[Watch] Andrew Bird – “Give It Away”

In the new video for Andrew Bird‘s “Give It Away”, a mom and dad host an idyllic birthday party for their son and his friends, and they hire a human piñata as entertainment for the kids. After he performs various tricks to amuse them and make them laugh, the inevitable happens (we’re talking about a piñata, after all): the bat comes out and the kids start taking swings at him. But the ending is not nearly as morbid or predictable as one might have initially thought: it’s actually rather sweet and surprisingly sympathetic. Watch below.

Andrew Bird’s new album, Break It Yourself, is out now on Mom+Pop.

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[Listen] Blonds – “Time”

Blonds have been consistently putting out great tracks, ever since self-releasing their EP, Dark Roots, last year. The Florida-based band has recently relocated to Brooklyn to continue working on their forthcoming debut album, The Bad Ones, which hits the stores on August 7th. Their new single, ”Time”, is a slow-burner track that is intimate and emotional, without feeling too heavy – in fact, it is quite airy and atmospheric. Think Beach House. You will definitely like this. Listen below.

Blonds – “Time”: 

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[Listen] Two Door Cinema Club – “Sleep Alone”

The Irish trio, Two Door Cinema Club, is set to release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Beacon, on September 3rd. “Sleep Alone” is the first single to be revealed, and it showcases the band at their best: slowly building to a glittery chorus, the synth bassline punctuates the song and the reflective lyrics uplift the track. Quite the bold return. Listen below.

[Mp3] Two Door Cinema Club – “Sleep Alone”


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[Watch] Hot Chip – “Look At Where We Are”

Hot Chip teamed up with the Creators Project for their new video, “Look At Where We Are” – their new album, In Our Heads, is out now on Domino. The video, directed by Danny Perez, is definitely Frankenstein-ish as far as theme goes: a mad scientist – who apparently has a weird thing for strawberries – experiments on a beautiful (and very angry) supermodel. It’s confusing, trippy and a tad creepy. Sounds good to me. Watch below.

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[Listen] Mumford & Sons – Babel (5 New Songs)

Mumford & Sons have recently announced the upcoming release of Babel, their follow-up to their extraordinary debut album, Sigh No More. Below you’ll find the full tracklist with links to YouTube streams of the band playing five new songs live. Last year, we posted about “Ghosts That We Knew“ - we didn’t know at the time if the track would make it to the album or not, but it has made the cut. Listen below.

Babel will hit the stores on September 25th.

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[Watch] Jack White – “Freedom at 21″

Here is Jack White’s new action-packed, big budget video for “Freedom at 21″, taken from his new album, Blunderbuss, out now. The video features White as an outlaw on the run being chased down by a sexy police officer. The legendary hip-hop video director, Hype Williams, did a seriously great job on it: from the coloring to the stylized editing, it’s remarkable. Watch below.

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[Listen] The xx – “Angels”

The xx’s wildly acclaimed debut album was one of the best things the year 2009 had to offer, and it instantly made them one of the most talented and exciting new bands out there. After announcing the upcoming release of their new album, Coexist - and much speculation as to what their new sound would be – they are back with their lead single, “Angels”. The track is reminiscent of their previous work: skeletar guitars lines, heavy on the reverb and spare, deconstructed beats. Romy Madley Croft’s soft crooning is as delicate as a whisper: her words seem to hang in midair, like smoke – too fragile and elusive to touch. The whole thing is just too damn beautiful. Listen below.

Coexist will be released on September 10 via Young Turks.

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[Listen] The Killers – “Runaways”

After a four-year hiatus and somo solo stints, The Killers are gearing up for the upcoming release of their new LP, Battle Born - set for a September 18 release on Island Records – and they have just unveiled their first single: “Runaways.” After having lost their way and gone way too pop on their last album, Day & Age, The Killers are back in full form, doing all the things they do best: writing big anthemic songs with soaring choruses, and staying true to their rock-meets-electronic pop sound. In my book, this is a triumphant return for the Las Vegas-based band. If you were a fan of their previous work, you will certainly love this one. Listen below.

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[Watch] The Walkmen – “The Love You Love” and “Heartbreaker”

Just yesterday, The Walkmen released the video for “The Love You Love”, the standout track of their new album, Heaven – the band’s seventh LP, out now via Fat Possum. And today, they’re back with another one – this time for “Heartbreaker.” Both videos are black-and-white clips, but they couldn’t be more different from one another. The first one has an enigmatic and vintage quality, while the second one just features Walkmen frontman, Hamilton Leithauser, walking around New York City. Watch both videos below.

“The Love You Love”:

“Heartbreaker”: Watch HERE.

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[Watch] Muse – “Survival”

A few days ago, we posted about “Survival” – Muse‘s new track and anthem for the 2012 London Olympics. Whether or not you think it works well as the official song, you have to love it for what it is and recognize the bucket-loads of talent that went into it. The track will be included in Muse’s forthcoming album, The 2nd Law, which will hit the stores on the 17th of September. In addition to that, you can now watch the new visuals for the track. The video uses some great footage from past Olympic Games and, naturally, amazing displays of athletic prowess. Check it out below.

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