprise; limited-edition version with DVD due same day)
  Read: "Mastodon LP Tackles Auto-Cannibalism, One-Eyed Sasquatch"
• N.O.R.E. y la Familia - Ya Tú Sabe (Roc-A-Fella)
• Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)
  Read: "Justin Previews New Tracks At Hollywood Show With Help From Will.I.Am, Timbaland"
  Preorder: FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)
• TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (Interscope)

September 19:

• Clay Aiken - A Thousand Different Ways (RCA)
  Preorder: A Thousand Different Ways (RCA)
• Fergie - The Dutchess (Interscope)
  Read: "Fergie's Split-Pea Soup: Reggae, Jazz, Ludacris, B Real On 'Crazy' Solo LP"
  Preorder: The Dutchess (Interscope)
• Jesse McCartney - Right Where You Want Me (Hollywood)
  Read: "In September, Get Jesse McCartney Right Where You Want Him"
  Preorder: Right Where You Want Me (Hollywood)
• New Found Glory - Coming Home (Geffen)
  Read: "New Found Glory Unveil Track List; New LP Is 'Different From Everything Out There' "
  Preorder: Coming Home (Geffen)

September 26:

• Janet Jackson - 20 Y.O. (Virgin)
  Preorder: 20 Y.O. (Virgin)
• Ludacris - Release Therapy (Def Jam)
  Read: "Therapy Is In Session: Kanye, Pharrell, R. Kelly Hop On Luda's LP"
  Preorder: Release Therapy (Def Jam)
• Mewithoutyou - Brother Sister (Tooth & Nail)
  Read: "Mewithoutyou Confront Rock's Limitations: 'You Can't Give People Hugs In A CD' "
  Preorder: Brother, Sister (Tooth & Nail)

• Beyoncé
• Audioslave
• Iron Maiden
• Alice in Chains
• Black Ice

Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Many More At Bonnaroo 2009

• Nine Inch Nails
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Erykah Badu
• Snoop Dogg
• MGMT