The National ran a music video competition for their song Exile, Vilify (from the game Portal 2) and the winner was announced as C.F. Meister, a Dublin-based artist also of the Loud Mouth Collective. His video’s chief protagonist is a sock puppet.
The best music on the web this week…
Three musical visionairies combine for a limited vinyl-only release featuring two new songs of atmospheric dubstep and electronic productions.
Listen at Gorilla vs. Bear
Beyoncé’s sister, Twin Shadow and Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor team up for a charity single to raise funds for the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), an organisation aiming to bring drinking water to two million people in Africa by 2015.
Written for the movie Win Win, Think You Can Wait is the Brooklyn-based band at their slow-burning best.
The National – Think You Can Wait by weallwantsome1
Whether that’s a band name or a cryptic date-based message is up for debate but there’s no doubting the intrigue is high after their The Knife-esque electro tune He Didn’t Want A Love Song was picked up by music bloggers last week.
Blur free download
After the 1000 copies of Fool’s Day sold out on Record Store Day, Blur made the track available for free from their website.
http://blur.co.uk
Crystal Castles
The electro 8-bit shouty hoody boppers return with a new album soon (also called Crystal Castles infuriatingly) and new material has popped up on blogs like the abrasive Doe Deer and the dreamy electro of Celestica.
http://bit.ly/cchype
New HEALTH single
USA Boys is the new synth-infused song from American noise rockers HEALTH. It appears on their forthcoming remix album DISCO2 featuring remixes from Gold Panda, Javelin, Salem and Small Black.
http://bit.ly/usaboys
The National – Afraid of Everyone
Having already debuted two great new tracks from High Violet in Bloodbuzz Ohio and Terrible Love, The National unleashed this brooding, poignant fear-riddled tune.
http://bit.ly/afraideveryone
LCD Soundsystem get lairy
The first single from the final LCD Soundsystem album was leaked last week. Drunk Girls is a shouty pop song destined to catch on at summer festivals, particularly Electric Picnic where the band will play in September.
Jamaica
Imagine a rock band produced by French electro producers Justice. Too late. It’s already happened. Jamaica are a duo produced by Xavier De Rosnay of Justice who were formerly known as Poney Poney. Their sound is immediate, lean Gallic rock with a glass-thin edge.
Listen / Watch the video for I Think I Like You Too’.
The National’s Ohio song
With the highly anticipated High Violet album coming in May, the Brooklyn band have released a teaser cut from the record. Bloodbuzz Ohio feels like another step up for this already revered indie group.
http://www.highviolet.com
Plan B’s soul turn
Formerly a gritty London rapper, Plan B has set his sights on becoming a young soul crooner, and my, it actually works, falsetto and all. If it at first you don’t succeed, go the Smokey Robinson route.
Listen to tracks at Soundcloud.
She and Him – In the Sun
Zooey Deschanel is cute as a button in this high-school-themed music video, as she tries in vain to capture the attention of her musical partner M. Ward.
Shopper stampede
Disturbing footage of the opening of a new H&M store in France where frenzied shoppers frantically grab every article of clothing within reach. Hysterical screaming and chaos ensues.
Dark Was The Night live
Listen to the entire charity concert from New York’s Radio City Music Hall which featured David Byrne, Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver, Sharon Jones, The National and Feist.
Listen to the show @ NPR
Mos Def – Auditorium
Whether The Ecstatic, the forthcoming album from Mos Def will re-establish the rapper as a great MC remains to be seen but this tune featuring production from Madlib and a verse from Slick Rock makes me hopeful.
Listen at Rappcats
Frankmusik – Confusion Girl (Don Diablo remix)
The original is an OK pop tune but this more euphoric remix by Dutch producer Don Diablo is infinitely more listenable.
Listen at the Hype Machine
The Radio Dept.
The Swedish band return with a third album on Labrador Records after a three year hiatus. The much-blogged taster from Clinging To A Scheme, ‘David’ is a twinkling, laid-back dreamy indie-pop tune.
Listen at Rock Sellout
