Maybe I've just been spending too much time in the Phoenix newsroom, but it was hard to sit inside the Garden on Monday night and not let my mind wander to those holed up around the corner in Dewey Square. And no, not just because of JAY-Z's recent bout of exploitation in the name of the Roc. Or because of KANYE WEST's recent bout of solidarity (read: opportunity to flash his fronts) on Wall Street.

Kanye West has kicked off his campaign to release a new song every Friday between now and Christmas with his much-anticipated collaboration with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver (possibly the first of many). The song is called "Monster," and it also features verses from Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj. Vernon is barely recognizable at first listen, but his heavily distorted vocals bookend the track (that is him, right?).

PASSION PIT REMIX LADY GAGA + BEYONCE's "TELEPHONE." For those of you who think that Passion Pit is a passing college fad, well, this probably won't change your outlook. But it's another brick in the wall for those of us who are anticipating a full-on top-40 pop assault from the Pit. We're teasing, but only a little bit, because we have some undivulgable inside dope about who is shopping for Michael Angelakos's beats these days.

The lineup for this year's installment of the Coachella music and arts festival was announced today. The headliners: Jay-Z on Friday, Muse on Saturday, and the Gorillaz on Sunday. Reunited favorites Faith No More and Pavement play on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, while chart-toppers Vampire Weekend show up on Friday.

The elusive Mr. Auto-Tune

We know, we know -- it doesn't seem quite fair that we listed Auto-Tune as one of the choices on the ballot for our annual Best Music Poll -- after all, he's got far more hits than Chris Martin, the guy from Kings of Leon, or any of the other nominees in the "Best Male Vocalist" category