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.

names dropped with reckless abandon: A, Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Colbie Caillat, Conor Oberst, Cowboy Junkies, Jaden Smith, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Margo Timmins, Matthew Perryman Jones, Michael J. Fox, Miley Cyrus, MoZella, PJ Harvey, Rascal Flatts, Sherry Ann, Teena Marie, The Drive-By Truckers