Vacationer - "Gone"

Kenny Vasoli--formerly of The Starting Line and Person L--is onto his third musical project with the pop outfit Vacationer. Our first introduction is via a stream of "Gone", a nighttime laid-back jam that sounds like it was as influenced by doo-wop and roots reggae as it was by Animal Collective and Radiohead. Head over to his SoundCloud to hear the cut and look for the project's debut Gone on March 20th.

Hear: Vacationer - "Gone"

Video: Anthony Green - "Get Yours While You Can"

MTV debuted the weird as fuck video for Anthony Green's lead single off Beautiful Things. Apparently a lot of crazy shit happens while Ant is sleeping/passed out/dead.

Get More: Anthony Green, Get Yours While You Can, Music, More Music Videos

Teen Daze - "Brooklyn Sunburn"

Up-and-coming Vancouver producer Teen Daze has spun together a number of self-contained jams--including excellent remixes of Local Natives' "Wide Eyes" and Earth, Wind & Fire's  "Let's Groove"--but will finally release a proper debut in All of Us, Together, set to drop May 22nd. In lieu of the news, he also premiered a brand new cut in the digital whirlwind of "Brooklyn Sunburn". Pretty, preeeeeety excited to hear this one.

Download: Teen Daze - "Brooklyn Sunburn"

Frank Ocean - "Voodoo" (Snippet)

Frank Ocean was kind enough to debut 100 seconds of a new song via his Tumblr. The slow burning jam takes on a manic depressive tone when it dabbles in the cunning mix of vague and oddball lyricism we've come to expect from the only talented member of Odd Future. And I hope I wasn't the only one that thought of this during the last few bars.

Hear: Frank Ocean - "Voodoo" (Snippet)

Video: Good Old War - "Calling Me Names"

MTVU got the goods on the appropriately sunny video for Good Old War's latest single "Calling Me Names". Not much in the way of a concept, but the overall vibe of the visuals suits the hazy summer day feel oh so well.

Come Back as Rain hits stores March 6th. 

fun. - "Carry On"

As the grueling wait for Some Nights drags on, fun. tides us over with another drop from the record. It's becoming more and more obvious that the album will have a noticeable hip-hop influence--Nate Reuss has professed his love for Drake recently--mixed in with their flamboyant style; as evident in the melding of drum machines and cheesy Journey-style soloing on this one. I'm excited to see how it turns out, and with Nate's vocals in their highest gear, I'm betting it'll be very impressive.

Video: Doomtree - "Bangarang"

Two Doomtree posts in one day? Excellent, indeed. The collective's second video off No Kings sees Minnesota legend Har Mar pwn the dudes (and lady) of Doomtree with his incredible karaoke skills. If there was ever a thing as too much awesome, they've achieved it here. Wingsandteeth for real.

Video: Wale - "Lotus Flower Bomb" (feat. Miguel) (Live on Jimmy Fallon)

 I'm only posting this because it's been waaay too long since I've listened to this song. Might be one of the only legitimately good ones on Ambition. And I respect that Wale--who apparently shares an optomotrist with ?uestlove--looks out for his people, but I've been over the posse dude on stage who only repeats random lines for awhile now.


WLFBJFL by YardieGoals

Lazerbeak - "Bullseye/Ay Bay Bee"

Lavabangers is only a few days from it's release and, thanks to 2dopeboyz's exclusive swag, we get another two-song premiere. Here's "Bullseye/Ay Bay Bee", a Ratatat-esque groover that mellows out the hypnotic bash of the previously debuted "Cement Blocks/Knight Fighter”.

Hear: Lazerbeak - "Bullseye/Ay Bay Bee"

Video: Ryan Adams - "Chains of Love"

Ryans Adams decision to shoot a cliche rooftop video for his second single off Ashes & Fire is immediately canceled out by the fact he replaced his backing band with models. You know I love you Cardinals, but it's not even close.

Video: Weatherbox - "Anchors Away" (Live on A Trolley Show)

This is definitely one of the cooler things I've seen lately. Known as Rowlberto Productions, these guys shoot high-def videos of songwriters performing acoustically on moving public transit. Making it more exceptional is Weatherbox's Brian Warren, who performs a defiant unreleased song "Anchors Away" to these particularly onlookers. And I'll leave it up to you whether the pick slip at 4:20 is purposeful or not.

Ben Kweller - "Mean to Me"

It's been a hot fucking minute since we last heard from Mr. Kweller. Well, considering he has a new album Go Fly a Kite coming out Feb. 7th, there is no better time to check out his of a single/power ballad "Mean to Me".

Download: Ben Kweller - "Mean to Me"

Yasiin Bey - "Niggas in Poorest"

Mos Def (Yasiin Bey to our Muslim friends) is starting a new project called Top 40 Underdog in which he'll re-release songs chart toppers with his own spin. The first installement "Niggas in Poorest" sees Mighty Mos flipping the Throne's exuberantly bombastic single on it's head in order to show how the other side sees things: liable to go Michael...Myers.

Download: Mos Def - "Niggas in Poorest"

Real Estate - "In My Car" (Live)

Real Estate dropped by NPR's World Cafe Live and managed to slip a new song into their setlist. Hit the link below and scan ahead to about 25:10 to hear "In My Car", an equally shimmering jam to it's counterparts on Days.

Listen: Real Estate - "In My Car" (Live)

Video: Blitzen Trapper - "Taking It Easy Too Long"

Blitzen Trapper show us how them backwoods folk take it easy in Portland: fixing up pickup trucks, doing outdoorsy things, and drinking plenty of beer. It's a telling moment when they sky a cellphone into the river in order to have a fully uninterrupted day with friends and nature. If I wasn't already cursing the frigid weather...anyone want to have a bonfire soon?

American Goldwig is out now.

Video: Common - "Celebrate" (Live on Fallon)

 Common Sense takes a break from his stupid beef with Drake to perform the Kenny Loggins-sampling "Celebrate" with a little extra bump, courtesy the legendary Roots crew.


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Video: B.o.B. - "Strange Clouds" (Remix feat. Young Jeezy & T.I.)

Atlanta native Bobby Ray is back on his "Strange Clouds" shit, this time inviting two of the biggest MCs in the South along for the ride over the single's interstellar instrumental.

Strange Clouds is slated for a March 13th release.

Video: Jack's Mannequin - "Release Me" (Live on Leno)

Andrew McMahon has sounded more and more like Tom Petty with each release. Now he kind of looks like him too. People & Things never really got my full attention, but the motto here is better late than never. And we bout it eryday, eryday, eryday.

Watch: Jack's Mannequin - "Release Me" (Live on Leno)

Wavves - "Hybrid Moments" (Misfits Cover)

Nathan Williams posted his version of Misfit's classic "Hybrid Moments" and it's just as warped, handclap-propelled, and lo-fi as you'd expect. Now if he only started rocking a devillock...

Download: Wavves - "Hybrid Moments" (Misfits Cover)

Video: Local Natives - "Warning Sign" (Live at Codfish Hollow Barn)

Local Natives took up at Codfish Hollow Barn to perform a full concert in front of the many faithful in Maquoketa, Iowa and broke out a perfectly dreamy version of everyone's favorite Talking Heads cover. All Daytrotter members can also check out the entire nine-track concert that the website is so generously streaming. And yes, that's a real name of a real barn.

Watch: Local Natives - "Warning Sign" (Live at Codfish Hollow Barn)

Anthony Green - "Right Outside" (feat. Chino Moreno)

More Beautiful Things. This time Rolling Stone has the digs on another excellent bonus track in the form of the blippy Chino Moreno-assisted "Right Outside".

Don't forget that Beautiful Things officially drops on Jan. 17th. Buy that ish.

Hear: Anthony Green - "Right Outside" (feat. Chino Moreno)

Video: Arcade Fire - "We Used to Wait" (Live on Austin City Limits on PBS)

PBS will be airing footage of Arcade Fire's performance at Austin City Limits on Jan. 14th. While I get that ish DVR-ed, peep below to see their exalting take on "We Used to Wait".


Arcade Fire "We Used to Wait" at ACL: Behind the Scenes from Jonathan Jackson on Vimeo.

Stream: Anthony Green - Beautiful Things

Remember that time I said you'd have to wait a bit to hear Beautiful Things? Scratch that. Head over to Anthony Green's website to stream the entire thing and hit it below to hear the expected standout "Only Love" featuring fun.'s Nate Ruess doing his best Noel Gallagher impression.


Beautiful Things is available Jan. 17th.

Video: Pusha T - "Sweet" (Freestyle)

The beef between Common and Drake over, who else, Serena Williams has been well publicized in the last few days. Pusha T decided to hop in for his G.O.O.D. Music labelmate, going in over "Sweet" and firing subtle barbs: "I hear them whisper like a hummingbird sings/of all the trust issues a hundred birds bring/now the wolves out, hunting for your bling/praying on the bitches with the lowest self-esteem."

Video: Anthony Green - "Blood Song" (Acoustic)

Beautiful Things drops next week and will reportedly feature guest appearances from Nate Ruess (fun.) Chino Moreno (The Deftones) and Colin Frangicetto (Psychic Babble/Circa Survive). While we'll have to wait to hear all those, here's another new song courtesy the in-studio acoustic sessions Ant taped awhile back. "She was only 20, but she fucked like 33" is a personal favorite.

Video: Dangermouse & Daniele Luppi - "Two Against One" (feat. Jack White)

The first video off Dangermouse and Danielle Luppi's Rome, their homage to the classical soundtracks of the 1960s Spaghetti-westerns that they both love. Chris Milk handles the animation for the record's most popular cut, much thanks to a Jack White feature, and describes the idea behind it all:

"Myself, Brian (aka Danger Mouse), and the producers Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine) and Megan Ellison (True Grit), are currently developing the Rome project into a theatrical feature film. While the video for "Two Against One" is hand-drawn cell animation, the film would be live action. The music video is essentially the fever dream of the antagonist of the story. It's mostly his backstory, his life before the tale we see in the movie."

Rome is out now. Give it a listen if you're in the mood for something a bit out the ordinary.

Video: Lupe Fiasco - "The End of the World"

Yes, this is Lupe's unofficial Occupy Wall Street anthem. But if we're getting really real, I'm mostly in this for the "Midnight City" sample.

Anthony Raneri - "Sandra Partial"

Bayside frontman Anthony Raneri and his criminally underrated vocal cords will be releasing a solo EP New Cathedrals next week and Alternative Press was nice enough to post the first single. Sounds like he's fully embracing the alt-country twang that inevitably comes with being a singer-songwriter.

Hear: Anthony Raneri - "Sandra Partial"

Jay-Z - "Glory" (feat. B.I.C.)

New daddy HOV took little time to celebrate the birth of his daughter Blue Ivy Carter and did so the only way he knew how. Jay and Beyonce said the birth was "emotional and extremely peaceful" and added "we are in heaven". It definitely translates through this joyful cut, especially when he samples her cry near the end. Congrats!

Hear: Jay-Z - "Glory" (feat. B.I.C.)

The Shins - "Simple Song"

The Shins give us a first taste of what's to come from their forthcoming Ports of Morrow, their first LP since 2007's breakthrough Wincing the Night Away. They've thinned out their lineup a bit, dropping former members Dave Hernandez and Marty Crandall from the touring band, but James Mercer's washing ahh-ahh and the bouncy bassline ensures they don't miss a beat.

Ports of Morrow is out in March.

Hear: The Shins - "Simple Song"

The-Dream - "ROC"

The-Dream planned on dropping The Love IV: Diary Of A Mad Man this past fall until the buzz of his 1977 mixtape completely took over his plans for 2011. Now it's 2012 and the new LP is well on it's way. Here's the stellar new single "ROC" with all the intergalactic sexiness we've come to expect from the dude.

Hear: The-Dream - "ROC"

Video: Brand New - "Nobody Moves" (Live on New Year's Eve in Atlantic City)

Brand New finally joined the 21st century and got their own YouTube channel. One of the reasons they did this was because a wonderful person, known as wordzanddreamz on YouTube, was in the audience for their New Year's Eve show in Atlantic City and shot some great 1080p HD footage. It's worth watching them break out a wide-ranging setlist; from tradition live fare (opener "Welcome to Bangkok") to rare surprises (they played Your Favorite Weapon in it's entirety). Personally, I'll focus your attention to a real deep dig into BN's harrowed demo tape Fight Off Your Demons, as they dive headfirst into the epic bank robbery tale told in "Untitled #5".

Video: J. Cole - Muve Music Commentary Sessions, Episode 2

Cole unveils the second episode of his Muve Music Commentary series, this time breaking down "Lost Ones", "Rise & Shine", "Work Out" and "God's Gift" while using the word "super" about a thousand times. It's cool Jermaine, you know I still love you.

Video: Black Star - "You Already Knew" (Live on Fallon)

Black Star make their recent reunion all the more public with a national appearance on Jimmy Fallon's stage. Teaming up with The Roots--fresh off their performance at the NHL's Winter Classic--plus everyone in their freshest linens means the product should be nothing short of legendary. Taking on their soulful new single "You Already Knew" is an excellent start in that direction, one that will almost certainly come full circle when the free Black Star Aretha mixtape drops sometime this Spring.

Video: Every Time I Die - "Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space"

Every Time I Die announced their upcoming Ex-Lives, set for a Mar 6th release, with a grotesque new video and pile-driving bridge of "I want to be dead with my friends." And they still have the best song titles ever.

Teen Daze - "Let's Groove"

I haven't checked out Vancouver up-and-coming producer Teen Daze since his spiraling house remix of Local Native's "Wide Eyes", but his fist-pumping run at Earth, Wind & Fire's seminal disco classic "Let's Grove Tonight" has more than grabbed my attention again. Wow.

Download: Teen Daze - "Let's Groove" 
 

Lazerbeak - "Cement Blocks/Knight Fighter"

Fresh off his work on Doomtree's latest No Kings, the crew's producer extraordinaire Lazerbeak is dropping Lava Bangers on Jan 24th; a seamless mix of 20 unreleased instrumental tracks with transitions, blends, and scratches courtesy Atmosphere and P.O.S collaborator DJ Plain Ole Bill. Lots of name dropping there so if you didn't follow: plenty of excellently complex, head-nodding beats for free. That get your attention?

Download: Lazerbeak - "Cement Blocks/Knight Fighter" 

Bon Iver - "Bruised Orange (Chains of Sorrow)" (John Prine Cover)

Bon Iver picked an appropriately obscure cover to pair with his "Towers" single release on Jan 23rd. taking on the twangy title track from folksinger John Prine's 1978 album Bruised Orange. He goes it sans Auto-Tune and with more billowing synthwork, but the pristine beauty is still plenty intact.

Video: fun - "We Are One" (feat. Janelle Monae)

 fun.'s lead single off Some Nights gets the official video treatment. I think just about everyone has seen things shot in super slo-mo, but what better situation to shoot than a sloppy night out at a bar.

Get More: fun., We Are Young (Featuring Janelle Monae), Music, More Music Videos

MySpace: fun.

Mixtape: Lewis - Nothing Personal

Lewis Allen parlays his hardworking end of 2011 into the new year. Nothing Personal has some familiar cuts ("Gladiator", "Window","Remember July") and some new material (most notably "Watch the World Burn"). I have a feeling this year is going to be a big one for DIY guys like Lewis so lets hope he continues on this grind.

Download: Lewis - Nothing Personal