This Week in Music: Cowboy Junkies explore JFK assassination, NIN returns, Lorde at Danforth Music Hall

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This Week in Music rounds up the latest news, releases and concerts coming to Toronto.

IN THE NEWS

Cowboy Junkies to release JFK assassination concept album

This is definitely one of the more interesting ideas for a concept album that I've ever heard. On November 12, Toronto roots legends Cowboy Junkies will release their latest album The Kennedy Suite - which is, in their own words, a concept album "that tells the story of the JFK assassination through the fragmented narratives of a series of characters, each of whom experiences the tragedy from their own intensely personal perspective." Sounds...heavy, to say the least, and it's certainly a unique idea. The album itself is a collaborative work that will see the band record and produce the music of Toronto composer Scott Garbe. It'll also be chock full of special guests, including Hawksley Workman, Sarah Harmer, Jason Collett, Harlan Pepper, Lee Harvey Osmond, The Good Family, and Doug Paisley. This could be one of the more interesting releases of the year from a local band. Head on over to Cowboy Junkies' official website for more info.

THIS WEEK'S HOT TICKETS

FRIDAY OCTOBER 4 / NINE INCH NAILS / AIR CANADA CENTRE / 40 BAY ST / $66 - $112.75 / ALL AGES

After being on hiatus since late 2009, Nine Inch Nails made its triumphant return in 2013 with a brand new album, Hesitation Marks, and a North American tour. Trent Reznor's brainchild has always been one of the best live shows you can see, and while this new album is, in my opinion, a bit underwhelming, you can still expect to hear a lot of older material. If you're a NIN fan, you know what to expect. If you're on the fence, or if you've never been to a NIN show, I highly recommend it. And if you needed another reason to check this show out, Explosions in the Sky will offer support.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 6 / LORDE / DANFORTH MUSIC HALL / 147 DANFORTH / $28.50 - $35 / ALL AGES

Chances are that you're absolutely sick of Lorde's smash-hit single "Royals," which has gotten extensive (I can't emphasize that word enough) airplay on radio stations like The Edge and Indie 88, as well as damn near every radio station on the face of the earth. Hopefully the New Zealand songstress will be able to avoid the one-hit wonder syndrome, as she clearly has a hell of a lot of talent. Incredibly, she's only 16 years old, so she should be able to carve out a nice, long career.

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