Video: Erik Hassle - "Someday (The Strokes cover)"

Erik Hassle, the well-coiffed young lad you've heard us rave about in the past, continues his onslaught of terrificness with this, an acoustic cover of the Is This It track "Someday" by The Strokes. Not much else to be said for this, because it's a pretty great clip of just Erik and another guitarist hanging out and playing the tune. His voice is well fit for the song's structure, and doing away with Julian Casablancas's vocoder-like non-emoting makes us really rethink the early catalog of the group and what it would've been like to have Julian actually "singing" the tunes. Never mind that, though, we'd actually rather listen to Hassle's voice.

(mp3)    Erik Hassle - Hurtful (Zombie Disco Squad remix)

Godspeed!

Video: Riton & Primary 1 - "Radiates"

Proving their inability to make non-destroying epic dance anthems, Primary 1 & Riton are back again with "Radiates", a sticky, rubber ball bounce house track that permeates and penetrates the nervous systems, causing body ticks to become pronounced movement, minds to shed inhibitions and souls to catch fire. The duo don space suits and compose the piece in a chamber looking out whilst a handful of figures shake and pop out in a smoky corridor, bodies stretched and pleated and full of vigor. They're disfigured and (we think) zombies who break through the chamber wall for a space dance party. It's just how we'd imagine a trek into a corner of outer space filled with dancing zombies would be.

(mp3)    Riton & Primary 1 – Who’s There? (AC Slater/Nick Thayer/Mat Can’t remix)

Godspeed!

Video: She Is Danger - "Hurt You"

When you've already made fans out of Caspa and the Dub Police crew, chances are you're already enough on the rise to merit more and more of a following. So it goes for London vocal dubstep female duo She Is Danger, whose "Hurt You" single is a love-fest of heavy bass and eccentric vocals, swirling bits and airiness. The video is chopped up clips and flickering text, all things great minus the imminent danger vibe that a lot of dubstep makes us feel, that sort of misty night alleyway shadows packed with over-the-shoulder-looking paranoia and cold sweats. The single's out December 14 in the UK and the Subscape remix of the track should hit the Internet right about then. In the meantime, enjoy the fire that is "Hurt You". Big tune for sure.

(mp3)    She Is Danger - Hurt You (extended radio edit)

Godspeed!

Video: Plastiscines - "Bitch"

Rudimentary new wave/indie rock girl group Plastiscines debuted the video for their new single "Bitch" (which played on "Gossip Girl" this season), a colorfully stark mixed black and white and color clip with a propulsive back beat, a simplistic arrangement built on basic bass and guitar riffs. "Bitch" appears on the girls' latest NYLON-released record, About Love, and is struck with a great reclaim-the-word bent. The beautiful girls remain beautiful and fun and we're getting increasingly infatuated with them every time any sort of news comes up. The girls are definitely on the rise, that's for sure.

(mp3)    Plastiscines - La Regle Du Jeu

Godspeed!

Video: The Cool Kids - "Pedal 2 Metal/Gold Links (live at Webster Hall)"

This past Friday night at the Girls & Boys party (photos coming soon), Chicago, IL rap duo The Cool Kids came to Webster Hall and headlined a night that saw them playing with Spank Rock DJ XXXchange and the resident DJ's from G&B. We bought ourselves a new toy this past week, a new FLIP Ultra HD video camera and we shot the boys playing their second and third songs, "Pedal 2 Metal" and a track from their Gone Fishin' mixtape, "Gold Links". The sound and video quality are pretty good and we're still getting used to shooting video on such a small instrument, so please excuse the amateur nature of it all.

(mp3)    The Bloody Beetroots feat. The Cool Kids - Awesome

Godspeed!

Video: IDC - "This Is Not A Riot"

Okay, in fact, the new track from IDC, "This Is Not A Riot" is just that, in every way and shape. It's a dangerous cut-up and smashed bit of culture-jacking, with a steady cinematic feel to it (we're thinking more along the lines of montages of uprisings and war, vengeance and bloodsports) and the samples, er, well, really they're found sounds from the battle lines of today's culture wars (crowds from the G20 summit upheaval, police loudspeakers and megaphones and the newest anti-riot weapon to be introduced onto street warfare, the Long Range Acoustic Device, in all its shrieking glory. Never one to shy away from pointing the lens back into the faces of those looking out, IDC succeeds in his approach on "This Is Not A Riot", instilling an "I ask questions" sort of whose-side-are-you-on? debate. It's quite a point-of-view to be seeing, if you ask us.

(mp3)    IDC - This Is Not A Riot

Godspeed!

Video: RJD2 tours his home and makes cobbler

In this new edition of the VICE/VBS.tv/Motherboard web series "Electric Independence" we get treated to a walk-through of legendary producer/DJ/artist RJD2's Philadelphia's house and home studio, including a litany of analogue beauties and custom-made instruments. It's like "MTV Cribs" but way less pretentious or ridiculous. And to boot, RJD2 even goes and makes his own very special apple and raspberry cobbler, which if you don't find briefly funny you probably have no soul left in your body. While baking, the interviewer and interviewee peruse drum sets, synths, organs, guitars, bells, whistles, toys, modulators, percussion instruments and the contents of the wet dreams of thousands of electronic music fanboys and fangirls. Start salivating.

(mp3)    RJD2 - All For U

Godspeed!

Video: Saves The Day - "Let It All Go (acoustic)"

In this brief acoustic take, we get the first taste of the new Saves The Day record, Daybreak, which is slated for a release via Vagrant Records early next year with "Let It All Go". The song is pretty standard fare for Chris Conley and the boys in Saves The Day, which to be honest is totally a welcomed notion--you know, stick to what you're really really good at after all.

(mp3)    Saves The Day - At Your Funeral

Godspeed!

Video: Pixies - "Here Comes Your Man (live on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien")"

On last night's episode of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (oh how we miss the old Conan!), Pixies stopped by and played a rousing rendition of the classic indie rock anthem "Here Comes Your Man". The band, still together after reuniting a few years back, appeared because they've released a rad box set called Minotaur and it's the twentieth anniversary of Doolittle, so this is all really fitting. The band also just released a totally free live EP of tracks from Doolittle to fans who sign up on their Web site, so get on that, yeah?

Tracklist:

01 Dancing The Manta Ray
02 Monkey Gone To Heaven
03 Crackity Jones
04 Gouge Away

(mp3)    Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven (20th anniversary live sampler version)

Godspeed!

Video: Leilolai - "Medicated Nation"

Recorded live in 282 studios as part of the Toilet Records Collective live recording series in April in Greenpoint Brooklyn, the no-frills dance/funk/pop act Leilolai's newest video, for "Medicated Nation" is a simple drums, bass, vocals equation, with shouter Christina Cáceres right where she should be, right up front and in your face/mind/heart. It's a simple dancey tune that isn't high reaching but rather seems to seek only to make the listener dance, smile, sweat and repeat all three ad infinitum. Consider us sold on the idea. The duo are currently at work on their sophomore record.

(mp3)    Leilolai - La La La La La

Godspeed!