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!

Video: Arctic Monkeys - "Cornerstone (live and acoustic on KEXP)"

On a recent stop to the Pacific Northwest and a radio session with KEXP, Arctic Monkeys (Alex Turner, the band's lead, came complete with much longer, dare we say douchebag-rocker, length hair) recorded this acoustic version of their latest single, "Cornerstone", the second track to get wide release from their album, Humbug, which hits shelves on November 17. We much prefer this version of the song than the recorded version, even though the only real difference is the lack of electric guitar plucks and reverb. Still.

(mp3)    Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone

Godspeed!

Video: We Plants Are Happy Plants - "Sell Your Soul"

Hungary's electro producer We Plants Are Happy Plants has just released a video clip for his newest single, a bop-filled track called "Sell Your Soul". The clip, filled to the brim with party antics and incessant beats, is garnering rotation currently on MTV Hungary (go figure) and it's Euro big-club banger tone and progressions are super fun and Peter Bergmann playing the video's anti-hero--a drug dealer as one would think while watching--is selling his own brand of ecstasy, not through narcotics but through his productions. Totally a "gotcha!" moment.

(mp3)    We Plants Are Happy Plants - Sell Your Soul (radio edit)

Godspeed!

Video: Awesome New Republic - "Alleycat"

Lead single from Hearts, the just-released-this-week new record from Miami, Florida's electro alternative pop group Awesome New Republic, "Alleycat" gets a handy little video clip made for it, comprised of digital imagery, power pop mannerisms, jellyfish, video projections and the band doing what they do best: playing their tracks. MJ Hancock, Brian Robertson and Jorge Rubiera do that well enough to get by quite easily, traveling their own path along the landscape of perfect pop hooks and falsetto vocalists, psychedelic synth lines and all-around fun vibes. Hearts is one of the best releases in our eyes of the last half of 2009, so you'd be doing yourselves a huge disservice if you don't pick it up.

(mp3)    Awesome New Republic - Deep Love

Godspeed!

Video: Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - "Cool Yourself"

More foot-stompingly amazing indie pop from Thao And The Get Down Stay Down off of the just-released-two-weeks-ago (and actually pretty great that it serves as Kill Rock Stars' 500th release) album Know Better Learn Faster, "Cool Yourself" is full of "whoa oh"s and the trademark jangly guitars that have made the small-in-frame Thao such a force on wax.The clip for the song is all 2D animation of monsters and heroes with the trio playing the role of saviors of both jagged music and jagged city hearts. They battle giant meteors, giant kittens, robot zombies, Godzilla, an Amish squid, oh yeah, Hall & Oates and a few others. They vanquish all comers and retire to their den of rock to focus on music, which in reality, plays really well to the trio's non-superhero-powered talents.

(mp3)    Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster

Godspeed!

Video: Wolf Gang - "The King And All Of His Men"

More straight pomp, circumstance and symphonic vibe-filled dance pop from Wolf Gang with this, the newest single, "The King And All Of His Men", which is set for release on November 16. The video is all shaded greys and stark black and white tones, leaving only the voice and music to do the coloring, whether within the lines or outside of them. It's been quite thrilling this last half-year to follow along as Max McElligott has been making a big name for himself with his brand of synthy dance pop from London and we're positive that he's not quite done yet. Later on in the coming weeks/months we've also been promised from the camp that remixes from Hot Chip, Egyptian Hip Hop and Housse De Racket will be on their way. Amazing.

(mp3)    Wolf Gang - The King And All Of His Men

Godspeed!

Video: Designer Drugs - "Zombies! (one year later anniversary video)"

Oh hey y'all, happy Halloween to you and yours. A year to the day since the initial release of the monster banger house anthem "Zombies!", Michael and Theo aka Designer Drugs are back with a video clip directed by the lovely Elle Rex of the creatures of the night-styled romp mixed up with a collage of getting-all-your-friends-together-in-one-apartment-to-rage clips. Either way, the dudes know how to bring the darkness out of the party and the glitchy VHS-washed treatment that Elle employs fits really well into the vibes of the song and the hoisting-up it deserves. It's been a pretty remarkable year for the duo of Designer Drugs and we can't wait for what 2010 has in store for them, alive or undead.

(mp3)    The Toxic Avenger - Toxic Is Dead (Designer Drugs remix)

(mp3)    Designer Drugs - Drop Down

Godspeed!