A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

Tributes to Alex Chilton on the Current (89.3 FM). After hearing the horribly sad news of the passing of the Box Tops/Big Star legend, I found it comforting to have a local radio station spinning track after track from one of my heroes.

danandmattwilson.com. Trip Shakespeare's Wilson brothers have released a live album of their Pantages concert, which includes an excellent behind-the-scenes portfolio of rehearsal, sound-check and performance photos.

Target Field and the Twins. Nothing brings the often-fractious local music scene together like the love of our local baseball team, especially with the new stadium. Seems I can have enthusiastic discussions about Mauer, Morneau and Co. with musicians from every genre.

DAN ISRAEL, SINGER/SONGWRITER, ST. LOUIS PARK

To contribute: popmusic@startribune.com

Basilica Block Party lineup. Clearly fueled by Cities 97's rivalry with the Current, Spoon, VV Brown, the Avett Brothers and Weezer are about the hippest bookings yet for this must-attend summer fest. Now if Cities could make its playlist similarly adventurous.

Top 20 tweets of the week, www. billboard.com. LOL when you learn that Erykah Badu forgot what kind of undies she wore in her striptease video, that Adam Lambert had fun kissing Ke$ha and that a Barenaked Ladies member hurt himself skateboarding and had MRI -- music rehabilitates injuries. Priceless stuff.

Bobby McFerrin, "Vocabularies." If "Glee" represents high school, the amazing vocalizing on this CD is a post-doctoral adventure. With 50 voices singing in various languages, these are complex if long-winded explorations into the exotic, the electronic and the exciting.

JON BREAM, STAR TRIBUNE