Darren Paltrowitz

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Meeting Of Important People – Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Meeting Of Important People is a trio that leans in the indie-pop direction. In turn, it is not surprising to report that the band has shared the stage with Blonde Redhead and Secret Machines. Start with tracks five (“Dead Man”) and seven (“Mothers Pay More”) from the self-titled debut and see if you dig the vocals and songwriting of frontman Josh Verbanets as much as this columnist does. (myspace.com/meetingofimportantpeople) BOOK: Leo Babauta / The Power Of Less – Founder of…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Cheap Trick / The Latest – Recently celebrating their 35th anniversary as a rock & roll super-power, Cheap Trick is still recording and touring as much as ever. Presently on the road with Def Leppard, the Rockford quartet is out there in support of their new studio album, The Latest. Track two, “When The Lights Are Out,” is a Slade cover mixed with elements of long-time fan favorite “Elo Kiddies.” Summer movie fans will also be able to catch Cheap Trick’s music in the new Transformers movie, for which…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Metric / Fantasies -- Fantasies is the fourth album by Canadian band Metric, and perhaps their strongest yet. Delivering more of the same sweet, catchy, keyboard-heavy pop-rock that Metric fans have come to expect, frontwoman Emily Haines sings in a way that seems personalized yet also ready for the masses. Lead-off track “Help I’m Alive” and the Stones/Beatles-referencing “Gimme Sympathy” are great starting points for the uninitiated. (myspace.com/metric) BOOK: Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell / If…, Volume 2 – Admittedly I’m many years late on this title, having recently…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – A New York City-based band long ago trumpeted by The L Magazine, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are now making waves internationally. On its self-titled Slumberland Records-releasing album, the quartet showcases a sound that many refer to as “dream pop,” “twee” or “shoegaze.” In layman’s terms, this means ethereally-poppy rock songs that carry a fair amount of reverb; and in the case of TPOBPAH, cute dual male-female vocals. Start with “Young Adult Friction” and perhaps you’ll see why this…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Fastball / Little White Lies – Fastball first came into the public’s consciousness in the late 1990s with hit singles like “The Way,” “You’re An Ocean” and “Out Of My Head.” Having recently released their fifth full-length, Little While Lies, the Austin-based band is active as ever. As evidenced by a performance this writer was able to attend at Manhattan’s City Winery, the hooks of Miles Zuniga and Tony Scalzo remain appealing, energetic and harmony-driven as ever. (fastballtheband.com) BOOK: Tom Davis / Thirty-Nine Years Of Short-Term Memory Loss –…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:ALBUM: Guns ‘N Roses / Chinese Democracy – Released in late 2008, I am late to the game in realizing the greatness of this album. Is it 14-years-in-the-making great? That is an entirely subjective matter, but “Better” has to be one of the best singles I have heard in recent years. Fingers crossed that GNR can hit the road for a summer 2009 tour in support of the album. (gunsnroses.com) BOOK: Greg Prato / Grunge Is Dead – At the polar opposite of Chinese Democracy – in spite of participation…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: ALBUM: Mandy Moore / Amanda Leigh – One of the albums most likely to turn heads in 2009 is Amanda Leigh. Produced and co-written with Mike Viola with additional contributions from Inara George, Lori McKenna and Tracy Bonham, the songs are introspective and organic while melodic and catchy. Expect to see Mandy on talk show circuit with clavinet-driven first single “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week” serving as a good first taste. (mandymoore.com)BOOK: Peter Ellenby / Every Day Is Saturday – Years ago Peter Ellenby…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: ALBUM: Roger Joseph Manning Jr. / Catnip Dynamite – Roger Joseph Manning Jr. has long stood out in the music business for a number of reasons. First, he was a founding member of Jellyfish and Imperial Drag. Second, he is one of the most in-demand keyboardists, having played and/or toured with everyone from Morrissey to Jay-Z, from Beck To Neil Diamond, and so forth. “Catnip Dynamite” is another sugary power-pop album by RJMJ, full of the harmonies and psychedelic that his prior bands were known for. Those who already…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:ALBUM: MC Lars / This Gigantic Robot Kills – A pioneer of laptop-based hip-hop, MC Lars has long been renowned for combining topical lyrics with hooky choruses. The first release on Crappy Records, the new label headed Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick and producer Linus Of Hollywood, This Gigantic Robot Kills is more of the same from Lars, only with a star-studded ensemble cast. Featuring many cameos -- “Weird Al” Yankovic, members of Cobra Starship, The Donnas, Simple Plan, The Aquabats and Suburban Legends, among others -– the cameos generally…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: MUSIC: Tinted Windows – Set to make their live debut at SXSW, Tinted Windows is an all-star band to be reckoned with. Fronted by Taylor Hanson, the group also features Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Fountains Of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos. Shortly after their first gig, the group’s first album will be released through S-Curve Records on April 21st. Power-pop fans ought to be on the look-out for this project, which looks to be more than a one-off. (myspace.com/tintedwindows) BOOK: Kathi Elster…