Former Phish bassist and singer Mike Gordon is not only putting out his new album "Green Sparrow" today, he is in town performing at Plan 9 and Toad's Place. From the deeply rooted funk of "Radar Blip" to the rousing intricacies of "Andelman's Yard," from the spirited rock of "Traveled Too Far "to the punch of "Another Door," The Green Sparrow is a playful album from an artist who continually reveals new layers of far-reaching invention.

A record whose themes include predictions and the future, tabloid culture, the allure of what may never be, childhood lost and more, The Faint's "Fasciinatiion" sounds as if it's been beamed in from a satellite whose sole purpose is observing, and making sense of, the details of everyday existence.

Indie band, Bright Eyes' centerpiece, Connor Oberst recorded his new self titled album in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico in January and February of 2008. At Valle Mistico, Oberst and the specially assembled Mystic Valley Band lived and worked for that time in near perfect harmony, often unaware of the hour or the day. The result is his first solo album in 13 years.

On "The Anti-Mother," Norma Jean deliver a heavy and potent song cycle that looks life squarely in the eye, from the opening track "Vipers, Snakes and Actors" to the closing "And There Will Be a Swarm of Hornets." The crushing, sonically adventurous 10 songs easily mark an artistic and creative high point for the band.