BBC News - UK — Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody teams up with REM guitarist Peter Buck and a host of A-list friends for a country concept album. more info

Gigwise — Under band name Tired Pony... more info

DrownedInSound — So, erm, some people have commented on some of the new Band of Horses tracks since a couple of tracks were made available, a video, and a performance on Later...With Jools Holland. Some of the comments were disparaging, one comparing them to Snow Pat... more info

Guardian Music — Genre made a healthy comeback last year due to strong chart performances from Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole and Lily AllenAfter years of rock domination at the top of the charts, pop music made a healthy comeback last year, thanks to strong sales from Lady ... more info

Guardian Music — Politicians using contemporary music to suggest they understand 'real' people is a big mistake. It's just embarrassingI've always had a soft spot for Sarah Teather. It can't be much fun being a Liberal Democrat, and she's so wee that you just want to... more info

The Music Fix — News Flash: Midlanders 'frantically disembowel American alt-rock' it sez here. Good lads!Max Raptor issue 'The Great and The Good' on download on 26 April. The track has been produced by Sam Bell, whose studio credits include Bloc Party, REM, Snow Pa... more info

Guardian Music — This Manchester mope patrol strive for the soaring melancholia of Joy Division and the Cure, but sound like another Elbow or ColdplayHometown: Manchester.The lineup: Elliott Williams (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tom Dyball (bass), Marcus Wheeldon (gu... more info

Pop Justice — We went to see Diana Vickers a-warbling some songs last night. In tune with RCA giving her an indie makeover (?!) she performed at London's Water Rats - a venue that's seen its fair share of tragic indie gigs - and we've squashed the whole thing into... more info

Guardian Music — Gaga's product placement has reached a new order, but how might pop have looked if such blatent commercial opportunism had always been the norm?It's fair to say Lady Gaga's new video has caused a stir. Since it surfaced on Thursday night, the world's... more info

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody has been singing with a dislocated jaw for the past eight years. The frontman revealed that he got the injury after he fell down a flight of stairs during a night out in Glasgow in 2002, but only recently had it X-rayed a... more info