The first thing on our to-do list of the day? Download Born to Die ($9.99 on iTunes), Lana Del Rey’s new (and much-buzzed about) album.

The up-and-coming lovely (heeding from Lake Placid, NY) has already made the internet explode twice: First after her clip for “Video Games” went viral, and most recently, after a less-than-stellar (read: really bad) performance on SNL. Some love her, some hate her, but it’s hard to be impartial to her soulful voice and melancholic songs.

As for us, we’re loving Lana. —Christine Laroche

www.itunes.ca

Our city is built on family businesses, but there’s no father-son legacy more meaningful to Montrealers than the musical inheritance bequeathed on Adam Cohen, son of Leonard.

After years of trying to break free from his father’s shadow, Cohen’s latest album, Like a Man, offers acceptance of Leonard’s legacy. Inspired by his relationship with his own son, Adam’s intimate recordings ring true to his father’s poetic musings, but offer his own unique voice and perspective.

Has he made his dad proud? It was his father who suggested the title be Like a Man.

Performing tonight at Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill, tickets $20, 1254 rue Mackay, St., 514-931-6808,  www.adamcohen.com

Before Madonna had blonde ambition and Lady Gaga went platinum (in more ways than one), Debbie Harry was the first flaxen front woman to rock the charts.

Iconic 70s punk/new wave band, Blondie, is back with their first studio album since 2003, Panic of the Girls. With their usual genre-busting sound, the 11 songs on the CD range from reggae to latin, with Harry singing in French on two tracks.

Blondes really do have more fun. —Jennifer Nachshen

At www.amazon.ca

Montreal will experience a Russian Dance Dance Revolution when the The Alexandrov Red Army Choir and Ensemble takes to the Place des Arts stage from September 1 to 4.

They’ll perform rousing songs and energetic dances with their travelling team of 125 musicians and performers, soloists, a male choir, dancers and a full orchestra. Playing both traditional Russian instruments, including the balalaïka, the domra and the bayan along with the more familiar double bass, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments, you won’t need to know the words in Russian to sing along.

Our recommendations for after? Pour everyone a shot of vodka and shout na zda-rov’-ye! —Jenn Nachshen

Tickets range from $87.90 to $97.90 and are available online.

It’s time to play the music! It’s time to light the lights!

As we anxiously await the first Muppet Movie in over ten years to be released on November 22, we
can get our Animal on with the inspirational, celebrational, muppetational Green Album, featuring covers of popular Muppet music by contemporary artists.  Sing along to old favourites like "The Muppet Show Theme Song", performed with a rock edge by OK Go, a quirkily wistful rendering of "Rainbow Connection" by Weezer (featuring Hayley Williams), and a stunning "Halfway Down the Stairs" by soprano Amy Lee of Evanescence.

Even Statler and Waldorf couldn’t give a negative review. —Jennifer Nachshen

Available on iTunes.

What do you get when a pianist/accordion player develops a sound mixing hip hop and Klezmer? You get Socalled, the brainstorm of “Jewish cowboy” Josh Dolgin.

Discover Socalled’s stylishly schizophrenic sounds on his newest album, Sleepover, featuring more than 30 contributing musicians including the quirky-sweet vocals of Katie Moore. Then go meet the coolest kids in town at Théâtre de Verdure Wednesday August 4 at 7 p.m. for a free live performance followed by a screening of The Socalled Movie with director Gary Beitel in attendance.

It’s a plus if you understand Yiddish. But we’re pretty sure we’ll catch you dancing even if you can’t sing along. —Jennifer Nachshen

www.socalledmusic.com

The ukulele is a great kids’ instrument: it is small, easy to play and it never gets too loud (reason why recorders aren’t allowed in this home!).

That’s why we loved this make your own ukulele kit (US $40) from Uncommon Goods. It comes equipped with a wood body, neck, and strings which are easily assembled, and then you can customize it with different paints, stains or decorations.

And, when you've heard Old MacDonald Has A Farm for the one thousandth time, you know how they put it together, so you can take it apart.
—Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Available from Uncommon Goods. Make sure to check out the Canadian shipping instructions here.

We never really feel like summer is in full-swing until we’re sipping beer in the hot sun listening to the music at the Osheaga Music and Arts festival, held this year from July 29 to 31.

This year’s line-up really rocks, with up-and-coming artists like feisty and fashionable, Janelle Monáe, orchestral pop band, Beirut, rockin’ Tokyo Police Club and poppy Smith Westerns peforming alongside headliners like Eminem, bringing his trademark irreverent rap and Elvis Costello and the Imposters’ country-folk sound.

Can’t wade through the lineup? Download the Osheaga app to make sure you don’t miss a show (and know where the beer stands and bathrooms are). —Jennifer Nachshen

Tickets (starting at $75.50 for a single day to $217.50 for a 3-day General Admission pass) available online.

“At 2 a.m. you can’t come home after a night out and act… but you can write a song.”  – Tim Robbins.

We tend to return to the roost after a night out and eat microwaved pizza and fall asleep on the couch, but we may take a page from Tim Robbins’ songbook after hearing his first album, Tim Robbins & the Rogues Gallery, released at the tender age of 51 (what else is a guy to do after breaking up with Susan Sarandon?). In fairness, Robbins has been fiddling around with a guitar for a long time, with a musical family, experience co-producing the soundtrack to Dead Man Walking, and under-the-radar shows in small venues. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the folksy, storytelling songs by Tim Robbins & the Rogues Gallery are actually really good. We won’t miss his Montreal debut tonight at Club Soda.

But we’re probably just going to pack it in with a poutine and leave the song writing to Tim.

Tickets ($32.50) available online and by phone 514-286-1010. Wednesday July 13, 8 p.m. at Club Soda, 1225 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, www.timrobbins.net

1. She’s married to a media mogul, besties with Gwynnie, and her body looks even better than it did in her teens. We’d be jealous if we didn’t think Beyoncé was such a rockin’ girls’ girl. We’re loving her latest lady power anthem "Run the World (Girls)."

2 .We were blown away by Natalia Kills’  sexy-sinister sounds when she opened for Robyn's most recent tour. Now we’re playing "Wonderland" and "Free" on repeat. She definitely kills.

3. We’ve been waiting two years for another full-length album from Coldplay. We’ll have to wait a bit more, but at least we’ve got their new EP, "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall," to tide us over ‘til then.

4. Every summer needs a catchy vapid party song written for the express purpose of getting you to raise your drink up in the air and wave it around like you just don’t care. Except, we really do care about the album Sorry for the Party Rocking by LMFAO. We may even love it.

5. If we’re talking about guilty pleasures, we’ll just go one step further. NKOTBSB, anyone? We’re guessing it will only take about two glasses of sangria before someone is singing along. And when we say “someone,” what we mean is “us.”

—Jennifer Nachshen