While dishing on human connection despite great differences, Ingrid Michaelson transforms her track "Blood Brothers" into a most excellent, visual experience. God knows how long the loveable songstress spent in the chair for this one, but the result is well worth it. Check out her fascinating, time-lapsed transformations from Ingrid to a variety of impeccable, celebrity look-alikes...and back again! "Cameos" include the likes of David Bowie, Lady Gaga, John Lennon, and Amy Winehouse, to name a few. The song is from Ingrid's album Human Again. The video was directed by Dylan Steinberg and Shervin Lainez.

British big-band (in a small package) The Heavy live and breathe funk-- as evidenced by our experiences with them, anyway. Back for more with their new record The Glorious Dead, the band ventured to Columbus, Georgia for some good old fashioned American southern-sound. Claiming a more "Gothic" take (that's Southern Gothic, not Hot Topic-Gothic), the band enlisted things like church-trained singers to give their horns a bit of soul coloring, and first single "What Makes A Good Man?" suggests it's working.

We've been gleefully anticipating Scissor Sisters new LP Magic Hour, especially after the amazing video for "Shady Love." Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) offered his, ahem, skills as an orator to serve as the host of an infomercial for the new collection. Catch snippets of all the new songs in between the jokes.

It couldn't be any easier-- absorb the pop-y goodness of Graffiti6 in our full concert video, drop a comment, and you could win a ridiculous bundle of schwag from the band, including a sweatshirt, totebag, limited edition poster, vinyl, and CD. That's a lot of chedder.

It might not be obvious, but English outfit Graffiti6 owe a great deal to folk music's splendid past. Joni Mitchell's Blue fluttered through singer-songwriter Jamie Scott's home as a teenager, eventually inspiring him to pick up the guitar and write songs of his own. Hushed and understated at first (he released a solo album under the name Jamie Scott and the Town in '06), Scott's tunes would get a kick after an encounter with DJ/Producer Tommy D. Pushing those acoustic creations through a prism of various styles, the pair worked together to splay hyper-colored bits of light in every which direction. A new band and a brilliant album appropriately christened Colours was born.

In our latest concert video, Jamie, Tommy and a group of locked, stocked, and loaded musicians rip through some of Colours' finest offerings. Here a tizzy of styles and genres -- electro, folk, hip-hop, pyschodelia, rock, and soul -- bump about the room like ping pong balls in a lotto machine. It's a total burst of energy, the kind of music that makes a winner out of everyone who hears it. You gotta play to win though, so give our latest concert video a whirl.

We prefer naked.

Gossip's fifth full length, A Joyful Noise is out now, and you can listen to the album in its entirety below, via Gossip's Soundcloud. But wait, there's more! One lucky winner will receive a poster and vinyl of A Joyful Noise signed by Gossip themselves. All you have to do to enter is submit your e-mail, crank up "Move in the Right Direction", and keep dancing until we announce that you've won.

We're preparing our ear canals for Metric's recently announced LP Synthetica, via first single "Youth Without Youth" and now "Speed The Collapse," a dance-y bit of rock momentum for your mid-week slump. It's a standard of rock measurement.

Check out this tight R&B jam from Leonard Friend, a rising singer that seems to pull influence from across the past 30 years of pop. Leonard Friend already has one under his belt, available for free on his Bandcamp, titled Lynyrd Frynd. This song, "Every Woman" will be part of a new EP, coming later this year. The track feature's Friends crooning vocals, and even a Michael Jackson style "hoo-hoo!" which you just don't get enough of these days. Download "Every Woman" below.

This post is brought to you by Chase -- a strong supporter of TRANS4M Boyle Heights, a program that provides multiple social services that address Boyle Heights' particular needs.

Learn more here.

How can something as vague as "music" make a difference to our neighborhoods in need?

Jay-Z has always been one to appreciate all different styles and genres of music, so when it was announced that he would curate the "Budweiser Made In America Festival" (eep) in Philadelphia, we could expect a wide selection of bands. From the looks of the lineup so far, That's exactly what we'll be getting. Here's a list of performers so far:

It may be easy to call Bloom from Baltimore duo Beach House "dream pop," but to do so would belittle the strikingly gorgeous and intricate album they've created.

Since taking time away from Wolf Parade, and disbanding Handsome Furs this past Friday, Dan Boeckner has a little more time on his hands. So what's a guy to do? Calling up Britt Daniel, lead man of Spoon, and starting a band isn't a bad start.

The xx are close to releasing their sophomore album, which still is without a title, and some thrifty concert-goers have documented the trio playing some new material live in England. Hear five new songs from The xx, played last Friday night at the Battersea Art Center. While the new material doesn't seem to mark a large departure from their previous material, it's clear from these recordings that The xx is definitely growing as a group of songwriters.

As part of his first "solo" tour, rock legend Jack White tore through a career spanning set at Roseland Ballroom last night with openers Alabama Shakes. Although he performed under his own name, the show was anything but solitary. White and his new company blended their own personal styles of rock, Americana, hip-hop and country to make a completely unique sound. The backing band, the all-male "Los Buzzardos," completed Jack White's visionary guitar work and singing to round out a night that was literally jaw-dropping.

Although it seems the world has waned a bit with its chatter about the discordant noise of Sleigh Bells, we're still getting them in bits and pieces. Today they released a video for "Demons," and like their music, it's a near-incomprehensible mess of sensory appeal (visual instead of audible). According to the blogosphere the track was inspired by "classic Pantera videos," and features footage from concerts in OKC, Dallas, and Houston. Guitarist Derek Miller took on directing duties.

On their '11 LP release Waves, upstate New Yorkers Moving Mountains wield a catastrophic, granite crumbling kind of sound that's so big it's easy to imagine the quartet toppling craggy mountain peaks over into their own, massive geographic footprints. Seriously, nice band name boys. But there is another side to the outfit; one which lead singer and guitarist Greg Dunn recently demonstrated with the release of his acoustic EP, New Light. To celebrate, Dunn recently recorded a stripped down performance of "Where Two Bodies Lie" at Atlantic Studio here in NYC. It's a nice change of pace and we're happy to be premiering it on Baeble.

Is it just us or have we been waiting forever for news on the new Modest Mouse album with Big Boi behind the soundboard? Seems like only yesterday we were consuming rumors about the pairing, trading theories about what a freak-folk-funk-rock album might sound like. The Mouse hasn't made a peep about the new tunes, but they did let one song slip at California's Frost Revival festival. "Heart Of Mine" is a rolling, jaunty tune with a square-dance bass-line, and plenty of that standard Brock timbre.

Moritat is a power trio from Chicago that blends all sorts of different Rock sub-genres. At once they can sound like Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead, while retaining harmonies and spacey noises that are uniquely their own. The group already has one EP under their belt, One Minute Fade, and they will release their first full length, Clill Blanzin on 6/26. The band's new single "Cats" is available for download. Find it along with its fantastic Public Access-themed music video below.

When you think of putting a video to Sigur Ros's music, what do you think of? Wide landscape shots of snow capped Icelandic valleys? A thousand puppies running in slow motion? Well, how about an easy to follow step-by-step instructional video on assisting a choking man in a tuxedo? That's what you get with Sigur Ros's Valtari opener "Eg Anda" (which means "I breathe" in English).

Last night Yeasayer sent their fans a high quality download of "Henrietta," in anticipation of a big announcement today, and now we've got it-- their third album, Fragrant World, is due 8/21 via Secretly Canadian.

Tenacious D functions best when it leans more towards nostalgia-infused hard rock with a comedic edge, like on their self-titled debut, where mocking subject matter (anal sex? the "best song in the world"? Rocking harder than Dio? Taking down City Hall?) is secondary to the insanely catchy riffs and infectious variety of noises Jack and Kyle can make with their voices. Like most musical comedy, it needs to have at least a little validity as a stand-alone tune without the humorous bits.

You've already heard a bit about Thom Yorke and his work with Modeselektor, particularly their awesome video for "This" we posted. The B-side for the release of "This" is just a chopped up and screwed take on Yorke's vocals from the song, set to some ambient scratchiness (and not much else). We're not sure if "All Buttons In" counts as a song even, but it's been on the blogs today, so at least give it one head scratching spin.

Everyone's favorite dreamy summer-home-themed band Beach House has been taking a victory lap ever since they released their awesome fourth LP, Bloom. Watch them as they played their first single, "Myth" on Letterman last Friday. The addition of a live drummer onstage shows how much fun Beach House must be live, adding some more low end to Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally's washed out, platonic majesty. Check out "Myth," the remaining tour dates, and our exclusive concert video with Beach House below.

Father John Misty at Saturday night at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn was probably the most antagonistic, verbally abusive, drunk rant filled performance I've ever seen. Fortunately, J. Tillman is a gifted songwriter and performer, and a marginally talented observational comedian. So, despite all odds working towards this show being a disaster, it was one of the best I've seen this year. Check out the review and photos after the jump.

Multiple sources report R&B crooner Frank Ocean vlogged some interesting new material this weekend. He posted a screenshot of a notepad file with some lyrics, and then just as cryptically, a video of him noodling his way through the new song (possibly entitled "Summer Remains"). Check it out below.

As the first harvest of Spring crops comes flowing in, we've stolen out to the backyard to pick a wide variety for this Spring stream salad. From the spooky drones of Mount Eerie and Sigur Ros to the fist pumping power of Edward Sharpe and The Walkmen, all five of these groups are uniquely talented. They all do, however, share the same trait of being very strange musicians. Enjoy the Stream salad, it's good for you.

Composer Quinton Sung has completed what I'm sure many game/Head enthusiasts have at least envisioned before-- an entirely 8-Bit version of Radiohead's Kid A, from start to finish, almost entirely faithful to the original (with a few bits of creative license). It takes the alienating and dystopian aesthetic of the original and pushes it further, adding a layer of maniacal computerized gossamer to the fold.

With the departure of SNL from our late night conversation, we're left with the weekday crowd to fill in our after-dark hunger pains. This week's selection of midnight snacks is somewhere between "free during your flight" and "halfway decent 7-11," but there are still a few tasty morsels to be had. Dig to the bottom of the barrel below.

Hot Chip is moving towards their next full length LP, In Our Heads. First single "Night and Day" (which is very Hot Chip, we might add) has a new video, also starring Reggie Watts and supermodel Lara Stone. The video features a bunch of swimsuit wearing monks worshiping a giant egg, which believe it or not, is not the strangest concept for a Hot Chip music video to date.

Logic tells us that this episode should have been a colossal failure-- tired old rock star who vaguely resemble a seventh-grade science classroom model skeleton hosts and performs on late night sketch comedy show, also past its prime, bolstered by the establishment's idea of "hip" bands (which winds up being only 33% right), and recycling earlier laff-success in one of the only attempts at a direct sequel to an immensely successful digital short with a fairly unrepeatable conceit. Whoa, that's a lot of things that can go horribly wrong! However, with Kristen Wiig's departure pumping in the empathy, and an insurmountable wave of guest stars, Mick Jagger's unbridled enthusiasm and undeniable stage presence, the night was a resounding success on all counts. Let's look at some of the highlights.

Graffiti6's stylish, retro soul gets a psychedelic touch with the band's groovy new video for "Stare into the Sun". The song is one of their album Colours' many highlights and is a nice primer for a little surprise we have up our sleeves regarding the band next week. Stay tuned.

The Afghan Whigs, who haven't performed together for the past thirteen years, have just recently gotten back together. Today, you can stream their first song in five years, a cover of Marie "Queenie" Lyons's "See and Don't See." The Afghan Whigs cover is pared down, focusing on the heartbroken lyrics and Greg Dulli's powerful voice. The band will perform "See and Don't See" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon next Tuesday, May 22nd, before kicking off a gigantic Summer tour the next night at Bowery Ballroom. Download the new track below, see some tour dates, and why not, groove to Queenie's original too.

Best Coast is a state of mind. The reverberated guitars, smooth vocals, and lyrics about crushes on boys, crushes on California, or crushes on crushes, all serve to take the brain and shift it into this place of solitary love-sickness, or perhaps just lackadaisical beach bumming. Best Coast's debut, Crazy For You, was full of this attractive laziness, and the production matched-- guitars were tubular, and the glean of the coat of reverb splashed on every track was a welcome blurring of the edges.

As part of an "Ask Me Anything" series on Reddit, the black hole from which your soul may never return, Steve Albini entertained questions about working with Nirvana, Jazz, what Joanna Newsom smells like, and much much more. Naturally, some of the most valuable advice from the highly acclaimed producer was about engineering itself. When asked if he really did play Scrabble while recording the fantastic new Cloud Nothings record, this was his response:

As part of a series where people pick songs and bands play those songs, The A.V. Club invited Screaming Females to come through their office and pick from the list. To this offer, the trio replied in unison, 'F you, old man! We're gonna do what we want! Long Live Sheryl Crow!" Well, they didn't say that, exactly... they just politely offered to do "If It Makes You Happy" as a doom filled scream-along, and who could say no to that? If I had never heard the song before, I would have been convinced that it could be a Screamales original. Crow and company probably should have included this blistering guitar solo in the 1996 original.

Australian band Husky came to play our showcase at SXSW despite a lack of material-- including no debut album here in America. On the strength of a handful of songs, they managed to wow us all, including Sub Pop, who promptly snatched them up. Now their hotly anticipated debut Forever So is hitting Europe and the US, and we can't wait to see how the band has fleshed out their intriguing fairy-tale-ish tunes. Speaker.TV had a chat with Husky and the gang, and they give us a little insight into their awesome career path.

The husband/wife awesome sauce duo of Alexei Perri and Dan Boeckner (the guitarist for the currently on-hiatus Wolf Parade) known as Handsome Furs have decided to call it quits today, according to a post on their Facebook page.

As I stepped down into the swanky gilded entrance to Dominion, it wasn't the kind of place that I expected to see an album release show. CHAPPO, the rising dance-rock Brooklyn natives, were celebrating their sweaty, badass new album Moonwater and I expected more of the "abandoned warehouse" vibe. But once I got into the club I saw that the hooligan quartet had hung tinfoil from the ceiling, glitterbombed everything, and gave everybody confetti guns. CHAPPO converted Dominion into their own dance den. The quartet equipped everyone with the necessary tools to party their asses off, and they did.

I have a soft spot in my heart for J-Pop/Rock. I have absolutely no clue what any of the songs are about, but there's a glorious excess there (and an absurd ear for hooks) that is hard to deny. So, it's weird how much I enjoy a subdued (by J-Pop standards) track from Shintaro Sakamoto (a big star in his homeland). Sounding like a long lost relic of 70s soft rock radio (think Steely Dan in Japanese), Shintaro Sakamoto's "In a Phantom Mood" is one of the most bizarrely enjoyable tracks of the week.

We caught M. Ward with opener Lee Ranaldo Band (and another very special guest) at Webster Hall last Friday night. From the beginning it was clear that this was one of the best shows of the year. Every last detail, from Lee Ranaldo's godly open tuning guitar solos, to M. Ward's chilling solo songs, even the set design made the show at Webster Hall beyond awesome. Read on for pictures and M. Ward's set list.

Although every week we put together the mixtape ourselves is a good week for new tunes, this one seems especially pregnant-- the excellent Father John Misty, new young acts like Mrs. Magician and Chappo, awesome contributions to the rapsphere from Killer Mike and Childish, and some new work from old standbys. Plus, an extended tribute to one of our favorite vocalists, who sadly left us this week. We work hard for the mixtape.

Leslie Feist has been all about the concept video lately. She brought us the "before and after" collage for "Bittersweet Melodies", and now we've got an equally high-concept affair for "Cicadas and Gulls." Feist (with backing vocals from Mountain Man) does a live take of the song on the streets of a city (not sure which one) while members of the dance crew Turf Feinz still the entire show with their fun interpretive dance moves.

Angus Stone, of Angus & Julia Stone, will release his second full length LP, Broken Brights, on July 17th via Nettwerk Records. Check out the track listing, a music video from the new album, and our exclusive concert video of Angus and his sister below.

You know what's a fun genre that we don't really hear anything about anymore? Math rock. Slint, the Dismemberment Plan, Battles (kind of). They were/are great groups heavily influenced by progressive rock with unique and unconventional time signatures. We've got another math rock group out now making waves (probably sine or cosine) called Fang Island. These Brooklyn rockers have a new tune out, "Asunder," and it's got enough fiery guitar moments to burn down not just the house but the neighborhood.

It's been almost two weeks since the unfortunate passing of the legendary Adam Yauch, also known as MCA of the Beastie Boys. In the heartwarming/adorable moment of the day, film maker James Winters used some children to do a scene-for-scene reenactment of the iconic Beastie Boys video "Sabotage." If this doesn't make you smile, your soul is broken.

We're pretty big fans of Donald Glover here in the Baeble offices. Whether it's his work on Community or his rapping as Childish Gambino, Glover is always exciting to watch. Still, he's attracted his fair share of haters lately who make some pretty harsh criticisms about his authenticity and his rapping skills. Glover went on a 40 tweet rant on his twitter page, and honestly, it's the perfect response to some of the unfair and low criticisms that have been hurled his way (in regards to how "real" he is). Paste magazine has all of them collected in one place which you can read here. The payoff of the whole spiel was a new track, "We Ain't Them" which you can download below.

The mysterious airline-themed Electro-pop group Flight Facilities is slowly gaining more and more attention for their tight knit dance tracks "Crave You" and Foreign Languages." Today, the trio put out a strange Anime video for their new single "With You" with English artist Grovesnor. The video features heartbreak, some sort of terrible hover mobile collision, a transformation into a twiggy Robocop and shooting into space with your one true love held in a questionably unsafe manner. So, obviously, awesome music video, and a really fun song to boot.

After a battle with cancer, singer Donna Summers passed away today (incidentally, the same day as legendary puppeteer Jim Henson). She was reportedly in the middle of working on a new album.

Remember that weird moment when all of your friends suddenly discovered Adele at once, and you thought you had accidentally stumbled into the American Anglophile Society's annual convention (we may or may not have completely made that organization up). Well, either the entire music blog world just simultaneously discovered British late night program (programme?) Later with Jools Holland or the man has been on a roll with the musical guests lately. His latest musical act was London dance-punk act Hot Chip who have a new album, In Our Heads, coming out 6/12. They performed a rollicking rendition of "Night and Day," and we're ready for these Brits to tour stateside.

Many of you probably remember our awesome session with The Kooks at Industria Superstudio, which hit the site a couple of weeks ago. You also probably remember when we captured Foster The People at Music Hall of Williamsburg, right before the summer got seriously pumped up. Did you know the both of them will be playing together in Central Park at the end of May? We did, and we want to make sure you have a chance to experience these two favorite acts of ours rocking on one bill. So starting today, anyone who comments on either concert (both linked above) is entered to win a pair of tickets to see The Kooks and Foster The People on 5/30 at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, NYC. Share the shows with your friends, and you could be experiencing the real deal.

Outside of the obvious lyric-heavy genres like folk and hip-hop, in today's music market, so many bands are obsessed with crafting just the right sound that the lyrical soul of a song is either an afterthought or buried under walls and walls of noise. That's why it was so refreshing to stumble upon (in the semi-literal sense of the word not the website) "High Fantasy" from Lace Curtains. The band has a cool enough sound (mid-tempo alt-rock) but it's lead singer Michael Coomer's highly intellectual and poetic lyricism that hit us the hardest. Outside of Matt Berninger, rock has had a dearth of top-notch songwriters lately, but Michael Coomer is hoping to prove us wrong.

Best Coast, fronted by once-and-future beach crush Bethany Cosentino, visited Letterman last night to play "The Only Place," off her new LP of the same name. We've always enjoyed Cosentino's attitude and washed-out tunes, but the country-club sweater, tennis skirt, and heels are definitely a new thing, right? In related news, marry me.

Music genres will come and go. Chillwave may be in one day, slickpop the next, and bro-step the day after that (I'm really hoping the latter goes away sooner rather than later). However, I think it's going to be a long time before psychedelic rock goes away. There's always going to be an audience for spacey and far-out rock and roll, and
Brooklyn psych-rockers Yeasayer are here to be your acid-tinged saviors. They've got a new track, "Henrietta," that is a full on psych-prog doozy with a major style-change half-way through the song that really cements Yeasayer's experimental status.

I miss chillwave's big moment a few summer's back. It was reminiscent of the "The Summer of George" except instead of relaxing because of a massive severance package from the Yankees, you kicked back on the peaceful shores of Neon Indian and their ilk. I want chillwave back and Brooklyn band Future of What might help make it happen. Blending a down-tempo feel with more synth-pop elements, the band have an intriguing sound and "I Wait For You" should serve as a great introduction.

With the breakthrough success of the Alabama Shakes (who were basically totally unheard of at this point last year), a lot of doors are being opened for smaller, classic southern rock leaning bands. Austin alt-rockers Sons of Fathers have the chops to make a splash in our current roots-rock loving music market. With a very mid-tempo blues inspired sound (with guitar influences that recall the Yardbirds and early Zeppelin), Sons of Fathers meld barb-wire hooks with great harmony work reminiscent of modern acts like Zeus or Dawes. If you're one of those people that constantly complains about where the good "rock" bands went, give Sons of Father a chance and check out our exclusive premiere of their track "Burning Days" below. This should keep you sated.

If you're digging today's brand spankin' new video from Reptar, we've got some rather gargantuan news. We've just been given a slew of supremely sweet swag and have no choice but to give it out to all y'all. Go nuts! All you need to enter our latest Hook Up is a Facebook account and a snappy response to the band's concert video on Baeble. You know the drill (but in case you don't, read on!).

Enjoying our rambunctious capture of Reptar at The Launch Pad? We bet you are. But, there's something we've been sitting on...something special the band pulled off towards the end of their set, and we're breaking it out now in the most exclusive of ways.

Whenever bands do a music video that consists of them performing in front of a live crowd, you're almost always hearing studio versions of the song dubbed over the live footage. Jersey punk-rockers The Front Bottoms are going for something a little more real in their new video for "Swimming Pool". The band just announced a tour supporting Motion City Soundtrack (after having opened for other pop-punk bands like Dashboard Confessional) but before kicking that off played a raucous show at Asbury Lanes (we've been there...). The high-octane atmosphere makes for a great video here. You gotta love a Jersey punk-rock show.

Differentiation doesn't always come naturally, but Reptar seems to come with the word "unique" built in, or at least stapled on somewhere on their jean jackets. Named not for nostalgia, but to prove a point about how band names are dumb, the band rips through southern independant rock staples with a razor-sharp ear for hooks and a hilarious stage presence, all while emitting the sincerity of your local singer/songwriter (with twice the appeal, and half the pussyfooting). Their in-your-face style is apparent all over their debut Body Faucet which leaks refreshing noises all over your speaker cones.

The band emotes as much frantic enjoyment on stage as they do on the album. Lead singer Graham Ulicny sings as if he is doing as he pleases with his voice-- each croon and wail is a gleeful burst of color in the soundscape. The riffs jingle like so many familiar buzzy acts, but Reptar winds up being both exhilarating and one-of-a-kind-- the closest thing to a new breed of pop we've seen emerge from the rock sphere this year.

After tearing through what was probably the most unique set of the day at The Launch Pad, Reptar's Graham Ulicny takes us through the history of their band, how they came across their band name, and where they think the music is taking them.

At this past year's edition of The SXSW Music Festival, British folk-artist Ben Howard put on what can only be described as an incendiary performance. His debut album, Every Kingdom, has received some serious plays at Baeble HQ and the ongoing murmur about him beyond our walls suggests he may just be headed in the direction of becoming the next big, British folk artist to cross over State-side. He's that good, which means you should get out an see him on his next string of North American tour dates.

We sat down with Sebastian Pringle, singer and guitarist for electro-Basque folk collective Crystal Fighters to talk about the band's first album Star of Love, traditional Spanish influence, and playing their first shows in America.

New York folk rock group Alberta Cross will release their second full length record, Songs of Patience, on July 17th via ATO Records. They will kick off a summer tour at this year's Governor's Ball in New York City. Check out the track list and tour dates, along with our exclusive concert video of Alberta Cross (from several, several years back) below.

We're big ole Rooney fans. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled across this brand new video for "Second Chances", from singer Robert Schwartzman. The song dabbles is a chunky, hard hitting kind of guitar pop. As piercing as the guitar cuts are, it's the video that'll really stick you. Schwartzman enlists both famous brother Jason and Weezer's Brian Bell to star in the bedridden plot line. The song is pulled from Robert's recently released solo album Double Capricorn.

Well Smasholes, we did it. It seems like only yesterday I was promising a "great" season of tea and breasts and despite my natural human instinct to boil myself alive rather than watch another second, week after week, I kept going. The tea was allowed to steep, the breasts were exposed (but not really, this is network TV people), and the Smash went on to impress even the most cynical of viewers (like myself) with just how much these characters could shirk empathy with their behavior. Although I'm ecstatic that I will no longer be writhing in excruciating pain every Monday night at 10/9c on NBC, I can't help but feel conflicted, because now what will be the worst part of my week? Before it was expected, and now IT COULD BE ANYTHING! AH! Anyway, once more, with feeling.

HEALTH's chopped electronic jams have always been meant to be the soundtrack of an insane anti-hero's violent escapades. Now, the people who made the new video game Max Payne 3 have made that natural connection a reality. The L.A. quartet will do the entire soundtrack for the new game, which comes out this week on Windows, Xbox and Playstation 3. You can stream a song from the new soundtrack called "Tears" below.

San Diego rockers and general band crush around the offices of Baeble, Mrs. Magician, just released one hell of a debut record. You can read more about Strange Heaven here. But if you've already been listening to Mrs. Magician, and you just want more, more, more, here are two tracks that weren't on the record, called "Get Bent" and "Tabloids." Both of the songs, which clock in at around two minutes each, warrant repeat listens. Let the surf rocky punk tracks sink in, people, it's summertime.

In the ten commandments of the music industry, we're pretty sure number 3 is "thou shalt not cover Radiohead" or something. Singer Carrie Manolakos ignored this rule and we're so glad she did, at her album release party at Le Poisson Rouge last month, because this cover of "Creep" will make your hair stand on end.

The Walkmen already graced us with "Heaven", the title track from their forthcoming LP. B-side "The House You Made" finds Hamilton Leithauser's crooning as usual, over fluffy guitars and a slow-roasting waltz beat. Just make sure you stay in it for the back half, where the band takes the vocal dynamics to a dizzying climax.

We reported on the promising Australian rockers Gold Fields last week, and wanted to share a Last.fm session we stumbled across. The band's electronic foundation translates surprisingly well to a small session setting-- although it's referred to as "unplugged," we see plenty of plugs going on here.

We like Friends, the funk-apprentices from Brooklyn. Their latest single "Mind Control" confirmed our suspicions that the excellent "I'm His Girl" wasn't a fluke, and we're excited to see it'll be making it on the tracklist for their hotly desired debut Manifest!. Now the band has an appropriately espionage-laden video to go with "Mind Control," and although we haven't a clue what's going on, it looks like a story we'd subscribe to.

That freewheelin' singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson (known as The Tallest Man On Earth) hasn't lost any of his panache. The man is magical with an acoustic guitar. There's No Leaving Now, the next in his excellent discography, isn't due until 6/12, but the first single "1904" is being offered as a free download. The song is mostly standard TMOE fare-- with some electric guitar accents in the background changing the timbre a bit-- so rest assured it's got the same ol' heart. You don't have to embark on a wild hunt to grab it, either. Jump ahead.

The Fairchilds frontman Cyril Niccolai may look like he should be wielding the one true sword against a great evil, but don't let his roguish good looks fool you-- he's less of an antiquated warrior, and more of a renaissance man. After studying both medicine and law at university, the versatile French-born artist decided to pursue his true passion, challenging himself with a tumultuous career in music. Working with producer Jim Lowe (Stereophonics, Herbie Hancock, Foo Fighters), Niccolai has been able to hone his vision into Our Revolution, a collection of tunes that cut to the core of his multi-faceted life.

"High" features Niccolai shuffling through some tried and true rocker positions-- on the roof at dusk playing piano, staring lazily into the camera, and rocking a dapper black suit at a party, missing his hat-sporting, guitar-wielding lady love Orianthi. She seems to be torn about the whole relationship, but come on! This dude is a doctor, lawyer, AND a musician, born in the south of France? You gotta lock that down.

We've told you about the backstory behind Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros' just released tune "Mother" for the Every Mother Counts compilation. The song's nostalgic folky flicker also has a loving visual touch, courtesy of the band's new video for the song. Directed by frontman Alexander Ebert, the band touch on familial bonds, enlisting what we can only assume are their actual mothers (and children) to spend some time grazing in a wild flower field. Every Mother Counts is available at Starbucks. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros will release their album Here on May 29th.

Portland garage-pop act Shadows on Stars are making their claim for your crowded music world attention with some of the fuzziest, scratchiest sounding pop this side of a darker Cults tracks. They have a self-titled album out on their Soundcloud page as well as a handful of music videos. We're bringing your their newest, most sumptuously hedonistic video yet. Check out the video for "Out Of My Head" below and if you enjoy this distorted lo-fi pop, be sure to grab the MP3 below as well and check out the full stream of the complete album.

At first glance, Mrs. Magician hits like an anachronistic surfing android, like the experiment of a robot Brian Wilson digging up clams and cracking hooks like crests crashing into the shore, a little rusty and rough around the edges, but brilliant at the core. And after repeated listens, it turns out it's pretty accurate for a first impression. Where is this beach, and how can we live there forever? The band hits the perfect blend of out-of-time progressivism and nostalgic imperfection to appeal to our generation's obsession with the past through the lens of the future.

All apologies to any of the other female M.C.'s in the game right now (with the exception of the women of THEESatisfactions), none of you have a damn thing on Harlem bomb-dropper Azealia Banks. She exploded on the scene with the fierce and in-your-face "212," and every single since then has had us begging for a proper full-length release. Considering she's delayed the album more times than Duke Nukem Forever, it's ok if you wonder if it's ever going to get released .Well, we've got a new single off her upcoming mixtape, Fantastic, called "Jumanji" that just bowled us over again.

I FEEL LIKE FOR FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE ESPECIALLY HER NEW ALBUM CEREMONIALS AND APPARENTLY EVERYTHING ELSE SHE IS DOING MUST BE TALKED ABOUT IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE SHE LOVES CLIMACTIC MOMENTS AND I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT HER NEW SONG "BREATH OF LIFE" FOR THE SUMMER BLOCKSMASHBUSTER FILM SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN OUT THIS SUMMER IS EPIC WITH EPIC DRUMS AND A SOARING CHORUS! WATCH THE VIDEO!

Last Friday we hopped in the truck and hauled it to Philadelphia, where we camped out at WXPN's World Cafe Live to grab some footage of psych-rockers Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros as well as UK banger Spiritualized. Both wowed the midday crowds with offerings old and new, including the ravaging nine-minute opus "Hey Jane" (off Spiritualized's Sweet Heart Sweet Light) and Sharpe with the tried and true "Home" as well as newbie "Man On Fire" from their forthcoming LP. To satiate your thirst until the full videos hit, check out some pictures from our day in the city of brotherly love.

Whoa, did someone report to the late night television overlords that we've been hopelessly mocking their pitiful excuse for a lineup the past month or so? Because this week's after-hours fare has got us going from six to midnight-- it's a veritable appeteaser platter of delicious morsels from some of our favorite of-the-moment bands. Beach House and Best Coast flaunt their new albums, Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit stay in the public eye, and Tenacious D makes it return known with not one, or two, but THREE appearances this week. And Conan visits Letterman in another cross-over classic (with John Mayer AND Regina Spektor). Hope you were planning on leaving your house this week!

Remember all of those fake previews during the intermission between Planet Terror and Death Proof? If Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino had worked together to make a music video to play during Grindhouse's intermission, it would probably look a lot like the new video for the Father John Misty single off his fantastic debut album, Fear Fun. "This Is Sally Hatchet" is set in the pizza shop from Hell, and you should just watch it

In a rare moment where I can rep my West Virginia pride in a non-embarrassed way, fellow Mountain Stater Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) featured Roots drummer ?uestlove on his Hulu-only program A Day In the Life (which has recently played host to Das Racist, YACHT, and Girl Talk). Spurlock follows Questo around for a day where we see ?uestlove working out (because now that he's forty his health is a concern), rehearsing his music with his fellow bandmates, and even getting in a chicken cook-off. All hail the Roots!

This week's SNL was loosely based around Mother's Day, but I was disappointed at the lack of Will Ferrell returning characters. Three best ofs and we couldn't even get one round of Jeopardy!?? That being said, plenty of laffs were had, especially with the 100th Digital Short! Watch some clips below.

Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" continues to top the Billboard charts in a wave of weird Aussie pop love from the American public. So, what better time than now to prepare for the American debut of Kimbra's first full-length LP, Vows. We've also got streams of the new Tenacious D record, the latest album from veteran British alt-rockers the Cribs, and a new LP from dance-rockers Gossip. You should find something to love from this week's selections.

The jam band of the post-rock age known as Animal Collective has announced a new album of psychedelic adventures entitled Centipede Hz, due in September on Domino Records. Previous offerings "Honeycomb" and "Gotham" do not appear on the (hilariously Animal Collective) track listing, which you can read below.

The long awaited second album from The Temper Trap is almost here! The self-titled album will be released May 18th on Glassnote Records. Until then, we have something to hold your eager ears over, the new track "Trembling Hands" is streaming via The Temper Trap's Soundcloud. The track is epic right from the beginning, with an initial burst of harmonious voices and cymbal crashes before Dougy Mandagi's vocals guide the song's trajectory.

We recently had a blast filming The Wombats up in the Atlantic Studios, so we're doubly thrilled to see the band rocking their new single "Jump Into The Fog" on Conan. If you like sticky hooks and accents in your rock music, The Wombats are your dudes.

Modeselektor's excellent album Monkeytown benefited greatly not only from an acute sense of refreshingly unique electronic riffs, but a little help from the indeliable Thom Yorke on vocals for two standout tracks. One of these tracks, "This," has a new music video, and it's definitely the creepiest puppet show you'll see all week.

Fresh from the dusty outback of Australia, we present to you this rising quintet Gold Fields. Check out their newest single, "Treehouse" from their self-titled debut EP, which you can listen to here. The track is a tight funky electro-rock jam, abound with catchy hooks, hand claps and a glorious shout-along finale. Download "Treehouse" below.

Indie Pop Husband and Wife Mates of State have a new music video for you! "Unless I'm Led" off of the duo's 2011 release Mountaintops has received a slo-mo, one shot treatment. Watch as Mates of State complete an art-house obstacle course of releasing red balloons into the wild, jumping over burning logs and Pollacking a Warhol (you'll see).

What is it about the Swedes and churning out female pop stars? They've given us Robyn (a gift we'll never be able to repay), First Aid Kit (more folk than pop but there are plenty of pop elements as well), the Knife, and even the Cardigans. Well, there's another Swedish pop group gunning for American audiences, the female electro-pop duo Icona Pop. They've got a new single, "I Love It," which is pure girl-power dance-pop. Charli XCX wrote the song which probably helps to explain why it's so damn good.

It's hard to label something so wacky as "pop" but it's the only way to accurately describe the way Reptar's debut Body Faucet hits you. The insanely strange voice of singer/guitarist Graham Ulicny is just the beginning of the aural exploration of the band's twisted hooks and bright, jungle-themed southern rock. It's undoubtedly fun-- the jangle of riffs mixed with Ulicny's yelp never seems to expire-- but Body Faucet also can't help but be immediately pegged as derivative of nearly every blog-bait fad from the past five years. Tropical, funny, a wacky live show, uptempo, a stupid nostalgic name, and full of more hooks than a bait shop, the comparisons almost make themselves. Luckily for the band, their attitude is their saving grace-- by naming the band the dumbest thing they could think of because "names are stupid," and by writing whatever the hell they want, they've created something fun and flighty without sounding like they're trying too hard.

It's literally been a week since we brought you the last music video, the ridiculously NSFW "Goldie" from rising Harlem hip-hop star A$AP Rocky, but the man is already back with a new song/video with Bronx bad-boy Swizz Beatz. "Street Knock" (produced by araabMUZIK to round out the ensemble) is the kind of tune you put in your car radio as you bump down the street. It could probably use more A$AP and less Swizz (Rocky's flow just makes Swizz Beatz look like an amateur) but it's another fun hip-hop track to help usher in the summer.

Oh Dan Lopatin (better known as Oneohtrix Point Never), you might be the last person I'd expect to shake me out of a mid-day funk, but the man who gave us one of last year's best albums (but also one of its mellowest), Replica, managed to do it. Like Beck, he did his own cover of the 1934 classic track "I Only Have Eyes for You" and turned it into an experimental, avant-garde beauty. Ambient minimalism doesn't sound exciting and this track isn't going to make you want to mosh or tap your toes, but if you can appreciate ephemeral, open-ended tunes, check out Oneohtrix Point Never's gorgeous take on this American standard.

After his extensive work with the titans of alternative rock Radiohead and more recently, retooling indie-stylings of Luke Temple and Here We Go Magic, it looks like producer Nigel Godrich is finally ready to explore some sounds of his very own. His new project, titled UltraÍsta features the glitchy syncopated rhythms he's help popularize with Yorke and co., but the other elements-- like the voice of his new partner in crime, London artist Laura Bettinson-- add a bit more accessibility to a man who's made a living on freaking us out.

We caught Bear in Heaven Wednesday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, in the homestretch of a North American tour, backed by openers Doldrums and Blouse. The raucous night could be wrapped up by lead singer Jon Philpot's message to the audience: "Feel free to shake it on this one. No one minds a loose caboose." The crowd was into it through the whole night, dancing and chanting along to each group.

This week's mixtape is stuffed to the brim with new music to discover, from face-vibrating vocalists to new singles from old favorites, songs suited for stadium rafters and songs suited for your next Bushwick dinner party. Thank God It's Mixtape, making your Friday at least 75% more enjoyable since 2009. And yes, we realize it's not actualy a "mixtape" per se, but wouldn't you rather call a nifty collection of songs that don't necissarily belong together arranged in a specific order just for you a mixtape rather than a "playlist"? So technical!

When you're trying to make sure you get your posts out in a timely manner, you usually only have the time to listen to a single/watch a music video two or three times before you write up your post. So, when I say I've listened to "Illuminate" by the resident weirdo of the Black Hippy crew, Ab-Soul nearly ten times since I first heard it yesterday, that should be a clue as to how killer this track is. Featuring Black Hippy leader Kendrick Lamar on possibly his fiercest verse yet, "Illuminate" is one of the best rap tracks of the year so far.

Alabama born (but Brooklyn bred) anti-folk group Balthrop, Alabama (who give Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire a run for their money in the "number of band members" department) have a new music video out for their single "Pretty Little Bird" which we have the pleasure of premiering. Set in a world that seems culled right out of a children's television program (think old school Nickelodeon programs) with brightly colored crayon-drawn sets, Balthrop, Alabama pair semi-subversive and dark lyrics with these innocent images to create a visually and intellectually striking video which hints at a disturbance just beyond the images on display.

Swedish garage-rockers The Hives have gained quite a reputation over the years for their manic lives shows (and matching wardrobes) as well as their fuzzed out, blues/garage rock chops. They've got a new video for single "Go Right Ahead" where they perform a live studio version of the track. You even get a "glimpse" of the mysterious Randy Fitzsimmons.

British group 2:54 has been gaining some serious traction in anticipation of their debut self-titled release, which is due on 5/28 via Fat Possum. After previewing some excellent material, 2:54 has released the B-side to "Creeping" titled "The March." Although it won't appear on the proper full-length, the track still further establishes 2:54 as a band to keep an eye on.

Montreal's very own Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, is having a pretty stellar year. Her album, "Visions" is one of our favorite albums of the years, and the music video for "Oblivion" has been a frontrunner for music video of the year since it was released. Well Miss Boucher is back with a new video for Visions track "Nightmusic" where she's a "witch" (maybe) in the woods tempting naked men and women in a gloomy forest.

How does one avoid being social? By covering yourself in a plastic bag, you say? That's what Oklahoma rockers Broncho think. They're even offering a tutorial on how to do it the right way. Watch lead singer Ryan Lindsey go through his day avoiding any human interaction by having someone cover him in a plastic bag before he can get snatched up. He's not the only recluse though-- the whole band rocks out under a sheet of plastic too! Lindsey's looks aren't exactly magnetic, so I don't think he's fighting off many people throughout the course of the day. It's also probably not a wise decision to cover yourself in any sort of plastic-- suffocation is likely. Don't try this at home kids! Be anti-social the right way-- by locking yourself in your room and surfing Baeble's website for hours! Yippee.

After a "meh" 2011 for hip-hop (Shabazz Palaces was one of the only breakthrough acts to make an impact with me and established performers like Drake and Kanye/Jay-Z slightly underperformed to be honest), 2012 has shaped up to be a great year thus far. We've got a new track from Philly prodigy and Maybach Music Group wunderkind Meek Mill that should get plenty of parties started this summer. "Amen" features Drake and Jeremih and it's just a cocky party jam. Mill's new mixtape Dreamchasers 2 is out, and now, I'm compelled to check out all of the buzz surrounding this newcomer.

When Regina Spektor released the first single off her forthcoming album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, we were all pretty much blown over by the very vintage and percussive Regina Spektor sound on "All the Rowboats". Everyone's favorite Russian-American songwriter has another music video out now for her cover of Only Son's "Them Brothers," which she has heavily re-worked and renamed as "Call Them Brothers." Along with the low-key but beautiful piano tune, the video features grainy, 60s style home footage of Spektor and a male lover/friend. 5/29 needs to get here already so we can hear this new album.

We're far removed from any era where pop-punk music holds any serious sway in the musical landscape. That whole movement sucked down its last truly relevant breath with Green Day's American Idiot in 2004, and it's become an increasingly niche market ever since. Still, there was a time when bands like Blink 182 and the Offspring were selling tons of records and Good Charlotte and Taking Back Sunday hadn't become the punchline of an entire musical movement. One of the best bands of that whole era to achieve mainstream success was Eve 6 whose first, self-titled album and second album, Horrorscope, have aged far better than many of their peers. They've returned with their first album in nine years, Speak in Code, and if it doesn't quite reach the constant fun of their glory days, it's only because we're so far removed from an era where these sounds rang as true.

Pictured above: a visual example of the difference between sampling at a high rate and a low rate forcing your brain to fill in the blanks. Photo of Radiohead at Coachella by Joe Puglisi.

MP3 formatting has changed the way we listen to music, allowing for consumers to hold massive libraries of content without the hassle of a physical collection, or excessive digital storage. Compact Disc audio and MP3s are both digital audio-- instead of creating sound waves with physical technology-- like the grooves of a vinyl record-- digital audio recreates sound waves with samples, a numerical value assigned to each frequency in the spectrum of what you're hearing. Many people realize that there is a difference in quality, but don't necessarily know why. The MP3 isn't a replacement for CD quality, and here's why:

Considering that Justin Vernon contributed to both of Kanye West's last two albums or the fact that there were moments on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that read more as indie pop than hip-hop, it should be no surprise when indie rockers start to cover Ye's biggest hits. Brooklyn freak folk artists Oberhofer released a cover of Yeezy's "Runaway" for Record Store Day, and it's made its way online. If you think covers should sound a lot like the original, you'll probably dislike this version because it goes for a very distinct, unique approach, and that's part of what I really enjoy about it. Embracing some noise pop conventions, Oberhofer's take on one of the best tracks of 2010 (I still can't decide whether it or Ariel Pink's "Round and Round" was better) sounds like it could have fit right in on Merriweather Post Pavilion. The only part of the original that I'm missing is the awesome vocoder solo. Other than that, Oberhofer did Kanye justice.

As a so-called assessor of "serious" music, it's way too easy to immediately dismiss instantly accessible and unashamedly catchy music. If you listen to strictly avant garde enough, you might start to question the validity of any musical artform that doesn't require your complete and undivided mental attention to appreciate. Maybe that's why Keane has always stood out so clearly. Notable for being the "band with no guitars" (which is only partially true), Keane make no attempts to hide their Britpop influences and since they are one of the highest selling British pop-rock bands of the 2000s, their mainstream appeal is impossible to deny. Most importantly, they make wonderful music that even the most jaded, cynical person can enjoy, intellectually or on a more gut level. Their newest album, Strangeland, drops 5/ 8 here in the States, and we had a chance to chat with Keane's drummer, Richard Hughes, about the direction of this new record as well as a little history lesson about the band who's responsible for "Somewhere Only We Know" being on virtually every mixtape I've ever made for a girl.

Urban banjo-mavens Spirit Family Reunion (based in Brooklyn and sound like the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains) are finally ready to release their debut LP, and we couldn't be more excited. We've got the first track, "I Am Following The Sound," as an exclusive premiere, and it's a foot-stomper-- violin and banjo duelin', guitar wielding piece of fiery folk-sy freshness.

If you're digging today's brand spankin' new video from Tony Dekker and co., we've got excellent news. You don't need to demonstrate any proficiency at the breast stroke to nab some Great Lake Swimmers swag-- you don't even need to live in proximity to a great lake. All you need is a Facebook account and a snappy response to our latest concert video. You know the drill (but in case you don't, read on!).

Great Lake Swimmers make all the pieces fit together. There's something natural about the group's dynamic, like they have been playing together since they were kids, which is surprising, given the revolving door of the bands roster. At GLSs core is Tony Dekker, a man hell bent on taming the wide open spaces of his youth in Wainfleet, Ontario into something tangible and torrential. After numerous albums and a spread of styles and modes, Dekker finally adopted the balance he sees fit with New Wild Everywhere, the bands fifth studio LP. It came just three years after his breakout album Lost Channels (his fourth), the one that earned Dekker nods for both the Polaris Music Prize and a Juno Award.

The award-caliber folk of Great Lake Swimmers is on display here, as evident in performance as on their new collection. Dekker's crystalline blends beautifully with Miranda Mulholland's strings and harmonies. Erik Arnesen's diverse musicianship adds new parts to each song to keep each track sounding fresh. The Canadian five-piece played our showcase at SXSW, and we were lucky to see the group play from their wide discography, including the immediate "Think That You Might Be Wrong" from their immense new album. New Wild Everywhere is true through their newly formed equilibrium, the band is made new, and wilder than ever.

After playing our Launch Pad Party, Great Lake Swimmers mastermind Tony Dekker perks high atop 6th Street, battles SXSW mayhem for sonic supremacy (he wins), and discusses his band and the elegant new album they just released titled New Wild Everywhere.

The 80s synthpop revival acts haven't been quite as omnipresent in 2012 as they were in 2010 and 2011. It's a mixed blessing because while I appreciate the chance for new genres to arise (2012 has been all about the slickpop), I find myself missing the synthesizers and danceable beats. Well, we can thank Ice Choir for bringing it back at least for a little bit. The side project of the Pain of Being Pure at Heart's Kurt Feldman, Ice Choir probably has more in common with the New Romantics than the New Wave but their new single "Teletrips" is pure 1980s fun. Their debut album, Afar, is out 7/31, and we're hoping the rest of the album sounds as good as this lead-off single.

Norah Jones climbed her way to the top of the charts back in 2002 with "Come Away With Me." It was a breath of fresh, relaxing air that landed her sultry vocals on the forefront of the conversation and walking away from the year with a handful of Grammys. Unfortunately, that hit became the epilogue of her jazz career, forcing her into a corner of criticism due to her consistently understated, ballad-like songs being pigeonholed as only fitting for a coffee house.

Remember 90s alt-rock? Despite what some people tend to think of the entire post-Nirvana era, there was a period of time when radio rock and roll meant something fun and not Creed or Nickelback. Eve 6 was one of the bands to define pop-punk in the late 90s and early aughts, and despite not being crazy about that subgenre even when it was popular, Eve 6 music has always seemed a little more timeless than their peers. They recently put out their first new album in nearly a decade, and as part of their comeback tour, they played Gramercy Theater here in NYC. The band hasn't lost its touch one bit and they put on a wonderful show. Even though we can't say the same thing about their openers, Fall From Grace and the Audition, it's alright because Eve 6 performance reminded us about everything that was fun about the 90s and our youth.

On the heels of Battles' remix of last year's Gloss Drop, Dross Glop, the psychedelic trio will bring their insane live show across the glorious mid-section of the U.S. this summer. Check out the dates below.

Super Furry Animals might seem like a weird fetish, but its just a psychedelic rock band from England. And while the band takes a respite between two albums, bassist Guto Pryce has created little side project called Gulp that's set to release a "7 of equally trippy music. If you liked SFA, it won't be hard to get into Pryce's single "Game Love." Both bands clearly like to experiment with more than just their music, and the product of their dabbling is cool electronic music with a haunting edge that might have you fiending for more.

West Coast Pop trio Gossip are readying their fifth album A Joyful Noise.
Today, you can listen to a preview track from their new album, "Move In The Right Direction," a big electronic track that's screaming in neon lights "DANCE TO ME NOW. DO IT."

Like what you saw of Great Lake Swimmers at the Baeble SXSW Showcase? Catch them out on tour this summer, check out the dates posted below.

Although flashmobs for the sake of flashmobing are getting to be a bit cheesy (save for anything to do with randomly occurring wizard fights), this stunt by the Copenhagen Phil in the metro was created in collaboration with Denmark's Radio Klassisk, and recorded entirely on the train. Nothing brings a smile to a baby's face quite like a train full of instrumentalists playing "Peer Gynt" as the train emerges from a tunnel. Single tears at the ready!

After debuting the heavily catchy single "Andrew in Drag" alongside its compelling music video counterpoint, you might not be surprised to find that The Magnetic Fields haven't dialed back the weirdness at all. Their second single off of Love At The Bottom of The Sea titled, "Quick!" features Stephin Merritt's strange lyrics and and even stranger music video. If anyone knows what the "mating calls of sarcastic sharks" sound like, it's probably The Magnetic Fields.

Bob Dylan successor and son Jakob Dylan brought "One Headlight" to us with his band The Wallflowers in 1997. Fifteen years and three albums later, we can all rest easy knowing a new album is on its way. Jakob Dylan elaborated on the process of making this new album: "It's been a while since we've felt this energized and creative. We haven't changed our stripes so much as we're continuing to redefine the animal." You can expect to hear what we all loved about the band's sound-- only brought to greater heights. You can check them out on tour before the album's release.

Family Records has been introducing us to their music one track at a time via their One Track Mind Series. This time it's Shenandoah And The Night and "So Low, So High"-- a musical orchestration of epic proportions fronted by some the mystical vocals of Shenandoah Ableman. There must've been some impressive genetic engineering going on because she sounds like Florence Welch and Natalie Khan combined. Here's the bands uplifting song about overcoming the painful obstacles of life.

Last night, pop legends The Beach Boys stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to promote their new album That's Why God Invented the Radio and their 50th anniversary tour. It's the first time in decades that two of the main Beach Boys, Mike Love and Brian Wilson, have reunited, and they'll be performing together on a surprisingly massive tour through the summer. Watch the constantly weird Wilson and jovial Love chat with Fallon about harmonizing, getting karate chopped by Elvis, and even do a brief trio rendition of "Barbra-Ann."

When we last left off, Smash was busy retooling the "careful" character development and "plot integrity" of previous episodes to explore every combination of romance possible. Derek and Rebecca Duvall! Ivy and Dev! Karen and a My Little Pony playset! Ellis and Satan! So we start with Dev waking up next to Ivy and acts all "schwoops!" Karen talks about how Dev is MIA and some random girl talks about how Ivy is MIA. COINCIDENCE?? No one notices. No one cares. Ivy and Dev make a blood pact to never reveal their secrets, except with less blood and more dramatic indifference. Karen is nice to Ivy and Ivy is all like "don't be nice to me right now, or I might fall apart." Karen, a professional medler and idealist, decides Ivy's weird mood is in relation to her on-again-off-again abusive relationship with Derek, so she asks Rebecca if she's boning big D and of course she is! What a dumb question. Next.

IAMEVE is the concept creation of singer-songwriter Tiff Randol. Her album The Everything Nothing captures Randol's journey from self-destruction to self-love, all playing out to gigantic, electro popping nuggets that is reminiscent of artists like Ellie Goulding and La Roux. Check out her track and accompanying video for "Throw Me a Line".

The best dressed band on Earth The Walkmen is unleashing the newest single off of their 5/29 release album Heaven entitled, "We Can't Be Beat." It looks like lead singer Hamilton Leithauser put on his best tux, told the band to quiet down, and took a model walk toward his inner minimalistic tendencies. His unique vocals take the fore and the song delves into the sounds of Roy Orbison. Check it out.

Bethan is the moniker of Dallas, TX cowgirl Jessi James, who wields beats and bleeps like guns in a fistfight. Although James has been haunting the Dallas music scene for several years, the real fun began when collaborating with producer Roger Greenawalt (Ben Kweller, The Pierces), giving her punchy music a minimalist flair that seems simultaneously jazzy and familiar. She recorded Chapter 1 in New York at Shabby Road Studios, and has since assembled a five-piece band to tour with acts like Purity Ring, Eisley, Juliana Barwick, and Tennis. Today we're premiering Chapter track "Vague," and it's anything but self-referential in terms of Bethan's musical appeal.

Their album cover might say "Huh?" on it, but the only thing confusing about Spiritualized is why they don't get more airtime. Luckily, late night doofus David Letterman brought these guys on to perform the opening single "Hey Jane" off of their acclaimed new album Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Watch as Jason Pierce aka J. Spaceman alienates himself from some lively background dancers and a band that plays the tune impeccably. It'll make more sense why the cover says "Huh?" and why Pierce goes by J. Spaceman-- while he's drifting off in his own little world, the band is bringing us right back to ground. We can call this Spacejam.

Four Tet hasn't spent any time in the shadows-- his consistent stream of releases via the Text label continued today with a 12" called "Jupiters." Along with B-side, "Ocoras," this latest release only further proves Kieran Hebden hasn't lost any of his bleepy-bloop prowess.

As some of you may know, we lost another cultural icon today. Maurice Sendak, author of several beloved children's books including Where The Wild Things Are. Along with the loss of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (who was the subject of many a tribute this weekend), it's been a sad week for pop culture. However, these two were connected in another way besides their close passing-- Yauch helped produce a documentary on Sendak created by his good friend, Spike Jonze (director of many a Beastie Boys music video). Jonze spent six years following Sendak, preparing interviews to distract him from the grueling production of his film adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are (which spawned its own contributions to the musical conversation). The result was hours of intimate footage of Sendak, full of the same insight and wonder as the work he did.

We've finally drawn our series of exclusively premiering new songs from North Carolina roots rockers Flagship. After three previous tracks (the almost equally excellent "Still I Wait," "The Knife", and "The Fool"), we close it out with the ballad "Older" where Drake Margolnick shows off he's even got a Justin Vernon-esque falsetto to round out his gritter and rawer vocal interludes. Flagship is a talented band that has certainly entered Baeble's radar and we'll keep you updated whenever we know more about these on-the-rise rockers.

If you thought it was hard trying to figure out how to pronounce Gotye's name a couple months ago (when it seemed like every post we wrote about him included a pronunciation guide), you ain't seen nothing yet (to quote Bachman Turner Overdrive). Avant-R&B artist Kuhrye-oo, the stage name of Gobble Gobble's Calvin McElroy, has a new video out today which was co-directed by and stars everyone's favorite waifish, androgynous future-pop starlet Grimes.

The Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi Big K.R.I.T. (or at least it seems like he is in the video) brings his southern roots to Cali on this track that sounds like a something off Dr. Dre's The Chronic. And while the song has a West Coast feel, K.R.I.T stays close to home for the music video for his new single, "I Got This." It has an old school, 70s vintage style with its brightly colored muscle cars in every shot and you can follow K.R.I.T. as drives around in one and acts as a Meridian, Mississippi tour guide. Or you can hang out with his MC Hammer-esque group of supporters while he raps in front of the local movie theater.

Look no further, this music video packs all of the things you could possibly want in just three minutes and twenty-one seconds. There's a shot of a girls side-boob after she takes off her shirt, an attractive girl jumping up and down in booty shorts, a girl vandalizing windows with a huge rock, and a girl lying naked on the floor-- all tastefully done of course. It's a quirky song with a quirkier video but if you don't like the Japanese pop tune, the latter will at least spark your interest. If you do, check out more of clubtrack maker Tomas Barfod's music on his LP Salton Sea out 5/22. This is "Broken Glass."

As the world sadly discovered on Friday, Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch, aka MCA, passed away after a three year battle with cancer. There have been literally hundreds of tributes from fellow performers and kind words said about this icon of the industry whose talent as a musician were only matched by his philanthropic generosity and his general decency as a human being. We've scoured together some of the most touching tributes to this hip-hop legend who was taken from this world too soon.

Melody's Echo Chamber is new on the scene, but she instantly wins cool points for recording her debut song, "Crystallized," at her grandparents' beach house in France. If Pram and http://www.spiritualized.com/ were types of soda and you mixed them together in a bottle and twisted off the cap, the bubbly explosion of noise would be Melody's Echo Chamber. There's something hypnotically carbonated about her sound.

Black Taxi have an interesting stash of sounds coiling around this live recording of their jam "Friend". The verses seem soulful and semi-loungy, but turn abrupt corners on their approach into choruses that reminisce of all those fun Franz Ferdinand sing-alongs from back in the day. Chirpy guitar shreds find a few moments to take off, only to plunge into an ocean of grungy undertones. Something also happens with a muted trumpet. It sounds kind of weird on paper, except this band of Brooklynites make it work in memorable, head clinging ways. The video and live capture of the song was recorded at Bad Racket Studios in Cleveland OH and we're feeling pretty good the band chose us to debut it for the world to see. Enjoy. The song is from their current release We Don't Know Any Better.

Zulu Winter are an Oxfordshire outfit with a decidedly icy, yet hypnotic sound happening for them. It'll all come together on their soon to be released album Language. "Silver Tongue" and the video accompanying it seems a good way to represent the record. After all, unfiltered articulation or communication break down all together is the death of many a relationship. The band aim for such a representation with their new video. A couple takes a nightmare drive down a dark and dreary, wooded road. We see love, affection, closeness in the rearview mirror and some kind of final, violent ending in the illumination of the head lamps. Obviously, these two have seen their best days together. The worst may lay just ahead.

It's a great day for freak folk fans. There are two new Animal Collective singles (hinting at a potential new album), and now we've got a new track from Paris experimental pop duo, CocoRosie. "We Are On Fire" sounds like it could have been lifted straight off of Bjork's Vespertine and was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. That's not a bad thing, and it gets even better with the reveal that Antony Hegarty (of Antony and the Johnsons) will be providing back-up vocals on the single's B-side, "Tearz for Animals."

Starting last Thursday, we began to premier a four track series of new tunes from North Carolina alt-rockers Flagship. We've brought you the anthemic "Still I Wait" and the visceral/raw "The Knife" and now we have the more wounded and melancholy "The Fool." Flagship continue to show their range of emotion and sonic prowess, and be sure to check back tomorrow when we reveal the final single in our exclusive series.

Being from New York, and a big fan of sport, particularly the foosball, I wanted Eli Manning's SNL to be at the very least, passable (no pun intended). Unfortunately, as most children learn that Christmas they did not get N64 as they were promised by the "santa" outside The Gap, and/or Mick Jagger taught us, you can't always get what you want. Eli Manning is not an actor, he's a professional athlete, and they are very rarely talented at throwing footballs AND converting cue cards into laff-downs. So it goes. Also, Rihanna!

The weather here in the Big Apple is finally starting to reach acceptable levels after one of the coldest springs in recent memory. Knowing my luck, that means when it comes time for Bonnaroo this summer (which Baeble will be covering), it will be a million degrees and rainy to balance things out. Enough with our regular complaining about the weather. It's time to party like it's 2010. We've finally got the follow-up albums from two of 2010's break-out bands, Beach House and Best Coast. So if you're ready to get your dream pop/garage pop on, let us take you on a ride.

What better way celebrate my final week here at Baeble than with a perfect week in late night TV. Once I saw Of Monsters And Men on the list, I didn't need much more but then I got a shot of nostalgia with Snow Patrol and extra jolt of excitement for the quickly approaching summer with Edward Sharpe and Florence And The Machine. It'll be hard to get over coming into the city every week, but this will ease my pain just a little bit.

Oh Animal Collective. You have to be one of the most divisive groups of the 2000s. For every fan who thinks you're the greatest thing to happen to pop music since the Beach Boys and can spend hours talking about the evolution between Feels to Strawberry Jam to Merriweather Post Pavillion, you've got a hater (or three) who thinks you're boring, pretentious, or incomprehensible. Still, you've made even your most loyal fans wait what feels like an eternity for any new music to follow up your last record (and your most acclaimed/accessible), MPP. Well, Avey Tare and Noah Lennox have finally answered our prayers for new AC tunes with "Honeycomb" and "Gotham," which are the same psychedelic freak-folk we've grown to love from this band, and we'll take it

Even before the heyday of MTV and the Buggles letting us know that "The Radio Killed the Video Star," artists have long recognized the strength of pairing music with images. Whether it's 40 years back and the Beatles helping to lay the groundwork for the music video with "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "I Am the Walrus" or going back even further when man first realized he could combine music with dramatic storytelling for the opera/musical. These days, most artists specialize in one form or the other (unless you're in Gorillaz). Few people take pride in calling themselves true multimedialists. Thankfully, then, bands like Breton exist which blur the lines between musician and filmmaker in exciting ways.

They're back-- those purveyors of falsetto love-letters Passion Pit have returned. "Talk A Walk" is the first new track from the band since 2009's Manners solidified their place in the landscape, following the breakout success of their Chunk of Change EP, all beginning with their song "Sleepyhead." While "Take A Walk" seems to be a bit on the muted side when compared to the high-soaring notes of "Sleepyhead" and other Manners fare, it features some grittier production, a more sonically interesting vocal timbre than we've seen from the Pit. Take a listen (or a walk?).

Feeling like going through a visual maze of epilepsy and neon colored food? Well, Black Dice have just the thing for you: a new self-directed music video for "Rodriguez," off of their latest album, Mr. Impossible. It features trampolines, muscles, corn, smiles, burnt sienna, surfing, and much more! It's like the entire decade of the 80s dropped acid and learned how to use iMovie. Watch it now, you definitely won't be hypnotized into getting a Flock of Seagulls haircut, why would you ask that? That definitely won't happen, just watch it.

Virginia dream-punk act (if that's not a thing yet, it is now) Eternal Summers just shook me out of my slumber with their propulsive new single "Millions." For everyone who is finally starting to tire of the effortlessly breezy slickpop that has been hogging the spotlight of so much rock lately, Eternal Summers pair an endearingly sloppy punk chord structure with dreamy pop vocals that are reminiscent of School of Seven Bells. The noise elements (and the female fronted vocals) even bring to mind Kim Gordon-led Sonic Youth tracks. This song is going to be on repeat for a while.

Crocodiles have been offering us excellent, very loud previews of their new album Endless Flowers since the beginning of the year. It's hard to believe that this band is made up of mere mortals, and not actually army of noise-making reptiles. ICYMI, you can download the terrific "Psychic Conversation #9" here-- read on for the new cut.

As tributes to Levon Helm have been flooding in over the past couple of weeks, bands have been doing their best renditions of classics by The Band. Yesterday, almighty king of New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen, released his tribute to the late, great drummer by covering "The Weight." The song rules, and it makes sense: Springsteen was a direct descendant of Helm's musical style, beginning his career at the same time The Band was putting out some of their best work. Also, his nickname is "The Boss" so what else could you expect?

Check out GRVRBBRS' remix of Active Child's You Are All i See single "Hanging On." The remix has some serious synth R&B power behind it, saving Grossi's talented voice in the mix. The track is available for download below, along with some Spring dates and our exclusive concert with Active Child. Check it out active children!

Folk artist One Little Plane, moniker of Kathryn Bint, has been quietly gathering attention for her two albums, 2008's Until and Into The Trees, which comes out on May 7. Quietly gathering attention, that is, until now. One Little Plane is the latest recipient of the Radiohead bump: a surefire way to expand your fan base by around 10,000%.

The Shins have been winning at Music lately, back from a long hiatus with a great new album and a live show that made our correspondent downright giddy. Here's another gem from The Shins: an hour long concert on Los Angeles radio station KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. The newly christened five-piece plays through songs from Port of Morrow as well as a couple oldie but (very) goodies.

Continuing our series of premiering four new tunes by North Carolina alt-rockers Flagship that we started yesterday with the roiling "Still I Wait, we've got another excellent track from this up-and-coming southern rock crew. "The Knife" continues with the trend of passionate and raw rock reminiscent of the angry (read surprisingly good) Dave Matthews years best defined on Before These Crowded Streets. Lead singer Drake Magolnick's voice still continues to blow us away, and if you're wanting a visceral and unfiltered rock experience, check this band out because they are continuing to make waves in our offices.

When we caught Cursive at Bowery Ballroom early last month, there was a tremendous focus on the performance of the music. Everyone onstage was giving 100%, with the audience screaming along to every one of Tim Kasher's brilliantly mashed together stanzas. It was a little weird, a little funny and very, very intense... kind of like this video!

Drake certainly has etched out a name for himself . After two albums and countless collabs, the young money rookie has established himself as raps most sensitive lothario, tackling issues of emotional complexity mostly reserved for indie rock and Kanye West verses. Drizzy's revered Take Care sounds great on your stereo, but how'd you like to see it up close and personal? We're giving away a pair of tickets to see Drake's "Club Paradise" tour (with J. Cole, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and French Montana) in the city of your choosing, and all you need to do is enter your email below. Check out the dates:

It's been quite some time since Kanye West took a shovel to our central nervous system with his undeniable LP My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but that doesn't mean we don't still secretly hope for the return of G.O.O.D. Friday every time we wake up at the end of the work week. We don't have a track, but we do have the beautiful, dark, and twisted video for "Lost In The World" by Filmmaker Ruth Hogben. It's full of clouds, dancing woman dancing, and skyscrapers, and like most of Kanye's recent video adventures, may induce seizures. Watch with caution.

Fleet Foxes emerged out of nowhere in 2008 to craft one of the most beloved albums of the aughts with their self-titled debut (and continued the good-will with last year's well-received Helplessness Blues. J. Tillman, now performing under the moniker of Father John Misty, was the drummer for Fleet Foxes from 2008 to 2012 but has left the band to record his own solo material. While we regret losing any part of the formula that made Fleet Foxes so successful, Tillman's debut solo album, Fear Fun, is such an affecting and haunting record that we understand why he may have wanted to leave the nest.

This week's excellent collection of old and new is curated by Bad Veins, an electro-pop duo from Cincinnati. Their new album, The Mess We've Made, is out now on Modern Outsider Records.

Today is brought to you by the letter "S." Your lesson. "Scumbag Steve." If you've ever spent any time on Reddit or 4chan (god bless your soul if you're part of the latter), you're probably familiar with this meme. If not, head to Know Your Meme for a quick refresher. It turns out that Scumbag Steve is actually an aspiring rapper named Blake Boston, and he's made a rap song, "Scumbag Steve Overture," poking fun at the various ways the meme based off of his picture have grown over the years. The song is pretty awful but it takes stones to make fun of yourself like this so kudos dude.

This New Jersey punk rock outfit The Gaslight Anthem has done what few can-- they've fused punk and modern rock and brought it to mainstream life. They followed the respective footsteps of fellow Jersey rockers The Bouncing Souls and The Misfits and brought their music to today's youth in their own way. This success has led to three albums and now the fourth is on the way. You can expect Handwritten sometime this summer, but you can delve into their first single "45" now.

Wisconsin-based Americana/folk act Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons will be releasing their second full-length album, Old Believers, through Readymade Records on 6/26. In addition to releasing their new album, Cory Chisel will be touring the American west with Grammy-winner Norah Jones (who also has a new album out). Check out an exclusive session that we shot with Cory Chisel at Electric Lady Studios and then see if Cory Chisel and Norah Jones will be stopping in a concert venue near you.

Right The Stars is Rich Jacques' baby. Raised in Wisconsin, Jacques' pens the kind of peppy pop fare that's most likely the result of a fit of warm weather inspiration. Jacques traded his frigid mid-west home for LA's curling surf, bronzed beach bodies, and sunny skies. "Best Days of Our Lives", from the album Hello Yes OK, sounds like it. The song also comes with an intergalactic video cut we're stoked to be premiering. Here, Jacques and his band mates inhabit our tiny spec of dust in the middle of universe. It's a fun place, a flashy place, but, a place that is but a dash in time. Sad, but we can say this. The end of the world never looked so good.

It's tough to tell where the breaking point is, in terms of a band's progression from buzzy single to next big thing-- Electric Guest is certainly toe-ing the line at the moment. With the almost insistent success of "This Head I Hold" (and rightfully so), the band's debut Mondo (with production credits by Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton) has a few people making brash comparisons and/or wondering what the fate of the funky pop band will be. Last night's show at Bowery proved the band knows how to have fun, and although they may be a little green, their stage presence (particularly of lead singer Asa Taccone) is enough to get anyone excited.

Flagship's debut EP, Blackbush comes out on 5/8 with plans for a full-length album later this year. The first single we're premiering, "Still I Wait," matches the emotional and nearly spiritual alternative rock of U2 circa Achtung Baby with the deep-throated baritone delivery of lead singer Drake Margolnick ala Ian Curtis from Joy Division and some of the seething anger and rawness of We Are Augustines. It makes for a immediately enjoyable sound, and we look forward to introducing three more songs from these anthemic southern rockers in the days to come.

A few weeks back, singer Ane Brun previewed her album It All Starts with One (released this week) with a hypnotic duet with Jose Gonzalez titled "Worship". The song brought an emotional and haunting video with it that, as it now appears, is but one of a series of cinematic offerings from director Magnus Renfors. Earlier this week we got our hands on a new video for "One", which it seems is actually the first part of the narrative. We also found the celebratory, percussive pulse of "Do You Remember" making the rounds. Piecing things together, that video appears to be the segue between both "One" and "Worship". I know, it's all very complicated, so we've embedded the entire series below in order of the narrative.

Here We Go Magic's sophomore LP-- produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead)-- shows a significant amount of promise in its first breaths. Opener "Hard To Be Close" sets a brilliant stage with its layering. First single "Make Up Your Mind" is springy and supple, the kind of dynamic runaround that can hold your attention for minutes with nothing but a simple riff and the rotating accents around it. It might be one of the best songs of the year. But it turns out this building of layers would be the essential blueprint for all of A Different Ship, and it doesn't always work. It's a collection of songs that all feel like a big white room with a variety of colorful characters constantly moving in and out of doors on either end (sometimes a lot of them, sometimes none at all).

It's been a banner year and a half for Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky even if he still hasn't released a proper full-length debut (though it's scheduled to be released in July). Rakim Meyers is back with a new music video, "Goldie," which shows A$AP Rocky and his crew having a blast in Paris under the lights of the Eiffel Tower. Be forewarned. There is a lot of nudity in the video and therefore it is completely NSFW. Still, the song is as tight as the rest of Rocky's numbers and we're ready for this debut LP to drop.

Dr. Dog has a new song to remedy any "Lonesome" feelings you've got. The video, however, doesn't necessarily share the same emotion...unless of course cruising around in the back of a pickup truck, masked, shackled, etc, is your idea of company. There's even a mock execution! What fun! With friends! I don't know what else to say about this video, it's simply weird. But check it out anyway! The song is from their recent album, Be The Void.

"If you tell the truth, truth never go out of style." Those are the fine words of soul legend Bobby Womack straight from his documentary that gives a behind the scenes look at what the process of creating his (drum roll please) 27th studio album The Bravest Man In The Universe was. He admits that he felt insecure about making music again, but producers Damon Albarn and Richard Russel assured him that he still had it in him. Beyond the new album and self-titled first single, Bobby's bout with pneumonia earlier this year and colon cancer treatment prove why he is truly "The Bravest Man On Earth"-- at 68 in a difficult time of his life, he's putting out music that'll undoubtedly influence a new generation and please his older fans.

Some of you might get A$AP Rocky and Aesop Rock confused-- but I'm sure that name choice was just a coincidence, right? Aesop Rock is Underground Hip Hop and he's held that title since the late 90s. Now, after five years, he'll be releasing his fifth solo album Skelthon 7/10. The music video for his first single, "Zero Dark Thirty," exemplifies his underground style and how he's remained stoic and strong within a whirlwind of musical change in hip hop. Watch as Aesop sits still against a wall that is constantly painted over, a sign that he too wants the people to know where he stands (or sits) in the rap game.

Whenever a new Drake song comes out, the reaction of the music world can basically be summed up like this (thanks Lonely Island). I've never quite understood the adulation thrown at the feet of Drake, but I'm a curmudgeon, I guess? One of 2012's breakout rappers, 2 Chainz has a new single out, "No Lie," featuring Drake on several verses. Words like "banger," "summer jam," and "hot" keep getting thrown around to describe it. The production is cool in that "sounds like Yeezy" kind of way, but the verses are just OK (Drake's anyways. 2 Chainz rhymes are pretty embarrassing). Still, if Drizzy is your thing, he's got something to make you happy today.

2:54 had a pretty good run this spring, including some visibility at this year's crowded-as-ever SXSW. The band will issue their debut later this year, but "Creeping" is a good taste of the band's building momentum (and aptly named). Let their sound creep on you.

Ah, what's more refreshing to my music-loving ears than a new Marilyn Manson album? Almost anything. I'd take One Direction over this compilation of dull, comically grotesque songs that seem the clone of any other recent Manson album you'll find (if you ever find yourself searching for one, that is). The over-glamorized Marilyn Manson show was over long ago-- and the only thing that sparked the interest of fans of good music was his rendition of "Sweet Dreams."

Regina Spektor likes to keep us waiting. She was away from the music scene for three years, rose from the trenches of reclusiveness, and shocked us all with news of her new What We Saw From The Cheap Seats album set to be released 5/29. But, right when we thought we were getting treated with some new material, she hit us with the lead single "All The Rowboats" in late February then forgot about us again-- until now. At least we're getting something, right? Here's "Small Town Moon" and it's a soothing follow up to the first song.

Genre-blurring artist Santigold burst on the scene with the very well-received Santogold, and then disappeared back into the studios for the next four years until she finally released her follow up, Master of My Make Believe. She stopped by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform "Disparate Youth" off the new album, and for Santigold fans, it won't disappoint. I'm still not sure what the umbrella dancers were all about though...

Before Johanna and Klara Soderberg (better known together as First Aid Kit) began making waves in the States with their undeniably Americana country-folk, another Swedish artist was fashioning her own take on American folk music. Anna Ternheim has been releasing music since 2004 and her next album (which has been out since last year in Sweden) is finally making its way to us here in the States in June. The Night Visitor stand-out track "Walking Aimlessly" is out as a single now and feature's Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, on backing vocals.

Grandfather (he will be 39 in September) of rap Nas is set to drop his tenth studio album Life Is Good 7/17. We're getting our second dose of it with this new single "The Don" along with its music video-- and it's more than just an ode to himself (or my fellow blogmate Don Saas), it's dedicated to the wonderful city of New York. It's got that classic NYC feel with old fashioned cars, swanky hotels and views of midtown Manhattan, but Nas makes sure to rep his home borough of Queens, too. Here's a glimpse of what it feels like when you're "The Don" and Life Is Good.

The last time Kanye West was releasing this much new music was back in the heights of the G.O.O.D. Friday phase leading up to the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It seems like every couple weeks we're hearing a new tune from Yeezy and crew over at G.O.O.D. Music. We aren't complaining, and this new remix (featuring verses from Ye, Pusha T, Big Sean, and Jada Kiss) of Chief Keef's "I Don't Like" might be the best of his new releases yet. We're seeing a lot of fierce Kanye lately. This man has some demons to exorcise, and he's doing it through his music, and we're loving every second of it.

It was 8:50PM, and the live room at The Knitting Factory was loosely packed. It seemed as though no one had even noticed Lady Lamb The Beekeeper appear on stage as she tested her instruments and made her final preparations. The clock struck 9PM and Lady Lamb launched right into the first notes of her a cappella track "Up In The Rafters". The entire room was completely silent before she had finished singing the first line of the song. All of the loud chatter and rumblings that masked her first moments on stage had immediately subsided. All eyes were on the one-woman-band that is Lady Lamb The Beekeeper. There are not too many artists that can start their set by singing a cappella for nearly five minutes but Lady Lamb is not like many artists. Without hesitation, she finished the song and seamlessly introduced her guitar through another original song called "Bird Balloons". She gave the audience ten minutes of intimacy and emotion that is rarely achieved outside one's bedroom.

Is there a rule about how much you can enjoy a concert if you're covering it in a professional capacity? The Shins played the second of their three straight shows at Terminal 5 here in NYC last night, and James Mercer and crew put on a master course of concert efficiency and how to please a rabid fan base. Everybody's got a handful of bands that are part of their concert bucket-list, and in the interest of full-disclosure, the Shins are only behind Arcade Fire and Radiohead on my list. Still, I'd be the first person to admit that they have sounded sort of flat in recent live performances like their Saturday Night Light set from this year. Well, the Shins have their groove back and put on an hour and a half long set which moved the audience to tears (myself included) and simultaneously rocked harder than you'd think the Shins were capable of.

Defying industry expectations, veteran blues/garage rocker Jack White has the number one album in the country thanks to his debut solo album, Blunderbuss. This is the first number one album of Jack White's career because he never topped the charts even with his most famous outing as one half of the White Stripes (Icky Thump debuted at number two).

I think this video needs a "May cause epileptic seizure" warning. (Is that offensive?) I hope not, because I don't have epilepsy and this video definitely made me dizzy! The reigning champs of music sampling have taken Icona Pop's "Manners" and brought it to life on their track, "Mind Your Manners." Now, we get our third installment of that song through the eyes of the Chiddy duo. It looks like they're hosting a party in a warehouse, and it seems like they don't really mind the manners of all their guests-- there's an indoor wiffle ball game going on and some weird photography by a bunch of men in white, hazmat suits. I'm pretty sure Chef Boyardee makes a cameo too (1:20). Welcome to this rager.

Serious talent must run in the Pecknold family because Sean Pecknold, brother of Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), directed the highly entertaining new music video from lo-fi psych-pop band Here We Go Magic. Their song, "How Do I Know," with its swirling guitars, simple Destroyer-esque melodies, and and insanely catchy chorus has been growing on us ever since we first heard it, and this video makes it even better. An elderly man's jealous wife demands that he destroy his cheerful dancing robot, and the man and the robot spend one last happy day together before he has to turn her off.

We caught the May 1st Protest and concert blocks away from Baeble HQ this afternoon. Tom Morello, Das Racist, Dan Deacon and Immortal Technique all played great sets in the beautiful weather. Thousands of people came out to show their support for union rights, racial and gender equality, education reform and dozens of other causes. Check out our pictures of the music below!

One of the greatest challenges for a musician with an outstanding debut album is meeting the expectations of the masses that follow such a brilliant creation. Back in 2008, the artist formerly known as Santogold offered us that brilliance in the form of the then self-titled album Santogold. Now, she's bringing us Master Of My Make Believe under her slightly altered tag name, Santigold-- and it does what very few can do-- it trumps an A+ debut album.

The chirpy, summer scented sounds Denver Colorado band Tennis take to on their album Young & Old will be one I'll be plugged in to when the warmer months strike in a few weeks. The band are vying to get their music on your radar now, and have dusted up a perfectly choreographed, performance video to the sweet and supple sounds of "My Better Self". On stage, things seem normal enough, but up in the dinner club rafterwe'll, something odd is brewing. Have a look.

Way back in the beginning of February, we were lucky enough to catch the record release show for Brooklyn lo-fi pop group Hospitality. It was a great show as was their debut album from Merge Records. Hospitality just did a session as part of NPR's "Tiny Desk" Series playing three tracks off the album ("Sleepover," "The Birthday," and "Betty Wang"). It's a lovely, intimate performance showing how well their album sound transfers live, and it begs the question as to why this talented group hasn't blown up in a more significant way?

Nostalgia seeking rockers (who we featured extensively earlier this month) Zeus recently went into the studio to recreate most of their current album Busting Visions for a fleet of 10 + camears, all rolling and capturing in a saturated, vintage haze of video that makes sense considering the souldful, classic kick these guys are on. "Cool Blue (And The Things You Do)" rolls on plumes of dewy electric piano and one freaky, fuzzed out bass. It's a nice soulful cutone that "sounds like the end of the day". Naturally, that's why we're bringing it to you now.

California baroque pop band POP ETC (formerly known as the Morning Benders) will be releasing their first album under their new name 6/12. They changed their name to POP ETC because "bender" has negative connotations with British audiences as a slur against homosexuals. They also released a mixtape of free music as part of their name change which you can download here. They've got a new, very minimalist video of a close-up of lead singer Chris Chu singing "Live It Up."

The man with a degree in violin performance, Andrew Bird, stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to strut his stuff and strum his strings (guitar and violin that is) and play two tunes from his recently released album Break It Yourself. The vocals were uncanny, the band did everything right, and Bird still swooned us with his lucidly layered lyrics. Here he his performing, "Eye-on-eye" and "Give It Away."

This week we open with the gang all packing their bags to head to Boston for the show's tech run, and Tom and Sam sing "Another Op'nin, Another Show," a song I performed in the ninth grade, so I guess it appeals to the theater dork in all of us? Or the child? I did take issue with how enthusiastic the traveling was, like, woo-hoo! Getting on a shitty Amtrak to ride coach for four hours! Let's all dance down the platform! What New Yorker is excited to go to Boston? It's like Frodo doing the charleston knowing his "Hobbits on Ice" is opening at the Mordorplex.

Few musicians take the kind of sonic leaps of faith Sarah Jaffe has made with her new album, The Body Wins. Though her roots dig into more country folk foundation (that's the kind of top soil songs like "Clementine" and "Pretender, Pt. 1" were nurtured in), the Texan songwriter's work is in full blown, maturation mode at this point. The Way Sound Leaves a Room hinted at the shift, with Jaffe's trusted acoustics ricocheting around a slew of programmed beats, nifty samples, and various synthetic elements. Her newest release The Body Wins yields Jaffe's most unexpected fruit to dateher fascination with a busier sound and pawn shop rhythms providing the most jarring new aural characteristics. Part of the reason for the full and fleshy arrangements can be attributed to fellow Texan John Congelton. But mostly, we hear/see Jaffe as the main proponent for the dramatically new sound. Have a listen and a look to her first single and video for "Glorified High".

Dating back to the 1800s, May 1st has been a day of protest in America for worker's rights. Across the ocean into Europe, too, people take the day off as a day of political action. Working citizens have been publicizing general strikes surrounding May 1st all around New York--and the country--ever since the beginning of the year. Since this is one of the most musical cities in the world, many May 1st protests will involve some awesome performances and music-based marching in the streets. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine announced one of the most exciting musical protests, a 1,000 guitar march from Midtown Manhattan down to Union Square.

Irish musician John Gribbin has joined forces with critically acclaimed filmmakers Buffalo Picture House to make a video that's equally as good as the song (if not better). Watch Gribbin venture through the city and play a nice subway jam session-- but you might find the cinematography even more memorable here. The shots of blurry street lights and subways flying by blended with John Gribbin strumming his guitar showcase the talent on both ends here. You can expect his fifth LP Training Up My Soul soon and his show at Rockwood Music Hall even sooner-- 5/3.

Much like with Radiohead, everybody has their own opinion on what Sigur Ros should sound like. I prefer Agaetis Byrjun. My best friend prefers the untitled album (the one with the parentheses on the cover). And one of my coworkers here in the office absolutely loves Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust. Do you want bombastic Sigur Ros? Outer space Sigur Ros? Hopelandic Sigur Ros? Their newest single, "Varuo," was recently premiered on BBC 6 Radio and it would feel most at home with the atmospheric (but still hauntingly beautiful) tracks of Agaetis Byrjun.

If you can't get "Junk Of The Heart" to stop playing in an endless loop in your brain-stem, we can't help-- the painfully attached hooks of The Kooks are ceaseless, especially when you experience them pure and unadulterated in an acoustic setting, with lead vocalist Luke Pritchard so spot-on when you're off to Bedfordshire, he'll haunt your blighty dreams. We can, however, provide you with one more reason to love The Kooks: a free signed copy of Junk of the Heart to adorn your trophy case, or just your CD player, courtesy of the band's label. All you need to do is drop a comment on the video, and you're automatically entered to win. We've got three prizes:

The Kooks rose to prominence in the mid-aughts with their British invasion-channeling swagger-- like bits of Beatles and other Brit-pop performers of the flower-era, slipping hand-holding and smiles into their joyful choruses. Fiercely catchy (and operating like a less severe Arctic Monkeys) they've lost none of their potency, despite a deeper connection into the era they are so often associated with. Their third studio LP Junk of the Heart is a bit more soulful, as lead singer Luke Pritchard explains in their session interview, a bit more in tune with the way pop and soul were basically married back in the early 70s. In a sunny West Side studio space, the band played three of their most contagious constructions to date-- the naturally appealing love-letter "Rosie," their latest title track "Junk of the Heart," and one of our favorites off their debut studio album "Ooh La," an alleged dedication to the late model Audrey Lindvall. Watch them jangle their way through all three, but beware... these are melodies that will glue themselves to your brain for weeks at a time, even after one listen.

Luke Pritchard and a few of his band mates from The Kooks drop in on Baeblemusic at Industria Superstudio on the west side of Manhattan, bringing a silky batch of fawning, love songs from The Kooks most recent release, Junk of The Heart and plenty of thoughts concerning the feeling that finds them in this city and the songs he and his band chose to play. If this is your first encounter with The Kooks, some of the artists who have had a creative impact on the English outfit might seem surprising. Sam Cook, LCD Soundsystem, Air...we wish you luck in spotting them hiding in the folds of these acoustic renditions. But we're confident our sparse and sprightly sesh will spark an immediate interest in the band's complete catalogue. Check out our extended interview with Luke and then get to work on the band's hum dinging collection of albums.

I fell deeply in love with Twin Shadow last year after "Castles In The Snow" gave me an intense eargasm-- I'm experiencing the aftershock effects even still. So, you can imagine the anticipation that comes with his expected new album Confess that's set to drop 7/10. Reconstructing 80s music is his calling and this new single "Five Seconds" exudes that style by bringing us back to Flock of Seagulls and revamping that sound (or actually making it cool/not embarrassing to listen to) 21st century style.

When I was trying to explain Shabazz Palaces track "Swerve... The reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)" to a friend, I called it a hip-hop acid trip gone to hell. It's the arguable best track off of one of the top albums of 2011, Black Up, but it sounded like the soundtrack to a Hunter S. Thompson mental breakdown in the inner-city. Shabazz Palaces have put this same touch on Philadelphia rapper Lushlife's song "Hale-Bopp Was the Bedouins" (which already sounds like it could be a Shabazz Palaces title).

1991's Loveless, from alt-rock icons My Bloody Valentine, became the blueprint for nearly all shoegaze to follow and the standard by which much of noise pop would be judged for the next twenty years. Their influence as a band is pretty much impossible to overstate even though they only made two albums. The band reunited back in 2007, and according to frontman Kevin Shields [as originally posted by NME], they have plans to release both an LP and an EP in 2012. For those who have worn out multiple copies of Loveless over the last 21 years, it can only come as great news.

San Diego noise pop/surf-rock/purveyors of the drug culture Wavves have a video game now. You can play it over at Vice (of course). It plays just like the NES classic Paperboy (probably dating myself really bad saying the NES was the first system I ever owned). Except instead of delivering papers, you're the local weed-salesman. You play as either Nathan Williams or Stephen Pope (on a bike or a skateboard, natch) as an increasingly bizarre array of aliens and monsters and the police try to stop you from delivering your stash all to ridiculously awesome 16 bit tune versions of Wavves music. By the game's end (oh yeah, we beat the whole game), you're throwing meth into the mouth of the Weed Demon in order to survive. Way to spoil the ending of Breaking Bad for us, Wavves!