BILLY BRAGG is touring in support of Volume One, a nine-disc compilation of his first four albums and bonus material, but he explains to Carl Wilson why he doesn't miss the Eighties.NEW…

BELLE & SEBASTIAN has undoubtedly taken a turn from the twee folk pop of albums like If You're Feeling Sinister to incorporate elements of British soul, Motown, and glam rock o­n their…

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:FRIDAY TIMEWASTER: With the sixth season of The Sopranos starting Sunday, the New Jersey Star-Ledger brings us Sopranos Sudoku. UPDATE: If you can’t wait until Sunday, you can watch…

CALEXICO: Harp magazine suggests the band's upcoming album, Garden Ruin, “finds the group undergoing a subtle yet profound tectonic shift.” John Convertino doesn't mind if people call it pop. You can stream…

BELLE & SEBASTIAN and the NEW PORNOGRAPHERS played Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club Monday night, but you can stream it from NPR now (in Real and Windows formats), as well as an interview…

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: The Canadian collective played the World Cafe, which is now streaming from NPR. DJ Monster Mo has YouTubed the video for “7/4 Shoreline,” which I really like for breaking…

…AND THE OSCARS WENT to these folks. Crash upset Brokeback Mountain — screenwriter Roger L. Simon voted for Paul Haggis' screenplay while ripping it: “(D)espite the author's fake values and absurd vision…

I won’t be blogging the Oscars or the pre-show, though I’ll certainly have comments on Monday. However, if you want to follow along with others without having to get dressed up for…

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:MUSICAL TIMEWASTER: In November, Virgin Records had people identifying 75 bands in a picture. Now the challenge is to pick out songs in a video, which is much more…

ARCTIC MONKEYS bassist Andy Nicholson notes that their success would probably seem stranger to them had it not been so immediate: “This is our first album and we don't know any better…