Music news with a hint of gayness…maybe!!

Hats off to the folks over at Modern Tonic for coming up with a weekly gem of pop culture with a touch of gayness in it. Here is there weekly update:

Jane Krakoswki

*  Fans of Jane Krakowski’s ditzy, man-eating Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock will be thrilled that on her new album — The Laziest Gal in Town — she stays mostly in character. And why not? This is the woman who won a Tony Award for seducing Antonio Banderas while swinging from the ceiling wrapped in a sheet in Nine. In the live recording of her cabaret debut last fall at NYC’s Feinstein’s at the Regency, she vamps her way through “An Englishman Needs Time” (a tongue-in-cheek tribute to her love of British guys), “Thirteen Men” (her kicky homage to Ann-Margret) and “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” (which she did in Damn Yankees in 2008). Listen to the sassy, sarcastic odes to drugs “When I Get Low, I Get High/Wacky Dust” in player below.

**  When remix-master/producer Danger Mouse and Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse

David Lynch - Dark Night of the Soul

collaborated on a soundtrack for a David Lynch art exhibit called Dark Night of the Soul in 2009, it was definitely happier times. Then the music hit a legal snag that halted its physical release. This past March, Linkous committed suicide. So the long-awaited release of Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Present: Dark Night of the Soul should be celebrated for many reasons, not the least of which is as a de facto memorial for the multi-talented Linkous. The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas anchors the classic rock “Little Girl.” Danger Mouse’s Broken Bells compatriot James Mercer lends his sweet high tenor to the ruminative “Insane Lullably.” Lynch himself sounds much like the late Linkous on the creepy blues of the title track. For connoisseurs of the director, a Deluxe Edition box set will feature the full recording on two CDs and two LPs, with a poster, lobby cards and a 48-page booklet. You can stream the entire album at NPR’s site. The exhibition also opens tomorrow at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in NYC.

Electronica Band School of Seven Bells

***  When Benjamin Curtis left Dallas rock trio Secret Machines in 2007 to form a new group, we expected another psychedelic excursion into the progressive metal breach. But School of Seven Bells is a sweetly confounding surprise. Their second release — Disconnect from Desire — is a dreamscape of serene electronics, atmospheric guitars and the pristine harmonies of identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. “Windstorm” (download a free mp3 of the A Place to Bury Strangers remix in player below) is both the opening track and the perfect description of this trio’s music. Buoyant vocals and swirling guitars float atop a loping mid-tempo groove reminiscent of Cocteau Twins at their peak. And when the ululating wails overtake the alt-rock drone of “Babelonia,” it’s as if the Silversun Pickups relocated from Silverlake to downtown Jerusalem. Make no mistake — School of Seven Bells isn’t your summer club jam. Who knew that secret Benjamin Curtis was hiding in his machines was his love of gauzy, shoe-gaze-y Gothic pop?

****  The recession is taking a toll on concert ticket sales, which are down 17% from last year. Among the tours canceling dates due to lackluster sales are Rihanna and the re-booted Lilith Fair. Lady Gaga’s tour is one of the few bucking the trend.

Robbie Williams

*****  Robbie Williams has debuted the album cover and tracklisting for his forthcoming 39-track greatest hits compilation In and Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990-2010, due October 12 on 2CD/DVD. The cover image was shot on a beach in Malibu in May.

******  RoadRoxy Music’s Bryan Ferry announced Olympia, a new solo album out October 26 featuring collaborations with Scissor Sisters, Radiohead, Groove Armada, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s bassist Flea, and more. It’s also the first album since 1973 to reunite Ferry with Roxy Music members, including guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist Andy Mackay and Brian Eno. Lead single “You Can Dance” will be out August 10.