Charlotte Gainsbourg: "Terrible Angels" Video

This clip for English-French chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg's "Terrible Angels" is absolutely stunning as it is incredulous. We follow Charlotte as she walks through town and ends up dancing with -- wait for it -- clones of herself in a carpark.

If this electro-rock number is anything to go by, the upcoming Terrible Angels EP will sound markedly different from her older material, including 2010's critically-lauded IRM. Exciting times lie ahead.

Daily Randomness

Let's go back in time:

This is a new segment in the Daily Randomness series, where I'll post some not-so-new songs that I recently discovered or am listening to again. Just because.

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Garish: "Im Ärmel Meiner Linken Hand"



"Im Ärmel Meiner Linken Hand" is one of those lovable happy songs that I can play over and over again. And it has a cute video to boot. Hailing from Austria, Garish is an alternative rock band and this song is taken off their 2007 album, Parade.

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Electrelane: "To The East"



I'm really glad female indie rock band Electrelane is returning after a three year hiatus [link]. "To The East" is one of the most mesmerising songs I've ever heard, and is the first single off their 2007 album No Shouts, No Calls.

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Silversun Pickups: "Lazy Eye"



Brian Aubert, the singer for Silversun Pickups, has a unique set of pipes. His androgynous vocals are oddly appealing, and when you throw in some distorted guitars, bass and drums, you'll get a beautiful yet intense song in the form of "Lazy Eye". Imperfection never sounded this good.

Daily Randomness

A look at what's happening right now:



Brooklyn indie-rock band Extra Arms just released the video for "Powerlessness", which you can check out above.

The video 'showcases a different side to the band and provides great rewards as they continue to challenge the boundaries of depth and sonic structure'. Their debut album In Parallel drops October 11 via Bibliotec Recordings.

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Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars and Sofia Coppola finally wed [link].

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The Pallers' debut album The Sea of Memories will be released September 27. "Come Rain, Come Sunshine" is the second single off the album.

Download:
Pallers - Come Rain, Come Sunshine

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Reading Festival 2011 playlist from RCRD LBL has songs from Cults, Best Coast, Smith Westerns, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and White Denim. Whee. Go on and download it here.

St. Vincent: "Cruel" Video

Ooh, evil.

St. Vincent embraces the dark side with "Cruel", one of the cuts off her upcoming third album Strange Mercy. The new album is set for a September 13 release.

Annie Clark talks about the making of the video over at The Huffington Post.

Album Review: Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes

Partners-in-crime Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger have made a career out of chronicling the stories of suburban life. The creative guns behind Fountains of Wayne even scored a commercial breakthrough in 2003 with "Stacy's Mom", a perky, raunchy ditty about a teenage boy's adolescent fantasies that cemented their status as kings of power pop.

On their fifth album, Sky Full of Holes, they have mellowed and cleaned up their act a little. The character sketches and solid production still exist, but Sky Full of Holes doesn't quite match the brilliant record that was Welcome Interstate Managers (2007's Traffic and Weather was a hit-and-miss affair). It makes for an enjoyable listen, but falls flat towards the end.

"Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart", a jangly, sparkling song with an oh-oh-oh refrain, is easily the best song on the album, with "Richie and Ruben" coming in a close second. Ballads like "A Road Song" seem to permeate the second half of the album and outstrip the faster numbers, bogging down the entire LP.

Not that it really matters though. The duo's solid songwriting and ability to relate to the everyman are probably reasons why the band have stood the test of time, even after 16 long years in the business.

Florence and the Machine: "What The Water Gave Me" Video

The blogosphere is abuzz today with the release of Florence and the Machine's "What The Water Gave Me", one of the tracks off her as-yet-untitled new album, which is due in November this year. I am stoked!

Marina And The Diamonds: "Radioactive" Video

After tempting us with Part 1: Fear And Loathing, Marina And The Diamonds return this week with Part 2: Radioactive. Here's the video, fresh off the stove.

Bon Iver: "Holocene" Video

Bon Iver's "Holocene" premiered on National Geographic just 2 days ago. Directed by Nabil Elderkin and filmed entirely in Iceland, we see the young protagonist weaving his way through the gorgeous landscape while Justin Vernon croons softly in the background. Just one word: Stunning.

Rachael Yamagata: "Starlight" Video

Rachael Yamagata
Get More:
Rachael Yamagata, MTV Hive

Regular readers of this blog (yes, all 2 of you) will know that I'm a big fan of the very talented Rachael Yamagata. She's returning October 11 with Chesapeake, her third LP after 2008's Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart. The video for the lead single "Starlight" was released today. Interspersed with grainy video footage of people (at weddings for instance), objects and nature, the grungy rock number has an old-school vibe to it.

Chesapeake is self-released on Rachael Yamagata's own Frankenfish Records. She is also working with PledgeMusic, the leading direct-to-fan site for musicians, to help fund her new record. Pledgers enjoy online exclusives, such as a digital download of the new album before its official release.

Download:
Rachael Yamagata - Starlight [MP3]

Album Review: Washed Out - Within And Without

Before Ernest Greene aka Washed Out released his Life of Leisure EP in 2009, he only had a few laptop-concocted songs to his name. But he quickly won plaudits from reviewers and bloggers, and almost single-handedly birthed the genre 'chillwave', thanks to Hipster Runoff.

(In any case, chillwave is "supposed to sound like something that was playing in the background of an old VHS cassette that you found in your attic from the late 80s/early 90s.")

Fast forward 2 years, Greene is still going strong, having just put out his first full-length album, Within And Without. Elegant yet subtle, its sensual and refined sound is an evolution from Greene's earlier material. "Eyes Be Closed" is the lead single and one of the album's stand-out tracks. Soft, gauzy synths are glazed over with a hazy feel, and the beats are crisp and clear. "Amor Fati", or Latin for "Love of Fate", sounds blissfully sweet.

With Within And Without, Greene has certainly proven that he is no one-trick pony.

Download:
Washed Out - Amor Fati
Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed

Willy Moon: "I Wanna Be Your Man" Video

Don't we all just love a dandy little video? Here's one from Willy Moon, a fresh-faced Kiwi who just unveiled his debut single, "I Wanna Be Your Man". The press have called him 'Bo Diddley remixed by Swizz Beats', but I think Willy has created a sound that's uniquely his own.

Marina And The Diamonds: "Fear And Loathing" Video

Marina And The Diamonds just put out a new track called "Fear And Loathing". Here's what she has to say about her upcoming release (via YouTube):

ELECTRA HEART: THE START
"Fear And Loathing"

"Electra Heart" embodies the lies, illusions and death of an American Dream.

"Part 1" is called "Fear And Loathing". This includes a preview of an album track, under same title.

"Part 2" will be posted on this same page next Monday at 4pm.

Nice to be back,
Love,
Marina

NDP 2011 Theme Song: "In A Heartbeat"

This year's National Day Parade theme song "In A Heartbeat" is performed by Singapore Idol runner-up Sylvia Ratonel. Happy 46th Birthday Singapore!

Daily Randomness

A look at what's happening right now:

Word! Lykke Li is coming to Singapore on September 21. Tickets will be priced at $40, $68, $88, $108 & $128 (excluding SISTIC fees). Stay tuned as to when the tickets will go on sale. (Update: Tickets go on sale August 24!)

Download:
Get your Lykke Li songs and remixes here.

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In a performance commissioned by Loomstate, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner (along with Hisham Akira Bharoocha and Ben Vida) led an orchestral ensemble of 41 strings in an originally composed performance celebrating the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. Read about the 41 Strings project and download the individual tracks through The Creators Project page.

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Folk duo The Milk Carton Kids' (Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan) first official release Prologue is available for free.

Download:
The Milk Carton Kids - Prologue [ZIP]

Best Coast: "Our Deal" Video

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

It's amazing what big budgets can do. Drew Barrymore made a mini movie out of Best Coast's "Our Deal" (taken off 2010's Crazy For You). Starring Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass), Donald Glover (Community), Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), it's a tragic love story between two members of rival street gangs. Think modern day Romeo & Juliet.

Download:
Best Coast - Our Deal [buy Crazy For You]

Interview with SneakPeek

We featured female-fronted lo-fi/garage/grunge/psych band SneakPeek about a fortnight ago, and we couldn't resist asking the enigmatic bunch a few questions.

I Know That I'm Right: Tell us about the band. Who are the members, and who plays what instruments?

SNEAKPEEK:
Dora Hiller - Bass, Vocals
Aric Bohn - Guitar
Aaron Haack - Drums
Mike Motz - Guitar

How did you guys come up with the band name?

We had a hard time deciding on a name. We wanted to be Wishlist, but that was taken, so we went with the next best thing we could think of, SNEAKPEEK.

How did you meet and end up playing together?

Dora and Aric are a couple who live together in Echo Park. Aric, Aaron and Mike were in a band in high school called the Mutes.

Talk about your musical influences.

Our musical influences include Singapore Sling, Smashing Pumpkins, Galaxie 500, My Bloody Valentine, and Innocence Mission.

How can fans find you online?

sneakpeek.bandcamp.com or twitter.com/sneakpeekband

What are your hopes for the near future?

Our EP release date will be announced soon! In the meantime we will just keep playing shows around Los Angeles.

Daily Randomness

A look at what's happening right now:

Lollapalooza celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and SPIN has a free digital download of songs from 14 top Lollapalooza performers. Visit the website and exchange your email for a copy of SPIN Presents Park Life: A Lollapalooza 2011 Mixtape.

Tracklist
1. Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks (Hood Internet Remix)"
2. The Chain Gang of 1974, "Undercover"
3. Ratatat, "Party With Children"
4. Lykke Li, "I Follow Rivers"
5. Patrick Stump, "This City"
6. Black Cards, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Fame"
7. Skylar Grey, "Dance Without You (Monsta Mix)"
8. Ximena Sarinana, "Different"
9. Phantogram, "As Far As I Can See"
10. Jay Electronica feat. Jay-Z and The-Dream, "Shiny Suit Theory"
11. Black Lips, "New Direction"
12. Titus Andronicus, "A More Perfect Union"
13. The Mountain Goats, "High Hawk Season"
14. Beirut, "East Harlem"

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Pre-order Loney Dear's Hall Music and download the first single "My Heart" for free here.

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Rachael Yamagata shares "Starlight" from her upcoming new album.

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Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner is on the market again after his split from Alexa Chung [link].