DIDO is dropping her new album this week, with 11 new songs in all, including a couple which you may have already heard, namely her first official single, “No Freedom,” and her duet with U.S. singer Kendrick Lamar, “Let Us Move On.” This collection, called Girl That Got Away, will be Dido’s first album in almost five years. She recorded it in both London and California (the cover photo, however, was shot in New York), and is calling the set a “big, fun, electronica extravaganza” that will also include production from her brother and former bandmate Rollo Armstrong, plus additional other...

DAVID BOWIE’S new album – out this week and his first in ten years – is certainly hitting fans by surprise, and in fact, Bowie recorded the album under the radar and mostly in secret (except for the help of producer Tony Visconti) for the past two years. While the Thin White Duke did have a health scare back in 2003 or so, he’s as fit as a psychedelic fiddle now, and slyly prefaced the new album, which he’s titled The Next Day, with a single, “Where Are We Now?” which made a big online splash last month. LONDON’S Olympic Stadium is planning to reopen this upcoming summer, making use of the...

ALT-J, Coldplay, Muse, Mumford and Sons, and Emeli Sande are among the top nominees at this year’s BRIT Awards, which will be, well, awarded in a couple of days (February 20) at London’s O2 Arena during the usual big, fancy ceremonial evening. Alt-J are nominated for three awards – Best Brit Album, Brit Group, and Brit Breakthrough Act, and are competing with Mumford and Sons in the middle category (Mumford are also up for Best Brit Live Act and British Album of the Year for Babel.) Muse, Coldplay, and Olly Murs each snagged two nominations, while other nominated artists this year include fun., The Killers, The Script,...

THE BLACK KEYS are making some big plans for this year – they’ve got three Grammys to their credit as of last night, and they’ve already headed back into the studio and are working diligently on their next album. They’ve committed to performing at both Lollapalooza Brazil and Lollapalooza Chile (in March and April, respectively), and are also hitting the road for a short run of tour dates in April and May. The Keys will be making stops in Pittsburgh (4.30), Atlanta (5.2), and Nashville (5.3), among other stateside shows. iTUNES continues its march toward world digital music domination, launching in a whopping 56 new...

MOGWAI have crafted some more new soundtrack music, but as a side project from their own recording pursuits – this set is specifically for the French show Les Revenants. The music itself is set to be released as a full album this week on the band’s own Rock Action Records, but you can get a sneak listen via the French TV channel Canal – check out the whole show if you can speak French, and if you can’t, just listen for Mogwai’s music. THE GRAMMY AWARDS are set to hit U.S. TV next week, Sunday, February 10, to be exact, when the show will be broadcast from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. Performers at this...

JOHNNY MARR’S debut solo album is his newest venture, showcasing Marr’s desire to “not be in anyone else’s band anymore.” In addition to his landmark work with The Smiths, Marr’s also worked with The Cribs, Modest Mouse, and The The, among others – now it’s his turn in the direct glare of the spotlight with his album The Messenger, which drops this week. Recorded in Manchester and Berlin and mastered in London, the set features Marr himself on vocals, guitar, and percussion. THE HIVES are on the road as you read this, having just started a tour this month following their December appearance on...

MORRISSEY is currently on the road, having kicked off his rescheduled North American tour in Greenvale, New York, with Patti Smith set to make a special appearance at Morrissey’s March 1 show. Included on the former Smiths frontman’s schedule are shows in Minneapolis (1.25), Chicago (1.26), Nashville (1.29), Austin TX (2.13), Los Angeles (3.1), and Seattle (3.6) before he makes at stop at the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in March. JAMIE LIDELL has been working his electro-soul magic on his upcoming new album in his own studio in Nashville, where he relocated from previous places in New York and his homeland of England....

VAMPIRE WEEKEND’S third album is now set for release this spring, after three years since the band’s last offering, Contra. The new album, according to the band’s frontman, Ezra Koenig, is set to be “darker” than previous efforts, and is much-anticipated by critics and fans both. In the meantime, you can catch the band at some rilly big shews, including their stops at the Big Day Out Fest in Australia, Japan’s Weekender, and Singapore’s Big Night Out in Fort Canning Park. BECK, whose last musical ventures were a 20-track “album” called Song Reader (that was only in the...

MUSE’S first round of European stadium shows for 2013 have been announced for France, Belgium, and Italy, and the band’s celebrating this happening by releasing three live tracks from their stadium shows. If you become a muse.mu member to help support the band, you can stream and download these songs in EP form for free at www.muse.mu via the band’s own media player. FOSTER THE PEOPLE’S singer Mark Foster teamed up with Kenna to start their new year in a charitable fashion. The two musicians climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to kick off 2013, and sent an exclusive video message to Rolling Stone when they reached the top of...