Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs"

Credit: Merge

It’d be a farce to compare Arcade Fire’s new album “The Suburbs” to its previous couple of efforts – 2007’s “Neon Bible” and 2004 debut “Funeral.” The Montreal-based rock outfit proves itself to be a new band with each new record. What each has, though, is a running theme, and each a march down memory lane. 

Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" is out tomorrow. Listen to the album in its entirety here; what do you think?

Jennifer Lopez

Credit: AP Photo

If it wasn’t obvious before, it is more so now: “American Idol” is making some bad decisions.

What do you think? Would J-Lo make a good AI judge?

Kanye West

Credit: AP Photo

The same day that rapper Kanye West joins Twitter, he makes a pit stop at the tech co.'s headquarters.

Yesterday (and the day before), the rapper made our headlines for putting on a little lunch room a capella performance for the folks over at Facebook. Yesterday, in between Tweets via his newly christened account, West went to Twitter's Silicon Valley corporate office.

Sadly, the audio on this puppy can't compete with the videos posted yesterday, but he at least tackled a new tune.

In this case, two make a trend and, unless West shows up to another tech HQ in the buff, we'll just call this a tour kick-off and keep our eyes out for when more solid promotional material from West becomes available. So far, there's just "Power," the prospect of the new set dropping in September and an album title change: as previously reported, the set will no longer be dubbed "Good Ass Job." Which is a good ass move.

Today in Twitter land, West has been extolling the virtues of classical music and Leonard Bernstein. And, no, he's still not following anybody on Twitter. Should he pull a Conan?

Estelle with Nas

At some point Estelle and her label people decided that two is better than one -- even if one is almost exactly like the other.

That's the case with the British singer's video for "Let's Fall in Love," the lively dance track that could sell a thousand pairs of shoes. She made two different versions of the same love story: Estelle, the girl next door, and the her light-eyed patootie (Jessie Williams from "Grey's Anatomy") next door fall in love. Some adorable mishaps occur, there's some flirting and then a branding placement, a make and model on which I will not linger (as I'm not the one getting paid to do so).

The only difference between the clips is that one features an appearance and verse from John Legend and one from rapper Nas. Legend took time for a second shoot with a big-haired girl. Nas had no such time, but instead reps the Mets and name-checks Donald Trump and Frank Sinatra because now, apparently, Nas is my dad.

I live next door to an auto mechanic shop. I have never seen it overflow in an eruption of club-going beautiful people. The entertainment industry continues to heap disappointment on that which is my life.

Check out both videos below. "Let's Fall in Love," at the end of the day, is disgustingly infectious (wait, I mean in the good way), boding well for her forthcoming "All of Me," due sometime this fall. It comes on the high heels of her Grammy win with Kanye West for last year's "American Boy."

Nick Cave

Credit: AP Photo

In a move that may shake some recovering teenagers to their core, "The Crow" is getting a cinematic reboot and Nick Cave is the man behind the script.

According to the Wrap, the ultimate Bad Seed is working over "Blade" director Stephen Norrington's screenplay, which itself was a new take on the comic book . No lead actor has been picked out to fill the cumbersome shoes of the late Brandon Lee, killed on set of the 1994 film.

Cave, while better known for his seriously dark rocking, is a damn fine writer. Of his novels, I've only been savvy to his "The Death of Bunny Munro," which was self-assured, unmuzzled, a little sick and certainly more dramatically cinematic than cinema allows itself to be sometimes. It was complimented by an audiobook version, complete with original soundtrack and sound effects, very artistic.

He also penned two proper Hollywood scripts, though they were years apart: 1988's "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead" and 2005's "The Proposition." He's also apparently on tap for developing project "Death of a Ladies' Man", a title culled from a Leonard Cohen song (coincidentally, Cave played a great part in "I'm Your Man," a documentary on the still-thriving Cohen); the plot of it sounds eerily similar to that of "Bunny Munro."

And then there's the endless music and soundtrack credits, from "The Road" to "Batman Forever" to "The Assissination of Jesse James...".

So is it the right move for Cave? Or, rather, the right movie? Norrington's last directorial project was "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," another comics adaptation, and we all know how that went. The macabre appeal and lore of the first "Crow" has been fading for more than 15 years.

But "The Crow" has always had an intriguing, gothic protagonist that was more an artist than superhero: author James O'Barr was inspired by punk and rock musicians Bauhaus, Joy Division's Ian Curtis, the physical presence of Iggy Pop, the Cure and Jim Carroll Band in creating Eric, "The Crow's" main man.

Which leads to why Cave would be good to give the characters that gift -- of music and historical influence.

I'd be eager to read that script. In an era of constant comic book and reboot films, it's up to casting now to make this into a truly winning formula. Pal Russell Crowe would be better served as a mentor than as Eric... perhaps Cave could give Jack White a call? He at least looks the part.

Cave is releasing another album under the Grinderman moniker this September.

Guster

Guster is back with a new studio album, "Easy World," but want fans to consider the "Bad, Bad World" first.

The latter -- which is the first song available from the new set -- can be downloaded for free via the band's website, or you can just stream it below. Warning: pop inside.

The Aware/Universal Republic record will drop on Oct. 5, making it the group's first album in four years, since 2006's "Ganging Up on the Sun." The standard lineup of Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner and Brian Rosenworcel has the additional aid of multi-instrumentalist Joe Pisapia. It was recorded starting in 2008 in New York, then Nashville.

The road warriors have set some tour dates and are in the midst of planning more.

Bad Bad World by guster

Here is the tracklist for "Easy World":

1. Architects and Engineers
2. Do You Love Me?
3. On The Ocean
4. This Could All Be Yours
5. Stay With Me Jesus
6. Bad Bad World
7. This Is How It Feels To Have A Broken Heart
8. What You Call Love
9. That's No Way To Get To Heaven
10. Jesus & Mary
11. Hercules
12. Do What You Want

Here are Guster's currently scheduled tour dates:

The xx

Credit: Katie Hasty

Biffy Clyro, Corinne Bailey Rae, Paul Well and Dizzee Rascal are among the 12 nominees for this year's Mercury Prize. More than 200 acts and their albums were up for the Album of the Year honor, given out to U.K. or Irish bands who have released new sets in the last 12 months.

The winner will be announced at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show on Sept. 7.

The xx is estimated to take the £20,000 prize home and, while I may not be a raving fan of the band, I do appreciate awards such as these going to new and breaking artists rather than the standbys (like 2003 winner Dizzee Rascal).

My hope of hopes is to see Laura Marling take it. I've always very much liked her voice and her style, but she truly came into her own with "I Speak Because I Can," which doesn't miss a single note, and every song necessary and surprising. (Jack White agrees.) I do have a soft spot, too, for Mumford & Sons and Foals, and the very nature of Corinne Bailey Rae's intimate "The Sea" cries out for a little more attention (see: sad). Villagers and Kit Downes have the most outside of chances.

The Paul Weller set is an achievement just in a notable guests it roped in: the former The Jam frontman was joined by his former bandmate Bruce Foxton for the first time since 1982. This would be the first time in 16 years he gets the nod.

Other previous winners include Elbow, Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys.

Here are the nominees for the 2010 Mercury Prize:

Biffy Clyro "Only Revolutions"
Corinne Bailey Rae "The Sea"
Dizzee Rascal "Tongue N' Cheek"
Foals "Total Life Forever"
I Am Kloot "Sky At Night"
Kit Downes "Trio Golden"
Laura Marling "I Speak Because I Can"
Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More"
Paul Weller "Wake Up the Nation"
The xx "xx"
Villagers "Becoming a Jackal"
Wild Beasts "Two Dancers"

The Gregory Brothers

Unless you don’t read or use the internet, you have been clued in to the existence of the popular YouTube clip “Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow 1-8-10” or, abridged, “Double Rainbow.” The rainbows themselves are somewhat astonishing, but double rainbow encounterer Paul “Yosemite Bear” Vasquez’s reaction to them is, in a word, excitable. You can see the clip embedded below. As of this morning, it’s been viewed in excess of 5.62 million times.

Owl City's Adam Young

Adam Young, the mastermind behind Owl City, says he's only "knee-deep" -- five or six songs -- into his sophomore set, but already has some idea of who may be on it: namely, Taylor Swift.

In an interview with HitFix, Young said he has a track in mind for the county-pop superstar to sing on.

"I have talked to her. She's so busy, but she said if there’s time, she said it’d be lot of fun," Young explains. "There’s this weird hybrid country song I'm working on. There's no title 'cause I haven't made any lyrics yet. But that would be the one."

The pairing isn't firm, though Owl City's management said there's definitely "talking among themselves" for a collaboration. A rep for Swift said the singer is on the road and unavailable for comment.

On its face, the idea wasn't inconceivable to begin with. Swift has been known to Tweet to her pal, and even showed up in the VIP section of his show in New York last year. And Young has said that her "Love Story" is the best love song he's known (and, no, the two have never dated).

Young also has John Mayer on his collaborator wish-list for the follow-up to his 2009 debut "Ocean Eyes," a possibility he hopes to present to the veteran songwriter as they tour together this fall. Coincidentally, Swift and Mayer are close friends as well.

But writing a new album and prepping for that cross-country stint isn't all that's on Adam Young's plate at the moment. There's another release and another high-profile tour to attend to.

Young just released a new set "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed" under the moniker Sky Sailing on Tuesday (July 13). It's a collection of songs written before Young's Owl City project, with emphasis on acoustic instruments rather than synthesizers and keyboards. It's still undeniably Young's voice, but he wanted his two releases to be heard as totally separate projects.

Timing has also allowed Owl City to serve as tour support for Maroon 5 (along with V.V. Brown) in August. He says he's going to perform Owl City material, rather than Sky Sailing songs, throughout the fall.

"I think it's best to stick to what [fans] might know," he says.

Young says a new Owl City album can be expected late this year or early next.

Here are Owl City's tour dates with Maroon 5 and John Mayer: