Fran Kranz as Marty in "Cabin in the Woods"

Credit: Lionsgate

PHILADELPHIA -- Like anybody involved in a horror film, “Cabin in the Woods” star Fran Kranz doesn’t want any of his movie’s secrets spoiled before it goes wide to theaters on Friday. In a way, though, it’d be impossible to fully spoil the twists and turns of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s thriller, which is as much a love letter to past cinema as it is a fulfilling way to reinvent it. 

Feist

Feist tapped into the photographic work of Argentinian artist Irina Werning for an effective music video for "Bittersweet Melodies."

Old photos of the solo subjects are placed side-by-side with new photos, with the same poses, clothes and setting. And of course there's a dog. Of course. It's entertaining, then funny, then pensive as the viewer him/herself begins to muse what their own photo would look like. Bittersweet.

Admiral Fallow

Credit: Nettwerk

Prepare for the revival of the phrase "holy Moses." Scottish quintet Admiral Fallow makes regular use of the exclamation in their new single "The Paper Trench," arriving ahead of their Nettwerk debut "Tree Bursts in Snow."

There's a positive charge between lead singer Louis Abbott's wordy brogue and Sarah Hayes' pure, buoyant vocals; half the song is met with a third harmony and powerful rhythmic guitars, banging in time with the fours, Abbott's narratives weaving easily like a thread meeting needle. The single is an accurate taster for "Tree Bursts," which has its darker moments too. Overall, the term "indie-folk" doesn't begin to describe the band's fullness of sound, which allows in punctuation like that of multi-instrumentalist Kevin Brolly's clarinet, or Hayes on flute. They're rounded out by a stacked rhythm section of bassist Joe Rattray and drummer Phil Hague.

It's appropriate that Admiral Fallow produced this set and their initial album "Boots Met My Face" with fellow countryman Paul Savage of the Delgados, a band whose own pop sound whirred with a similar energy and blender of folk-influenced rock sounds. "Tree Bursts in Snow" was also mixed by mastering master Greg Calbi, who's left his signature on albums from The National, Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver.

Brendan Benson

Credit: Jo McCaughey

“I’m tired of the underdog mentality. I’m older and I am not cool.“

Kanye West

Credit: AP Photo

Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Pusha T and Big Sean all showed up for the first-showing of "G.O.O.D. Music," Ye's label collection of original tracks from its artists. "Mercy" is a taking-turns kind of tune, as you'd expect, but of course Kanye made sure to write in a little something special for himself.

Listen to the song at Kanye West's website (re-done for very high resolution screens, apparently).

The straight-forward beat gives way to an Other World dark dance, led by a rip from the "Scarface" score. There's no guns or drugs here, though, with exception to his mention of "Molly," the same substance name-drop that put Madonna in time out, albeit briefly, a couple weeks ago.

After another weird diversion into suicide (which figured prominently into his "Power" single), Yeezy's all sorts of chest-puffery: "I step in the Def Jam building like I'm the sh*t / tell them give me $50 million or I'm going to quit / Most rappers taste level ain't even at my waist level / Turn up the bass level till it's at your face level." Good to know that his ability to divulge his talents has a price tag.

Meanwhile, 2 Chainz ups his profile with a verse that follows in the same vein. But it was Big Sean who opened up the door on this decent track, putting his "swerve" on the sort of rhymes he loves the best: extolling the virtues of strip clubs and their inhabitants.

The song, overall, isn't much of a conversation piece, but a conversation starter. The "G.O.O.D. Music" comp is guaranteed to be bursting with big names, let's just hope they're not all showing up, on every track, all at once.

No word yet if there will be new track every single Friday, but Ye has never been shy about that gimmick.

Yesterday, his track with DJ Khaled, "Theraflu," also broke out. Check out The Beat Goes On's thoughts on that here.

From "Sixteen Saltines"

Jack White performs as the sole grown-up in the hypnotically disturbing music video for "Sixteen Saltines," but the real stars are the kids. Doing weird kid stuff, like playing hopscotch with their own severed fingers and Robo-tripping.

Leave it to the mind of the former White Stripes evil genius White to make a "Lord of the Rings" gangland of terrible juvenile behavior, because now I have all sorts of ideas having to do with putting liquor in my coffee maker. Dancers fly whimsically into the sky, pre-teens tattoo each other in the dark, slushies are consumed and spat out as part of a bizarre cheerleader mating ritual. And then the solo man of the hour is left to die in the back seat of a car about to be lit on fire, with a choreographed dance of BMXes to close the show.

The story boards must have been entertaining. I would frame them and sell them.

Beth Ditto from Gossip in "Perfect World"

Credit: VEVO

There's always been something so delightfully self-aware disco-camp about Gossip, which makes their fashionable videos all the more joyful to watch. The band's 's newest single "Perfect World" goes into deeper, shark-jumpier territory as the trio dons sepia tones in a church, and I'm OK with that.

Frontwoman Beth Ditto has fun with her vocal runs all over the amp-cranking tune. Her styling goes between nun-chic to goth-chick, vampiric baby bangs and stupid-long wigs. It starts dark, but gets a big splash of dorky color by the end.

Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in "Sparkle"

Credit: Sony

DETROIT -- There is a lot of pressure on Jordin Sparks, according to Jordin Sparks. Back when I visited the set of the “Sparkle” remake in early November last year, the singer spoke on the nail-biting audition process and gaining the film’s title role. It’s her first film, period, let alone her first lead character in a movie, and the “American Idol” star expressed some first-timer jitters.

Soundgarden's Chris Cornell during tour last summer

Credit: AP Photo

It's been long in the works, long touted, hyped to the point of saturation. Are we talking about "The Avengers" or the recording return of Soundgarden?

I'll let you be the judge. The '90s rockers have officially been back on the road and back in the studio, this song "Live to Rise" the first fruits of those efforts. It's undeniably Chris Cornell, all meat and long hair on a memorable hook. The guitars have their share of flangers, the drums now have an updated "pop." The guitar lines go in one ear and out the other, but thematically, the song will be a hit for movie-goers, who will enjoy this midtempo testosterone fuel.

CLICK HERE for the stream, on KISW.

"Like the sun, we will live to rise again," goes the refrain. Appropriate for all involved. It is Soundgarden's first newly recorded song in 15 years, since the release of their last album "Down on the Upside"; as you'll remember, they also dropped "Black Rain" for "Guitar Hero" a couple years ago, but that was simply a previously unreleased tune from former sessions.

The whole soundtrack tracklist is very bro-dude, with names like Bush, Papa Roach, Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch and Buckcherry contributing. Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland shows up, thankfully with something other than a Christmas song.

"The Avengers" soundtrack will be out on iTunes first, on May 1. The film hits theaters nationwide on May 4.

Soundgarden are expected to release a new full-length album some time in 2012. They have several tour dates listed for 2012, all overseas, with a couple of high profile festival-headlining gigs for the Download Festival in Donington, England and Hard Rock Calling in London.

Here is "The Avengers" soundtrack tracklist:

Follow @katieaprincess

1. "Live to Rise" - Soundgarden
2.  "I'm Alive" - Shinedown
3.  "Dirt and Roses" - Rise Against
4.  "Even If I Could" - Papa Roach 
5.  "Unbroken" - Black Veil Brides 
6.  "Breath" - Scott Weiland
7.  "Comeback" - Redlight King 
8.  "Into the Blue" - Bush
9.  "A New Way to Bleed (Photek Remix)" - Evanescence
10. "Count Me Out" - PUSHERJONES
11. "Shoot to Thrill" - Theory of a Deadman
12. "Wherever I Go" - Buckcherry 
13. "From Out of Nowhere" - Five Finger Death Punch 
14. "Shake the Ground" - Cherri Bomb

Additional track on the international release:
15. "Pistols At Dawn" - Kasabian

Paul Van Dyk

With 20 years of experience in the electronic music industry, it’s safe to say that Paul Van Dyk is an authority on the subject. Today (April 3), the German producer and DJ released his new studio album “Evolution,” after five years chock full of singles, compilation and remix contributions, work on the “Dark Knight Rises” soundtrack, crafting songs for video games like “Mirror’s Edge” and racking up frequent flyer miles as one of dance music’s biggest festival and circuit jetsetters.