I love technology. Sure, some technophobes have legitimate gripes about the sound quality of MP3s and that digital recording lacks the soul and warmth of the old analog method. All that may be true, but I'll take that and live with it for the sake of convenience and all the cool stuff that technological advancements allow us to do. For example, I bring you the latest recording by criminally underrated Los Angeles-based pop-rockers the 88.

Freed from their deal with Island/Def Jam in April, the 88 opted to go completely D.I.Y. in recording their latest single, "Love Is The Thing." Nope, they didn't record it in a home studio; rather they recorded it in a mere two days on an iPhone using the FourTrack app, mostly in drummer Anthony Zimmitti's living room, save for guitarist Keith Slettedahl's lead vocal and a cymbal crash, which were recorded in keyboardist Adam Merrin's apartment. Check out this video clip the band shot to document the historic recording session and if you like the

When a TV or film star spends some time moonlighting in a rock band, often it's done with a lot baggage attached. And that baggage can be a catch-22 of sorts. Of course, it might help the band receive more notice than other new acts without a celebrity, but sometimes the band member's celebrity status overshadows the music. Some fans have a hard time separating the actor's on-screen persona from the musician, and sometimes, those uber-talented individuals can get annoyed and throw a hissy fit if they perceive that an interviewer isn't respecting them as a serious musicians. Remember Billy Bob Thornton's recent blow up? If the actor/musician type has enough talent to simply transcend the baggage, they can avoid such problems. Zooey Deschanel does a good job of this in She & Him. I think Adrian Grenier also does an admirable job playing drums in the New York-based new-wave folk combo known as the Honey Brothers.

In the band, Grenier performs under the pseudonym Honey DuContra, but that

Some musicians are content to play the game by the rules. Others write their own rulebook while they're playing, rip it up, and start all over again. Dave Longstreth, mastermind of the Brooklyn, New York-based rock collective known as Dirty Projectors, falls into the latter camp. Bitte Orca, the Projectors' latest and fourth full-length release, has received almost universal critical acclaim and secured a spot on in the top half of The Billboard 200 between the latest releases by Busta Rhymes and Seal. Check out the band's just-released video for "Stillness Is The Move," an exquisite track from Bitte Orca.

Stillness Is The Move

To fully appreciate the madness that is Dirty Projectors, one must take a look back to their discography of mind-blowing concept pieces. Take the Getty Address for example. This 2005 concept album explored the world of the Eagles Don Henley backed with lush orchestral and choral soundscapes. Remember, Mojo Nixon could merely muster one simple trash-rocker

Gossip may be on their way to becoming huge. Beth Ditto, the trio's rather large front woman, already is. I don't mean that as an insult, but as a matter of fact. Ditto is five-foot tall and weighs in at more than 200 pounds. Yet she's comfortable in her own skin. In fact, a few years ago, Ditto let it all hang out--and I do mean all--on the cover of British music magazine NME.

Until now, Gossip's success was largely overseas in the U.K. and Australia, but now the Portland, Oregon-based trio is starting to garner a buzz stateside thanks to the band's recently released, Rick Rubin-produced, fourth full-length effort, Music For Men, and the album's first single, "Heavy Cross." The track, which mixes a Giorgio Moroder-style rhythm track with punk attitude, has cracked the European Hot 100 Singles chart overseas. In the U.S., its garnering airplay on alt-rock radio stations, including the influential KROQ Los Angeles. Check out the video for the song below.

Aside from her figure, Ditto