After five years in the making former frontman to the now dissolved charttopping The Calling, Alex Band returns with his solo debut We've All Been There. And after five years what can one possibly have to say? Plenty. Read it here!

One of Canada's best kept secrets, hip hop producer Factor releases his sophmore solo album Lawson Graham. Borrowing the voices from his many labelmate emcees, Factor constructs an 18 track album of indie pop and folk driven hip hop. But is this adventurous undertaking of blended genres an ingenius record or a dud? Read it here to find out!

Once dubbed as a Christian band, Lifehouse has proved that they are much more than meets the eye. Now with universal appeal, these boys took their time to create a more sophisticated sound while never failing to dissapoint their loyal fans. Here is Smoke & Mirrors.

John Mayer has had a pretty tumultuous week taking over tabloid headlines with another one of his verbal diarrhea tirades. But alas, all will be forgiven. And here's (unfortunately) why.

After a short hiatus, Chow returns rediscovering an old gem in Brier Rose, a tiny DIY Seattle quartet with heavy hearts. Check out Chow's review, laying her heart out on the line alongside these boys.

Tapping into her broadway Jekyll & Hyde roots, powerhouse songstress Linda Eder releases Soundtrack an 11 track album filled with jazzy renditions of songs from timeless classics like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to the fun animated flick, Shrek 2. But can Eder do Everything I Do (I Do It For You) as well as Bryan? Read on to find out!

Everyone loves covers and we all hate them too. And for the most part we do kinda hate them - take Britney's I Love Rock n' Roll or Celine's All By Myself. The majority of covers have overdone vocalizing and way too dramatic piano builds, but it is the impromptu covers that always seem to take us by surprise. So we decided to make a list on that. Read on to check out JXM's Top 5 Covers.

We all know Apologize and we all know Halo and Bleeding Love too. And after writing megahits for the top pop acts of today as well as their own OneRepublic, can they fill their own giant shoes?

There's always something refreshing about rock music that comes from the other side of the world. Coldplaya and U2 just to name a few. We take a trip to the other side of the world and introduce you to one of Australia's hidden gems: Children Collide.

After a long hiatus A. Chow returns and she checks out some of the latest music that you will soon have the pleasure of discovering. San Diego rockers Ghostbird debut with a seven track self-titled EP and Chow takes a big bite out of this meaty sandwich!

It's finally here! The Gallery has finally arrived. Check it all out here.

After five days filled with live music and cool flicks, we wrap up North by Northeast for those who missed out. We give you the rundown on what you can do on a budget. And for those with the stamina of a horse, get yourself a wristband and you can bar hop till the break of dawn. Well maybe not dawn literally, but pretty close. Read all of the highlights of the festival here!

Californian band Switchfoot joined the North by Northeast lineup rounding out genres and styles. Also bringing in all the Toronto Switchfoot devotees, NXNE was able to draw in music fans who may not have been so familiar with the festival or the indie scene.

Writtenhouse took over the Opera House for this year's NXNE showing off their jazz like rhymes and Roots styles.

For those who got the opportunity to check out The Black Lips at this year's North by Northeast you were in for quite a show that didn't cost you a cent. And for those who missed out, well, read it here and make sure you go for 2010.

We weren't kidding when we said NXNE had a lot to offer. This unique live mashup of Swami and Fell on Deaf Ears combine pop and Bollywood and rock and Bollywood respectively. You tell us where else we can find something that cool?

NXNE has more than just indie rock and we can prove it. Their hip hop lineup had a lot to offer and plenty of acts to see like the quirky Ghettosocks and the classic stylings of iLLite. So stop making excuses and go to NXNE.

Brooklyn based Ninjasonik continued NXNE's free concert series at Yonge and Dundas Square on the closing day of the festival. But unlike most free events, the kiddies in the audience don't get the opportunity to expand their vocabularly as they did here.

One of our recent Feature's of the Month, In Flight Safety put on an evening show at the NXNE free concert series at Yonge and Dundas Square here in Toronto. Catching the ears of many passers who had yet to discover the work of In Flight Safety, the crowd grew along with IFS' fanbase.

We continue our North by Northeast coverage giving you a taste of some of the acts performing during the five day fest. Fundament and King Jus are just a couple of the acts taking the stage here in Toronto with their rhymes and beats.

Despite the ominous skull, Tumbledown is actually in fact a friendly country record that can substitute as your drinking buddy. Don't believe us? Read about the good times Kate had here!

Not to be confused with Andy Samberg's Lonely Island, the Washington foursome The Lonely Forest release their sophmore album We Sing the Body Electric! and Liem breaks down the differences between them and the Samberg factor.

Plucked out of obscurity by Brandon Flowers of the little known band The Killers to open for their 2007 tour, Solarcade, an LA based duo recently released their latest pop-rock EP Songs For the Gathering. Kate sat down and listened with her naked ears and you can check it all out here.

The socially conscious Kingsize are set to release not one, but two EPs this Tuesday, The Good Fight and The Bad Night. Chow got the chance to preview the discs and you can check out her stance right here!

Actress Taryn Manning is best known for her work on the big screen starring in films like the Oscar winning Hustle & Flow. But her work as a musician has been taking shape for years and along with brother Kellin the two make up Boomkat, an experimental pop duo releasing their second full length album A Million Trillion Stars on March 10th. Read it here why Kate couldn't keep her butt from dancing.

Forming in 2007, Holy Rolling Empire, made up of former blue collar construction workers and bartenders, release their debut album Gigantis. The ten track disc is filled with fun song titles with a classic vibe. Check out Kate's take on the album here!

After a whirlwhind of erratic behaviour and a failed comeback, Britney Spears returns yet again with a new record Circus and a new MTV documentary - Brtiney: For the Record. Kate reviews both the film and the record and gives you her take on the Britney phenomenon. Will she set the record straight about shaving her head? The stint in rehab and her psychiatric hospitalization? Has she truly come back? Read it here to find out.

After a short hiatus, Liem returns to the scene, and the first thing we threw at him was Down to Earth - the latest record by British songstress Jem. Read Liem's take on the Dido-esque Queen of television soundtracks here.

We managed to tear away Liem from his Viva la Vida album long enough to get him to check out hot Australian trio Cut / Copy and their latest album In Ghost Colours. Read it all hear to see if the elctro-pop soundwaves make the grade for your summer roadtrips and BBQs.

After a fiver year hiatus, Filter returns with Anthems for the Damned, an introspective album on the detoriating state of our world. It's filled with vocalist Richard Patrick's distinctly Filter howls and screams, and a few surprises. Check out if Kate howls back!

The hottest thing to hit the turntables graced Toronto with a live performance recently, and Jesse popped into The Sound Emporium to check 'em out. Find out if the French speaking, scratching duo Justice impressed or should hide behind their fortress of amps.

We're all about taking chances at JXM, so we thought why not take a look at Celine Dion's Taking Chances. In her new release, that's exactly what she does, teaming up with the likes of Ne-yo, Ben Moody, and John Shanks. Liem gives the album a spin, which hits stores today!

We talk a lot about books and movies - so why not more music? Iceland's indie darlings, Sigur Ros, returns today, with their new double CD compilation, Hvarf/Heim. Are the newest sounds of Sigur Ros as stunning as their home country? Liem spins the album to find out.

Plenty of Canada's up and comers were a part of the lineup for Vapor's Independent Music Showcase all in the name of the Hospital for Sick Children. Major Maker, Shad, Jason Collett, Apostle of Hustle and others lended their talents and tunes to a full house at the El Mocambo in Toronto. Check out how the show went down and what got Melanie thinking "that sh*t is off the hook yo!"

Emerging Brit rock band IV Thieves made a quick stop at the El Mocambo in Toronto this past weekend. Read here whether they're worth checking out for yourself!