I love it when bands surprise me. For someone who thought Ra Ra Riot were like a lesser Vampire Weekend with a string section after 2008’s so-so The Rhumb Line, I was ready to push through The Orchard and let it down gently. Then I listened to it, and lo and behold, a band I had written off ends up backhanding me across the face with one of the better albums I’ve heard all year. Previous fans of the band will no doubt be delighted to hear that singer Wes Miles still sounds like Ezra Koenig, if a little more prone to falsetto, and that the band’s bouncy brand of pop-rock is still very much in evidence (just check out that ADD bass line on uber-catchy single “Boy”). But whereas The Rhumb Line was all meaty melodies and festival-ready sing-a-longs, The Orchard feels like a proper album of baroque pop - the songwriting is noticeably stronger, the band takes their time around the tunes rather than jumping headfirst into hooks, and the lovely strings of violinist Rebecca Zeller and cellist Alexandra Lawn seem far more integrated into the affairs here rather than the gimmick they at times appeared to be on their debut.

It’s a record that knows that the best way to start an album is not a rookie move like throwing out your best song or first single, but to kick things off with a track that announces a new, determined direction instead. “The Orchard” is just that song, floating along ominous string chords and a pensive bass line without a hint of drums or guitar. The focus is purely on Miles, who sounds like a markedly more assured vocalist throughout the record and never as clearly as he does on “The Orchard.” The strings at the forefront is something repeated throughout the album, from the way they add a melancholy note to the otherwise upbeat “Boy” to the way they arch and dip across melodies, putting their indelible stamp on songs like “Do You Remember” and “Kansai.” The fact that Zeller and Lawn are the centerpiece of songs rather than a touch of color here or a flourish there makes The Orchard everything The Rhumb Line hinted at but never accomplished: the sound of a complete and full band, utilizing an array of sound and talents in a more organic way than many of their peers.

Not to say that the rest of the band suffers in comparison. Drummer Gabriel Duquette is the unsung hero here, laying down a number of intricate beats that always propel things forward but never overwhelm. Like the National’s Bryan Devendorf or Bloc Party’s Matt Tong, Duquette has some impressive chops (check out his subtle work on “Massachusetts”), but uses them more to build a rigid rhythmic framework than show off. Everyone contributes, whether it’s consistently fantastic rhythm work, airtight melodies and subtler hooks, or Miles letting Lawn on the mic for the excellently Fleetwood Mac-ish “You And I Know.” There are a few missteps; seriously cheesy synths midway through “Foolish” mar some perfectly good dream-pop, and the sluggish “Keep It Quiet” ends the album with a whimper rather than a bang. But perhaps that’s to be expected - The Orchard is nothing if not a sharp left turn from the cheery, thumping pop of their debut, and ending it on its most plaintive note is sort of fitting. It’s also everything I wanted from a sophomore effort: sophisticated, confident, surprisingly layered, and endlessly entertaining. It’s always exciting when a band seems to get it and come into their own as a group - with The Orchard, Ra Ra Riot have finally created a distinctive identity all their own.

Dear Katy,

I thought you were different. I used to think your sprightly personality, subtle sarcasm and jabs at more established musicians, and defined sense of style suggested a deeper dimension than your average pre-fab pop star. Despite admittedly simple, straightforward pop like “I Kissed A Girl” and “Waking Up In Vegas” along with lyrics and photos meant to stir up controversy and firmly place you into the bracket of commercial whore, I always thought there was more to you than your run-of-the-mill Ke$ha or Pussycat Dolls. You even sort of look like my future wife Zooey, and that’s always a plus.

I really wanted to like “California Gurls” when I first heard it, although there hasn’t been a more mechanical formula to Billboard success all year - faux anthemic qualities, high-priced “cool” guest spot, vapid lyrics and a brainless melody aimed straight at adolescents desperate for the sing-a-long of the summer. I dared to think Teenage Dream could be one of the better pop albums of the year. And for the first four minutes the title track actually led me on for a bit, a lovely slice of synth pop made even better by Kaskade’s remix tacked on at the end of the album. Then what did you do, Katy? You throw out a song like “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” a song so repulsively crass and soulless that it makes “Dirrty”-era Aguilera look like Mandy Moore. I used to think I partied pretty hard, but you’ve truly upped the ante on me. Maxing out your credit cards, streaking in the park Frank-the-Tank style, and threesomes (nothing screams rebellion like an Eiffel tower)?  I know you’re all for giving the finger to middle American sensibilities and expressing yourself, but when the song itself is about as musically progressive as “Hot Cross Buns,” the focus is squarely on those wretched lyrics. Tell Dr. Luke and Max Martin that that faux-saxophone solo might be the low point of their careers.

I can forgive a couple of transgressions if Teenage Dream redeemed itself with songs that were more than trashy, one-dimensional pop, but, alas, the rest of the album is just as predictable as the VMAs and only marginally more entertaining. I would bet money on “Firework,” with its inoffensive electro beat and massive chorus, on being the next single. I would also place money on “Peacock” never seeing the light of day, primarily because it’s a terrible song with a double entendre so blunt it would make Ke$ha blush but also because it doesn’t exactly flatter Ms. Perry the lyricist (I’m almost 100% certain “cock” cannot rhyme with “biotch” or “payoff,” ever). I get that “E.T.” is supposed to be “space-themed,” what with its cheesy synths and cool sound effects, but lyrically it seems more Alien Sex Files 3 than Solaris. I do like your attempt to be more of a serious artist with songs that just reek of edginess and dark, heavy emotion, songs like “Who Am I Living For?” and “Pearl,” but these are songs that nevertheless would work better in the hands of a more versatile vocalist. Plus, front-loading your record with terrible tracks makes it even harder to get to the (relatively) enjoyable tunes that close out Teenage Dream.

So, sure, I guess you could say I’m a little disappointed in you. You could have been the next Gaga, albeit less talented, less hideous, and certainly less crazy, if only you could direct that don’t-give-a-damn personality and charismatic vibe to songs that didn’t rely on hormone-baiting lyrics and sing-a-longs that collapse on their own frothiness. Maybe don’t rely on producers like Dr. Luke, who shouldn’t have been allowed around any reputable studio after his work on Animal. The potential is all there, and the American public is in the palm of your hand, bought and paid for with your limelight-stealing presence and a Snoop Dogg guest spot. You can do anything you want, so why do you spend four minutes demanding to see my tool? I hope Teenage Dream is just a minor speed bump in your career, because there’s nothing sadder than wasted talent. Get it together.

While it appears there is an influx of unions in Hollywood, there’s always a flip side to that fairy tale story. In Hollywood, where there’s a wedding, there’s a divorce lurking not too far behind.

Still, there’s a fair share of celeb’s who are keeping wedded bliss at bay - opting to be fully committed to one another - even starting families together - without tying the knot. Here’s the Top 5 Happily UnMarried Hollywood Couples.

#5 Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves

Together: 3 years

Additions: 2 children, Levi and Vida.

“Being married is not something that’s even in our minds. What’s important to me is to have a home that is peaceful and healthy,” Alves says.

#4 Leiv Schreiber & Naomi Watts

Together: 5 years

Additions: 2 children, Sasha and Sam.

“Maybe one day we’ll just wake up and go, ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ And maybe not. He and I have a family. We’re very much together. We just don’t have that certificate, and that’s okay with both of us,” Watts says.

#3 Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis

Together: 12 years

Additons: 2 children, Lilly-Rose and Jack.

“He’s got me, and he knows he’s got me,” Paradis says.

#2 Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie

Together: 5 years

Additions: 6 children, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Viv

“We’ll marry when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able,” Pitt says.

#1 Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell

Together: 27 years

Additions: 1 child Wyatt (plus Goldie’s kids Kate & Oliver, who both refer to Kurt as, “Dad”).

“I wake up every day knowing I can walk out at any moment. It keeps things fresh,” Hawn says.

What made Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s debut album Broom such a delight was its simple charm and beautifully unassuming melodies. Sure, it was home-recorded in a pointedly lo-fi manner and slightly derivative of bands like The Shins and early Apples in Stereo, but there was something inspiring about these three Missouri kids pulling off some truly gorgeous indie pop with a miniscule budget. It meant the songs had to be good, not fluffed up with studio tricks, and they were. The songs on Pershing were just as solid, no doubt, but a more confident SSLYBY began to lose some of that production innocence and amateur sensibility that colored their debut, seeming instead to be searching desperately for that hit single to put them over the top. Now we finally have The Indie Band Making Good - Death Cab’s Chris Walla behind the boards, a honest-to-God studio to play with, and a summer release date, the perfect time to listen to a band as breezy and lighthearted as SSLYBY generally sound. Unfortunately, what they end up with sounds more like contemporary Weezer than something you might find at the back of your local discount record store, something that was perhaps not groundbreaking but definitely yours.

Too often here SSLYBY sound like someone else’s band, or maybe Chris Walla’s wind-up power-pop toy. Of course, everything sounds good - each song here could be a potential hit single for the band or any other songwriter, and with Walla’s beefed-up production sharpening every cymbal hit and making the guitar chords more pleasant and audible than ever before, it’s a fundamentally flawless indie pop record. It’s just so unexpectedly generic; from the faux-anthem “Banned (By The Man)” to the cringe-inducing lyrics of “In Pairs” to the by the numbers designated single “Sink/Let It Sway,” nothing here leaves much of an imprint. Agreeably shiny guitars? Check. Soothing vocal harmonies? Check. Handclaps? Check. It’s inoffensive, sometimes fuzzy, other times crisp guitar pop, tunes that are a dime a dozen on any college radio station. Those who haven’t heard the band before will find everything agreeable enough, if a little indistinctive - what was the fuss all about, anyways? Then again, only the lovely, acoustic ballad “Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Métro” takes a page from the Broom handbook, right down to the opaque name, hushed vocals and delicate melody.

If it wasn’t for that sole offering, Let It Sway might seem the work of an entirely different band, one content to offer up bland sing-a-longs like “All Hail Dracula!” and the truly bad one-two combo of “Animalkind” and “Phantomwise,” songs that lack even a modicum of the above average catchiness that keeps the rest of the record afloat. Occasionally SSLYBY will recapture the magic solely on the strength of their not inconsiderable songwriting chops - “Everlyn” is one of the group’s best love pleas ever (the completely surprising guitar solo is a plus), and bookends “Back in the Saddle” and “Made To Last” are two of the strongest tracks on the record, particularly the latter’s wistful tone, so appropriate as the brightest days of summer begin to fade. It’s a shame, because as SSLYBY have continued to expand their sound the genre that they were a few years late to has already grown past them. James Mercer is off doing things with Danger Mouse; Ben Kweller was indulging in alt-country last go-around; most of the Elephant 6 bands are either off getting freaky with themselves (Of Montreal) or spacing out (Apples in Stereo). If the band doesn’t start catching up to their peers, they’re going to end up a lot more like their misbegotten namesake than they would probably prefer.

Top 5 Things You Don’t Want Mel Gibson to Say to You (movie quotes edition).

#5. “You’re wasting your time here. I’m not going to report this or anything you do to my crops to the police or news or anybody. You’re not going to get famous.” - Signs

Maybe he should have told Oksana this right from the get-go? If he would have been clear that she wasn’t going to get famous, she might have flown the coop on day one.

#4 “I’m only paranoid because they want me dead.” - Conspiracy Theory

Here we thought it was just Oksana, but now there’s a “they?” Oh wait, everyone who has heard those tapes qualifies as a “they.”

#3 “Now, if you’re lucky, you could hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go.” - Mad Max

Glady, Mel, gladly. Just as long as you promise to stop all the rant tapes.

#2 “You have the right to remain unconscious. Anything you say…ain’t gonna be much.” - Lethal Weapon 3

You got to hand it to Mel for being so straight forward.

#1 “And if he were here, he’d consume the English with fire balls from his eyes, and bolts of lightening from his a**. Fight and you may die. Run and you might live…at least a while.” - Braveheart

Well…good thing Oksana is Russian.

There you go, Mel. That should give you enough lines to pull from for your next rant tape.

How do you celebrate your birthday when you’re an iconic human rights activist? Throw a huge benefit concert, if you’re Dolores Huerta. Weaving Movements Together is the most altruistic party you’ll attend this year. This star-studded concert benefits the Dolores Huerta Foundation, giving attendees the opportunity to listen to some of their favorite music acts while supporting their community. The line up includes Pete Escovedo, Lila Downs, the aforementioned Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, and the original guitar hero, Carlos Santana. Danny Glover, Martin Sheen and Benjamin Bratt are also scheduled to make appearances at the event.

Dolores Huerta is a respected activist who has spent her life promoting human rights. Her resume includes working with Cesar Chavez to organize and run the labor union, United Farm Workers. For years, she’s been fighting on the frontlines for the rights of minorities, women, immigrants, and the gay community. Weaving Movements Together is not only a celebration, but another opportunity to raise funds and awareness for social justice.

For tickets, click here.

Sub Pop 2010

Rating: 7/10

Following a hype train can be a dangerous thing. Follow the right one and you can end up discovering something new and revitalizing, like a Surfer Blood or a Tallest Man on Earth. Follow the wrong one and you could spend hours convincing yourself to like the newest Black Kids CD because, well, dozens of bloggers can’t be wrong! When precocious Long Beach young ‘uns Avi Buffalo released their anticipated debut earlier this year, they had all the prerequisites for their own hype machine: hot single(s), Pitchfork approval, a fairly surprising rating on Metacritic (82!). I listened to one song, judged them as an early Shins knock-off and promptly forgot about them. That’s the problem with hype - too much of it and you go into the listen expecting something utterly mind-blowing, something that will live up to an almost mythic status all this blogosphere talk builds up yet rarely matches. Avi Buffalo is not mind-blowing, nor is it even one of the best debuts I’ve heard this year. Simply put, it’s great, solid indie-pop music, music that merely portends the arrival of a band that has more potential than most their age and some pretty slick songwriting chops.

I really wanted to give this a higher rating, particularly after hearing gems like opener “Truth Sets In” or “Coaxed,” songs that replicate the gentle flow of (yes) early Shins or debut-album Noah and the Whale. It’s twee without being overly cute, something hard to do when your band is besieged everywhere they go by the constant addendum “but they’re only 19!!!”  Excellently-named vocalist Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg sounds just like a dozen other indie-pop vocalists, having mastered the art of the high-pitched, fragile whisper and the occasional faux falsetto, but it’s the songwriting that elevates Avi Buffalo from the also-rans. “What’s In It For?” is a fantastic pop single, marrying a beautiful melody to a stick-in-your-head hook and the kind of instant accessibility that future MTV-show soundtracks are made of. That’s not a knock on the band’s obvious penchant for writing songs everyone is interested in nowadays, but a testament to how well the songs click. It helps that Isenberg is actually quite the guitar player, making the unexpected fretwork on tunes like “Jessica” and “Remember Last Time” the highlights rather than the strong pop foundations the songs are built on. Even when the solos go on a bit too long, as they do most egregiously on the 7-and-a-half-minute “Remember Last Time,” Isenberg’s jangly guitar work is pleasant enough to forgive the youthful wankery.

But then there’s songs like the lackluster “Can’t I Know” or the way too much of the latter half of the album bleeds together, something that can’t really be avoided when Avi Buffalo stick strictly to their inoffensive guitar-pop formula throughout. While “Where’s Your Dirty Mind” and “One Last” are good songs in their own right, it’s obvious that Avi Buffalo is a front-loaded record, with the best melodies ending with “Summer Cum.” That last is another divisive issue with the band, being the clearest example of Isenberg’s juvenile lyrical bent. But hey, he’s young, and although in the future he might try a more diplomatic approach to describing adolescent love, it’s nonetheless impressive that Isenberg can turn sheet stains into one of the sweeter love songs of the year. Avi Buffalo wear their musical influences on their sleeves (Built To Spill, the aforementioned Shins, Elephant 6, etc. etc.), and their lyrical direction is more Superbad than J.D. Salinger, but it’s charming without being cloying, poppy without being overly sugary. Most importantly, it’s the kind of debut that leaves you thrilled for what the future may bring, and that’s something special.

The Professional

One of the overall themes we’ve seen in the fall fashion shows is that casual garb should be temporarily retired come September and it’s perfect acceptable (even commendable) to dress up again. This was evident by the amount of professional looks, menswear inspired pieces, tailored coats, and the increase of darker, demure grays and navy blues that we’ve seen on the runways. However, professionals and creative spirits alike can embrace this trend. If for no other reason, than simply as a reminder us that hemlines can actually go somewhere other than up. This fall, fashionistas with an appreciation for the conservative can easily supplement their wardrobe with Antonio Berardi blazer-dresses,

Image via Style.com

Balmain pinstripe suits,

Image via Style.com

and Stella McCartney pleated slacks.

Image via Style.com

Showing up to the office has never been this glamorous.

Sheer Chic

Both London and Paris fashion week proudly proclaimed that sheer is here. Designers like Julien MacDonald showed dresses with see-through lace details, while models wore barely-there sheer blouses for Givenchy and Giambattista Valli. It goes without saying that sheer isn’t exactly for the shy, but with some clever layering, anyone can wear this trend. Remember that cardigans, vests, and jackets can help you cover up a sheer shirt. Also, for those of us itching to wear fall pieces now, sheer clothing is a great way to transition summer-wear into what you’ll be wearing this fall. If the sheer strikes you with fear, stick with dresses or blouses embellished with lace.

Ferocious Furs

If you live in an environment where the weather permits, incorporate fur into your wardrobe this fall. Real or faux, we saw tons of this trend trotting down the runways for fall fashion shows. Whether it’s a knee-length chocolate coat, as showcased at Bottega Veneta,

Image via Style.com

or a vest by Derek Lam,

Image via Style.com

fur is back with a vengeance, much to the dismay of PETA. If you’re not bold enough to wear a full length fur coat, you can ease it into your wardrobe with boots, bags and accessories with fur trim and details.

Rising Necklines

Does your cleavage need a break? Considering the time you’ve spent in a swimsuit, v-neck tee or halter top, the answer is probably a resounding, “Yes.” Luckily, necklines are getting higher and higher for fall. And yes, we even saw turtlenecks at New York Fashion Week. Although the last time you wore a turtleneck, it was probably part of a school uniform, fear not! Higher necklines actually frame your face and give you an opportunity to show off those fantastic earrings you picked up at the Barney’s Warehouse Sale.