Hip-hop is not without its unique ironies: Who could have guessed that one of today's most self-consciously futuristic artists would hail from the storied borough of the Bronx, where the music was born, way back in our 1970s Kodachrome past? The coincidence is not lost on Mickey Factz.

After half of Tokyo Police Club politely apologize for running late ("Someone left their clothes in the dryer," says keyboardist Graham Wright, 21; "I had to get ready for dinner with my parents," offers singer/bassist Dave Monks, also 21), it's no surprise to hear that the boys took a wholesome approach while slogging it out on the suburban Toronto battle-of-the-bands circuit.

Something strange is going on in Hartlepool tonight. Through the freezing salty mist of this sedate British seaside town, a crowd of impeccably turned-out kids are fighting for space in the queue outside a run-down venue. They're here to see the curiously named Dead Eyed Bitches, a band that appeared, pictureless, on MySpace four months ago.

Since her star turn in Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson has always managed to keep a foothold on the classier, cool side of Hollywood. But now, with her Dave Sitek-produced debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, due out May 20 on Atco/Rhino, the comparisons to fellow musically-inclined young actresses were sure to follow.