Minneapolis rap sensation P.O.S.' rhymes are perfectly polished, making him a must-see artist at this month's South by Southwest music conference. But his just-released music video for "Optimist," off just-released Never Better (Rhymesayers/Doomtree), rocks an innovative animated look that Michel Gondry would be proud of.

The Kings of Leon tapped London conjuror Sav for magic lessons. Meanwhile their grandfather Leon, a longtime preacher, has asked the band to rescind their name. [Chartattack]

The plucky power pop on Telekinesis' self-titled debut record has us pogo-ing around the office and stoked to see them at Austin's South by Southwest music conference later this month. But the album-closing "I Saw Lightning," available here as an exclusive stream, takes a more subdued, delicate tact, and helps make the 11-song set even more appealing.

If Handsome Furs' 2007 release Plague Park was a tribute to a park in Helsinki, where thousands of victims of the plague were buried, then Face Control, out March 10 via Sub Pop, is a love letter to icy, industrious Russia -- and you can preview three of its songs below!

He's collaborated with star freak-folker Devendra Banhart, but San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Andy Cabic isn't limiting himself to just one genre -- and his band Vetiver's excellent new album proves it.

Brooklyn resident Annie Clark, a former member of the Polyphonic Spree and Sujfan Stevens' band, will release her sophomore album, Actors, on May 5 via 4AD.