MUSIC NEWS: Robbie Williams, Tori Amos, Melanie Fiona, Susan Boyle, Britney Spears, Hot Chip, Bad Lieutenant, Miike Snow, Green Day

MODERN TONIC

The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.

TODAY'S FEATURED NEW RELEASES AND FREE DOWNLOAD:

It’s hard to be Robbie Williams. A gigantic star all over the world, he's ignored in the U.S. (where he currently lives — in Los Angeles — with actress Ayda Field. Sorry, boys). So here comes Reality Killed the Video Star (out digitally today, on CD 11/17), his 8th studio album, and the speculation starts again: will this be Williams' rocketship to American stardom or another one-way trip to Planet Oblivion? Sure, he's got a stateside cult following, but boy band refugee Williams deserves a Justin Timberlake-size audience. The good news? Reality's the best thing Williams has done since his U.S. debut compilation, The Ego Has Landed. Produced by Trevor Horn — the former Buggles main man — Reality, a pun on Horn's "Video Killed the Radio Star," plays to Williams' strengths from start to finish. First single "Bodies" (FREE DOWNLOAD OF FRED FALKE EXTENDED REMIX HERE) layers monk-ish chanting over an Art of Noise robot groove. "Blasphemy" is a theatrical ballad that sounds like Williams' audition for the roadshow of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. And "Starstruck" confronts Robbie's lack of U.S. commercial respect head on. As longtime fans we're used to our fellow citizens' deaf spot, but the reality is we'd like it to change.

Tori Amos used to be a "Cornflake Girl" (to quote a hit title), and sometimes she’s been just a flake — From the Choirgirl Hotel anyone? But as an interpreter of others' songs she’s been damn near peerless. Her take on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Inspired. Covering Eminem on Strange Little Girls? Ballsy. And now the woman who suckled a piglet at her breast in the booklet for Boys for Pele brings us a juicy Christmas morsel called Midwinter Graces. This being Amos, a straight-up holiday album won't do. She mixes obscure traditional tunes like the Victorian "Candle: Coventry Carol" with seasonally-inspired originals such as "A Silent Night with You." It’s a gift from a "Snow Angel," to quote an Amos original, that’ll sound just as delightful long after the holidays have passed.

On her debut The Bridge Melanie Fiona, the Toronto-based child of Guyanese parents, layers Motown-flavored R&B over sharp-edged lyrics that mix the bitter with the sweet in finger-snapping harmony. The results? 12 potential singles as catchy as a Raphael Saadiq retro jam with extra-added hip-hop attitude. First single "Give It to Me Right" anchors the hook from The Zombies' "Time of the Season" to a non-stop plea for slamming sex. "Bang Bang" is even more lascivious, wherein Fiona wants to "introduce ya to my Lucy" to a beat that can only be called shagalicious. And when you treat her bad, you better "Walk On By," a tune that channels Mavis Staples' earthy soul squeals in a tale of hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned. Perhaps that’s Fiona's way of warning you that The Bridge is one that you won’t want to burn.

MUSIC NEWS:

Susan Boyle will perform the song that changed her life ("I Dreamed a Dream") on tonight's "Dancing With the Stars." She is also scheduled to perform live on NBC's "Today" show on November 23, the day her debut album, also titled I Dreamed a Dream, is released.

Mariah Carey has announced a New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Britney Spears made her Australian concert debut last Friday, and (surprise!), a whirlwind media frenzy surrounded it. Aussie media has made a big deal about her partial lip-synching and how fans have stormed out of the concert because of it. Apparently, Britney is "extremely upset" over the controversy.

Hot Chip have announced a release date of February 10, 2010 for their next album, One Life Stand.

 Bad Lieutenant, the new band from Bernard Sumner, founding member of Joy Divison and New Order, releases its debut album, Never Cry Another Tear, today. They've also announced four live dates in Chicago and New York later this month. FREE DOWNLOAD OF ALBUM TRACK "DYNAMO" HERE.


Swedish Electro-pop trio Miike Snow will be touring the U.S. next spring. Two of the band's members, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, have written and produced songs for Britney Spears (winning a Grammy for "Toxic"), Madonna and Kylie Minogue, among others, under the name Bloodshy & Avant.

Green Day's well-reviewed musical, American Idiot, based on their 2004 album, now winding down a successful run at California's Berkeley Repertory Theater, is confirmed to open on Broadway. No date or theater has been announced yet.

Feature interview with Norah Jones, who has sold 36 million albums worldwide. Her new album, The Fall, is out next week.

MORE NEW RELEASES:

A threesome of compilations in ten years is a bit much, but since Britney Spears is high on "3" these days we’ll give her a pass, especially when The Singles Collection includes that hot track and 16 more of Spears’ single releases. (The single CD version is released today; a deluxe box set — pictured — will be released November 23).

If it’s change you want out of Washington, D.C., Obama’s not the only brother who’ll make you say 'Yes We Can.' Rapper Wale's (pr. wah-LAY) debut joint Attention Deficit — on Mark Ronson’s label — finally drops after years of well-regarded "mixtapes."

Snow Patrol's the band mainstream alternative didn't know it was waiting for. Their super-catchy arena anthems ("Hands Open," "Chasing Cars," etc.) are collected on the two-disc best-of Up to Now, as well as lesser known tunes from 1998 up through their 2003 breakthrough "Run."

Also released: Dolly Parton — Live from London (CD/DVD); Dashboard Confessional — Alter the Ending; Flyleaf — Memento Mori; Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess — Live On Earth; Alejandro Sanz — Paraiso Express; Bon Jovi — The Circle; The Killers — Live at Royal Albert Hall (CD/DVD); Various Artists — 2012 Soundtrack; Echo & the Bunnymen — The Fountain.

MUSIC VIDEOS:

Mini Viva: "I Wish"
From the Xenomania production powerhouse comes the frothy duo of Frankee Connolly and Britt Love. “I Wish” is Euro-pop and proud, with an L.A.-set video that adds extra digital color to the land of Hollywood dreams.

Massive Attack: "United Snakes"
A sinister tune from 2006 gets a high-tech new video from Massive Attack.  Black-and-white geometric shapes morph into menacing configurations on this creepy, provocative clip with vocals from 3D.

Jamie Cullum: "Don’t Stop the Music"
The jazzy Brit makes a sexy swing of this Rihanna track, while his baby grand piano, over-stimulated by Cullum’s “jazz hands,” experiences an explosive climax of its own. From new album The Pursuit, due in February.

Pixie Lott: "Cry Me Out"
The latest U.K. thrush advises her ex to cry her out of his system in this gorgeous black-and-white homage to ‘30s Hollywood glamour, complete with an Esther Williams synchronized-swimming segment.

MUSIC NEWS: Mariah Carey, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, plus win tickets to see Kylie Minogue at the Hollywood Bowl

MODERN TONIC

The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.

TODAY’S FEATURED RELEASES:

Significant days deserve observance, and September 29 is now apparently Gay Icon Album Release Day. Today, three superstars — Mariah, Madonna and Barbra — vie for the No. 1 spot with new album releases. We probably should have used a sick day to take it all in.

After being blindsided by the film Glitter, the resilient R&B artist and actress Mariah Carey has not only re-risen as high as her glorious voice can go, she’s gone higher. Since her comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005, Carey’s been on a roll unmatched by any singer of comparable stature and her latest recording, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, isn’t going to stop it (nor will her role in the forthcoming film Precious.) She’s always been a superlative singer, but she’s gotten better with every release — not just technically, but in the tangle of emotions she can evoke in a single note. Proof? Put Memoirs on your iPod on shuffle. If forced to choose favorites, we’re voting for the low-riding jam “More Than Just Friends” and the transcendent Foreigner cover “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

Is there anything else that can be said about Madonna? Kaballah blah blah blah divorce blah blah blah African child blah blah blah. But what about her songs? If you’ve forgotten about the musician behind the celebrity, Celebration — a two disc best-of with two new tracks (plus a third on the iTunes version) — is here to remind us how much we love the way she sounds. From late-disco hits “Holiday” and “Borderline” to the slinky slut-fest of the underrated “Erotica” through the alt-electro “Ray of Light,” 36 tracks produce an unerring 2½ hour high. And that includes the two new cuts — “Revolver” featuring Lil Wayne and the party-starting title track, both new-styled Madge turns that can stand tall with her body of hits. And, there’s a bonus track on iTunes: the slamming new disco jam “It’s So Cool” which is, well, so cool. (A Celebration DVD collection includes 47 MTV-tested videos.)

Like sipping a smooth cognac while the rain patters outside, Streisand’s latest studio album is pure sonic buttah. Guided by pianist/producer Diana Krall — that’s Mrs. Elvis Costello, alt-babies — Babs' jazzy Love Is the Answer takes on standards like Frank Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” Jacques Brel’s “If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” and affirming opener “Here’s To Life.” Now is it too much to ask that our favorite Funny Lady make another movie?

MUSIC NEWS

Warner Music Group has reportedly reached an agreement with YouTube and will restore all of its music videos to the video-streaming site. Warner pulled many thousands of videos off the site last December when the two companies could not come to terms on royalty rights.

"I Should Be So Lucky": Kylie Minogue's long-anticipated debut U.S. tour kicks off tomorrow night in Oakland, California. Over the next couple of weeks, the performer, who enjoys a Madonna-style level of popularity outside of America, will also hit Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and New York. Towleroad and Modern Tonic are giving away three pairs of tickets to see Kylie at The Hollywood Bowl this Sunday, October 4. To enter to win, click here. Contest entry period ends Thursday September 30 at noon EST. 

 The legendary Trevor Horn, producer of classic pop albums from The Art of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Propaganda and Grace Jones, on producing Robbie Williams' comeback album Reality Killed the Video Star. On a related note, rumors are flying that Williams just recorded new tracks with his former bandmates from Take That.

Britney Spears' new single "3," with the controversy-courting subject of the joys of being in a threesome, debuted on New York's Z-100 this morning. It will be featured on her second compilation, The Singles Collection, due November 24.

 The Hole Truth: Courtney Love opens up her bag of crazy.

Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone? Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy? Plus more of the most painful musical pairings in memory.

On the heels of the "vintage" footage of Lady Gaga before her makeover, here is Katy Perry (then Katy Hudson) from 2001, a young Christian artist with blond pigtails.

MORE NEW RELEASES

Is there life after chill? London downtempo duo Zero 7 — and guest vocalists galore — say hell yeah on their fourth album Yeah Ghost.

Emo-boys, make sure your mascara is waterproof. Paramore, the Tennessee alt-rockers fronted by Hayley Williams, will make your wimp asses cry with their muscular third album Brand New Eyes.

Brazilian bossa nova babe Bebel Gilberto releases her sixth album, All in One. Sit back, sip a smooth caipirinha and let the sensual sounds of South America accompany you on your next staycation.

Also Released: Miranda Lambert — Revolution; Genesis — Live 1973-2007 Box Set; Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions — Through The Devil Softly; Patty Loveless — Mountain Soul II; Rod Stewart — The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 Box Set; Landon Pigg — The Boy Who Never; Karen O & The Kids — Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack; Various Artists — Whip It (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack); Kris Kristofferson — Closer To The Bone; Newton Faulkner — Rebuilt By Humans (import)

MUSIC VIDEOS:

Priscilla Renea: “Dollhouse”
This fierce Floridian rips a page from The Veronicas' playbook with a punky tale of wrestling back control from her overbearing boyfriend. She starts like a little girl in her dollhouse until she grows too big to be contained. (From her debut album Jukebox, out December 1).

Snow Patrol: “Just Say Yes”
The earnest Scots, intoning from their forthcoming import compilation Up To Now, are a vision in white on another aching love song that will echo for years.

Amerie: “Heard ‘Em All”
If you want to get with this Korean-African American princess from Massachusetts, listen up. Amerie and her grimy futuristic dancers shimmy like Tina Turner herself through this tribal track from new album In Love & War (out November 3).

Ke$ha: “TiK ToK”
Flo Rida’s feisty collaborator on “Right Round” steps out for a night on the town in a clip that’s every suburban mother’s nightmare. She mouthwashes with a bottle of Jack, can’t keep the boys from touching her junk and interrupts the family meal in the latest slut chic her parents’ plastic can buy.

News: Kris Allen, Facebook, Grizzly Bears, Mark Foley, Houston

Project Gaydar: Your secret, if you have one, is not safe with Facebook.

Meet the father of Prop 8.

Anderson Cooper needs a ride.

Ossett, UK man targeted by three men in attack: "All I can think is that they picked on me because I am gay. It's all a bit of a blur, all I remember is being laid out on the floor and waiting for the ambulance to arrive."

Grizzly Bears face huge population drops in Canada.

Command Sergeant Major Teresa L. King is the Army's first female top drill sergeant: "The eighth of 12 children, the sergeant major is the daughter of a sharecropper who grew cucumbers and tobacco near Fort Bragg, N.C. Her first job in the Army was as a postal clerk, a traditional position for women in those days."

Guess who's returning to Melrose Place?

Lindsey Graham on Obama: “If you asked me if the president of the United States is a socialist, I would say no. I think he’s an American liberal, that’s what I think he is. You know, Ted Kennedy was an American liberal, but we found ways to work together.”

Listen: Kris Allen drops first single.

Human Rights Campaign "endorses" National Equality March. AIDS rally and candelight vigil scheduled.

South Florida radio listeners to get inside Mark Foley's mind tonight.

Australian politico comes out, wins praise.

Houston mayor candidate Annise Parker attacked by anti-gay group: "Annise Parkers lifestyle that of being a HOMOSEXUAL is not the proper role model to lead the fourth largest city in the United States. The Bible speaks clearly against the lifestyle she represents, James 1:8 says, ‘A double minded man is confused in all his ways’. She does not believe in what the scripture says about her lifestyle which in return means she doesn’t believe in God."

Netflix awards million dollar prize to team for improving its online recommendations system.

Hugh Jackman kicks off Climate Week NYC.

Robbie Williams to reunite with Take That for one night only?

Montana gays and lesbians hold summit in Bozeman: "The first [summit] was to start networking so we’re not inventing the wheel, to see what everyone’s doing in the area and see what resources are available in the state. This year we’re bringing together up to 35 or 40 organizations to identify common challenges faced by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, so we can come together and support ourselves throughout the state. It’s been very fragmented in the past."

GYM sportsbar opening in Los Angeles, in the old Normandie Room space.

Buju Banton show axed in Richmond, Virginia.

Tom Cruise shows off his jogging hair.

20 protest outside "ex-gay" conference near Melbourne, Australia: "They waved placards that read 'Hands off queer kids' and 'You can’t straighten me out', and had a heated debate with organisers about whether it’s possible to become straight."

FALL MUSIC PREVIEW: Mika, Basement Jaxx, Gossip, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Gary Go, La Roux, Florence + The Machine

MODERN TONIC

The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop-culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.

SPECIAL EDITION: FALL 2009 MUSIC PREVIEW   

Fall: The time our thoughts turn to new sweaters, pumpkin lattes and world-class divas who want to rule the music charts through the end of the year. This autumn, at least three of them — Madonna, Mariah and Barbra — are stepping up with big new releases (all on the same day no less, September 29). But they're not the only ones we're excited about: There are plenty of up-and-comers, newly beloveds and at least one old friend, Robbie Williams, trying for the umpteenth time to break America. Go, Robbie!

RETURNING ARTISTS:

Muse — The Resistance (9-15)
Resistance is futile, though The Resistance most certainly is not. The first track and single, “Uprising,” is rousing anthemic Queen glam rock, and it’s followed by bluesy riffs (“MK Ultra”), a prog-rock epic in three minutes (“United States of Eurasia”), and an actual three movement symphony (“Exogenesis Symphony”) that’s a classical gas. Muse’s stadium-scale ambitions make the term “over-the-top” obsolete. But because they do it with enormous hooks, towering vocal pyrotechnics, and a knowing wink we forgive them their indulgences. Their idea of “big” is massive – musically and conceptually – and that’s the type of size queen we love.

Mika — The Boy Who Knew Too Much (9-22)
Whereas Muse love the brawny theatricality of Queen, Mika (pictured above) channels Freddie Mercury, the flamboyantly insouciant pop star. His follow-up to the madly successful Life in Cartoon Motion offers more of the same — bright melodies (“We Are Golden”), good-time hooks (“Blame It On the Girls”), dance-friendly grooves (“Rain”) — with extra added depth. The ballads “I See You” and “Lady Jane” are heartbreaking. The boy just keeps getting better, regardless of how much he already knows.

Basement Jaxx — Scars (9-22)
It’s been over a decade since Basement Jaxx had us bopping to its funky debut Remedy. With Scars comes new guest vocalists Yoko Ono, Sam Sparro, Santigold and more, but those dance-fueled grooves just get better with age, if first single “Raindrops” is any indication.

Gossip — Music for Men (available digitally now; on CD 10-6)
A zaftig lesbian with a voice bigger than her girth rides the muscular music of her two cohorts for a gay rock breakthrough that’s longer on party jams than political tirades. “Heavy Cross” pounds like Cyndi Lauper meets Gang of Four, “Love and Let Love” is a funky Madonna rip and — in case you miss the message — “Men in Love” is a frenzied hump fest with a chorus for the ages. “Nah nah nah nah — men in love WITH EACH OTHER!”  Sing along, children.

Also: Bananarama — Viva (import, 9-14); Marié Digby — Breathing Underwater (9-15); Rufus Wainwright — Milwaukee At Last!!! (CD/DVD, 9-22); David Gray — Draw the Line (9-22); Landon Pigg — The Boy Who Never (9-29); Zero 7 — Year Ghost (9-29); Massive Attack — (EP) (10-6); Noah and the Whale — The First Days of Spring (10-6); Raveonettes — In & Out of Control (10-6); Katherine McPhee — Unbroken (10-6); Erin McKeown — Hundreds of Lions (10-13); Sufjan Stevens — The BQE (10-20); Serena Ryder — Is It O.K. (11-3); Amerie — In Love & War (11-3); Jamie Cullum — The Pursuit (11-10).

SUPERSTARS:

Madonna — Celebration (9-29)
Technically it’s not a new release, but a collection of remastered hits selected by Her Madgesty and her fans. But why do you wanna argue with us, people? Do you need an excuse to celebrate the achievements of She who was born Ciccone? How about two new songs — one co-produced by dance-meister Paul Oakenfold? Ready to celebrate now? We thought so.

Mariah Carey — Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (9-29)
In which Mimi covers Foreigner’s soaring ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Like her or not — the internet leak of the track last week proved what her voice can do with a song as transcendent and emotional as this. Produced with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, there’s plenty to satisfy everyone here — from bold ballads (“H.A.T.E.U.”) to street savvy pop jams (first single “Obsessed”). If she knocks this one out of the park, she’ll have scored an R&B comeback trifecta.

Barbra Streisand — Love Is the Answer (9-29) 
In the exclusive “making-of” video posted on Amazon.com, La Streisand says her latest album — a collection of jazz standards produced by Diana Krall — goes back to her roots. We’re not sure where the intersection of Broadway and Jazz Street is, but she’s not an icon for nothing, and if any voice can light up old warhorses like “Make Someone Happy” and “Here’s to Life” hers would be it.

Robbie Williams — Reality Killed the Video Star (11-10 – digital only)
We still root for Robbie Williams to break out in America every time he puts out a record. His latest, produced by Trevor Horn (Pet Shop Boys, The Art of Noise), has a sound that reportedly dips into Williams’ Northern roots — meaning, well, we’re not sure. Manchester rave? Northern soul? We don’t really care — a talented bloke with a great ear for melody, a sense of humor and an outsized personality, he’s still the ex-Take That member we’d most like to take home (we were going to say “to our mothers,” but we really just want to take him home!). (See his brand new video here.)

Also releasing:  Nelly Furtado — Mi Plan (9-15); Backstreet Boys — This Is Us (10-6); Rosanne Cash — The List (10-6); Shakira — She Wolf (10-13);  Tina Turner — Tina Live (CD/DVD, 10-20); R.E.M. — Live at the Olympia (10-27); Sting — If On a Winter’s Night… (10-27); Nirvana — Live at Reading (11-3); Leona Lewis — Echo (11-17); Britney Spears — The Singles Collection  (11-17, unconfirmed); Norah Jones — The Fall (11-17).

DEBUT ARTISTS:

Gary Go — Gary Go (available digitally now; on CD 9-15)
This British singer — born Gary Baker — isn’t afraid of a soaring, arena-friendly chorus or a relentless positivity in his lyrical outlook. Check out the single “Wonderful” for proof. Discover him quickly, before he becomes the rom-com falling in love/breaking up scene go-to serenader.

La Roux — La Roux (9-29)
With her reedy voice and ginger mega-quiff Elly Jackson, with multi-instrumental partner Ben Langmaid, have revved up the ‘80s revival and become U.K. chart-toppers in the process. It’s possible to resist pop nuggets like the Yaz-tastic “Bulletproof,” but we ask: why? Put on your Doc Martens and stomp up a storm. 

The Temper Trap — Conditions (10-13)
Oh, the male falsetto! From Smokey Robinson to Bronski Beat and Sigur Ros, the sound of a man reaching for the heavens with that most feminine of instruments is soul-stirring. This quartet from Melbourne adds alt-rock muscle to Dougy Mandagi ‘s spectral vocals in a way that will rouse your inner soprano. If you find yourself negotiating the high notes of “Sweet Disposition” — also featured in (500) Days of Summer — or cooing “ooh baby” along with the thrusting “Push” we assure you you’ll never feel more manly. FREE DOWNLOAD OF "DOWN RIVER" HERE.

The xx — xx (available digitally now; on CD 10-20)
Their vibe: low-key. Their visual style: austere. Their music: minimal. And their vocals: an intimate boy/girl sing-speak. So why is this South London quartet a hot property right now? Because their 11-track debut balances love’s ecstasy with its menacing undertones, and its subtle musical and lyrical concentration never smack you in the face with fake “look-at-me” showmanship. Instead, it compels you to listen. Imagine that. FREE DOWNLOAD OF "BASIC SPACE" HERE.

Florence + the Machine — Lungs (10- 20)
Available digitally since July, the U.S. CD release of Florence + the Machine’s Lungs gives us reason to revisit her much-hyped debut. Was all the critical caterwauling worth it? On second (and third and fourth, etc.) listening, Ms. Florence Welch’s deeply English, pagan, mysterious, over-the-top and unashamedly passionate songs sound better than ever.

Also releasing:  Kid Cudi — Man on the Moon: The End of Day (9-15); Alan Cumming — I Bought a Blue Car Today (9-22); Asteroids Galaxy Tour — Fruit (9-22); N-dambi — Pink Elephant (10- 6); Kristina Train — Spilt Milk (10-20); Space Cowboy — Digital Rock Star (11-3).

BOXED SETS / REISSUES:

Duran Duran — Rio Collector’s Edition (9-22); Kraftwerk — The Catalogue (10-6); Hall & Oates — Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates (10-6); Dolly Parton — Dolly (10-27); Bee Gees — Ultimate Bee Gees - 50th Anniversary Edition (11-3).


BONUS FALL MUSIC PREVIEW DOWNLOADS

Spiral Beach — “Domino”
From their second release The Only Really Thing (out 9-22), Canada’s Spiral Beach interpolates The Munster’s theme riff over a go-go beat that’s an invitation to frug wildly. Add 60’s girl-group harmonies and you’ve got a killer B-52’s rip that could pass for the real thing. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Greg Laswell — “Your Ghost”
This San Diegan singer-songwriter goes the Covers route on his forthcoming EP (out 10-6), and we can’t wait. Why? This spooky lament – a cover of a Kristen Hersh solo song. It’s just as haunting as the original, but with added muscle. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Erin McKeown — “The Foxes”
This lapsed folkie previews her forthcoming Hundreds of Lions (out 10-13) with a music-hall ditty about – and we quote – “love can’t be fun if you don’t put in the work.”  This girl’s working, so start loving her now. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Robbie Williams Returns with 'Bodies'

Robbie Williams has slimmed down for a return to the music scene:

"Bodies, the first single from upcoming album Reality Killed The Video Star, will receive its chart release next month and sees Robbie return to his pop roots. Veteran music producer Trevor Horn (responsible for production on Pet Shop Boys and Simple Minds albums) has lent his expertise to the new sound which reportedly has more than a hint of Robbie’s northern roots, with a notable influence from Ian Brown."

A still from the new single "Bodies", above, in which he's striking a Robert Mitchum pose with the finger tattoos. The cover, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Australia, Vampire Queen, Utah, Jack Mackenroth, Phoenix

The best John Hughes tribute you'll read. Plus, Molly Ringwald releases statement...

Medaled: Jack Mackenroth cleans up at World Outgames.

Sharon Stone lets it all hang out.

Hundreds rally against AIDS cuts in San Francisco: "The Republican governor used his line-item veto power last week to slash another $52 million in general fund support to AIDS programs, including totally eliminating state funding for HIV prevention and testing efforts, on top of what lawmakers had agreed to cut from the state Office of AIDS budget."

State GOP actively promoting town hall mobs. More disruptions...

Queen Latifah's girls' night out: "The rapper-turned-actress recently sashayed with five stunning women into Country Club's weekly Wednesday night lesbian party, 'Eden,' on West 14th Street. 'She chilled for several hours, ordering bottle service for her friends and chatting up promoter Maggie Collier,' our spy said. She also showed up again this week."

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, and David Cook do Good Morning America.

First look: Evan Rachel Wood is True Blood's vampire queen.

Christian Siriano surfaces at Victoria's Secret.

Brazil's Copacabana beach to get museum makeover.

Dan Savage: Was Obama a one-night stand?

Utah's new governor mum on gay rights: "Nearly three months after Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert learned he would become governor, the Republican has yet to stake out positions on a host of gay rights issues supported by the departing and highly popular Gov. Jon Huntsman, whom he serves with."

Male seahorses have "Rod Stewart syndrome".

Louisiana lawmaker calls for stricter laws on gay adoption...

Australian MP Dorothy Pratt: Homosexuality not "normal part of life": "I feel very strongly about that particular thought that . . . I'm not saying they aren't loving people, I'm not saying they wouldn't be fabulous parents, but I am saying that in my opinion a child deserves a mother and a father if possible and that whether you regard homosexual activity as a normal part of life or not, I don't."

Robbie Williams cleans up for new album.

Six Phoenix residents to walk 97 miles for marriage equality: "The walkers are members of Right to Marry: Arizona, an organization that seeks equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians. The plan is to walk about 15 miles a day for seven days, with stops along the way where they'll try to engage religious and political figures in conversations about the issue."

13-year-old bullied, sexually assaulted by teammates in Florida.

REPORT: Drunk straight men ruining Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. "A report released by the Australian Institute of Criminology this week said people travelling to and from Sydney's public gay and lesbian events were going in large groups, using private transport, visiting areas with larger gay and lesbian populations and remaining alert at all times. They were also avoiding showing affection towards their partners and not wearing make-up or extravagant clothing."