May 21, 2013 – When Dirty Beaches (a.k.a. Alex Zhang Hungtai) dropped "Casino Lisboa," a murky lo-fi groove that appears on the upcoming Drifters/Love Is the Devil album, SPIN's Chris Martins described the track as having "a rattling, distortion-heavy foundation while the man spits semi-intelligible venom from a mouth that seems caught in a permanent rockabilly sneer." Well, Hungtai has unveiled an official video for the song, but it's tough to tell if he's sneering — much of the clip takes place in a strobe-lit performance space. The four-minute short cuts between footage of a Dirty Beaches' live show and shots of city nightlife. When Hungtai isn't on camera, the view is all sweat and sleaze as strippers, street performers, and boxers dominate the screen.Dirty Beaches' Drifters/Love Is the Devil LP is out May 21 via Zoo Music.

May 20, 2013 – Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT, Neko Case, Beach House, and Toro y Moi are set to christen the stage during the inaugural First City Festival, which takes place on August 24 and 25. The two-day event, presented by Coachella promoters Goldenvoice, will be held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in California, the site of the legendary 1967 Monterey Pop Festival — a.k.a. one of the showcases where Jimi Hendrix famously lit his guitar on fire.The full lineup for the first-ever First City Festival: Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT, Neko Case, Beach House, Toro y Moi, Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart, Washed Out, Okkervil River, Purity Ring, the Hold Steady, Dr.

May 20, 2013 – The post-rock grandeur of Explosions in the Sky lends itself well to movies and television, so much so that the Texas foursome are pretty much synonymous with Friday Night Lights. On August 6, the instrumental unit will further capitalize on their cinematic flair by releasing their original score to Prince Avalanche, the latest film from director David Gordon Green. Explosions in the Sky teamed with composer/longtime Green collaborator David Wingo (also of Ola Podrida) to write the 15-track score, which will be issued through Temporary Residence Ltd. According to a press release, Green first worked with Explosions in the Sky a decade ago, when the filmmaker asked the band for permission to use their song "The Moon is Down" in his 2003 feature, All the Real Girls.

May 20, 2013 – Smith Westerns already offered "Varsity," the closing track off their upcoming Soft Will LP. Now the Chicago rock ragamuffins have bestowed the forthcoming full-length's opening track, "3am Spiritual." Like "Varsity," Soft Will's just-unveiled second single uses glammy, neon guitar tones to soundtrack an imaginary twentysomething rom-com. "Please keep close to me," frontman Cullen Omori pleads. "I don't want to let you off my arm." Stream "3am Spiritual" below. Smith Westerns' 2013 tour dates follow. Soft Will, the follow-up to 2011's Dye It Blonde, arrives on June 25 via Mom + Pop.Smith Westerns 2013 tour dates:July 19 - Madison, WI @ Live on King StreetJuly 21 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/InJuly 23 - Washington, D.C.

May 20, 2013 – Queens of the Stone Age recently slapped a toe tag on their grisly animation video series — a five-part odyssey promoting the band's upcoming ...Like Clockwork LP — but now the Josh Homme-led tough guys have compiled all five clips into a 15-minute short film. Now fans can watch the vicious, apocalyptic cartoons for "I Appear Missing," "Kalopsia," "Keep Your Eyes Peeled," "If I Had a Tail," and "My God Is the Sun" in one seamless edit. All the visuals were designed by mysterious U.K. artist Boneface, who joined QOTSA during their performance on the BBC's Later... With Jools Holland last week; animator Liam Brazier gave the characters life (and, ultimately, death). Relive the end of days above. ...Like Clockwork arrives on June 4 via Matador Records. Pre-orders of the album are currently available through iTunes.

May 20, 2013 – During their recent U.K. tour, the Killers lovingly covered several of the territory's most beloved acts; U2, Oasis, and New Order all received some love while they performed overseas in support of last year's heroic Battle Born. But when the "Mr. Brightside" players took over Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Saturday (May 18), they paid tribute to five of the Big Apple's favorite sons: the Strokes. The Killers played a minute-long rendition of "Is This It," the weary title track off the Fab Five's landmark 2001 debut. You might ask, "Is that it?" Yes, but it's all that's needed. Watch it above.

May 20, 2013 – This past season, The Simpsons have turned Tom Waits, Carrie Brownstein, and the Decemberists yellow, and last night, Springfield's finest welcomed Icelandic iconcs Sigur Rós and Björk into the animated fold. "The Saga of Carl," the penultimate episode of the classic cartoon's 24th season, featured music and a guest appearance by post-rock luminaries Sigur Rós, as well as a cameo from Björk. The episode focuses on Homer's search for his friend (and beloved supporting character) Carl Carlson, who runs away to his home country of Iceland. Björk shows up in her infamous swan dress for a sight gag at around the 11:15 mark, while Sigur Rós come onscreen at 17:40. Watch the entire episode here.

May 20, 2013 – Red Hare combine four vets of Washington, D.C.’s hardcore scene: former Swiz members Shawn Brown, Jason Farrell, and Dave Eight, plus Joe Gorelick, who played in Bluetip alongside Farrell and Eight. So of course the post-hardcore quartet's full-length debut, Nites of Midnite, provides the sort of white-knuckle fury that one would expect from card-carrying members of the Dischord/Hellfire Records family. Stream the entire album — eight taut tracks that bite as much as they bark — below.113820:playlist:Red Hare, Nites Of Midnite:

May 20, 2013 – A few months back, Brazos shared the colorful and inventive stop-motion video for "How the Ranks Was Won," an easy-going single that appears on the New York City trio's upcoming sophomore album, Saltwater. Now the Martin Crane-led project has shared the entire full-length, a collection of nine deceptively complex pop tunes that recall the Shins at their most adventurous. Luckily, these chutes aren't too narrow for Crane's engrossing wordplay (following his lyrics is like playing a high-stakes game of cat's cradle), and robust, soft-edged melodies. Slip through Saltwater below.

May 20, 2013 – On May 14, Queens of the Stone Age invaded BBC’s Later… With Jools Holland to perform "My God Is the Sun" and "I Sat by the Ocean," two songs slated for the desert rockers’ upcoming …Like Clockwork LP, due June 4 via Matador Records. QOTSA returned to Jools on May 17 to strut and grunt through "If I Had a Tail," but this time the California crew were joined by Boneface, the masked artist behind the band’s new album cover and recent animation video series. The mysterious mastermind just sat idly by as the Queens powered through the disco-tinged track. But the masked animator has earned the breather — he just led QOTSA through an apocalyptic wasteland, after all.