TOP PICK – VIDEO GAME
TRON: Evolution
(Disney Interactive)
The new movie plays like a two-hour video game, so it's no surprise that the tie-in game plays a lot like the movie (following that?). The action-adventure game (for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) is a prequel to TRON: Legacy, focusing on the years between the original movie and the sequel. And like the movies, the best parts involve the supercool light cycles.
CD
The Bee Gees: Mythology
(Reprise)
The Bee Gees were more than just the world's greatest disco group, as this four-disc box proves. Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb were also accomplished folkies and expert pop craftsmen. Each brother gets a disc, with a fourth dedicated to younger brother Andy's hits. But stick with group classics like "Stayin' Alive" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You."
BOOK
Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
(Harper Perennial)
While alt-rock dudes were busting out into the mainstream during the fertile '90s, a smaller, but no less quiet, rebellion was happening with the ladies. Sara Marcus' history of the turbulent movement and the artists behind the music includes faves like Bratmobile and Bikini Kill. Verdict: Most of these grrls had bigger balls than the guys who were getting all the attention.
CD
Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine
(UMe/The Bicycle Music Company)
The biggest revelation on this reboot of Trent Reznor's 1989 debut is how much noise is buried in the mix. You probably never heard some of the things buzzing around in the corners. This reissue brings them all to the front, and it's eye-opening. There's one bonus track — a cover of Queen's "Get Down Make Love" — but the entire Machine sounds brand new.
CD
Weezer: Death to False Metal
(DGC/UMe)
Weezer's third release this year is an attic-cleaning album of previously unreleased outtakes spanning their career. Some songs are goofs ("I'm a Robot"), some are pointless (a cover of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart"). Most are kinda awesome, especially "Turning up the Radio," a 2008 pop nugget co-written by 15 fans who took part in a YouTube project.
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