Zune Insider

Hello and welcome to the roundup of all that’s new and awesome in the Zune Marketplace for the week of May 10th – May 16th.

MUSIC

Artist of the Week: You may think you haven’t heard of the Lonely Islands, but you probably have.  Their digital shorts on Saturday Night Live are always huge hits – especially because they get celebs like Justin Timberlake and Michael Bolton to join them on their hysterical songs.  Now you can laugh whenever you’d like with their new album, ‘Turtleneck & Chain‘.

Bad Meets Evil is actually the team of Eminem and Royce Da 5’9”.  They’ve got a new single out, “Fast Lane“, and an album is in the works, too.

Our Trending Up Artist this week is Adele.  The British songstress with the smoky-sweet voice continues to climb the charts, even crossing various music genres.  If you haven’t listened to her newest album ‘21‘ yet, you’re really missing out – go get it!

Former Tony! Toni! Toné! member Raphael Saadiq is back with his latest solo effort, ‘Stone Rollin’‘.  If you like R&B, be sure to have a listen – and don’t miss him on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night.

This week on our exclusive interview series ‘5 Minutes with Fame‘, we have alt rockers Neon Trees!  After a number of tours opening for acts like 30 Seconds to Mars and My Chemical Romance, the foursome are doing the headlining on their very own Surrender Tour.  Be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter later this week – a little birdie told me we might have some tickets to see Neon Trees to give away…

Christina Perri shot to fame by when her song “Jar of Hearts” was used on the show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.  That led to a record deal and her first album, ‘lovestrong.‘!  She made it back to TV this week when her song was used on ‘Glee’.

This week we have an entire FREE playlist FREE for you!  Download ‘Bands You Should Know‘ and discover some awesome new music.  Who do you think will be breaking out soon? Quick recap: Sublime has reformed with vocalist Rome Ramirez after the death of Bradley Nowell, and are now known as Sublime with Rome.  The first song from their upcoming album with this new lineup is out now – what do you think of “Panic“? Have you heard what’s ‘Hot This Week‘ yet?  Download our playlist now and give it a listen! Rick Ross has a new song out now featuring Lil Wayne called “9 Piece“, and his new album will be out soon. Just in time for summer, get our ‘Greatest Reggae Albums’ collection for the best of Jamaican-inspired music!  Are there any other albums you’d add?

Other releases this week that you may want to check out – ‘Move Like This‘ from 80s icons The Cars, and ‘The Song Remains Not the Same‘, an unplugged, acoustic album from Black Label Society.

VIDEO

Want more superheroes with fabulous toys?  Then you should check out ‘The Green Hornet‘, starring masked men Seth Rogen and Jay Chou.

Something from another funny guy named Seth – this time, Seth MacFarlane and his animated hit, ‘Family Guy‘.  If you haven’t seen all the episodes, go back and grab the ones you’ve missed – you don’t want to miss a moment of the laughs!

What was your favorite new release this week?  Tell us all about it in the comments!

Hello all!  Those of you long-time members of the Zune Nation probably remember when we posted what we were listening to in the past, and we decided to start that up again – and add in what we’re watching, too!  So without further ado:

• Jessica: “I watched ‘Salt‘ with Angelina Jolie this week. It’s not a great movie (pretty predictable), but it’s super fun to see Angelina Jolie behave like an action hero!  Bringing back a classic… George Acosta’s ‘A State of Mind‘. Perfect background music… probably the reason I’m still in the office at 8 p.m. today!”

• Matt A: “I’m going to bring a few singles that I’m digging this week, some old, some new. First, thanks to my buddy Nick, I’ve been jamming “Digital Dirt” By Zion I and The Grouch off their 2006 album ‘Heroes in the City of Dope‘. This track has some poignant lyrics, pay attention! I’ve also had some time to spend with the Wiz Khalifa album ‘Rolling Papers‘, and I’ve found that aside from the more popular tracks on that album, I’m digging “Hopes & Dreams”, “Fly Solo”, and “On My Level”. Switching it up a little bit, I’ll finish up with a Gorillaz remix, “Doncamatic (The Joker Remix – Feat. Daley)”. This track isn’t actually on their latest album ‘The Fall‘, so impress your friends by with this awesome, little known track. Cheers!”

• Rob: “The Alex Jones Show Podcast – This series is an daily nationally syndicated 3 hour radio show about the latest breaking news from around the world. Host Alex Jones gives you a glimpse into the current info war on main stream media and online. He brings you an in-depth look at the news between the day’s headlines.   Professor Blastoff Podcast – In the late 1940’s, professor R.L. Blastoff, PhD. – a noted genius and recipient of multiple Nobel Prizes who had obtained advanced degrees in several subjects such as nuclear physics, mathematics, and molecular chemistry – completed work on a prototype for a time machine. Upon hearing that the professor planned to have his own weekly radio show discussing these ideas, Tig, Kyle and David became so fascinated with the topics that they decided to start a podcast of their own. The result can be heard weekly, broadcast from the professor’s lab, as “Professor Blastoff”.”

• Marques: “I’ve been all over the place with what I’ve been listening to but I’ll give the quick overview. I’ve re-discovered ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” podcast (love the banter on that show) and I continue to get my news fix from a combination of NHK World and BBC Global News. Musically, I found an artist called Outasight and I’m enjoying his album ‘Figure 8‘. And I would have to mention a great track by Rakim called “How to Emcee“. There’s plenty more through the course of the week, but those following me on Twitter quickly find out what they are.”

• Matt S: “I’ve been traveling quite a bit this week, so I dug deep into the archives and pulled up some old and some new.  Pink Martini’s ‘Hang On Little Tomato‘ has been on steady rotation (great lounge music), so has Eric Church and his album ‘Carolina‘.  Loving a couple of the tracks off of Adele’s latest album ‘21‘, especially “Rolling In The Deep”.  It came out a few weeks ago, but I can’t stop listening to Foo Fighters ‘Wasting Light‘,  I think “White Limo” is one of the best workout songs of all time. And naturally I had to download ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part Two‘ from the Beastie Boys this week.  Solid Beasties! My random playlist of the week includes a couple of classics from The Pixies including “Where Is My Mind?” and “Wave of Mutilation”, you can find both on their ‘Best Of‘ album.”

• Josh: “This has been an interesting week of music for me – a mixture of some new albums and some throwbacks. I’ve had Atmosphere’s new album ‘The Family Sign‘ play absolutely all week long. Just a great album start to finish. I’ve also been on a Bon Iver trip lately, giving both his old album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago‘ play time as well as his newer single ‘Blood Bank‘. There has been a little O.A.R. in the mix – specifically “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker (live)“. Then to throw you for a complete loop, I’ve had a whole bunch of chillwave playing, mainly artists Neon Indian and Washed Out.  As far as singles go, I’ve been playing:  Jamaica – “Cross the Fader“, Aesop Rock – “None Shall Pass“, Tyler the Creator – “Yonkers“, Young the Giant – “My Body“, Lykke Li – “Get Some” remix by Beck, and Mogwai – “You’re Lionel Richie“.”

• Vicki: “I’m a huge Depeche Mode fan, so the 2 new remixes of “Personal Jesus” have been getting a lot of play – there’s the Stargate Mix and the Alex Metric Remix Edit – both are great!  I saw Prince in concert a few weeks ago and he was incredible, so I’m still listening to some of his greatest hits off ‘The Very Best of Prince‘ and ‘Ultimate‘.  Sheila E was Prince’s special guest that night and she nearly stole the show from him – not an easy task!!  So I’ve been listening to her older stuff, too – specifically “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre“. New in my rotation this week are the Sounds with their latest album, ‘Something to Die For‘ and while I wouldn’t got quite that far, I’m really liking it.  And last but definitely not least, I’m still obsessed with Foster the People’s EP – I love all three songs, but “Pumped Up Kicks” never fails to get me whistling – and I can’t whistle!  Really can’t wait until the full album is out later this month!”

We hope you check out some of the things we’ve recommended here.  Now you tell us – what’re you listening to and watching right now?

We meet again, Zune Nation!  Here are the goodies for the week of May 3rd – May 9th.

MUSIC

Artist of the Week: The one and only Jennifer Lopez is back with her first album in four years!  Can ‘Love?‘ live up to the expectations?  Have a listen and see what you think.

This week on our interview series ‘5 Minutes with Fame‘, we’ve got Jimmy Eat World!  Check out this Zune and Xbox exclusive and find out what each band member wishes he could take from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Beastie Boys return after being away for 7 years, and to celebrate the release of ‘Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2‘, we’ve got a contest!  Go HERE to enter now!

Hard rockers Shinedown are back with a live album, ‘Somewhere in the Stratosphere‘!  You can listen and get that concert experience at home or in your car – just without five thousand or so of your closest friends.

Are you ready to fiesta on Cinco de Mayo?  You will be if you download our FREE playlist.  Just add chips, salsa and margaritas and you’re good to go!  We’ve also got music from a lot of great Mexican artists on sale, so check those out, too.

International sensation Shakira is our Trending Up Artist this week.  She’s got a new song out called “Rabiosa” – a collaboration with rapper Pitbull.  She also has a Spanish version featuring El Cata so you get a choice!

Our FREE song this week is by a brother and sister duo who hail from Southern California.  Try “Sweet Louise” from the Belle Brigade – if you enjoy folk rock, you’ll love them.

Critically acclaimed Seattle band Fleet Foxes have returned with their second full length album.  Give ‘Helplessness Blues‘ a listen now.

If you want to know what’s ‘Hot This Week‘, all you have to do is get our playlist.  We gather the hottest new releases and the songs that are climbing the charts, and it’s yours with Zune Pass in one quick download.

Country superstars Lady Antebellum have a new single out – “Just a Kiss“.  Will this be another big hit for them?

Sixx A.M. – the other project of Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx – is out with their new album, ‘This Is Gonna Hurt‘.  Nikki has also just released a book of the same title and is currently on a book tour, so if you’ve ever wanted to meet him, this could be your chance!  Check his website for details.

Last but definitely not least – Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!  We’ve got playlists and sales just for you, and we hope you get to have a nice, relaxing day.

VIDEO

Vince Vaughn and Kevin James star in ‘The Dilemma‘ – a buddy comedy where secrets cause all kinds of mayhem.

Daleks, the Tardis, and the Doctor – oh my!  The 6th season of ‘Doctor Who‘ is here – get the new episodes or go back to other incarnations of the Doctor.

What was your favorite new music and/or video release this week?  Tell us in the comments and we’ll pick one lucky person to win a free month of Zune Pass! P.S. Be sure to come back and check next week to see if you’ve won.

Greetings, Zune Nation!  Here’s what we’ve got for you for the week of April 26 – May 2nd.

MUSIC

Artist of the Week: The Airborne Toxic Event with their new album, All At Once.   This is the sophomore effort from the band, so the expectations are high.  Have you listened to it yet?  They also performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on the 26th – did you catch them?

Beyoncé is back and all about the girl power with her latest single, “Run the World (Girls)“.  She’s even taking a poll on who runs the world over on her website, so go vote if you’d like to speak your mind on the battle of the sexes.

This week’s Trending Up Artist is the Foo Fighters!  They’ve gone number one with Wasting Light in countries all over the world, proclaiming “ROCK AND ROLL IS NUMBER ONE” via Twitter.  If you haven’t listened to the new album yet – get on it!  It really DOES rock.

We have not one but TWO completely and totally FREE songs for you this week.  The first is “Electric Love” from Dirty Vegas, whose new album of the same name dropped this week.  The second is “New Colors” by the Figurines – be sure to get them both!

Metal rockers Otep are out with their new album, Atavist.  Have a listen to these Ozzfest veterans and see what you think.

Have you checked out what’s Hot This Week yet?  Download this playlist with your Zune Pass and you’ll be ‘in the know’ with one click!

Augustana return with their new – and self-titled – album – listen to what the rockers from sunny San Diego have come up with this time.

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Hey everyone!  Welcome to the roundup of all that’s new and cool on Zune for the week of April 19th-April 25th.

MUSIC

Artist of the Week: Gorillaz with their new album, ‘The Fall‘.  It was released to their fan club a while ago, but they made the rest of the world wait until the 19th.  But we still like them.

The ‘Hot This Week‘  playlist is a new feature on Zune, and it’s a great way to get all the newest and hottest songs with one download.  Try it out this week if you haven’t already!

Lady Gaga is back with yet another controversial song from her upcoming album.  It seems that no matter what she does, making waves is part of the package.  Listen to “Judas” and form your own opinion.

Incubus is back!  It’s been a few years since their last new song was released, but “Adolescents” has us hoping for good stuff when they release the new album in July.

Another new feature exclusive to Zune and Xbox is our ’5 Minutes with Fame’ interview segments, and this week we’ve got Plain White Ts, who were interviewed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.   They also released their new single this week – get “Boomerang” now.

This week’s FREE song is “Velcro” from Bell X1.   Does it stick in your head? (more…)