USA TODAY's music staff offers a weekend tip sheet of sound recommendations spanning the media landscape.
DVD/CD
Jimmy Buffett turns Vegas into Fin City
Parrotheads can get a double dose of Jimmy Buffett with the new two-disc Welcome to Fin City: Live From Las Vegas 2011 (2012, Mailboat Records, DVD/CD, $14; Blu-ray/CD, $17). The singer/songwriter and his Coral Reef Band performed two October shows in Nevada on his Welcome to Fin Land tour at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the discs capture the best of those performances. — Jones
BOOK
Familiar sides of the Beach Boys— and then some
With the Beach Boys celebrating their 50th anniversary, releasing a new album and conducting an international tour, the timing is ideal for a new book that examines 50 of the group's songs and their history and impact. But Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story (ECW Press, $19.95) is no mere nostalgia trip. Toronto-based freelance journalist Mark Dillon selects songs from throughout the group's lifespan, from 1963's Surfin' U.S.A to Rhapsody in Blue, to Brian Wilson's 2010 Gershwin tribute album. Interspersed with Dillon's analysis is commentary from surviving group members, as well as notable fans such as John Sebastian, Al Kooper, Daniel Lanois, Lyle Lovett, Zooey Deschanel, Matthew Sweet and Cameron Crowe. It's fun, fun, fun reading. — Shriver
DVD
'Rockwell' benefit concert captured on disc
In September 2009, Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Joss Stone and other musicians gathered at London's O2 Arena to stage a benefit concert for Nordoff Robbins, a U.K.-based charity promoting music therapy. That show is recaptured on Welcome to Rockwell: A Night of Legendary Collaborations (2012, Midnight Releasing, DVD, $20), featuring performances by the aforementioned artists, as well as Razorlight and Lulu. Plant and Jones lead the "Rockwell All-Stars" in the finale, a cover of Let It Be. — Gardner
SOUNDTRACK
'Brave,' heartfelt music
Brave, opening Friday, looks to be Pixar's latest animated smash. The fairy tale's soundtrack is a winner, too, with Scottish composer Patrick Doyle's orchestral score incorporating traditional instruments and rhythms. In addition to songs featuring cast members Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly, the soundtrack album also boasts a pair of lovely songs from Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis, as well as Learn Me Right from Birdy and Mumford & Sons. — Mansfield
STREAMING
Hear Lights' 'Talk Talk' tribute
Lights pays homage to Talk Talk by revamping that '80s band's classic tune, Living In Another World. The track is featured on the upcoming double tribute album, Spirit of Talk Talk (Sept. 3), which also includes artistic interpretations by Zero 7, Duncan Sheik and White Lies. Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire and Sean Carey from Bon Iver add a little hipster heft to the album, and Depeche Mode's Alan Wilder helms the project. You can hear a stream of Living In Another World on Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/darkstars/living-in-another-world-lights) and excerpts from other tracks on Facebook (facebook.com/spiritoftalktalk/app). — Lopez
