Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

There are more suds this year in TV’s frothiest soap opera with a twang, as rivalries heat up and relationships get even hotter. Beyond the dramatic twists and turns, music remains as strong and clear as a Tennessee church bell. Functioning almost like a record label, the acclaimed series has already generated several real-life hit songs on country radio. The first season’s soundtrack, released in two volumes, sold an impressive 2.6 million digital downloads. Now the stars of the series are back with more of the best new country music around. Connie Britton sings about love’s complications on the driving “Ball and Chain,” while Hayden Panittiere courts danger on the feisty “Trouble Is.” Duet...

Music is central to Lena Dunham’s acclaimed TV series, about the post-college lives of four young women. So it’s natural that its second soundtrack sounds a lot like the personal playlist of Hannah and her friends. Where the last mixtape featured everything from Robyn’s buoyant “Dancing on My Own” to Icona Pop’s trashy “I Love It,” the latest is a heady mix of indie-pop old and new. Oasis’ 1995 classic “Wonderwall” sits comfortably alongside a recent remix of Cat Power’s “Free,” Beck’s new “Blue Moon” and Vampire Weekend’s update of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down.” In keeping with Hannah and her galpals’ soul-searching, there’s introspection in Aimee Mann’s “How Am I Different” and mome...