Brandon's Buzz

Call it the post-Valentine’s hangover: there’s no great lot happening this week at your local record store, as a handful of well-regarded midlisters step forward with their latest efforts. Leap in, kids:

• Pioneering indie rock queen PJ Harvey is back with her
  tenth studio album, Let England Shake.

 

• After a couple of side projects as a solo artist, Conor Oberst is back
  in charge of folk faves Bright Eyes and back with their latest record,
  The People’s Key.

 

• Pop-punk players The Drive-By Truckers lace up their Go-Go Boots.

 

• Previously released material from Colbie Caillat, MoZella, and
  Sherry Ann’s new fave Matthew Perryman Jones punctuates the
  original television soundtrack for ABC Family’s latest smash series
  Pretty Little Liars.

 

• I can’t even fathom who thought this was a good idea: presumably to mark her recent tragic passing, the terrific Teena Marie‘s career earns its own entry in the fabulous new Icon series. But who decided it would be appropriate to leave off her best song (and, by far, biggest hit), “Lovergirl”?

 

• The magnificent Margo Timmins and her captivating Cowboy Junkies return with Demons, the second volume in their unfurling Nomad series.

 

• He may have struck out with all of his Grammy bids, but don’t cry for teenybopper Justin Bieber: his 3D concert film Never Say Never raked in some $30 million at the box office, and the quasi-soundtrack EP — which features cameos from Miley Cyrus, Jaden Smith, Kanye West, and Rascal Flatts — looks like a lock to debut at the top of next week’s album chart.

 

• The fourth season — and final one featuring the peerless
  Michael J. Fox as a series regular — of one of A’s favorite sitcoms,
  Spin City, arrives on DVD.

 

• Finally, if you haven’t yet caught up with Arcade Fire‘s The Suburbs — this year’s utterly mystifying Grammy victor for Album of the Year — your local Target store is selling it this week for the nice price of $8.99.

Orianthi — “Believe” (from Believe [II]) —

In all of the overheated discussion of the past few days over last weekend’s left-field result of the Grammy race for Best New Artist — in which complete unknown jazz ingenue Esperanza Spalding pulled out a shocker over today’s hottest teenybopper Justin Bieber — a name that was unfairly omitted from the conversation is that of Orianthi, one of last year’s most exciting breakthroughs. Originally slated to be Michael Jackson’s featured guitarist on his show-stopping final world tour, she burst out of the box with a terrific debut album (Believe, released in a pair of configurations) and a staggering radio smash (“According to You,” one of ’10’s standout tracks). But even with the Jacko-related boost, she hasn’t received nearly the amount of attention that her mammoth talent merits, and you just have to trust your Uncle Brandon when he tells you: this gal — and her stunning strumming, natch — are worth keeping a keen eye upon. (As for those Grammys, my last word on the subject is as follows: Bruno, buddy, you really ought to sue.)