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By Keir Bristol

Next Saturday, April 16, may be a normal day for some. But for a music junkie, especially of the vinyl variety, Record Store Day is like Christmas. An international holiday celebrated on the third Saturday of April every year, Record Store Day was founded in 2007 and features a variety of musical artists giving shows, limited edition releases and special giveaways.

Music blogs have been providing their readers with previews for a while now, but here at College Magazine we are going to offer you the best of the best! Go to the Record Store Day website to see if your local shop is participating this year.

Gossip frontwoman and LGBTQ activist Beth Ditto is going solo! The Beth Ditto EP was digitally released last month but a 12′ will be available in the U.S. on Saturday. Listen to some singles from the EP here.

Remember the late Michael Jackson with two previously unavailable remixes of “Hollywood Tonight” and “Behind the Mask.”

Vocal powerhouse Adele will have a live version of “Rolling in the Deep” on vinyl on Saturday. There will be a special remix on the record as well, courtesy of Jamie from the Xx.

Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” will be available on vinyl along with three remixes.

“I Heard You Say,” by the Vivian Girls off of their upcoming new album Share the Joy,  will be accompanied by a B-side, “I Won’t Be Long.”  Check out the details here.

The “Rhymesayers Vinyl Picture Disc” will be available on Saturday, featuring new songs by Rhymesayers rappers  Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Aesop Rock and P.O.S.

In 1992 Nirvana came out with an EP for their Australian tour called Hormoaning. As far as I know, that won’t be available on Record Store Day, but Sonic Youth’s Whores Moaning, named in its honor will be available. Whores Moaning was released exclusively in Australia in February 1993.

Visit the website to see more releases from Jimi Hendrix, My Chemical Romance, Mumford & Sons with Laura Marling, and more.

By Keir Bristol

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27- Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and composer Atticus Ross won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Social Network. [source]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28- According to Brooklyn Vegan, today the Roots announced the lineup for their annual picnic show. Artists scheduled to perform include Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Esperanza Spalding, and more. The Roots Picnic will take place on June 4 in Philadelphia, Penn. [source]

TUESDAY, MARCH 1- Today, Pitchfork announced that on June 7 Who Took the Bomp?: Le Tigre on Tour will be released to the public. The documentary follows the electro-punk Le Tigre, headed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin) on their world tour in 2004. The band is currently on hiatus.

Watch Le Tigre on Youtube here.

If you are too impatient to wait until June 7, the film will be shown at the SXSW festival next month AND at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in April. [source]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2- Speaking of Kathleen Hanna, check her out with the Mountain Goats at New York’s Planned Parenthood rally in this video, also courtesy of Pitchfork.com. The rally was actually held in several states across the nation, as well as in London and Pakistan on Saturday, February 26. [source]

THURSDAY, MARCH 3- Black Francis of Pixies fame will be producing the next album for British joke-rappers Art Brut. The record is titled Brilliant! Tragic! Francis also produced Art Brut’s last album, Art Brut vs. Satan. For Brilliant! Tragic! Art Brut and PledgeMusic will be selling some extras to go along with the album- part of the profits will go to a homeless charity, appropriately called Shelter. [Read more about Brilliant! Tragic! here], [source].

FRIDAY, MARCH 4- Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, ex-Helium

leader Mary Timony, and ex-Minders keyboardist Rebecca Cole have formed a supergroup called Wild Flag, and have released their first single, “Glass Tambourine.” You can stream the new single here at NPR. “Glass Tambourine” and another song, “Future Crimes” will both be re-recorded for a new 7”, available on Record Store Day (April 16). [source]

Also, click here to watch Lykke Li perform “Get Some,” her first single from her new album Wounded Rhymes, on Jimmy Fallon. [source]

SATURDAY, MARCH 5- The Thermals are going on tour with Matt and Kim! You can view their tour dates here, courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan.

Social Network photo, Wild Flag “Glass Tambourines” EP photo from Pitchfork.com.

By Keir Bristol

Okay, you’ve have to have heard of Mumford & Sons by now, right? I mean, they performed at the 2011 Grammy’s, and the deluxe version of their debut album, Sigh No More, came out two months ago (even though it was originally released in 2009 in the U.K.!). In fact, it is now on Nielsen Soundscan’s best -selling digital albums of all time list.

If you haven’t heard of them, well now you have! So go catch up by listening to Sigh No More here on AOL Spinner’s CD Listening Party. Go on, I’ll wait.

Mumford & Sons sound a bit like a super band made up of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, and Noah and the Whale. Made up of Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane, the four sing folk songs with simple melodies, beautiful harmonies and rich poetic lyrics about love, life and defiance.

“Winter Winds,” the second single from the album has just a bit of a Beirut influence to it, and is definitely one of the more magnificent tracks on the album. “The Cave,” which was performed at the 2011 Grammy’s, has a catchy banjo twinge, but don’t dismiss this as a typical folk song. Listen to the lyrics first; lead singer Marcus Mumford sings, “But I will hold on hope / And I won’t let you choke / On the noose around your neck // And I’ll find strength in pain / And I will change my ways / I’ll know my name as it’s called again.”

“Dust Bowl Dance,” is a defiant track with a more rock-inspired climax towards the end of the song. The last track, appropriately titled “After the Storm” slows things down with only a deep thump as percussion and simple instrumentation.

Mumford & Sons makes beautiful songs and use a variety of instruments (guitars, keyboards, drums, mandolins, banjos, cellos, and more). But an even more obvious and enviable talent of theirs is in their songwriting. Their songs tell tales comparable to those of the best storytellers. For fans who can’t just get by with a good beat, definitely check out Mumford & Sons- they have a lot more to offer.

• Watch Mumford & Sons’ official video for ‘Winter Winds’ here!
• Watch Mumford & Sons’ official video for ‘Little Lion Man’ here!