Matt Berninger rages pretty hard for a guy who barely lets go of the mic stand. The National hit the big stage last night for their second show this week (first, pictured above at Prospect Park with Beach House, and last night for the Spin 25 series of shows at T5, heavy on the sponsorship from a certain major credit card). They played most of High Violet, adding in a few oldies but goodies (songs any fan could name as show staples).

This is going to be controversial, but I have to say it: I don't really like Florida. Much like Joe's aversion to verticality (weird, right?), I don't really know what it is about the sunshine state that's not to my liking.[Ed. Note: I'd like to add that A) Hanna is referring to the formatting of the site, which is beyond my own personal dislike for photos that are tall instead of wide. Also, huh? Also, B) Florida has a vibrant indie scene these days, Surfer Blood is from the West Palm area. Get with it, scene kids!] [Hanna's note: A) It's a joke, I know it refers to the site dummy! and B) I just don't like the state, okay? I always have a bad experience there. I didn't say they didn't have a great music scene.] In any case, I found something that I do love about Florida: Tallahassee natives Go Radio.

They're probably the biggest pop punk band in the UK at the moment. Having just gotten off a headlining tour of their home country with US radio heavyweights (and fellow Warped Tour 2010 band) We The Kings, You Me At Six have been making a cannonball-sized splash across the pond as well as right here since the success of their 2007 debut Take Off Your Colours. And with their most recent release Hold Me Down, these English boys are currently on this year's Warped Tour. I caught up with Dan Flint (drums) and Max Helyer (guitar) to discuss everything from music to how Warped Tour makes you an alcoholic.

Paging Dr. Freud! Danger Radio's Doghouse Records debut Nothing's Gonna Hold Us Down is suffering from a serious case of multiple personality disorder. Sometimes the funkadelic pop rock takes the dominant role, but then the electronic little dance numbers make an appearance. But maybe in all that chaos there's a smidge of sanity.

Yeah so Lil Wayne (a.k.a. Weezy F. Baby, Lil Tunechi) and the Zooey Deschanel/Joseph Gordon-Levitt starring 500 Days of Summer (a.k.a. Garden State 2.0) &mdash they probably have some fan overlap, right? Lucky for them, 500 Days of Weezy, the latest in a series of post-Grey Album mashups, takes the titular film's soundtrack (which features The Smiths and Hall & Oates among others) and mashes it up with select cuts from Wayne's expansive oeuvre as well as audio clips from The Carter documentary. And, hey! it actually sounds pretty cool sometimes! Other times, not so much. Also the dude behind the project is called My Sick Uncle. Pretty dumb! Link to the tracks & select commentary after the jump.

DC based rapper Wale released an album once (Attention Deficit, anyone?) but is much more well known for his prolific mixtapes... one a year, since 2005. His Mixtape About Nothing was arguably one of the best rap releases of 2008. The next one is coming 8/3, and the first track suggests more and more of Wale's patented, biting social commentary.

Well, not exactly. Fallon whipped out his uncanny Neil Young impression on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to pay tribute to the deadest of horses, the Double Rainbow. Somehow, we're still talking about this. And somehow, it is still hilarious.

Lissie is from Illinois and, as she's quick to point out, that Midwestern, Heartland-y directness is her thing. You can hear it in the music (also, at our Guest Apartment) and, if you're into primetime dramas, you probably have -- Lissie's music has shown up on The OC (oldie but goodie) and, more notably, Grey's Anatomy. Her sound is straightforward and melodic so it's suited for the punchy emotional moments that those shows call for, but her gorgeous, gravelly-around-the-edges voice and soul-searching lyricism have endeared many to her music.

Get out your calculators: If a firsthand serenade is attending a show (which you can still do!), and secondhand is listening to a record, than here is your third-hand serenade... a mixtape from John Velesy, stocked with his heavy rotation tracks. Just don't ask us for a fourth-hand serenade, or we may need Christopher Nolan to direct it.

Secondhand Serenade is kind of a appropriate title for a recording of an artist... the recordings will only get you so close to singer/songwriter John Vesely. Want a firsthand serenade from the man himself, and a brand new SS t-shirt to remember it by? Maybe some signed merch?

We have a bunch of extra tickets to give away, so the more you share, the more we share with you. Get out there and comment! Active runners up will also receive concert tickets!

Active Child is doing everything right with the Curtis Lane EP, but the boundaries are too well-defined to be excited about. Pat Grossi interviewed with Pitchfork and talked about his time in the Philadelphia Boys Choir and his experience with cassettes... for a young dude he has the right aesthetic and the chops to back it up for sure. But this summer has seen a whole lot of the rinse and repeat of his ambient vocals and simple arrangements, a technique that is starting to feel like old hat instead of crazy new style. This EP is more about potential than anything worth gushing over, but that future is still worth discussing.

Irving Plaza hosted Built To Spill last night, in what was undoubtably a nostalgic night for most of the attendees. The early 90's rock act has inspired countless derivatives, no doubt including well-matched opener Fauxbois.

The Flaming Lips went on Letterman last night to play psyched-out Embryonic track "See the Leaves" and simultaneously put all other bands' late night performances to shame. Real talk.

A cosmic adventure of sorts, Flying Lotus serves up an otherworldly storyline in this supremely imaginative video to the tune of "MmmHmm". The track is from his recently released album Cosmogramma: Flying Lotus' self-proclaimed "space opera", so the video makes sense. Like the song that accompanies it, the video is certainly something worth getting lost in. Me? I'm not so concerned with how it all comes together but rather just enjoy finding visual moments that resonate the most. Like the strange techni-colored figure lurking somewhere in the middle of this thing.

It was only a matter of time before Kanye West joined the ranks of the twitterati. Personalities from around the globe have utilized the already egotistical service to further micro-blog about the most trivial of details, everything from their dinners to their pets. The most hilarious of the bunch do so to such an unfiltered, inane manner that it's actually boarderline stand-up comedy. No publicists to filter their thoughts, and no editors to correct their potentially very confusing and suggestive misspellings. Kanye is the crux of this theory, spewing unintentional punchlines faster than you can laugh at them. Here are a few highlights from the first twenty-four hours of Kanye Tweets.

A peppy brew of scattering rhythms, melodious synths, and repetitive utterances of the word "Sun", Caribou's tune of the same name brings with it a video treatment that's frankly pretty surreal. Basking like they're outside in a sun drenched field slurping up the rays, a group of woman awkwardly dance around the center of a ballroom. They're not alone though, as some pretty funky company decides to join in.

How To Dress Well's Tom Krell makes what can best be referred to as bedroom R&B and, damn, he really goes for it. His musical output over the last year has been haunting, heartbreaking, and gorgeous even when the crackling, lo-fi nature of the production consistently unsettles. "Ready For The World" is his newest single and is as good a place as any to break into the piles of free material he's released.

The band is probably tired of hearing this from the press, but there's really no getting passed it: they sound a lot like Grizzly Bear. Much like that group, the man behind Gamble House, Ben Becker, also graduated from NYU. He went on from brainstorming in college, to starting a record in Brooklyn, to finally finishing it up on the West Coast in Los Angeles all on his own. I'm not entirely sure how Grizzly Bear goes about their songwriting, but the fact that Becker alone fashioned together the lush, rolling and ethereal sounds that are sprinkled throughout their self-titled album is pretty impressive.

Though the music that inhabits Secondhand Serenade's new collection of songs Hear Me Now is some of the most polished and full-bodied of John Veseley's career, there's something about the Californian songwriter alone with his guitar that resonates like little emotional earthquakes under the surface of the skin. Veseley's tunes hit in intimate ways when enjoyed in solitude. Cross country road trips, headphones on the train, and safe and sound bedrooms immediately come to mind.

Which helps explain why his appearance in our latest segment of The Guest Apartment works in the powerful ways that it does. Veseley's personal gaze, the lyrics he's penned, even the answers to his questions...our latest video feels like a personal get together. Sharing three songs from his new album, Veseley pits bright, acoustic backdrops against the kind of melodies and lyrics that come with the subjects and listeners in mind. If it brings the musician himself a bit of joy and excitement along the way? Well, that's the welcome byproduct of his serenades...the secondhand effect. But it's all penned for you, just like this edition of The Guest Apartment.

The track "Dead Dog" off Portugal the Man's latest release American Ghetto is available for free download through a super-cute widget (a monster holding a snowsuited baby... what could be better?).

Alex Ebert (better known as Edward Sharpe, the frontman of the Magnetic Zeroes and the male voice on the infectiously happy 2009 track "Home") doesn't spend all of his time as an imaginary messianic figure... first he fronted Ima Robot, an electro-band from LA. As the band prepares to release its latest LP, Another Man's Treasure, due in the fall on their own label Werewolf Heart Records, they've released two songs so far... "Ruthless", which impacted a month ago, and now this, an exploration of visual and sonic confusion (best I can describe it).

Pennsylvania-raised, LA-based Evan Voytas's new single "I Took A Trip On A Plane" is a dreamy waltz that appropriately sounds like a leisurely stroll through the clouds, and is somehow insanely comforting. The percussive vocals at the beginning draw you in with a solidly oldies sound before the ethereal vibe kicks in, setting you more firmly in the dream-sky without getting detached enough to lose your interest. Check it out below.

Kanye West exhibited his ability to keep up with trends in modern technology, debuting new material from his upcoming album at Facebook headquarters, as opposed to his choice to break out the new stuff on MTV in 2008. The performance was a cappella &mdash apparently Kanye just showed up at the FB HQ and gave 'em an impromptu serenade.

The Bloc Party lead singer takes a respite from his band's kinetic dance rock on The Boxer, removing most of the "rock" element while constructing a half digital banger, half introspective electronia record worthy of his knob twisting contemporaries. Kele's first solo record is a brash, sprightly collection of tracks full of momentum and energy, even when fading from the club to the more subdued back room.

From generally mixed to negative reviews of her noisy third album Maya (like many, I'm too lazy to type out or copy/paste the slash-filled typography), to antagonistic altercations with photographers and journalists, to a series of poorly-received, heavily truncated shows, Maya Arapragulsam has had her worst year since rising to fame with 2005's much-hyped Arular. Let's analyze the fallout.

Okay, time for more Warped Tour coverage. Up next I speak with Grant Harris aka Breathe Electric. Combining pop rock with electronic music, Grant has been releasing his own music DIY style for a few years now. I discussed what it's like to do things on your own in the music biz among other things with him below.

Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman has been putting it down long before he started working with the similarly folk-inflected, long-haired and bearded Robin Pecknold and crew. His next solo offering arose out of recording sessions with the legendary Steve Albini who has had his hand in the production of a huge percentage of indie rock over the last few decades. Tillman's seventh album comes out in September and you can stream the stripped-down "Three Sisters" below.

Following in the footsteps of The National, the Arcade Fire will be streaming their August 5th Madison Square Garden show live on YouTube under the direction of Terry Gilliam. Terry Gilliam! Nice! The sold-out show, which already had every indication of being the most epic anything ever, will now be artfully broadcast for all to see!

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, based in Portland, Maine, crafts folk tunes cobbled from a range of unpretentious elements, always assembled in just the right order. Some songs use only a strummed banjo, while others employ layers of guitars accompanied by shaking bells. Lady Lamb (aka Aly Spaltro) has a voice with enough texture to catch her rambling lyrics, whose poeticism usually avoids cliche admirably, if they ever lean toward cheesy.

The Lifted Crew blew up Santos Party House on Friday night with a grenade launcher of funk and soul, subsequently prompting the very first Best Of Show.

There are a million different kinds of covers. I exaggerate, but there are a lot &mdash true-to-original except for vocal style, similar music with different instruments, new melody with old lyrics, new lyrics with old melody. Or sometimes it's a matter of modernizing, or of changing the genre, or of changing the mood. The reasons for covering are equally diverse; you can cover out of adoration for a song, a desire to learn from it, or out of hatred, a desire to do it better.

From the futuristic dystopia of their namesake (and first EP) to the finely tuned jams of their second LP Champ, Tokyo Police Club has evolved from a promising young band to another example of Canadian musical savvy. Their power-punk infused jams radiate with a nostalgic familiarity, and fit nicely into an intimate room like the Studio at Webster Hall. But in case watching their set isn't enough TPC for your palate, we've got the usual swag to give away in exchange for sharing the experience with your buddies. Click on.

"I hope that we've graduated beyond the indie upstart tag that we've been getting the last five years. Hopefully this one will affirm that we're here". When it comes to the places they'd like their new album Champ to take them, it's a goal that's beyond reasonable for Greg Alsop and the rest of his Tokyo Police Club band mates. Since storming on to the scene in '06, TPC have honed in on the kind of proper, pop chops that have given them the inside track on this here music industry of ours. Theirs' are tunes that come packaged with a host of tasty touches hiding inside: acrobatic swirls of guitar, warm and woozy swells of synthesizer, and of course, Dave Monks' endearing, boy next door vocal delivery at the helm of the quartet.

Given the 500 person guest list (in a room with a 250 max capacity, no less) the band turned in for this secret, record release extravaganza, it's obvious the band is only gaining momentum. Crammed in to a hot and sweaty mess of a room in the basement of NYC's Webster Hall, our latest exclusive concert video release shows TPC whirling through songs new and old before a happy gathering of friends and fans. It's as endearing and youthful of a performance as we've seen from these baby faced Canucks (regardless of the beard guitarist Josh Hook hides behind)...one that lets you know Tokyo Police Club have arrived on the door step of bigger and better things. Would you expect anything less from the champs? - David Pitz

Before tearing the cover of their brand new album Champ with a sweltering, record release rendezvous at the Studio at Webster Hall, Graham, Josh,, and Greg of Tokyo Police Club sit down with Baeble to discuss how their new record came together, and where they hope it takes them in the future.

Best Coast is a trio from Los Angeles who create as honest a throwback sound as I've heard all year. Drawing from '50s and '60s surf rock, the band's sound is fuzzy, happy, girl pop that crosses the so-simple-it's-genius threshold handily, making it okay for music snobs and fanboys to "study" and gush about— me included.

The track "Tornado" from Jonsi's recent album Go is now available fo' free. On the more somber side of the album's contents, "Tornado" escalates from peaceful melancholy to a sort of monumental, epic plea, complete with strings and cymbals. Download it in exchange for your e-mail address after the jump.

As you all know, Daft Punk penned six original instrumentals for the upcoming film Tron Legacy, and a lot of people have been talking about it/pretending to have them. We mentioned it last Friday, but now we've got the goods! Below is a confirmed stream of six of those tracks, and they make a great soundtrack if you're having a particularly intense/stressful/computer generated morning!

With their album Fields set to come out September 14th, Junip is now streaming a new single "Always" on their myspace.

A subdued little wonder from Body Talk, Pt. 1, "Hang With Me" gets pepped up to more ecstatic levels for inclusion in the second part of Robyn's 2010 album trilogy. Body Talk, Pt. 2 will see a global release on September 7th via the Swedish singer's Konichiwa label. I'm excited, you're excited...everyone's excited! So the spunky Swede has cut some travel visuals to tease the release, compiling them together for what looks like a rather compelling, day in the life of type of music video.

We'll be sharing you a more intimate version of this song a little later this week with the release of our Guest Apartment with Secondhand Serenade. Until then, check out the song and accompanying video that inhabits singer John Vesely's soon to be released album, Hear Me Now. Here, Vesely anguishes over lyrics, while broken, tired, and dissatisfied people inhabit his room.

Singer and guitarist, Charlie Gokey, can't stop apologizing. He's sorry that the band's soundcheck is running longer than planned. Sorry that our interview was supposed to start 15 minutes ago. Sorry that I have to hear them play the same song over and over for the sound guy. Later, as we sit across from one another and talk, he often fidgets with his glasses and fingers, and looks away and stares down at the table between us, shy and overly polite and humble, especially when we discuss the praiseworthy buzz surrounding Secret Cities lately. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the band produced music that was mellow and ambient, so low-key that it was nearly nondescript. But you know what they say about judging and books and covers...

Catch our favorite legendary guitarist G.E. Smith as he plays one last show on August 9th, before embarking on the Wall Live Tour with Roger Waters. Singer/songwriter Taylor Barton (who was joined by G.E. in the Guest Apartment last summer will be opening the set at the East Hampton venue. Check it out for your chance to win a pair of tickets to The Wall for the city of your residence!

Les Savy Fav have released "Let's Get Out Of Here" off their upcoming album "Road to Ruin," which drops August 14th on French Kiss Records. The track is startlingly civil, on the sane side of LSF's music, and downloadable below for anyone willing to surrender an email address.

Your weekly guide to late-night music. This week's looking a lot better than the last, with a few shows truly worth the effort of trying to find the remote. Plus 50 Cent grabs TWO spots Wednesday night, which just seems greedy. Tune in:

Literature majors rejoice! I Mean To Live Here Still, the new album by David Karsten Daniels and Fight The Big Bull is the most successful musical adaptation of a poet's work since...well...Cats?

As New York City took cover in response to a tornado watch (what!?), Brooklyn's indie/post-punk Bear Hands set up shop in an unlikely place: the Whitney. But it wasn't long before the museum, with its amazing collection of American art (definitely see the Charles Burchfield exhibit on the 3rd floor, great stuff), transformed into something of a unique rock-show experience.

After surviving four (four!) dates of Warped Tour, I'm finally back with some more exclusive interviews with some of the people who are putting it all out there everyday in the sweltering heat nationwide on the tour. Motion City Soundtrack is a band that needs no introduction seeing as they've been doing this for thirteen years. I (along with a few others) sat down with Warped Tour veterans Justin Pierre (vocals/guitar) and Joshua Cain (guitar/backing vocals) for a quick look into their Warped experience, their music, and their various other projects.

Kings of Leon met with a crowd who told them how they really feel, electronic music festivals hit another deadly speed-bump, and Ben and Jerry's took it to the next level (via the imagination of the internet).

Wednesday night, a friend of a friends band, HYMNS, played at the Mercury Lounge, and I decided to tag along. That makes me with the band, right?

The skeptics were wrong: Daft Punk's Tron Legacy Soundtrack exists! And you can hear a clip from the much awaited soundtrack in the movie's trailer below.

Here at Baeble we receive a whole lot of submissions through our drop box, specifically from artists who'd like to be featured on our blog. However, every now and then, we receive a video or two from a fantastically misguided member of the Youtube community who wants to be seen doing something strange or fascinatingly silly. Today is one of those days. Ever wonder what a series of rap/hip-hop dance/freestyle videos filmed in the electronics section of a Walmart might look like? TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!

Marnie Stern's output has always been a bit hit-or-miss for me. She's clearly an amazing guitarist and, in tandem with Zach Hill's accomplished, double-time drumming, the technical proficiency on each of her previous albums has been undeniable when not downright mind-blowing. But then you have the "cheerleader vocals" as they're often described, the general cutesiness of her overlong album and song titles, the endless flexing of musical muscles &mdash some of that stuff was often a little much for me. On her new single, "For Ash", however, it sounds like Stern and Hill have finally crafted the perfect synthesis of their strong suits.

Cartoon collaborators Gorillaz, riding high off the success of Plastic Beach, have announced a worldwide tour that includes a date at NYC's own Madison Square Garden. Apparently, the band is a spectacle to behold live so get on those tickets before they sell out. In the lead-up to the tour, Albarn and co. have released a trailer featuring approximately twenty other people performing with special guests like Mos Def and video projections of Snoop Dogg. It looks suitably grandiose. Dates and trailer below.

This week we heard the face-melting live set of one of LA's favorite buzz bands, Local Natives. For today, we asked vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kelcey Ayer (he's the one with the beard) to put together our weekly mixtape. As they say in professional sporting events, it's good!

Pitchfork has a funny effect on career paths: they can make them that much brighter, or impossibly narrow for any young artist seeking to project their own. Theirs' is an influence that sometimes feels like that of the head of Rome deciding the fate of gladiators. An overblown metaphor to be sure...but you get the point.

Yet for all their influence with younger, up and coming bands, it's been the festival's ability to attract a growing list of bigger acts on a more consistent level over the years that is most impressive. Yesterday we took a stroll through some of the mightier musicians to grace the stages at Union Park this past weekend. But it's this last batch of marquee level acts that really set this year's edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival ahead of other years. These are the bands that hark back to the glory days...a vintage batch that, in the most obvious case, some wondered if they'd ever have the chance to see them perform again. So for our culminating slice of coverage from the Pitchfork Music Festival, we play you off with a few words about the nostalgic vets who took the stages in Chicago this past weekend.

Fresh off a killer appearance on Letterman and a round of applause for Body Talk Part I, Robyn is set to release her second album in the Body Talk trilogy, Body Talk Part II. The album drops September 6 and, interestingly (or unfortunately) enough, features an appearance from emaciated rapper and marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg. Hmmmm. Cover and tracks after the jump.

Katy Perry's new album Teenage Dream, the title of which bites all kinds of Beach House swag, will be treated with a chemical solution of some sort that makes it smell like marshmallows and cotton candy. The cover was designed by NYC artist Will Cotton (obviously) who paints sticky sweet landscapes featuring naked girls covered in cream, cupcakes, and the like. Very empowering stuff. Check out the cover below.

G 20s, Michael Jackson, Obama Girl, Oh My! A Broken Social Scene fan sets a slew of video coverage to the triumphant sounds of Forgiveness Rock Record "Meet Me in the Basement", and an satirical celebration of the world we live in soon follows.

Kele, who's been all over Baeble recently, has released a new music video for "Everything You Wanted" off of his new solo album The Boxer. The clip is pretty minimal; it depicts Kele passionately emoting through the streets interspersed with shots of him looking sad and contemplative in front of the camera. He's not too sad to rock that fitted red Knicks cap though. Seriously, dude loves fitted caps. Check out the video below.

This is a thoroughly ridiculous combination of people. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim collaborated on a concept album called Here Lies Love about the life of Imelda Marcos (former First Lady of the Phillipines) with a startling 22 guest vocalists, released this past April.

For the last ten plus years Film School has been drifting on and off radar, changing lineups, changing labels, changing sounds. But the primer is set right now with the rise of the Mexican Summer posse for the electro minded, younger bands stirring up a buzz for these veterans (of nu-wave is it?), its fourth full-length release Fission will be hitting the streets August 31 via Hi-Speed Soul Records to open arms.

The origins of Villagers - the musical moniker espoused by songwriter Conor J. O'Brien and his sometimes musical cohorts - began with a personal saunter. "My previous band split up, and I was just sort of wandering aimlessly", explains the native Dubliner. An act of non-consequence, it seems...though funny things can happen once the mind begins mulling over the contents of the soul - the past, the present, the future . One truly never knows what they'll find hiding underneath the seafloor when they begin dredging the bottom of the heart - a dark and mystifying place indeed.

In O'Brien's case, he returned to the surface with the self reflective ingredients for a firecracker explosion of creative action, spawning eleven songs that eventually would become his brilliant (and now Mercury Prize nominated) debut, Becoming A Jackal (Domino).

In this segment of The Guest Apartment, O'Brien offers some insight into the approach of his craft. "The writing process is a very subconscious. For me, if you start to think when youre writing youve lost it. I try to keep my mind quite empty so that things suggest themselves to me." Which means it was a good thing we left our usual abode in favor of a peaceful, green garden hiding in the heart of the big, bad, and busy Lower East Side. Here, tucked away in the mostly tranquil oasis of the Creative Little Garden, it's easy to let the contents of one's mind slip away...especially as O'Brien takes a pass through three songs he felt were ideally suited for the grasses, herbs, plants, and general greenery that surrounded us. It's a "curious" look at a promising, new songwriter, and we're proud to bring it to you in this brand new segment of The Guest Apartment. - David Pitz

Watch guitar guru and modern American rock star Jack White perform "Mother Nature's Son" at the White House on acoustic guitar for President Obama and Paul McCartney (who co-wrote the song). META. Subsequently, the world implodes.

Bradford and the gang have a new album on the way, and the first 7", entitled "Revival", is hidden deep within the secrets of a website that only the faithful street-teamers can access. Did you spread the word about Halycon Digest? If so, you saw the album art and tracklist before anyone else, and have the exclusive right to download the Revival 7", which includes non-album B-side "Primitive 3-D" (both tracks are stellar as usual). Instructions after the jump.

One of the most beloved recording artists of all time continues to leave his mark on popular culture (that is the nice way of putting it). Nearly a year after his death, he is still very much a part of the conversation.

Vanity Fair seems to have figured out which Pavement member's objections stopped the band's headlining set at last weekend's Pitchfork festival from being included in the live video stream. Their dedicated sleuthing has turned up some feud-worthy dirt from Pitchfork's reviews of Scott Kannberg's (aka Spiral Stairs') post-Pavement project Preston School of Industry.

Often us city dwellers have our portrait of an artist as an urban, industrial nihilist... cooped up in a loft somewhere, wires strewn about as they create music that bounces off concrete and into the noisy, unforgiving streets. It's easy to forget that it's a big, big, big country and some people decline gravitating towards pretentious hubs like New York and LA, instead opting for the pristine air of a remote village or town. Kyle Thomas (of Happy Birthday) spoke to me from such a place, a small town in Vermont which at first sounded like quite the country hideaway, but soon swapped in my mind for a desirable retreat from the hustle.

In a video featuring a clip of previously unreleased song "Rococo," Arcade Fire's puppet counterparts reveal that they'll be streaming their MSG show on August 5th, just after the release of Suburbs, live on YouTube. See some sweet marionette skills after the jump.

Yesterday we flipped through some of the smaller bands we managed to catch at this year's edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival. A necessary component to the weekend, bands like Best Coast, Local Natives, Surfer Blood, and Washed Out provided an exciting element of discovery for many in attendance...for better or worse.

Today we turn our attention to the stalwarts of the scene that graced the stages at Union Park. These are the artists we knew we could trust (or, in one glaring example, thought we could trust), though bits of mystery still surrounded several of the sets. Swedish pop musician Robyn, for example, is a definite rare sighting on our American shores. And familiar bands like Wolf Parade and LCD Soundsystem brought material from new albums to town for the first time. These are the acts that provided some of the most hyped up performances of the festival, drawing a bulk of the crowd before them when they took to the stage.

Tim Kasher, lead singer of Cursive, is set to release The Game of Monogamy October 5th on Saddle Creek. He says his solo work is "softer and poppier" than Cursive's music (check out their raw energy when Baeble caught them live at Radio Room), and more arranged with "lush instrumentation" spanning a wide range of moods.

I've yet to see Mountain Man in concert but the reviews of their typically unamplified live show have been wildly divergent&mdash remarks have run the whole gamut from "amazing" and "breathtaking" to "sloppy" and "awkward". The band, composed of three women based in Vermont, performs mainly acapella, accompanied occasionally by a sparse acoustic guitar&mdash the bareness of this arrangement can be a little much for the casual or unprepared listener.

Ra Ra Riot has always had a frenetic, beautiful way about them... and their sophomore record The Orchard is shaping up to follow that trend. First single "Boy" is an up-tempo, dense exploration salted with the band's signature strings.

Neon Indian's Alan Palomo is getting mad mileage out of last years Psychic Chasms. Now, thanks to Joao Machado, we have another music video, this time for "6669 (I Don't Know if You Know)". The imaginative clip, which features stop-motion animation, chronicles the genesis and evolution of a mustachioed spider (or, at least, a spider-like creature). It's a bit eerie, a little Tim Burton-y, perhaps (in a good way). Watch it below.

Want to see the fun and gritty rock act Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti play Irving Plaza on Saturday night? We've got a pair of tickets and you can win them for the price of an email. Details below.

A few years back the purveyors of Indie du jour at Pitchfork started doing something that makes a whole lot of sense, curating an annual summer festival held in what is inevitably a blazing, sweaty mess of a park just to the west of downtown Chicago. Derived from the ashes of the Intonation Festival, the evolution of the Pitchfork Music Festival has progressed in step with the website that gave it its name, expanding year after year to meet increasing demand. More stages, bigger bands, and various offerings of diverse lifestyle vendors drive thousands to Union Park year after year, to which of course the 2010 edition was no exception.

But like the random splotches of sun burnt skin I've returned from my weekend in Chicago with, the 2010 edition was as uneven and inconsistent as my ability to apply suntan lotion...which, by the way, is absolutely fine. The Pitchfork Music Festival, by its' very nature, is designed to celebrate a music scene that assaults and overwhelms the senses, bringing with it a fever pitched range of critical hype and hallucination along the way.

The shortlist for the UK's annual, prestigious, controversial Mercury Prize has been announced and it's a got a lot of heavyweight contenders (The XX, namely) as well as Baeble video favorites Biffy Clyro, Villagers, Mumford & Sons, Wild Beasts, and Dizzee Rascal (click on artists names to view our footage, concerts and Guest Apartments). 20,000 Pounds (approximately $30,576 based on today's exchange rate) will go to the winner of the prize who can also expect a significant bump in album sales after winning. Sounds lucrative. Full shortlist after the jump.

Futurebirds definitely keep in touch with their southern roots on their debut album Hampton's Lullaby, which opens with a faltering banjo solo and brims with those sleepy country-western melodies that sound like the guitar has a drawl. It doesn't confine itself to one genre, though, with layers of ethereal falsetto bringing it into the field of current indie rock.

Swedish electro-pop songstress Robyn took the stage on Letterman last night to perform new single "Dancing On My Own". It's a classy, spirited performance with Robyn, backed by a strong pair of drummers and keyboardists, performing the titular action every few lines. Her dancing combined with the symmetrical stage setup is actually pretty mesmerizing. Check it out:

The heat started to really take root towards the end of the day, as evidenced by the sweaty takeover of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. They were briefly joined onstage by the always entertaining Marissa Paternoster , who sang most of the vocals for the new Leo jam "Woke Up Near Chelsea" (off The Brutalist Bricks). The crowd was no less energetic for the performance despite the heat, even managing to get a beachball over the photo pit and at Leo's feet. He subsequently kicked the ball back out, a great outdoor fest moment caught in the photo above. See more below. -joe puglisi

The intricately woven riffs, rhythmic intensity, and soaring vocals of Local Natives really pop in the live setting, with a warm sonic quality that is tough to translate to dry mediums. However, we've got three copies of Gorilla Manor to give away on super-chic, great sounding vinyl LP. As an added bonus, you'll receive an awesome Local Natives poster to along with it. You know the drill.

"We've come to find that, more than a lot of bands, we're really collaborative.", explains Local Natives' Ryan Hahn. "It's almost a very democratic process. We throw ideas around the room, and everyone puts their say in. We really like the fact that [everyone's happy] with every song we write because everyone's put their influence and their touch on the song".

Recollecting my conversation with Hahn and fellow band mate Andy Hamm in front of the Bowery Ballroom last May, the quote reads like an incredibly revealing explanation as to why Local Natives are such an exceptional new band on the scene. At the time the band's talents in the live setting were a mystery to me...though a galvanizing debut in Gorilla Manor certainly suggested something special would be in the works when the two Southern California based musicians, along with Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer, and Matt Frazier, brought the record to two sold out performances at the iconic venue on the corner of Bowery and Delancey.

In the exclusive concert performance video we captured on the first night of the band's stint in NYC, the synergetic spirit that binds the band together is evident enough. Clearly, this is not a tribe who are comfortable with their work merely being good enough. Self confessed "control freaks", the band and their music is the result of a communal creative process. Watching their interpretation of the Talking Heads' "Warning Sign", it's no great stretch to envision the band spending whole evenings working through single vocal passages. The rhythmic pounce of " Wide Eyes" offers a picture of the band studiously aligning cut and paste, percussive contributions so that each hit can synch with one another. And "Sun Hands" speaks to the band's efforts in holding back during one moment, so that another one can ultimately be that much more explosive. Dramatic, endearing, energetic, and impressive: we know you're going to love what is one of the most exciting bands we have ever had the pleasure to capture. - David Pitz

In this exclusive interview, Local Natives' Ryan Hahn and Andy Hamm discuss the prospect of playing two sold out shows at the Bowery Ballroom, the writing process, and the DIY work ethic that fuels the band's music and art.

Colour Revolt is a two man band from Mississippi whose sound remains disarmingly honest while it ranges from bare-bones to full and polished. Their not totally definable, mostly folk-rock tunes are driven, with a southern foundation on slowly picked electric guitar and a body of heartily melodic vocals, complemented by subtle synth and embellished by cymbal crashes.

Dear and the Headlights are a 5-piece from Phoenix, Arizona with a rich guitar-pop characterized by a bluesy backbone and powerful vocals. Lead singer Ian Metzger's clear voice, tinged with desperation, was at risk of bordering on whiny emotry in the band's first album, but on their sophomore release Drunk Like Bible Times the stronger songwriting easily holds it. "Talk About" is an intense and catchy tune with perfectly crafted, bitter lyrics. Listen after the jump.

It's a modern slice of blue eyed soul, disco, and smooth, Peter Gabriel-esque pop that Francis and the Lights serve up with the release of their new album, It'll Be Better. Due tomorrow via our friends at Cantora, the album (by title alone) hints at a squinty bright future for the NYC outfit's leading man, Francis Farewell Starlite.

Recently I spoke to guitarist Dan Boeckner, and he confirmed my suspicions that the music of Wolf Parade is just a truthful reflection of the minds behind it; passionate, inspired, and surprisingly approachable.

Kele's U.S. tour to promote his solo album The Boxer, originally scheduled to kick off July 23rd in Chicago, has been postponed because of visa issues. The new set of dates starts on September 2nd in Washington, D.C.. All tickets are transferable or refundable (except L.A. dates, refund only). The extra month's wait hurts, but to help dull the pain watch the next best thing to Kele live &mdash Kele at the Guest Apartment. Rescheduled tour dates after the jump.

Your weekly guide to late-night music. Other than the novelty of "you still exist?" moments, this week's looking pretty weak with a steady string of reruns. But in case you only just got a TV or have recently decided to change your Luddite ways, I'll include some of those.

After nearly a year of legal back-and-forth, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse's collaborative project Dark Night of the Soul has finally been officially released. The album's title refers to a period of loneliness and spiritual desolation, which revealed itself to be eerily foreboding after Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) committed suicide and Vic Chesnutt overdosed during the last year. It might be tempting to let the controversy and tragedy overshadow the actual music on the album but that would be a mistake&mdash Dark Night of the Soul is a carefully curated array of darkly beautiful tracks. Most of these hold their own as individual tracks, but combined they toss and turn, speak with shadows, and cover every nuance of ominous night.

Contributor Michelle Geslani nabbed two sets from Saturday's festivities.

Klaxons take it out to the desert for their first music video from upcoming album Surfer Void, in the latest of a string of teasers they've given us leading up to the release. The video for "Echoes" looks kind of like space-age brought to earth, and is filmed in one of the least echo-y places you could find, but whatever. It's a cool looking video with some sweet filming and super-snappy dressing.

Siren Fest in New York, Pitchfork in Chicago, and a whole lot of heat all over the place. Joaquin Phoenix is still a rapper, and we're going to see a movie about it in September? And the highest paid musicians of 2010 look suspiciously like the highest paid musicians of 1989, plus some garbage.

Land Of Talk, the often ornate and always meticulous rock act fronted by the lovely Elizabeth Powell is back with a new record. Judging by the first cut, it's going to be more of Powell's delicate, almost tribal songwriting. Cloak and Cipher, the sophomore effort from the group, is due out later this summer, but you can download first single "Swift Coin" right now for the price of an email.

It was 10:00pm and Rooney had yet to take the stage. The audience was growing restless. Not only did I notice that I might have been one of the oldest ones at Irving Plaza (at 21), but also, how quickly the air thickened with anticipation (and literal sweat) as everyone eagerly wove their bodies into the front lines of the hall.

Eminem is back to the angry, humorous, and irreverent style that made him famous, a combination that is once again given the ability to combine, spark, and react. Recovery is very self-aware and self-referential, even in title...Em struggled with drugs and two bombed albums before this, something that can stifle even the most rabid fan base. Now Eminem is back, strapped with bells and whistles, a collection of hearty "f-you"s to various people famous and infamous, real and imaginary. Eminem is once again a clever, composed, and interesting emcee with a flow as nasty as his temper.

Somehow I think she'd like this. A real wiseguy blogger from Brooklyn took 41 different reviews of /\/\/\Y/\ and turned them into one, giant, hyper-linked review/super post. It's called "A Collage for a Collage". You've got to read this to believe it. Also, a thought: WHY ARE WE NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT HER YET?

Is it just me or is EVERYTHING about the title of this post ridiculous? It's true they are making a movie about Facebook. BUT: Trent Reznor being picked to pen the score, and now this trailer featuring the Belgian girls' choir Scala and the Kolacny Brothers covering Radiohead's "Creep" (chilling and appropriate), all seem to suggest David Fincher is nailing the music for this movie. And based on the trailer, he may have made the insanely dark movie about Facebook that Reznor was talking about. Watch The Social Network trailer after the jump.

Lawrence Arabia looks rather European and dapper in his portrait, and for some reason the polished, neat aesthetic suits his laid-back Cali-pop songwriting. All this and James Milne, the man behind the moniker, is actually from New Zealand. Go figure.

From A Fountain is Douglas Kirby, a guy from South Dakota who makes music that can best be described as a kind of off-kilter, choral folk-pop, somewhat like a less bombastic Sufjan Stevens or Phil Elverum without the experimental, noisy bits.

This week we pay tribute to the Pitchfork Music Festival&mdash happening right now in Chicago&mdash with a mixtape populated with bands playing this weekend's sun soaked festivities, curated by Pitchfork editor Tyler Grisham.

New York's very own Dipset is back together! And what a song to come back with. This new track, featuring production from AraabMuzik (this guy), is killer and features all three members &mdash Cam'ron, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana &mdash in top form.

The Arcade Fire are releasing their highly anticipated new album The Suburbs pretty soon and, as they've mentioned before, the record will be available with 8 different covers to choose from. Eight! Each cover has a nostalgically-lit picture of a car pointed towards a suburban house. It's kind of cool actually. I can only imagine what kind of themes this album will address. Cover pictures after the jump.

In this new clip for Band of Horses' "Laredo", singer Benjamin Bridwell rocks his beard, shades, and twang as he paces around the desert and performs onstage. There are some other scenes featuring some people taking pictures and a woman in a red dress but the B-plot isn't that clear or interesting. So yeah, pretty much what you would expect the video for this song to look like. But don't let that stop you! Peep the video below.

Last night, We Are Scientists played to a sold out crowd at Bowery Ballroom. They played some old ones, some new ones and everything in between.

[Ed. Note: On assignment to find an MP3 for you, Selden found a curious bit of nostalgia involving DJ Shadow that is all kind of ridiculous. Enjoy.]
After doing extensive research into this track, I'm still kind of confused about its origins. But what I know is: it's from an album called Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars, and Sitars, a 1999 collaboration between DJ Shadow and Dan the Automator that gets most of its material from 70s Bollywood scores.

It's tricky to charm a New York crowd (with their general ennui, snobbery and stiff movements) but The Acorn managed to do it in spades with their worldly humor and smooth demeanor. Lead man Rolf Klausener joked about everyone forgoing the Hamptons to be there. "That's what New York does in the summer, right? ...That or back to their parents house in Massachusetts." Those who gave up a beach retreat for the sweaty mess of Mercury Lounge were rewarded for their faith... The Acorn played a polished set of delicious rock and roll.

There is a certain kind of song, a certain all encompassing rush of melody, of lush, feathered effects, a quiet beauty, a dedicated voice, that creates an atmosphere so rich, so vivid, cast in tones the band dictates, bound by an expressive self awareness, all swirling to build up to another world, that lingers and begs for more indulgent escape, that School Of Seven Bells, on Disconnected From Desire masters. The album title suggests a detachment that manifests in the soft noises and thick echoes in their songs, which somehow, at its heart, reveals vulnerabilities that are all too human, products of a too passionate desire.

Jonsi's song "Go Do," which already had a pretty cool video, is being used in a commercial for the Let's Colour Project, a worldwide initiative to transform gray school, homes, streets, etc. in local communities by adding color.

Kele Okereke is a musician who has no problems casting himself in a variety of roles. The one most folks are familiar with sees him fronting Bloc Party: one of the most enthralling rock outfits to slip out of Britain over the last decade or so. With Okereke at the helm, the band have crafted a variety of aesthetics over the years, with each musical personality revealing itself via Bloc Party's three full-length albums.

With the band on a much deserved hiatus, Okereke's newest part is that of the solo musician...and he's got the album to prove it. Released last month, The Boxer finds Kele pursuing an extravagant new sound; one that's the product of a new fascination with samplers, synthesizers, and a well to do studio environment. The result is a robust collection of songs that seem the perfect companion to late night forays into electronic/dance culture.

And yet, when he arrived at The Guest Apartment last month, he did so with nothing...save his vocal accompanist, Lucy. The synthesizer and amp that were reserved for the session were apparently lost in the endless traffic grid of New York, with little to no hope for an on time arrival. Yet Kele, adventurous as always, took to the roof of The Guest Apartment, sporting nothing but the spare acoustic guitar we leave kicking around in the event of such emergencies.

The result is a session that presents Kele in yet another new role; one I imagine most folks have never seen or heard. The crooner, the singer-songwriter, the guy with the guitar: this performance takes unlikely steps towards this terrain, and in doing so, sheds Kele in an earnest and endearing light, stripping two of The Boxer's cuts ("New Rules " and "Unholy Thoughts") down to their most skeletal parts and pieces. Cut with candid conversation about his work, our latest segment of The Guest Apartment showcases a familiar star in an surprising new way. Don't fight the urge to encounter The Boxer in this exciting, yet unlikely new ring of performance. - David Pitz

Anyone who would mock this act or dismiss them as some sort of Williamsburg fad like chillwave is absolutely out of their mind. These guys are some of the most promising and talented musicians I can name. For a long time fan like me, this concert was a religious experience.

OK, you all knew this was coming, after the mini-feud that broke out last time, I feel that I need to address the hate. I'm like the captain of the football team when it comes to Internet High School: Joe vs. The Emo Kids. Obviously I'm just a dumb jock with no feelings, who does not get the girl in the end! And I'm a bully! This isn't the movies, dudes. And I'm probably going to get Twitter bombed again for my pranks on these kids, but whatever, this video is bad and the song is not really very catchy or melodic (the chorus melody is weird). As a whole, "the scene" is getting a little out of control with their ego, and I think it's time we all addressed this blemish with a bottle of salicylic acid and some cover-up. Long Island: your music is the tofu of the stir fry of life, and I'm going to use you as an example. I'm here to replace you with REAL BEEF. Let's talk.

Grandchildren, hailing from Philadelphia, bring some some all-new ideas and innovations to the slightly psychedelic, rhythmic-yet-ethereal sound popularized by the likes of Yeasayer, Neon Indian, or Local Natives.

MIA performed "Born Free" on Lettermen, "subtly" answering criticisms of her lack of identity, falsities, and phony activism by bringing an army of look-a-likes to back her up. Add the fact that we're watching it on Youtube, which is connected to the Google, which is connected to the MY HEAD IS EXPLODING. This is too meta, even for me.

Powers of man and machine meet on Baths' debut Cerulean. Released on Anticon Records, it's a piece of music that mixes luscious beats and addictive samples with raw instrumentation and naked vocals, pleasing both the digital folks and the folky folks.

August 17th will mark the 50th anniversary of a set of gigs in Hamburg's redlight district played by a then-unknown group that's now kinda famous... the Beatles. In preparation, four indie rockers have joined forces to form a band that pays homage to the Beatles's early work. Nada Surf drummer Ira Elliot and Maplewood guitarist Mark Rozzo came up with the idea, and got together with Cat Power's bassist Erik Paparazzi and Guided by Voices guitarist Doug Gillard to start (re)making some music.

MIA's third album, the one she finally named for herself, reeks of disingenuous messages and incomprehensible sensationalism. One can only smile at the severe irony of MIA panning accusations of being a phony with a record named for herself, full of more or less indecipherable pop, so it's safe to say that /\/\/\Y/\ kept me grinning for the duration.

Last month we shared with you the common love that binds the members of newish, folk rock leaning quartet Chief together. A month ahead of their Domino debut, Modern Rituals, the band recently released this theatric piece of video, cut to first single "Night & Day". Here the band play entertainment to a sophisticated party gathering...though all is not well as a dramatic quarrel rages throughout. It's the perils of love that put two attendees at odds with one another...though we're guessing the common love we spoke of is quite safe in the hands of the friends and brothers that comprise Chief.

Sunsquints are two guys from Chicago... which may surprise you after hearing the shimmering ebullience of "Basque".

Panda Bear, who we all know and love from his work with Animal Collective and his equally accomplished solo material, is gearing up for the September release of new album Tomboy and, as he did in the lead-up to 2007's Person Pitch, is releasing a series of singles before the album drops.

The line-up and schedule for the annual Austin City Limits music festival which takes place in Austin, TX's Zilker Park has been announced. It's got the festival staples &mdash M.I.A., Flaming Lips, The National, Matt & Kim, etc. &mdash along with some other more interesting performers.

Sometimes fun. member Jack Antonoff took his band Steel Train to Lettermen last night to rock out a track from their new, self-titled album. Their New Jersey antics are evident in "Bullet", a lofty anthem shooting for stadium status rather than the band's early punk roots. The guys are definitely feeling the new aesthetic, although Jack's hair is still stuck in the middle somewhere...

LA natives The Like are a set of four pretty, hip and sassy girls with a flair for fashion and a knack for catchy, stylish stuck in your head indie rock anthems. On sophomore album Release Me, they flash an edgy attitude beneath the otherwise 60s girl group inspired snappy pop songs. With the feminist bite of The Long Blondes and the celebratory enthusiasm of The Pipettes, they straddle a fine line between easy trends and their right to a distinctive cutting "cute" they master.

Agent Ribbons is a Sacramento-born, Austin-based all-female rock/pop/folk trio. Their music puts focus on strong vocals which fluctuate wildly in both mood and volume, driven forward by underpinnings of percussion and strings. The track "Obituary" is slightly sarcastic while at the same time straightforward and poignant. Listen after the jump.

Big Boi has been all over the place since Sir Lucious finally dropped and the rave reviews started pouring in (on this very site no less). He already brought down the house when he performed lead single "Shutterbug" over at Leno not too long ago. Now take that performance and add The Roots. Yeah, it's great. Check out the video after the jump.

Sometimes you want to rock out in your room to to the sweet synth-y sounds of Yeasayer's jamming (with trippy visuals to enhance the experience, FULL SCREEN), and sometimes you wanna take Chris Keating and the gang on the go, slap on some headphones, or pop some "Ambling Alp" in your car and crank it. Luckily we're supplementing our MHOW concert with a chance to win a free copy of Odd Blood and an album themed t-shirt. You know the drill, click it and win it, baby.

Mind-blowing opinions aside, Yeasayer blatantly disagree with their weird into-the-woods press photos by wearing normal clothes at this concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. This strikes me as an interesting move for a band that (many claim) dive deeper in the drug-addled abyss with the space-psych of Odd Blood, their sophomore effort that provided most of the evening's track list. Chris Keating, dressed in a blazer, moves like a camera shy Mick Jagger, and looks like a pre-Captain Crunch Chris Martin. The bassist still sports a tank top, but that's beside the point. All outside comparisons aside, the sound is bigger, the songs hit harder, and the energy blows away anything we've seen them do before. And they are known for their live set. Now you can experience it as well.

The lighting is dubbed "alien game show" by a technician, an aesthetic that matches well with the album's sound. The band rips through their set, mostly new jams, as well as some definitive favorites off All Hour Cymbals like "2080" and "Sunrise", both with updated synth-y tones, and both greater-than-or-equal-to any previous performance. But tracks like "O.N.E." and "Madder Red" win the night. It is clear almost everyone in attendance has spun the record several million times before showing up, and know every word, and every beat drop. It is next to impossible to get a New York crowd to move. Yeasayer have people pole dancing the stage.

After all, as Chris Keating said repeatedly, New York is their favorite place to play, and Music Hall is their favorite space. It is no wonder the show sold out; they basically took out their laser canons and fired awesome into the crowd. And we loved it.

That is why we're glad we got to capture it all. Well, mostly we're just glad we got to dance. Now you can join us. - Joe Puglisi

Like I did with Bamboozle, I'm presenting you with a series of interviews with bands on this year's Vans Warped Tour. First up is A Rocket to the Moon.

Dave Sitek, purveyor of Raaaaaaaaandy mixtapes and TVOTR guitarist/producer has a solo project going called Maximum Balloon. First single "Tiger" has a video that begs the question: can we have more balloons? WE NEED MORE BALLOONS. But seriously , there are a lot of them!

It's no surprise Sean Bones peddles pure joy with his latest video. He, after all, served up a brilliant video performance for Baeble, as well as an intriguing slice of indie reggae when he released Rings 'round this time last year...a record we said seemed, "to float somewhere down the river in ninety-degree heat with a lemonade in hand".

With the video for "Let's Do Something Else", Bones documents a big wheel race, pairing his footage nicely with lines like, "We're not getting any younger but we'll always be free". We're guessing he's talking about the freedom to wear a bunny suit while sliding down the soggy, twisted course of what looks like Lombard Street in San Francisco.

California's Treasure Island Music Festival, getting ready for its fourth year, has announced a kick-ass two day lineup. The shindig is in October, on an island (duh) in the San Francisco Bay.

This mashup of Katy Perry's "California Girls" (a bad song) and Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" (the soundtrack to my nightmares unless I'm somewhat hammered) proves that they are almost the EXACT SAME SONG. Literally. And the world is going to end in three, two...

Hey music fans, don't forget we're bringing the heat every Friday on the MSG network in the Tri-State area. This week, a particular favorite of mine hits the airwaves... The Heavy, who ripped through a funky set at the 92Y.

When Die Antwoord were just those WTF people with that WTF video on youtube which that WTF kid down the hall showed me that one time, the universe made sense. Kind of. But the fact that they've achieved something resembling actual musical fame/ popularity is way disorienting and sort of makes you question everything you thought you knew about social norms.

Your guide to the week's late-night music. Monday night you're probably best off avoiding your TV entirely, but the rest of the week's pretty packed with good tunes. You'll have to decide for yourself when to see M.I.A. saying and wearing ridiculous things, since she'll be making two appearances (not so missing this week, eh? get it??). Yeah...so. Tune in.

I didn't mean the attacks to be personal in last week's Takedown, especially considering I'm so fond of each of the artists involved (perhaps further fueling my disappointment). Bethany Cosentino's contribution to the project was perhaps my favorite part, and now I know why: Best Coast's new album Crazy for You is quite excellent, even upon first listen. You can hear the whole thing right now.

When all is said and done, Big Boi will go down as one of the most underrated MCs of all time. As part of Outkast, Big Boi's verses have consistently delivered on a high level, usually on par with the best rappers in the game. The problem is he's often overlooked in light of Andre 3k, his flashier, more dynamic better half. But Big Boi's flow is sharp, concentrated, and at times possessed, spazzing out brilliance with gifted, laidback ease. On Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Big Boi navigates through funky, booming and otherworldly beats not so different from the majority of his Outkast resume, and is closely in line with 2003's Grammy award winning Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The difference here isn't merely that the spotlight isn't shared — quite the contrary — but rather the fact that, for the first time in a long time, he demands it shine on him.

On paper, many big music festivals sound as appetizing as a slice of cool watermelon on a sweltering summer afternoon. That is until one exchanges three hundred dollars for the chance to try and navigate a dizzying tangle of people, bands, and stages, all spread across intense acres of festival grounds. Oh, and that watermelon? It costs 8 bucks.

Interestingly enough, it's the folks at Pitchfork who sought out to offer a very different sort of experience when they began curating their own festival back in the mid aughts. For all the flack that comes along with being the tastemakers in the independent leaning music scenes (sometimes merited, other times not), much credit is due for the way Pitchfork goes about its' business in relation to the festival. Low ticket prices, smaller festival grounds, exciting, emerging artists, and reasonable vendor options have always been the festival's forte, making it stand in grave contrast to its' massive, cross town competition (Lollapalooza). True, prices have gone up over the years. But the 120 dollar ticket for the weekend only reflects the increase in artistic profile and consistency in billing that have accompanied the fest in recent years...to which the 2010 edition is no exception.

In anticipation of this weekend's festivities, we're charting your course for P4K domination, offering up 15 acts we feel are not to be missed when the fun all goes down in Union Park this Friday through Sunday. With our guide, we can pretty much guarantee you'll be singing the praises of the allmighty Pitchfork...that is until they inevitably trash your new favorite record. Queue a nudge, nudge, wink, and a smile...

Spain won the World Cup, finally allowing us to get back to not caring about international sports. Now we need that psychic octopus to predict when Lil Wayne will be released from prison... a notable rapper is back in the game with a platinum record, Lady Gaga inspired a criminally sexual act, and more!

Deerhunter have announced plans to release their fourth full length entitled Halcyon Digest on September 28th via 4AD. And they're asking for your help.

Photographer Phoebe Chung nabbed some pretty epic shots of Minus The Bear at Webster Hall last night, as well as a few of opener Everest. Check em' out below.

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward make beautiful music together as She & Him, and in the video for "Thieves" they take it all the way back to childhood. An old-timey, silent movie era childhood, that is.

The blogs are a buzzing this NEVER-ENDING FRIDAY (right?) about Kanye West and the Good Ass Job track list leaking... or is it even called that anymore

A few days ago, this video started making its rounds on the internet. And so the rumor mill began running overtime. The video appears to be announcing some sort collaboration between the likes of Motion City Soundtrack, Cute is What We Aim For, Hit The Lights, Emarosa, and Baeble favorites fun. What could such scene heavyweights as these possibly have to do with each other? Never fear, Baeble's on the case.

Yesterday we talked about the world's most important decision of importance, which was announced last night in a haughty, one-hour, televised special on ESPN. First thought: Will Smith was right.

In this scene, Hanna attempts to convince me that Long Island is worth my time. GOOD LUCK HANNA. -joe

I'll let you in on a little secret: Long Island has a huge, ever-growing music scene. Huge. It's like its own little, if not slightly deranged, world. The bands that have come out of there don't sound like other pop rock bands, and many have found success with their unique sound. Expect to see a lot more coming from Strong Island in the near future.
Although only two current members are from Long Island, Stereo Skylinestill considers themselves to be from the area. After numerous lineup changes and signing to Columbia Records, the band is gearing up to release their debut album, Stuck On Repeat. I caught up with them on their hometown stop on the Bamboozle Roadshow.

A catchy beat, a simple progression, and a clear transition from chorus to verse all help to make the mainstream accessible, and Rosenberg (PKA Ariel Pink) doesn't seem to care. Songs found on Before Today often take dramatic turns, building and squandering momentum by whim, shifting from mellow to utterly frantic, as on "L'estat", while a vast array of samples range from theatrical to pornographic. If pop staples offer solid ground to lead us through the artist's world, Rosenberg expects us to plunge headlong.

Ever wonder how well you can get to know someone over the course of an evening? In a search for some fresh ideas, our ambitious production intern began embarking on a series of evening-long journeys to profile a variety of artists from all angles, via questions and performance in one overlapping, concentrated, integrated segment we've dubbed "The Moment".

In our latest installment of the hypnotic musical series, Reuben Metzler focuses his lens not on a singular evening but an epic concert experience, embarking on a pilgrimage from NYC to Manchester Tennessee to capture a small slice of the Bonnoroo Music and Arts Festival. Aiming his camera on a mlange of bands in a variety of unique ambiences, this episode of "The Moment", like the festival itself, is a culmination of a lot of moments, attacking the senses in a scattered yet visceral manner. The first part of two installments, this episode features performances and interviews by the likes of Everest, Langhorne Slim, Miike Snow, and Deadmau5. Stay tuned for a follow-up segment a few weeks down the road.

This week we turn our attentive ears to Kele, the lead singer of Bloc Party, who put together a splendid, varied mix of tracks both old and new.

Many of you in America, especially in the Tri-State area, have probably at least heard of this "King James" character being mentioned on the nightly news and punted back and forth in off-hand comments by pundits, personalities on TV and the web. Many of you may not give two Lindsay Lohans about sports. But it is hard to deny the cultural significance of a FREE AGENT in the National Basketball Association having a decision (which team to sign with) being so massive, so inflated, and so inconsequential to the rest of our lives, that it needs a televised time and place (prime time, no less) to announce. The interesting part is the involvement of one of the world's most famous musicians... a rap mogul, cigar smoker, industry legend... Jay Z.

Men At Work have lost a copyright battle over the flute lines from their 80s smash single "Down Under". The flute sections of the song are, apparently, too similar to an old Australian children's song called "Kookabura Sits in the Old Gum Tree" and the band's main composers, Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, as well as lead flautist Greg Ham have been ordered by an Australian court to pay five percent of the accrued royalties of the song to Larrikin Music Publishers who own the rights to "Kookabura". The case has some people, including Ham, a little riled up about the state of the music industry.

Brandon Flowers moonlights as the lead singer of a little band called The Killers and, as we see in the clip for new single "Crossfire", a suspender-wearing explorer in constant need of rescue by Charlize Theron. No ninja is safe from Theron's perfectly choreographed action skills. Not one! Check it out.

With a voice like the turbo bass on a boombox, Chali 2na's flow is unmistakable. His career is longer than most rappers, and he's still jonesing to spit relevant and innovative rhymes. In June he dropped another mixtape in the Fish Market series, which contained this gem of a double feature with J-Live. They trade a few verses over bass hits and the result is a reminder that Chali is far from past his expiration date, sitting on the outskirts of big budget rap, still making authentic beats that put auto-tuned phonies to shame.

It is totally understandable to use artists as a utility to make an already too-cool-for-school sneaker company seem more cool, but I was kind of hoping that after last year's hurricane "My Drive Thru" disaster, the Three Artists project would realize the inherent flaws in the grand design. This time around, after the initial announcement, it seemed doable. Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend), Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast), and Kid Cudi, seems like a slightly more even assortment of artists to create a single song. This time they realized three voices on one track, especially three strong voices, wouldn't work as a triple feature. But once again, they seem to fail spectacularly, more tragically so in my opinion, even managing to repeat my biggest criticism of the original project. Let's analyze!

An air conditioning malfunction last night at our Guest Apartment with Holly Miranda (put on with Brooklyn Vegan and Littlefield) could be considered either a blessing or a curse... but the engagement of the sweaty, pseudo-delirious audience members, mixed with fans blowing the performer's hair in epic directions seemed to suggest the former. Sure, it was a little steamy, but for the hundreds of people that showed up to experience the unique filming, it gave a determined sense of comradery. Holly summed it up nicely; "after this, we'll all take a nice cold shower... together."

Like many electronic artists, Randolph Chabot, AKA Deastro, is in love with buzz. Whether that sound appeals to the listener is almost beside the point. Chabot is in the business of creating worlds, insular and laptop driven as they may be. These "space symphonies" have no rules, no compositional structure to follow, only the internal logic of Deastro, self-contained and unhampered by external input. Unlike 2009's more song oriented Moondagger, Mind Altar EP follows the current trend of abstraction in electronic music.

We're gonna need a bigger APPLAUD NOW. Big Boi took his ridiculous, sizzling single "Shutterbug" to Leno last night, and it was LEGENDARY. Dude brought a full band, hype guys, and even a talk box! Watch the video after the jump.

Balkan Beat Box have some sort-of-kind-of new tunes out. Their third album Blue Eyed Black Boy dropped in April, and is, put simply, freakin sweet. The band includes two former members of Gogol Bordello, and their name says it all. Coming from Israel, they have strong influences in balkan folk and brass, while now based in Brooklyn, they combine that with reggae and hip-hop, an amazing melding of styles.

Saturday night was a true evening of rock 'n' roll at Governors Island. As part of Converse's "Gone to Governors" concert series, Portugal. The Man headlined an outdoor show at a kind of weird location that was strangely ideal for a summer show. The ferry ride to the island is part of the concertgoing experience, a few minutes of relief from the city's blistering heat with the river serving as a portal between the skyscrapers of wall street and the quiet cleanliness of Governors Island. Most of the island looks like a deserted college campus, with grassy hills and dark imposing buildings, but on one side right on the water a stage looks over a "beach," really the world's biggest sandbox. Given an air of authenticity by multi-color palm trees with LED leaves, the beach is strewn with sandy youth, and makes this one of the few places in New York where you'd feel comfortable going barefoot at a rock show.

Of Montreal and Janelle Monae have joined forces several times, each showing up on the other's albums and touring together in early 2009. But the upcoming tour might take their collaboration to a whole new level, if we are to believe what Kevin Barnes has revealed &mdash he says they want to turn the night into one giant show experience. "We want to control the environment from right when the doors open, and have...so many different levels of artistic stimulation that would go on throughout the whole night."

Steel Train were one of the last to board the Drive-Thru wagon, and as of August 2009, one of the last to jump off. Their recent self-titled effort contains elements key to Drive-Thru's early successes: the music is shamelessly poppy, with a familiar combination of major key build, dissonance, and introspective pacing. Despite a revolving cast of band members, Steel Train still hold true to their original incarnation, and sound like they'd be as comfortable on a 2003 Warped Tour sampler as they would with recent tourmates Tegan and Sara.

[picture via Bombaykino's Flickr]

In small clubs and venues around New York, artists have made it a point to tone it down. "Hip" bits like chillwave and shoegaze emphasize the mellowing out of performers and audience alike, and in a drug infused tizzy, it's easy to enjoy a coma-like state during a performance, especially with a PBR in one hand and a bottle of pain killers in the other (kids these days). However, performers like the ones flaunting their freakiest costumes at MSG last evening are from a decidedly opposite school of thought: music should be fast, loud, and glamorous. These are the kinds of acts that need a big stage, and an even bigger set of cojones, to put it all out there for the world to see. We went to Madison Square Garden, and we saw it all go down.

With their one-decibel-away-from-blown-out beats, reverberating vocals and guitar-heavy sound, Gauntlet Hair sound like Japandroids transported to a dance floor in Brooklyn. "I Was Thinking", out now on Forest Family Records in 7" form, sounds lo-fi, but accomplished and, though some of their aesthetic choices are unmistakably in right now, Gauntlet Hair sound unabashed and, frankly, exciting compared to a lot of bands out there using the same set-up.

Our most recent release accurately recreates the palpable energy of the room at Music Hall Of Williamsburg... Mumford and Sons played a powerful set to a packed house, and had everyone's feet moving to their booming bass pedals and epic choruses. Unlike many of their contemporaries, their live show is recreated almost perfectly on their impeccable debut, Sigh No More, and now you've got a chance to snag a copy for your shelf (and a smart Mumford T-shirt as well). All you need to do is a little clicking... it's a whole lot easier than the banjo parts, trust me.

Conor O'Brien - the man behind Irish outfit Villagers - searches for something in this, his first video from his excellent debut Becoming A Jackal. To the sun kissed reverb, easy listening strings, pounding rhythmic pulse, and spooked out harmonies of "Ship of Promises", O'Brien appears lost...though the temptation of a trio of celestial women may provide a quick fix to what ails him. Decisions, decisions...

Take an existential adventure with Ben and Ted from Mumford & Sons in this exclusive interview with the band ahead of their sold out show (now playing on Baeble!) at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The atmosphere at Music Hall Of Williamsburg was thick; like a down blanket, or a warm piece of cake, or any number of your favorite comfortable things. That could probably be attributed to the lush harmonies and textures of Mumford and Sons, a group of musicians (and not a family owned apothecary) who knocked several out of the park during this sold-out show earlier this Spring. From the schizophrenic instrument swaps to the bass-drum heavy foot-stomping tunes, Mumford and Sons produce a slice of music that is both wonderful and intrinsically dashing...and our cameras were there to prove it.

Our latest exclusive slice of concert performance features a sold-out crowd chanting every word before a band sporting a few coordinated vests...because, as they admitted to us a few hours before the show, they are just British. Add charming and humanizing to the list. The band is as humble as their lyricism, which seems to effortlessly function as a empathetic connection to the audience. I harp on sincerity as the main ingredient in successful music, and they deliver to your door, ON TIME. The soaring crescendos of "White Blank Page", or the fever of "Little Lion Man", for example, swell the spirit and stir the senses. It's tough to claim such songs as detached or anonymous, especially with a room full of people connecting and projecting them onto their own lives.

Here is your chance to project it onto your life. It's our latest concert, and it's one of the most spectacular shows we have ever had the privilege to film. - Joe Puglisi

Chillwave leading lights Toro Y Moi and percussive samplers High Places took the stage at the Whitney Museum on the UES this weekend to perform for the Whitney Live series.

The smoother sounds of Arts and Crafts' mighty rockers Zeus get set to this imaginative day dream of a music video for "How Does It Feel?". Here the band jam in the grassy confines of their singer's mind. It's quite pleasant really...though a ninja on the periphery does his best to have his way with the band. The clip is directed by Adam Makarenko, and the tune is pulled from the band's debut Say Us.

Pablo Daz-Reixa - aka El Guicho - mans the oars for a demanding pond pirate, tooling around a tropical lagoon to the playful tune of "Hindou", from the Spanish musician's forthcoming EP Piratas De Sudamerica. That EP will be out July 13th on Young Turks/XL Recordings, and is itself a teaser for El Guincho's second album Pop Negro to be released later this Fall.

Liz Phair has been struggling these past five years. Her last album, Somebody's Miracle was critically panned and ever since then (or, perhaps, long before), she's been floundering in her attempts to stay relevant. Sometimes people only have one or two good albums in them. It happens! Phair, however, has taken some serious heat for her recent career moves.

Another track from the hotly anticipated new Of Montreal album, False Priest (which we discussed a little while ago), is making the rounds on the internet. The new song, "Hydra Fancies", is a bit more restrained than "Coquet Coquette" but features the same polished, futuristic neo-funk that we expect from the band at this point. Emphasis on the polished.

We finish our Northside stuff with Selden Paterson and her weekend in the BK.

Forever the forerunner of supposedly hip trends, and questionably taste (such as turning yourself into a symbol, and rooting for the Vikings even after they corralled Brett Farve into yet ANOTHER season of "old timers" play) Prince has announced that the internet is "over". Also, he will be releasing the Strokes album tomorrow, and Paul McCartney is dead.

The Constellations' debut album Southern Gothic is a contemplative and catchy album with a distinct sound and perfect level of variation. A concept album of sorts, the record is an ode to the group's hometown of Atlanta, spinning tales of the goings-on there between the hours of midnight and four A.M.

Love the Guest Apartment? Wish you could be a part of it? Baeble has teamed up with Holly Miranda for a unique evening of filming at Brooklyn's Littlefield, with support from Brooklyn Vegan and XL Recordings.

The performance and video shoot will take place at Brooklyn venue Littlefield (622 Degraw Street, between 3rd and 4th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn) on Wednesday July 7th at 7:30PM. The show is 21+.

We're giving away a slew of tickets to the event. Enter after the jump to receive a pair of tix to the show (while supplies last).

We're baaaaaaack! In America we had a holiday to celebrate and do the things we do best (overeat, drink like fish, and blow stuff up). Let's see what our friends in music were up to while we recover from our food comas, hangovers, and battle scars. It's Monday! Right?

In the new video for Fang Island's "Careful Crossers", the band members, true to form, rock out and have lots of crazy, colorful fun. There's silly string, dresses, strobe lights-- everything you need for a good time! Check out the clip and try not to get dizzy and/or have an epileptic fit.

66 is a pretty American number, so it's kind of exciting that it happens to land on the Fourth Of July weekend here in the states. Come on in and get your kicks! Mixtape 66! [bang]. The penalty for bad humor is DEATH. Or should I say the PUNalty [bang].

Our very own contributor Chris Gayomali has a bit of a tongue in cheek internet joke going on... an online countdown clock to Justin Bieber's 18th birthday. His simple approach to flaunting the Beebz has attracted viral media sites like Buzzfeed, blogs like Popeater, and even Time.

Phil Selway (who goes by the more regal "Philip" here), drummer for Radiohead, is finally releasing his debut solo outing, Familial. The first mp3 from the album, "By Some Miracle", is breathy and generally inoffensive.

Baeble Fav P.O.S. spends some time munching on veggie treats and turning the back kitchen of Pure Food and Wine in to his own everything and the kitchen sink performance space. The segment is part of Immaculate Infatuation; a new endeavor from a couple music industry peeps trying to find the delicious intersections between two passions: food and music.

We had a few contributors out and about Brooklyn this weekend. Each one will spend some time showing and telling about their experiences. Today we finish up checking in with Michelle Geslani, who really went for the gold in show attendance.

Everyone's favorite Hasidic reggae top shotta Matisyahu is still touring behind his newest album Light (which provided the theme song "One Day" for the 2010 Olympics). For his summer trek, he'll be opening for Sublime (!) who are apparently still around? If inspirational Jewish-flavored dancehall reggae is your jam, make sure to catch Matisyahu as he hits a stadium/amphitheater near you. Dates after the jump.

"Peace of Light", the opening track on the Roots' new album featuring Dirty Projectors' army of female vocalists, sets the tone for the rest of the album fairly well: How I Got Over is a subdued, restrained effort colored by shades of blue and gray. And, though it's a notable change of pace from previous Roots records, the aesthetic suits them nicely...for a while.

_{Photo by David Andrako for Brooklyn Vegan}

A collection of my favorite bands from the past two years gathered in Prospect Park to play what was, for all intents and purposes, my first outdoor show in New York City this year. It reminded me that outdoor shows are the cats pajamas, and we don't have nearly enough pajamas in the city that never sleeps. But Celebrate Brooklyn is trying their best to change the scene, with mostly free, and sometimes paid shows at the Prospect Park bandshell in the heart of the BK. As dusk turned to night, and sobriety turned to carefree, lackadaisical dancing, the superb bill kept the hits coming and the crowd jumping. Upvote!

We're so pumped for Holly Miranda to take our Guest Apartment session to the next level at Littlefield in Brooklyn (with whispers of some very special guests joining her!), we've gathered some videos as a sneak peak of what to expect from the magician and her library (get it?).

An uninhibited party for two because a white night out on the town in this video of the same name from NYC quartet the Postelles. Fresh off the road with Alberta Cross and an appearance at this year's Bonnaroo, the band is busy gearing up for the release of their self-titled debut album on Oct. 12th. The album is co-produced by the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. - David Pitz

The East Coast woke up to a Twitter storm today. Early this morning, a blogger (not sure where it came from originally) became the ballsiest voice in New York, attempting to announce what even the haughty New York Times decided to
pussyfoot around the existence of... The NYC Jelly Pool Parties lineup. The recurring summer event has been marred in politics, sponsorship issues, and mystery (rut roh, gang!). Since it was confirmed that eight of the "parties" would happen, everyone has been guessing who (or what) would fill the bill. Earlier today news broke of the supposed lineup, and with the notable exceptions of our boys Dinosaur Feathers getting to take the stage (awesome!) and the Spoon show, this fake lineup is very disappointing. Thank Pavement it isn't the real deal. OR IS IT? We're really not sure what is going on with these things.

Tennessee rockers The Features garnered mild fame a few years ago opening for fellow Nashville citizens Kings of Leon in the Kings' U.S. heyday. The Features never really took off but they've been putting out more music and have some really great songs, plus a seriously incredible live show. The band's signature sound is a desperately soulful power-pop with a forceful but slow, focused intensity. The song "Lions" off the album Some Kind of Salvation is a semi-dark track that alternates between fervent-yet-calm somber passages and raucously yelled, wordless choruses. Be sure to turn the volume waaaay up for full effect when you check it out after the jump.