The Roots perform (for real) on Fallon

I imagine there had to be at least a few people in the crowd who were slightly disappointed when they heard the musical guest for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was the band that's there every night anyway. Regardless, the Roots performed two songs from their new (and stellar) album Undun on the show, including part of an amazing "Redford" medley inspired by the Sufjan Stevens' song.

The Roots - Tip the Scale/Redford Medley (Live on Fallon)



The Roots - The OtherSide (Live on Fallon)

Black Keys on the Colbert Report

After last weekend's so-so showing on Saturday Night Live, the Black Keys performed on last night's The Colbert Report with the same two songs from their recently released El Camino album, "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling." Watch them both below and grab the new record, out now via Nonesuch Records.

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling (Web Exclusive)

Wednesday Bears: New School of Seven Bells - The Night

Lots of goodies popped up while you were sleeping (if you do that) last night, including "The Night," the newest track from School of Seven Bells. The single will be featured on the group's third album, Ghostory, which is due out February 28 courtesy of Vagrant Records. Listen below.

School of Seven Bells - The Night by Vagrant Records

Late Night Bears: New Miike Snow - Devil's Work

More than two years after the release of Swedish group Miike Snow's eponymous debut, we get our first taste of the trio's upcoming sophomore campaign with "Devil's Work," which is due out sometime early 2012.

Listen below courtesy of Exclaim.

Devil's Work by miikesnow

Tuesday Bears: New Air - Seven Stars (ft. Victoria Legrand)

Aside from the French duo's 2009 release of Love 2, one of their less-than well-received collections, Air have been quiet for some time. So word that the duo's next album, Le Voyage Dans La Lune (the 1902 film) will also feature help from Beach House front-woman Victoria Legrand gives some hope.

Check out the first single from Le Voyage Dans La Lune, "Seven Stars" with Ms. Legrand over at NME. The new album will be available February 6 (world) and 7 (states) via Astralwerks. 

Monday Bears: New Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Normally, I'd be posting about the Black Keys performance from last week's Saturday Night Live, but judging on how it seems like EVERY live performance on that show just sounds sub-par, I'll skip it (by the way, Robyn will be the guest next Saturday).

Instead, check out Shabazz Palaces wonderfully shot summation of his most recent album Black Up, available now via Sub Pop. If you aren't familiar with the album that already is, or soon will be, on the top of all the end of the year lists, this five minute video sells it well.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Friday Bears: New Sleigh Bells album, Reign of Terror, teaser

Hey, remember when Sleigh Bells all-of-a-sudden mysteriously dropped out of last August's Lollapalooza to record more music? Well, now we can actually confirm it without soft-hand bullshitting.

The band released this pretty awesome two and a half minute teaser for Reign of Terror, which is suspected to drop sometime around mid-2012. Watch the teaser below.


Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror from Mom+Pop on Vimeo.

Albums of the Month - November 2011

Albums of the Month - November 2011

Only one month remains before our annual (now expanded) end of the year lists. But for now, here's my three favorite albums for the month of November.

3. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream
Parts messy punk interludes, part downtrodden midnight white boy blues, Carrion Crawler/The Dream is the most recent joyful (and mysterious) jab by Thee Oh Sees at a genre they seem to patent. There's a casual knuckle-splitting feeling throughout the album, particularly in the first half with gems like "Contraption/Soul Desert" which very often forgets to find itself, in the very best way.

Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (Insound)

2. A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP
Really? The super-drug addled breakout New York mixtape from a guy who has a dollar sign in his name? Unfair perception. No one's jumping out saying the A$AP Rocky's LIVELOVEA$AP is the best rap album of the year, because it isn't. He doesn't match the visceral thrill of Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 or Big K.R.I.T.'s Returnof4eva, or the utter fantastic weirdness of Danny Brown's XXX, but there's always something to be made of the case of a rapper that just does the part right. No mask of fake attitude, no presumptions, damning and memorable beats (constructed by Clams Casino), and a kid who has true potential. It may come a little empty for some, but for others, this is how modern rap should be built.

A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP (Download)

1. Atlas Sound - Parallax
If Brandford Cox's second prominent project, Atlas Sound, is confusing anybody with Deerhunter, Cox's more well-known outfit, don't worry. As the years and sheer volume of Cox's work continue to pile on, the collective sounds begin to aesthetically merge: subtle strings of synthetic noise effortless in the background of his echoing (yet quiet) vocal style, letting his songwriter play the forefront. "Te Amo," one of Parallax's more stellar outputs, sounds particularly akin to the final track on Deerhunter's previous album Halcyon Digest, "He Would Have Laughed." From then on out, however, the album builds itself as a particular outlier, collectively unique to the new, crafty Bradford Cox. The album's final calls drift into a dark, ethereal sound, that is until you hear "Lightworks," the most upbeat thing in the man's endless catalog. One of which will continue to grow and perfect itself.

Atlas Sound - Parallax (Insound)