R.E.M. - Blue and That Someone Is You

R.E.M. intended to make a broader film project to promote their final album, 2011's Collapse Into Now, enlisting different directors to make special music videos to each song. I don't know if all the films were actually made, but this month the two videos directed by actor James Franco finally surfaced. Some weeks ago "Blue", the album's final track and duet with Patti Smith appeared, and just yesterday we got the wonderful little "That Someone Is You". The former song is dark and brooding, set to grainy images from a grey and/or nocturnal L.A. interspersed with similar images from a photo shoot with Lindsey Lohan, creating an eerie effect, whereas the latter also is consistent with the actual song as it's a lot lighter in tone, replicating scenes from the Grease movie where Franco himself plays the role of Danny Zuko. Both videos are really nice, and is very R.E.M.-ish.

"Blue"

"That Someone Is You"

Phoenix - One Time Too Many (acoustic version)

Here's a wonderful acoustic version of Phoenix' "One Time Too Many" from their third album, It's Never Been Like That, released in 2006. The French band is currently working on their fifth album that hopefully will be released in the new year. This track should shorten the wait a little bit though.

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The Monroes - Sunday People

The Monroes was a Norwegian pop duo with several big hits in the 1980's. Lage Fosheim and Eivind Rølles were both in the band Broadway News, but it was with The Monroes they really experienced success. Debut single "Sunday People" is a shameless attempt to sound like Madness, and they do - with honours. It's a fabulous pop song, as good now as it was upon its 1983 release. The song was totally out of its time in a period where the expression "good to be Norwegian" was the best compliment you could give a struggling artist or a recording. This is actually a true Norwegian pop classic.

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Mason Ruffner - Gypsy Blood

Mason Ruffner should have been a lot more famous than he is. Although people like Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana are fans, he doesn't even have his own Wikipedia article. A shame! "Gypsy Blood" is in any case his most well-known song, a minor hit back in 1987, and the title track off his second album. This is energetic blues-rock at its very best, a hell of a good song.

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Cee Lo Green feat. The Muppets - All I Need Is Love

Who in their right mind do not love the Muppets? Kermit, Miss Piggy and a lot more Muppets join Cee Lo Green for his new video for the song "All I Need Is Love" from his new Christmas album, Cee Lo's Magic Moment. The video is of course exceptional fun, also featuring Craig Robinson from The Office as an eggnog-loving Santa Claus, and a muppet version of Cee Lo called Lo-Co. And by all means, don't quit watching when the actual song is over, there is a lot more fun to be seen during the video credits. If you're somehow in a sour mood, you won't be after watching this.

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Ke$ha feat. Iggy Pop - Dirty Love and Ke$ha - C'mon

Ke$ha is about to release her second album Warrior this weekend, and last night the track "Dirty Love" was leaked online. It's a duet with none other than Iggy Pop, a fun and a bit surprising rock'n'roll pastiche, where Ke$ha and Iggy trade lines like "Champagne tastes like piss to me/I just want your dirty love". Also, if you haven't heard the latest single "C'mon" yet, I put it up here as well. It's also pretty cool, I have to say.

"Dirty Love"

"C'mon"

Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven (TV performance)

Once again, now in a sort of "party version" from the Norwegian/Swedish TV show Skavlan, here's Bruno Mars with his genius new single "Locked Out Of Heaven". I'm saying only this: Watch. That. Band. Why don't more bands jump around on stage like this?

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Breaking news: New Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album due in February

Woohoo! Finally a new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album is on its way! February 2013 sees the release of Push The Sky Away, the band's first new output since 2008's Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Below you'll find a link to a trailer featuring some clips from the recording studio and also to details about the different formats the album will be released in. First single "We No Who U R" is released on Monday, December 3rd. Hooray for that!

Trailer

Homepage featuring pre-order details

Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

The success of Icelandic group Of Monsters And Men (a pun on John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice And Men) has passed me by, but I've finally caught up and fallen completely in love with their single "Little Talks", a duet between band members Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson that reminds me of The Beautiful South. With joyful horns, chanting and a good beat, it's a pop song of the absolutely timeless kind, instantly catchy and enjoyable. The video is fantastic as well, an animated little film showing the band members wandering around in a sinister adventureworld filled with, yes, monsters. The song has been a worldwide hit in 2012, after its initial Icelandic release in 2011, lifted from their debut album My Head Is An Animal.

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The Roots feat. Cody ChesnuTT - The Seed (2.0)

The Roots' fab single "The Seed (2.0)" off their 2002 Phrenology album has been described as a hybrid mix of distorted rock, hip-hop and psychedelic soul, and I am not one to argue. It's also as cool as it is humanly possible for a pop song to be, partly thanks to the guest spot from Cody ChesnuTT on guitar and vocals. Is there anything at all that is remotely wrong with this song? Nope, it's perfect in every way.

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