The irresistible, magnetic vocal harmonies of The Pierces - Alabama-bred, New York-based sisters Allison and Catherine -take a giant step forward as the two singer-songwriters become the newest members of the Mercury Records artist roster, a division of Island Def Jam Music Group. Mercury will introduce The Pierces this month at special shows at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on January 11-12th; and the Hotel Café in Los Angeles on January 17th. The Pierces' fourth album, YOU & I, set for U.S. release on March 27, 2012, is also their first with production duo the Darktones, aka Grammy Award®-winning Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman and Grammy®-winning Coldplay producer Rik Simpson. In the UK, the Guardian hailed The Pierces as "heart stopping and extraordinary"; Q magazine called them "a life affirming delight"; and the Times praised their "honeyed harmonies and huge pop hooks." Currently at triple-A radio in the U.S. is the advance single "You'll Be Mine," which had the distinction of besting Adele in the UK as the Most-Played song in the first quarter of 2011 at BBC Radio 2. YOU & I, released May 2011 in the UK, entered the national chart at #4 and was certified gold. Three subsequent singles, "Glorious," "Kissing You Goodbye," and "It Will Not Be Forgotten" all received Top 10 airplay and were A-listed on national BBC Radio. The Pierces' distinctive vocals, percolating under the mainstream over the course of their first three albums and a dozen haunting videos, were indelibly etched in the tv public's imagination back in 2008, when "Secret" ("two can keep a secret/ if one of them is dead," a song from their third album, Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge) was heard on the CW's Gossip Girl. The on-screen performance of "Secret" (at the infamous cotillion ball) solidified the song, which was heard in promos for Dexter, and in European tv promos as well. In 2010, "Secret" was heard as the theme song for the series Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family). "Drag You Down" (from YOU & I) has been featured in promos for ABC's newest hit, Revenge. Nurturing their UK support, The Pierces played their first tour of small venues there in the summer of 2011. The tour segued into various key festival dates through the summer including a slot at the legendary Glastonbury Festival in June; Magic Summer Live with Elton John, two V Festival appearances and a date at the iTunes Festival in July, with Coldplay headlining. The Pierces returned for a full-scale 12-city headlining tour in October, which included a sold out show at London's classic venue The Shepherd's Bush Empire. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama to self-described hippie parents, Allison and two years younger sister Catherine Pierce were home-schooled, with an emphasis on arts that exposed them to folk music and dance at a very early age. While attending Auburn University, a tape of their music wound up at Sony Music in Nashville, which eventually led to the release of their modern alt-folk-flavored self-titled debut album in 2000. Lost in the shuffle, the two relocated to New York City, worked day jobs, concentrated on their music, and were signed to Universal for their second album, Light Of the Moon (2005), with producer Brian Sperber. The Pierces' third album, Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge on New York-London indie label Lizard King, could have been their "last chance," as they told Rolling Stone, who described the pair as "preternaturally gorgeous Southern sisters... who love dancing to the perfectly cheesy Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton hit `Islands in the Stream'." Instead, their third album won them a strong following in the UK, and several of its songs - "Boring," "Secret," "Three Wishes," and so on - proved perfect choices for tv syncing in the U.S. and abroad. Things heated up in 2010, when Guy Berryman phoned them out of the blue, to ask if they wanted to join Coldplay on tour in South America. The tour did not happen, but it paved the way f

2012 two CD set. This is the first CD issue of Grouper's 2011 self released two part album subtitled Dream Loss and Alien Observer, comprised of songs written and recorded over the last four years. A chronological order informs the thematic trajectory of the dual release. Dream Loss is the first album and is a collection of older songs, while Alien Observer is mostly made of newer songs. Each is meant to stand solidly on its own, and also as a satellite in the other's system, subjects on either side of the water's surface, on either side of a trick mirror; at times reflecting one back to the other, at times looking straight through to the other. Enough has been written about Grouper in the past few years that there is no need to wax poetic here. Suffice it to say that Liz Harris has created an exquisite sonic universe where she is the sole inhabitant, and we should consider it a privilege to listen in.

This inspirational board book is filled with full-color photos of babies and toddlers with Down syndrome discovering their world and reaching developmental milestones. "[Y]oungsters are all actively engaged . . . and reveling in their newfound abilities . . . [M]ost reassuring for preschoolers who have Down syndrome, as many never see kids like themselves in picture books."--"School Library Journal."

2008 release. The famous holy man from UK, Yusuf Islam (or Cat Stevens as he is best known) is back with another festive season album together his friends and children. Includes two songs especially for Hari Raya and fasting month. Also featured on this albums are the most talented composers and finest singers from all over the world: Zain Bhikha, David Vharnsby and Zakiyya Mohammed. The album also tells the story about Prophet Mohammad and his legacy. Not to be missed. A must buy album for all Muslims.

((featured in Glee)). By Glee Cast and Whitney Houston. By Robert Kelly. Arranged by Adam Anders, Mark A. Brymer, and Tim Davis. ShowTrax CD. Pop Choral Series. CD only. Published by Hal Leonard

Two girls, Lana and Jane, from vastly different worlds, bond as they persevere to become a part of the glamorous lifestyle offered by the power’s high society. Although they are constantly challenged by the seductive, intoxicating allure of this society they’re suddenly forced to confront the cruel reality that lies beneath its glittery facade. As their bond is tested to its breaking point they will need to re-discover the love that brought them together otherwise their bond will be shattered forever.

Sweetland offers a new angle on the metaphysical truth that happiness is a life-long journey that comes from creating, and not a state to aspire to in the future. In other words, what we do now and how we look at life now make us happy. He explains that the "I CAN" consciousness must be infused with the "I WILL" determination and developed through a plan of action, in order to reach our goals. Success is thus not a destination but a journey, from station to station. He lists the main reasons for unhappiness as a guilty conscience, self-pity, envy, selfishness, timidity, worry and the absence of a spiritual consciousness. He discusses the role of the subconscious mind and how it is activated by enthusiasm and explains how the subconscious follows the pattern established by the conscious mind. He throws light on the difference between potential and kinetic energy and the law of cause and effect and emphasizes that one must visualize in order to materialize. With deep psychological insight and in an informal, engaging style, he brings across the common sense and the ancient truths that we all carry within ourselves, for example that happiness comes from giving happiness. The last chapter contains specific formulas for specific objectives, i.e. affirmations for inter alia better health, domestic harmony, concentration, overcoming habits, public speaking, self-mastery, etc. This is one of the best motivational books I have read, positively inspiring and illuminating.

The three members of Buffalo Daughter are as much sonic collage artists as musicians, and I--their 2002 release and quite possibly their masterwork--can be viewed as both a collection of songs and a serious challenge to accepted norms about dissonance, structure, harmony, and the studio itself as an instrument. Take, for instance, the opening track, "Ivory." An electric guitar slowly unspools a repeating series of minor keys while the three Japanese women gently coo over top. Normal enough, then out of nowhere comes a cacophony of strings, as if a heretofore unnoticed orchestra began warming up in the studio next door. Just as suddenly, an agile violin begins shadowing the guitar's stated melody, then the whole thing just drifts off into the ether. The Yoko Ono-damaged "I Know" finds the women alternately chanting and screaming the words "I know" in no discernible pattern, while the call of a thrush is peppered throughout "Discotheque du Paradis," a track on which almost tribal rhythms introduce the elaborate synth dominating the song's second half. Random strings again pop up in "28 Nuts"--arguably the set's centerpiece and the closest I skates to the fringes of post-rock, while robotic bleeps and burps evoke the chilly world of electronica on the aptly titled "Robot Strings?" (To Rococo Rot fans, take note). Even Buffalo Daughter's straightest tracks invariably contain some element of the unexpected, even if it's as simple as the women's highly accented English. Yet despite its flat-out weirdness, I is more satisfying than annoying. This marvelous aural curio owes as much to what it doesn't have--namely, any relation to almost anything else you've ever heard--as to what it does. --Kim Hughes