After four albums of sing-along folk melodies paired along morbid minor tones, and verses sprinkled with lyrics dug up from some old coat pocket in a Parisian thrift store, the newest album from The Decemberists, 'The Hazards Of Love,' is not necessarily out of character.

This may be hard to believe, but Jesse McCartney is a true performer. All biases aside, the man can sing . . . and dance . . . and write ('Bleeding Love' anyone?) . . . and put on a show.

The Love in Stockholm CD release party was responsible for all of those neon bracelets and big black X's floating around Harvard Avenue on Friday night. The band, made up of Boston University students and recent BU grads celebrated at Harper's Ferry with a crowd of fans and loyal followers.

As a tot, I spent countless hours glued to my television watching one of my favorite idols serenade me on the television screen: 'A Young Children's Concert with Raffi' was played so many times, I think my father secretly broke the VHS to spare himself from the wrath that is 'Banana Phone.'

Instead of jump-starting the crowd with a toe-tapping indie pop favorite such as 'Hang Them All,' Tapes N Tapes started their show at the' Paradise this past Tuesday night' with an extended instrumental number.

The new House of Blues Boston venue sits on Lansdowne Street snug between older clubs and taking up the space that once held the Axis and Avalon clubs. The HOB opens tonight, with a one-time reunion show of the J. Geils Band making the return of the House of Blues franchise after shutting the doors of the Harvard Square venue in 2003.

Lily Allen's new CD 'It's Not Me, It's You,' released February 9, picks up where the British artist's hit debut 'Alright, Still' left off. The sassy Allen pairs light music and edgy lyrics with her bubble gum voice to produce a unique audio experience.

Just like real love, love songs are equally as complicated. As we approach the annual holiday of love, The MUSE has taken the liberty of dissecting the four major types of love songs to get you through your Valentine's Day, whether you're spending it with that special someone, or experiencing it vicariously through your roommate and her boyfriend on the other side of your bedroom wall.

In the past few months, music award shows have come and gone. The Video Music Awards was once again The Britney Show. The American Music Awards telecast hasn't been the same since an inebriated Anna Nicole introduced Kanye West (damn, we miss her). The Country Music Awards are cool if you like country, I guess . . .

Glasgow's kings of rock, Franz Ferdinand, have been doing some soul searching. It's been four years since their last album and the boys are back with a sound that falls just short of a reinvention.

Walking into a music venue, the first thing that strikes you is the atmosphere. And as Trampled By Turtles, a five-piece string band from Duluth, MN, took the stage Monday night at The Middle East, the whirlwind of bluegrass and dancing that erupted in the room was electric.

BU students aren't an easy sell, so when Rapper Steph achieved a standing ovation at BU Central after her first open mic performance, Base Trip Records President Conor Loughman (COM '10) knew he'd struck musical gold in a lyrically charged five-foot-nothing rapper-girl from the North Shore.