Written, arranged, performed, and produced by the Arcade Fire and co-produced by Markus Dravs, The Suburbs was recorded around Montreal and New York over the past two years.

Grammy nominated and critically acclaimed, Ray LaMontagne returns with his anticipated fourth studio album, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise. Entirely self produced (for the first time) the album was recorded in two weeks at LaMontagne's home in the woods of western Massachusetts. The newly restored historic home served as a homemade recording studio for Ray and his fellow musicians. With Ray's vocals at the forefront of the songs and a loose, almost live sounding recording, the album stands as a testament to a band at the height of their powers. The newly coined 'Pariah Dogs', consists of Jay Bellarose (drums), Jennifer Condos (bass), Patrick Warren (keyboard), Eric Heywood (guitar) and Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar). Individually these musicians have contributed to the live work of such heralded musicians including Beck, Joe Henry, Tom Waits, Lucinda Wlliams, Ryan Adams and Joe Cocker to name a few of their career highlights. Together with Ray they shared a sense that the sessions for this record were rare and extraordinary.

"I can't run from where I came from, nobody can," says Katy Perry. When it came time to make her exhilarating second album "Teenage Dream," Katy found herself increasingly drawn back home to Santa Barbara, Calif. Back to where they knew her before she became a superstar. Before she kissed a girl and liked it. And, certainly, before she sold 5 million copies of her Capitol Records blockbuster, "One of the Boys." "I love the vibe that Santa Barbara gives off and I wanted to really tap into the purity of my childhood and that feeling," says the two-time Grammy nominated singer. "It was really fun to get away and walk into the studio with no make-up on."

"Teenage Dream," will move you, both emotionally and physically. "When I was touring, I wanted people to dance more," Katy says. "So I wrote an album that made people move, yet didn't sacrifice the story substance that I had on the last record." The album, whose producers include Max Martin, Tricky Stewart, Stargate, Dr. Luke and Greg Wells, is a glorious evolution from "One of The Boys," It showcases an artist who dares us to join her as she experiences every facet of life.

"I'm giving everyone the full spectrum on this record," Katy says. "You're getting the sugary sweet, but you're also getting the `Oh my goodness, she had to sit down for a minute and let some things off her chest'." Fun first single, "California Gurls," declared by Entertainment Weekly as "unforgettable," is the undeniable summer anthem of 2010. Featuring Snoop Dogg, "Gurls" is a sizzling salute to sun-kissed days spent in Daisy Dukes and a bikini top. Other album highlights include the heartbreakingly wistful "The One that Got Away," the naughty, playful strut of "Peacock," the uplifting "Firework," the pulsing, stinging "Circle the Drain," and the spiritual quest of "Who Am I Living For."

And then, of course, there's the passionate, thumping title track. "I called the album `Teenage Dream' because I feel like I will always want to be that pin-up poster," Katy says. "I definitely want to be in everybody's dreams at all times until I get to Liz Taylor's age when I'm not in your dreams anymore, and I'm just a diva!"

It's irreverent statements like this that have branded Katy a true American original. She's the extremely talented girl next door with slyly captivating charm. After Katy topped Maxim's Hot 100 this Spring, Maxim editor-in-chief Joe Levy mused of her appeal: "It's that feeling you get when you suddenly realize that the smartest, funniest, coolest girl you know also happens to the best looking and a pretty good skateboarder, too. All of sudden, your crush goes supernova, and this is Katy's supernova moment."

She's the face most likely to adorn the bedroom walls of young girls who adore Katy not only for her musical brio, but for her playful yet sophisticated fashion sense (Who else could wear a blinking dress that lights up to the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute's Gala?) "I don't ever really want to come off as trashy," she says. `But I want people to know I'm definitely having fun."

Of that, there's no doubt. Seldom has an artist catapulted onto the world scene and captured not only people's ears, but their hearts as well. Since the 2008 release of "One of the Boys," Katy has taken a jet-fueled rocket pack to the top, wowing fans with her often whimsical, irresistible pop songs. Katy topped charts in more than 25 countries with cultural phenomenon "I Kissed a Girl," "Hot N Cold," "Thinking Of You" and "Waking Up in Vegas," and has sold more than 22 million digital tracks and mobile products worldwide. Katy erases any barrier between pop star and audience by writing all her own material. "You're getting a pure connection to the artist," Katy says. "You're not getting some idea of what that artist should be, you're getting a direct voice."

Nowhere is Katy's voice and vision clearer than in concert. She is a relentless road warrior, albeit one who comes complete with gigantic, blow up plastic strawberries to toss into the audience. As a newcomer, she stormed the Warped Tour stage for 47 dates in 2008, immediately winning over hardened rock fans with her ceaselessly energetic live show. Since then, she has steadily built audiences across the planet by touching down in more than two dozen countries and filling increasingly larger venues each time she returned to a city. 2009's headlining "One of the Boys" tour was a phenomenal success, selling out around the world.

She's also a popular television draw, appearing on countless talk shows, presenting and performing on the Grammys living out her lifelong dream of being lowered from the ceiling in a 600 lb. banana, serving as a guest judge on "American Idol," a celebrity contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and hosting MTV's Europe Music Awards twice. More often than not she's adding to her trophy case at each stop, winning Best New Act at the Europe Music Awards, Best Pop Video at the MTV Japan Awards and International Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards.

As much as her life seems to play itself out in the press--she's appeared on the cover of more than 15 magazines--she reminds us the real Katy is in every note and every word of her music. "If you ever want an answer about how I felt about something or what I was going through or what I believe or my convictions or my love," she says, "You just have to listen to the lyrics." We can't wait to hear every word she has to say.

2010 album from the Rock 'n' Roll legend. Pioneering musical genius Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has teamed up with George Gershwin, in Wilson's latest album release, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin. Featuring timeless classics like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime," the album makes history with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love" - two new songs Wilson crafted from never-before-published music by Gershwin. Produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy winner Al Schmitt and joined by his longtime acclaimed band, the new album features the trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a towering and revered figure in popular music.

In an age of auto-tuned, computerized recordings, John Mellencamp's approach on his Rounder debut, No Better Than This, is refreshing. The entire album was recorded with Mellencamp and his band all playing live in one room using a 55 year-old Ampex tape recorder and just one vintage microphone. Legendary producer T Bone Burnett captured the stunning thirteen new Mellencamp originals at three historically important locations: Sun Studio in Memphis, TN (where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis all first recorded); the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, GA (the oldest Black church in North America, dating to 1775); and in Room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX (where Robert Johnson made his first recordings in 1936). The songs on No Better Than This reflect classic American musical traditions including blues, folk, gospel, rockabilly, and country, while addressing such themes as the need for hope, the nature of relationships, and narratives that recount extraordinary occurrences in everyday life. Mellencamp says of the album, "It was absolutely the most fun I've ever had making a record in my life. It was about making music - organic music made by real musicians - that's heartfelt and written from the best place it can come from."

Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy first showed the world that women can rock when their band Heart stormed the charts in the 70s with songs like Crazy On You, Magic Man, and Barracuda, and many more. They continued topping the charts through the 80s and into the 90s with huge hits like These Dreams, Alone, What About Love, If Looks Could Kill, Never, and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters enormous talents. Along the way, Heart sold more than 30 million records, had 21 Top 40 hits, sold out arenas worldwide, and had a profound influence on rock music.


Red Velvet Car -- the most personal and powerful work yet from Ann and Nancy Wilson, and their first album in 6 years -- takes generations of Heart fans on what truly feels like the musical ride of a lifetime. Powerfully produced by Ben Mink, Red Velvet Car is a thoroughly electrifying song cycle of largely acoustic-based sound and a stunning album with a true and renewed sense of purpose. Ann and Nancy committed themselves to writing and recording an album that was as authentic as possible, culling from their own personal experiences and some universal themes. The result on Red Velvet Car is an album of breathtaking intimacy and honesty.

Disturbed began building 'Asylum' as soon as they got off the road in the summer of 2009. Officially entering Groovemaster Studios in February 2010, the band set about self-producing the album, as they did with 'Indestructible.' Draiman declares, 'This record shows a certain degree of maturation and enhanced complexity. 'Asylum' is still identifiably Disturbed, but the evolution is clear. It preserves the elements of what we do but at a more advanced level.'
Each CD includes a card to access exclusive download or stream of the documentary 'Decade of Disturbed' that recalls ten years of history in the most candid of ways. It takes you through years of countless tours, dedication and sacrifice stripping away all the gloss and letting the real story be told... the documentary is about the fans and their brotherhood that has been formed with the band.

Also Available as a Limited Edition CD+DVD:
-Expanded packaging in digi-pak with 16-page booklet
-CD: Standard album track listing plus 2 bonus live tracks 'Down With The Sickness' & 'Stricken'
-DVD: 'Decade Of Disturbed' (documentary) and Disturbed 'Dissected' (band showing/teaching fans to play tracks):
-Dan - Intro to the Asylum, Asylum, Another Way To Die, The Animal
-Dan/John - Stricken, Indestructible, Inside The Fire, The Night, Haunted

In November of 1970 James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Taylor had just released his debut album for the Beatles' newly formed Apple Records and King was finding her way as a first time solo performer even though by then she was a famous songwriter with a string of hits for other artists. When they returned to the club for a two-week co-headlining run in 1971 their lives were somewhat different. That summer Taylor's "Fire and Rain" was topping the charts and King's landmark Tapestry was on its way to making her a music superstar. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, James Taylor, Carole King and members of their renowned original band "The Section" (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue's 50th anniversary. Those historic shows are documented in Live at the Troubadour, a special 2-disc CD/DVD. This remarkable recording, culled from these unforgettable shows, features 15 songs and 75 minutes of pristine video and audio including stunning performances of the pair's most beloved hits such as Carole King's "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" as well as James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind," "Sweet Baby James," and "Fire and Rain," to name just a few.

The return to the intimate Troubadour--the fertile ground that served as the unofficial home to a some of the era's defining musicians such as the Eagles, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell--rekindled King's and Taylor's love for making music together. Variety enthused at the time, "Taylor and King reminded us about the intensity of the song, that the artistically-rich and commercially-viable are not mutually exclusive and how one tiny club continues to be a birthing room for some of this city's most memorable music." The experience was deeply felt by everyone, the musicians on stage, and the fans in attendance as well as the project's technical crew: audio producer Peter Asher (an instrumental figure throughout Taylor's career) and Emmy-winning video director, Martyn Atkins. Live at the Troubadour is captured in sterling 5.1 stereo and state-of-the-art high definition video.

In the album's liner notes, Taylor states: "The Troubadour in 1971 wasn't the beginning, but it was a big step into the light for both of us. When we reunited for the Troubadour's 50th Anniversary celebration in 2007, it felt like yesterday. It was, and still is, all about the music and the celebration of performing together." King adds, "What's even more remarkable is that James's and my musical connection and friendship continue to transcend time and place. Whenever we're together, there we are. I feel a tremendous gratitude to be able to share this experience with James, with this fine band, and most of all, with the fans."

Intimacy was inspired by KEM's deeply personal lessons on intimacy and it will allow fans to experience him unlike ever before musically, lyrically, and visually. For the first time in his career, KEM will lay all of his cards on the table and grant fans the opportunity to get up close and personal while delivering a 10-song collection of timeless music for the grown and sexy.

Intimacy features vocal and production collaborations with the likes of Grammy-winning soul diva Jill Scott and the late Motown legend David J. Van dePitt, who famously produced Marvin Gaye's 1971 masterpiece, What's Going On. Scott delivers enchanting verses of spoken word in "Golden Days," while Van dePitt arranged the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's string section on the first single, a gorgeous ballad called "Why Would You Stay." Los Angeles producer Rex Rideout (Luther Vandross, Angie Stone) also joined KEM in the studio to help round out the Intimacy listening experience. The result is a richer sound buttressed by classical instruments and a greater range of musical styles that will certainly expand KEM's audience by garnering success across multiple formats, including pop, R&B, and urban adult contemporary.

The first online video to be released offers a revealing behind the scenes look of the making of a promotional commercial for the new album that was filmed at the MGM Grand in Detroit. The second clip will be the actual promotional commercial, which depicts a night in the life of KEM, partying with friends at Detroit's MGM Grand and breaking out in an impromptu performance at the club. It serves as a formal introduction of the new album and KEM's understanding of intimacy. "The moment you realize you're not alone is your finest hour," he says at the start of the commercial. "When you can finally allow yourself to be seen as you truly are--that's what intimacy is to me."

Smooth grooves, powerful vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and just plain feel-good music best describe KEM's instantly recognizable sound. In 2002, the self-taught musician wrote and produced his critically acclaimed debut solo album, Kemistry, which spawned the hit single "Love Calls." The classic track went on to break records for longevity on the Urban A/C chart while the disc achieved gold-plus status and solidified KEM's position as a leading man in the world of jazz-influenced R&B music. The success of his gold certified follow-up CD, 2005's KEM Album II--which debuted at an impressive No. 5 on Billboard's all-important Top 200 Chart--proved KEM's staying power in the very competitive world of R&B.

Now with the release of Intimacy, KEM is opening up to reveal the elusive man behind the voice. In fact, working on this project not only led KEM, a proud father of two daughters who self-produced his first two albums, to a deeper understanding of the true meaning of intimacy, but it also helped him achieve a greater appreciation for the significance of intimacy in all aspects of his life beyond romantic relationships. "I've spent the past five years working on this project in the midst of many personal trials, which caused me to pause and take a more introspective look at myself, my family relationships, my walk with God, and even how I relate to my music," said KEM. "What I found was that giving each more time and attention is essential."

Foundling -- the stunning new effort by internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter David Gray -- begins with those evocative and somewhat mysterious words. What follows is an extraordinary song cycle of rare and timeless power that bears a rather fitting title. As people today may or may not remember, the word "foundling" is defined as "an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it." And as Gray puts it with a warm laugh, "Foundling sort of arrived at my door without my asking it to, so it felt very appropriate for this album."

In a sense, Foundling also marks another notable arrival -- the second coming of David Gray's own second coming -- and one that truly "sprung like a wild orchid" in its own right. By 2005, Gray had already enjoyed what has been a rather distinguished career as a singer-songwriter and recording artist, having sold more than 12 million albums, including his global left-field smash, 1998's White Ladder, which remains the single best selling album in Irish history. Gray had by this point already won two Ivor Novello Awards, a Q award, two Brit nominations and a GRAMMY nomination.

But not a man or artist content to ever rest on his laurels, Gray decided that the time has come to shake things up in a significant way. So in 2006, David Gray decided to disband his longtime backing group, and to attempt to reconnect with his music before recording his excellent 2009 album Draw The Line with a new group of players at his studio The Church. "Draw the Line was essentially about the band, and four people playing together in a room," says Gray. "But you can't just keep going for unlimited takes. So on days when I felt everyone was getting a bit worn down and frayed at the edges -- and that it might be good to give everyone a little space -- I'd go into the studio on my own or maybe with one other person. I'd either work on tracks we already recorded or try to record other songs with just me on piano or guitar. That's a lot of what eventually became Foundling.

In essence, Foundling became an alternate musical universe to Draw The Line. As Gray puts it," Foundling was an album done in slices of time in between band recording sessions. Eventually, I had the thought of recording and then mixing two separate albums during the same time period, so I then went back and took a closer look at the tracks and recorded a few overdubs and attempted to add a few finishing touches so that they sounded more complete. That's how Foundling became like a tapestry that I hung on the other side of The Church. And I kept walking over and making little marks on it, and before you knew it, what started off as a side project was holding my attention as well as the main work."

In the end, Foundling looks like the most gorgeous and minimalist musical tapestry that David Gray has ever created -- one that alternately suggests the early work of The Band, Randy Newman and Tom Waits, but without sounding remotely like a piece of nostalgia. Like the recent productions of T-Bone Burnett, this is music that seems to exist almost outside of time, yet feels fantastically modern and stripped of all unnecessary varnish. "Because I've done so much recording lately, I think you eventually get braver," says Gray. "You think `I can go even further with this - I can do even less.' So there's definitely a sense here of reducing the songs to their absolute bare minimum. It's that core notion of getting to the gist of the song. On Draw The Line and in a different way here, I didn't concern myself with trying to use very current sounds that might date badly. I just focused on getting the song down by the simplest means possible."

Working this way was ultimately very emancipating for Gray. "We were very unfussy on this record," he says. "I felt like this was my private record. I didn't get too picky with the vocals, and I didn't have to think about things like potential airplay. So I threw all of that stuff out and it's actually a wonderfully liberating feeling. You think, `This hasn't got a cat in hell's chance of getting on the radio, so let's make this the way we feel it ought to be made. We just made it the way we wanted to."

When it's pointed out that he was always a bit of a left-field success story, and that Foundling might find a home on the airwaves simply because it's so good, he laughs and adds, "I could see these songs doing well at the cinema or maybe on TV because there is a cinematic quality to some of the stuff. Maybe that could unlock the record in some way, but it's hard to imagine it getting on the radio as it stands. But who cares anyway? Fuck it, we love it."

"Frankly, I can't wait for this bloody thing to come out because I'm still tearing my hair out about what to leave in and not," Gray adds with a hearty laugh. "It's basically the record I've been wanting to make for a long time and it's as strong a statement as White Ladder in its own way. The album is like a stepping off point for what might happen next. It's like I'm really putting my money where my mouth is with this one." FOUNDLING: SONG-BY-SONG WITH DAVID GRAY:

ONLY THE WINE: "Only The Wine" was born out of a little guitar motif with a slight nod toward "Norwegian Wood." That first line was key: "Sprung like a wild orchid." I thought that the whole song sounded like something woody -- something you'd find growing in a field. When we recorded "Only The Wine," the song had this beautiful warm sound. Everyone was playing quite tentatively and innocently because we hadn't settled into that whole "We know what we're doing" feeling. So this song had the sense I love of players still reaching for something. FOUNDLING: This was a key track because of the soundscape of it. It's just a two chord thing, and yet it feels like new territory to me. For me, "Foundling" is a sort of a road marker left at the end of the last recording session to tell me where to start next time around. Like, "Start there next time and just keep going further out." There's no use trying to unwrap the lyrics for this song or "Only the Wine" -- it's just bring your own pictures because that's all I'm creating here, and make your own meaning too. FORGETTING: This one is self-explanatory to the point that it would be stupid to explain it when it's so obvious what it's about. The lyrics came first for a change here. What happened during this whole period of this recording is that the joy of words and language and writing came back to me full force. That's still with me, and I think that's where I'm strongest and it's where I'll be concentrating a lot of my energies next time around. So I think there may be a few more lyrics first scenarios around the corner for me.

GOSSAMER THREAD: This song came to me some time ago, and I just got this really strong picture of a person, this semi-derelict person, just drifting from city to city, hanging on to life as if by a gossamer thread. We all know how that feels sometimes. In terms of recording, as a piece of playing, it took a lot of effort to get it all in one take, and by the end of the session we were so worn out we just put it to one side and didn't listen to it for months. It was the very last thing we mixed on the record, and when we put up the faders it was the most pleasant surprise of the whole mixing session. It sounded great and it just sort of mixed itself.

IN GOD'S NAME: It's the song I wrote to my friend Bryan Glancy, an English singer songwriter who also inspired Elbow's record The Seldom Seen Kid. He was a great character and a dear friend to us all, and he died shortly after I wrote this song with him in mind. "In God's Name" became part one, and I wrote another part that will be an extra track on the album called "Fixative," which together represent my own little homage to Bryan. A very simple idea and I don't know how to elaborate on it. What brought the track together was we got the hurdy gurdy man in to play on it. That's something you don't get to say every day.

THE OLD CHAIR: When I talk about how minimal Foundling is, I must remember "The Old Chair" is on there with a huge orchestra that kicks in at the end. It's a bit early Tom Waits that one, and proudly so. The song is about old people and in a way it's definitely a cousin of some of those great songs John Prine's written like "Hello In There." It's obviously not a very popular subject for a pop song, with a few exceptions like "Eleanor Rigby." The reason the song got started was unusual. I was doing some writing for an animation project to do with these rescue dogs, and the original working title for the project was "The Old Chair." So that's where the title came from, even though it had nothing to do with the final song. Still, I quite like having an assignment to work on, it can change the parameters of your thinking in a very useful way.

WE COULD FALL IN LOVE AGAIN TONIGHT: Well, this is a very romantic song, and I haven't written many of those in recent years. And in this context, it was almost gutsy to feature some breathy saxophone on this track. I was thinking of "When Teardrops Fall" by Bob Dylan from Oh Mercy. Or maybe Stan Getz's saxophone on "Girl From Ipanema." That was what I wanted there. Sometimes I like to record without using bass because I feel you can get a starker more emotional result. Bass can sometimes normalize things and make a song seem too comfortable and familiar.

HOLDING ON: This came from the session when the new band first came together -- the same session as the title track from Draw The Line was recorded. Neil MacColl's guitar part here is beautiful. I've written a song called "Hold On," "Hold On To Nothing," and now "Holding On," so I'm getting some grief from the boys, like, "Write some decent titles, Dave."

A NEW DAY AT MIDNIGHT: This song actually dates back to the album A New Day At Midnight from 2002. That' when I wrote it, and it gave its title to that album. This is the oldest recording that's on the album. I kept this one back because I thought there was a better moment for the song, and this is it. I'm getting some grief about this title too because it's the same as the 2002 album. It's a simple, uplifting kind of song, and I'm very happy about the horn arrangement, which I think came out great.

WHEN I WAS IN YOUR HEART: This song I wrote a good few years ago, and it just had something. We did it up as a band version first and I felt we hadn't really taken it any further, so then I stripped it back. Lestyn Polson, my producer, had so much to do with the colour of this record and the soundscape of it. He did a brilliant job of presenting the simple things. We used a lot of old reverb effects, and you can hear a good example on the vocals in this track. A strange, quirky little song, and I'm glad it's finally going to see the light of day.

DAVEY JONES' LOCKER: This whole song came pretty much fully formed out of a soundcheck jam. It virtually wrote itself. Then afterwards I went back and added a few more lines to it, and tidied up a few loose ends. Then I got the same people from onstage into the studio and we got it down 'live' in a couple of takes. I can't really unravel the imagery too much without making it sound trite, but the lyric describes heading down under the surface of things into a strange and dreamy world