New Modest Mouse: Perpetual Motion Machine

Seattle art-rockers Modest Mouse are one of those bands people don’t expect me to like because I predominantly write about and listen to pop music.

Well, they’re wrong. Modest Mouse are amazing. Deranged, awkward and often uncomfortable to listen to – but consistently amazing.

When they are being particularly obstuse, the quintet sound like Leonard Cohen gargling with razor blades – but also make songs like Dashboard (below), which would propel me straight to the dancefloor of any disco stupid enough to play it.

The band have been secreted away for the last couple of months making some delicious new cacophony, and the first result is an MP3 called Perpetual Motion Machine. A kind of New Orleans big band bluegrass track, it’s well worth a listen… Just head over to Spin.com, where the exclusive track is streaming / screaming right now.

New Music Monday

Some of the better video clips of the last few days:

Regina Spektor – Better

Regina’s Begin To Hope album is two year’s old now but she’s still plugging away at the singles. Which is a good thing, because there’s barely a duff track on her record. This single, which features him out of the Strokes on guitar, has been polished up to make it more radio friendly (i.e. slightly more bland) but it still rocks our socks.

Modest Mouse – Little Calm

The third single from their patchy, nautically-themed album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, which features former Smiths guitarist Johnny “not Andrew” Marr. One of the most thoroughly depressing videos you will see all year.

The Killers feat Lou Reed – Tranquilizer

The first single from the band’s outtakes and rarities album Sawdust, which comes out later this year. No proper video yet, sadly, but the song is packed full of meaty goodness like a rock sausage.

Alicia Keys – No-one

I still love this single and this storming live performance from Jay Leno’s chat show is awe-inspiring. No-One stands a good chance of being my top R&B song of the year – beating Amerie and Rihanna into a cocked hat. Indeed they could be knocked into any type of hat, penis-related or otherwise.

Fergie – Clumsy

A bag of old pants. And that’s just Fergie’s face! (guffaw).

New Music Monday

Some of the better video clips of the last few days:

Regina Spektor – Better

Regina’s Begin To Hope album is two year’s old now but she’s still plugging away at the singles. Which is a good thing, because there’s barely a duff track on her record. This single, which features him out of the Strokes on guitar, has been polished up to make it more radio friendly (i.e. slightly more bland) but it still rocks our socks.

Modest Mouse – Little Calm

The third single from their patchy, nautically-themed album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, which features former Smiths guitarist Johnny “not Andrew” Marr. One of the most thoroughly depressing videos you will see all year.

The Killers feat Lou Reed – Tranquilizer

The first single from the band’s outtakes and rarities album Sawdust, which comes out later this year. No proper video yet, sadly, but the song is packed full of meaty goodness like a rock sausage.

Alicia Keys – No-one

I still love this single and this storming live performance from Jay Leno’s chat show is awe-inspiring. No-One stands a good chance of being my top R&B song of the year – beating Amerie and Rihanna into a cocked hat. Indeed they could be knocked into any type of hat, penis-related or otherwise.

Fergie – Clumsy

A bag of old pants. And that’s just Fergie’s face! (guffaw).