Mayer Howthorne is Andrew Mayer Cohen, originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, his stage name being made up by his middle name and the name of the street he used to live in (Howthorne Rd).

Sex – it’s awesome, right? If you don’t know the answer to that question for some horrible reason, the answer is “Right!” And what do we like almost as much as sex? Why, music, of course.

Oh my God, this one might just kill me. Every week, I do a roundup of the albums that are dropping – or at least the ones that matter.

Sarah D. Barthel and Joshua M. Carter are NYC’s Phantogram and ready to take the world by storm with their debut full-length just around the corner.

It’s time once more to see what the record industry has squeezed out of its grunting gears to bring joy to our ears. This week, we have more 90s nostalgia from Alice In Chains, 80s nostalgia from Mariah Carey, 70s nostalgia from Lynyrd Skynyrd, and 00s nostalgia from Paramore.

The Drums are a band started by singer Jonathan Pierce and guitarist Jacob Graham, both originating from Florida, whose backgrounds include numerous remarkable stops such as a ‘religious househood that banned pop music.’

It’s another week for you to cram as much new music into your ears as you possibly humanly can, by hook or by crook. A lot of new releases this week from a lot of diverse artists, so let’s get down to business right away.

Part of being a Metalhead is being ever vigilant against attempts by the mainstream to co-opt, cash-in on, and/or otherwise dilute and besmirch our beloved subculture.

Hot on the heels of artists like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, and Memory Tapes comes Washed Out, who has already left his footprints in the sands nearby half a dozen tastemakers’ secret holiday hangouts.

It’s new CD day – and I guess new iTunes download day and new Zune Marketplace day and whatever other demented mechanism you use to get your music day. It’s a good day! Let’s have a look at what hits the stores this week.