Mixing cancer with comedy seems like a recipe for disaster, but director Jonathan Levine comes out on top with his first wide-release film 50/50, a tale of a young man’s sudden, grim diagnosis.
Read MoreAfter 31 years, R.E.M. calls it quits
On Sept. 21, alternative rock band R.E.M. announced their breakup after 31 years together. The Georgia-based group’s decision – announced on their website – came as a shock to the music community.
Read MoreAlbum Review: Neon Indian gets serious with Era Extraña
Era Extraña, Neon Indian’s sophomore album, caps off the summer album season with a psychedelic feel, though written and recorded in just four weeks in a cabin in Helsinki last winter by synthesizer expert and lead singer Alan Palomo.
Read MoreAnimal Collective entrances Maryland
It was 90 degrees and humid in Columbia, Md. and the Merriweather Post Pavilion parking lot was filled with flannel-clad tailgaters nursing cans of beer and half-naked hipsters running around playing Frisbee.v
Read MoreSummer album picks to help you survive the heat
Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues, May 3
Fleet Foxes' 2008 self-titled debut album delivered a well-developed combination of classic rock, pre-1980s country and folk revival. With such an integral sound, however, fans are left to wonder what the overdue Helplessness Blues has to offer for the band's progression.
Danger Mouse and Danielle Luppi
Rome, May 17
Danger Mouse, the acclaimed producer of albums by The Black Keys, Beck and Gorillaz and a member of Broken Bells and Gnarls Barkley, has partnered up with composer Daniele Luppi for their first collaboration, Rome. Two singles, "Two Against One" featuring Jack White and "Black" featuring Norah Jones, have already been released.
Lady Gaga
Born This Way, May 23
With only two albums and over 20 million records sold, Lady Gaga has taken the music world by storm. "Born This Way" and "Judas," the first two singles off the new album, have already generated a strong following among pop music fans and club goers.
Death Cab for Cutie
Codes and Keys, May 31
Alternative rock band Death Cab for Cutie has returned to the studio after its chart-topping 2008 release, Narrow Stairs. Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer described Codes and Keys (their eighth studio album) as "a much less guitar-centric album than we've ever made."
My Morning Jacket
Circuital, May 31
Industrious indie rockers My Morning Jacket sparked negative responses after the band presented a scattered, uneven melody in their last album, Evil Urges. The band has, however, brought back its unique, reverberating sound for its sixth album, Circuital. The album's already-released title track promises more resolute, consistent harmony.
Arctic Monkeys
Suck it and See, June 6
English indie-garage rock band Arctic Monkeys set the record for fastest-selling debut album in the U.K. with 2006's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. While some bands might have broken under the pressure, the Arctic Monkeys have not, putting out two more successful albums since and scheduling their fourth, Suck It and See, for a June release.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver, June 21
Though Bon Iver released its debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, in 2007 and EP, Blood Bank, in 2009, front man Justin Vernon has been busy with solo shows and appearances, his side project Volcano Choir and collaborations with Kanye West and Gayngs. The self-titled second studio album is due out in June and will feature collaborations with pedal steel player Greg Leisz, string player Rob Moose and Volcano Choir members Jim Schoenecker and Tom Wincek.
Jane's Addiction
The Great Escape Artist, August
Though they have broken up twice in their history, the members of Jane's Addiction have come back together once again from their latest 2004 breakup, toured and are now about to release their first new material in eight years. The album's first single, "End to the Lies," shows the band's progression from early grungy work into a more modernized sound.
With many projects still underway and release dates unknown, Aerosmith, The Shins, Björk, U2 and The Offspring have all also announced summer album releases.
Ablum Review: Grohl leads Foo Fighters' mediocre release
Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters in 1994, just months after the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and the ensuing disbandment of the group he had drummed for during its meteoric rise to prominence.
Read MoreAlbum Review: Collapse into 1996 with R.E.M.’s throwback new release
Since drummer Bill Berry's departure in 1997, R.E.M. has fought to maintain its record of producing consistently successful and provoking albums.
Read MoreAlbum Review: The Decemberists's "The King is Dead" grounded in reality
The record is a leap from the band's usual repertoire, leaving behind lengthy pirate jigs and folklore-inspired love ballads for shorter, rustic country/folk songs with harmonica wails and songwriting that would make Bob Dylan proud.
Read MoreFilm Review: Indie flick not such a funny story
Indie writers and directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (both from Half Nelson and Sugar) took on a difficult task in making It's Kind of a Funny Story, a comedic movie set in a psych ward with characters who want to kill themselves.
Read MoreRoger Waters tears down Wall in Washington D.C.
The call echoed through the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. as Roger Waters, former singer and bassist for Pink Floyd, began performing The Wall amidst a furor of fireworks and cheers.
Read MoreWho's Who in the Arts: Louis Lohraseb
Sophomore Louis Lohraseb, a composer and concert pianist from Schenectady, N.Y. has made quite an impact on the Geneseo music community as a student conductor and performer.
Read MoreNo fall concert, SA confirms
Senior Doug Sinski, president of Geneseo's Student Association, confirmed that the Activities Commission will not present a fall concert this year.
Read MoreBook Review: Bret Easton Ellis revisits roots with Imperial Bedrooms
Bret Easton Ellis' seventh novel, Imperial Bedrooms, was released on June 15 as a sequel to his 1985 debut novel, Less Than Zero, picks up with the same characters 25 years later.
Read MoreSummer 2010 Concerts: Flaming Lips dazzle dazed crowd
The Flaming Lips has been touring non-stop since November to deliver its neo-psychedelic sound worldwide; on April 18, the band left an unforgettable mark on Barton Hall in Ithaca, N.Y.
Read MoreAlbum Review: The Black Keys stay true with Brothers
The Black Keys never attempt to offer up anything more than what they already are: an indie blues duo with relationship problems to sing about and plenty of unrefined guitar licks.
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