A product of rural Minnesota, Holly Newsom leads Zoo Animal with her smooth, alto vocals reminiscent of Cat Power. Joined by Tim Abramson on bass and Thom Burton on drums, Zoo Animal constructs clean rifts and catchy rock.

Kyp Malone is a famously prolific musician, and for good reason. In addition to his side project, Iran, and his main band, TV on the Radio, the singer-guitarist has been making solo music since 2000. His current incarnation, Rain Machine, released its self-titled debut this summer on Anti-Records.

At our recent Policy and a Pint event, we hosted a conversation on what makes a good teacher, what role parents play in the education process, and what the career path is for people considering going into teaching in these changing economic times.

Just in case this nugget of pop culture is not on your radar, Twilight: New Moon is about vampires. You'd expect dark, moody and sinister, right? Well, that's what you get.

When I expected them to sell out, they made "Embryonic," possibly the most challenging work they've delivered their current fan base at any given time in the band's career. I should have known better. With the Lips, it's best to expect nothing beyond something unexpected.