Guardian Music — Last time was all about the joys of noise. This week we're after songs that grip you from the offHello all. I hope this finds you in rude health. It's been quite a week here at Recommend Towers, one which has been filled with the odd-ball, the theatr... more info

Fantastic Weapon — Watch Out For Rockets kind of sounds like the name of some crappy "emo pop" band, like "Eye Alaska" or "We The Kings" - while I dono about their name, one thing's for sure - they are not a crappy emo pop band. WOFR falls into that vein of stuff that'... more info

Guardian Music — Sir Elton is putting the finishing touches to an LP recorded with the long-haired, big-bearded country-rock legendElton John is putting the finishing touches to his new album, recorded with 70s country-rock star Leon Russell. Sir Elton and longtime s... more info

Guardian Music — Ellie Goulding's threat of an acoustic-pop fusion raised the spectre of past follies. But her debut is busy mercilessly chasing down much bigger targets, writes Alexis PetridisIt may not have been a vintage year for music, but if nothing else, the 20... more info

KEXP Seattle — I first heard about Gospel music when I read Dave Marsh’s review of a Mahalia Jackson LP in an 80s rock magazine, so it makes sense that I first heard about The Byrds when I started reading reviews about a jangling, lyrical band out of Athens,... more info

MTV.com News — Legendary keyboardist joins Best New Artist winners on their hit song 'Chicken Fried.'By MTV News Staff Leon Russell performs at the 2010 Grammy Awards Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage Leon Russell, the wispy keyboardist who guested wit... more info

Allmusic Blog — Arriving a year after the British Invasion kick-started and two years before the Summer of Love, 1965 sometimes gets overlooked among the great years of the '60s, but a convincing case could be made that it showcases how creatively fertile the decade... more info

Altsounds — Titling her third album *Sweet Heart Rodeo* might appear a calculated risk but singer-songwriter *Dawn Landes*, Kentucky-born and Brooklyn-based, swears she didn't have the Byrds' pioneering 1968 country-rock classic "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" in mind... more info

Guardian Music — Last week was all about heading downstream. This time, we want you to suggest songs that push you out of your comfort zoneIt turned out to be an unusual week. The augurs were there when comments were set to close in 2009, a gaffe for which I'd like t... more info

411 Mania — Drummers seldom move successfully from behind their snares and cymbals into the solo spotlight. Gene Parsons, long time stickman for The Byrds, gave it a shot, and the results are the focus of this week's Thrifty Tunes. more info