New Arcade Fire video - Afterlife

Earlier today, director Emily Kai Bock introduced her new video for one of 2013's most resounding tracks, Arcade Fire's "Afterlife." And not to be outdone by the sheer weight of the song, which already had some treatment from frequent Arcade Fire collaborator Spike Jonze at the YouTube Music Awards, Bock introduced what may very yet be the year's best music video.

The Reflektor track follows the lives of three men - all of separate generations - in their lives after dark (hence, after "life"). The family follows three separate directions, running through a maze of frightening reality and perpetual longing for a common love.

Watch the resounding video below and grab the band's spectacular Reflektor LP today on Merge.

Destroyer video - Bye Bye

There was a slight air of disappointment when Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar announced that his newest project would be a five-track EP of Spanish-only songs. Not that that is entirely a bad thing, but for Destroyer fans waiting on end for a follow-up to his fantastically understated 2011 album Kaputt - still one of the best albums early this decade - the wait will be a little longer.

Bejar debuted his first track from Five Spanish Songs late last month - a cover of Sr. Chinarro's "El Rito" - and now he has a brand new video for the romantic acoustic track "Bye Bye." Filmed by David Galloway, the video takes place on some no-name ranch in a field of some pretty healthy and happy chickens.

Check it out below and grab Destroyer's Five Spanish Songs EP November 29 on Merge.

Album Stream: Arcade Fire - Reflektor(!)

BREAKING:

Arcade Fire is streaming its entire fourth studio album Reflektor a few days before its October 29 release on YouTube and it's not a leak or anything.

Seriously, here's the whole album (with movie scenes to go with it). Check it out before its official release, courtesy of Merge.

Arcade Fire perform "Normal Person" and "Afterlife" on Colbert Report

With only a week to go before the release of the year's most-anticipated album Reflektor, Arcade Fire stopped by The Colbert Report to perform a pair of tracks not named "Reflektor." Included in the performance are two songs that the band previously performed on SNL special "Here Comes The Night Time," "Normal Person" and the album's second single "Afterlife."

Speaking of which, the radio rip of "Afterlife" has been subsequently taken down after yesterday, but the band has produced a lyric video instead.

Throughout the piece, Colbert constantly refers to the band as The Reflektors. The notion isn't a mistake, in case you missed the special story on the band's performance in Brooklyn last weekend.

Reflektor will be released October 29 on Merge. Watch the videos after the bump.

Arcade Fire - Afterlife (Radio Rip)

A night after Arcade Fire played a deceptive, tiny show in Brooklyn, in which the band debuted even more material from the massive double-album Reflektor, Zane Lowe debuted the album's second official single "Afterlife."

It's been a while since the "Reflektor" single debuted, so the wait for this has been surprisingly long. Luckily, it's another gem for the Arcade Fire catalog. Listen to the radio rip below and pre-order Reflektor on Merge before its October 29 release.

Mikal Cronin video - Peace Of Mind

The newest video from Mikal Cronin's excellent MCII, out now on Merge, is the slowed alt-country "Peace Of Mind." The sedated take follows a motel cleaning woman, played by Wild Flag member Mary Timony in her subtlety sad quest of self-discovery. Watch below.

Arcade Fire - Here Comes The Night Time

In case you may have missed it, last Saturday, after the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, musical guests Arcade Fire debuted the half-hour "Here Comes The Night Time" special, featuring all new previously unheard music from the upcoming Reflektor LP.

Directed by Roman Coppola, the special featured performances of "Here Comes The Night Time," "We Exist," and "Normal Persons," as well as "Reflektor" and "Afterlife" during Saturday Night Live. As well, a slew of guest stars had small cameos, including; Bill Hader, Zach Galifianakis, Rainn Wilson, Jason Shwartzman, Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Bono, Ben Stiller, James Franco, and Michael Cera.

Watch the whole, commercial-less special below. Reflektor comes out October 29 on Merge.

Preview: Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor'

We're still about two months away from the biggest release of 2013, Arcade Fire's fourth LP Reflektor. But today the band finally debuted something in the way of new music with a 40 second preview of the album. No lyrics, of course, but it does prelude something in the way of a single for next week.

Just a reminder, the James Murphy-produced album will be released October 29 on Merge.

New King Khan & The Shrines video - Darkness

The second single from King Khan & The Shrines new album Idle No More, the first between King Khan and the band in nearly six years, features this surprisingly solemn ballad, "Darkness." It's a pretty obvious left turn from "Born To Die," which debuted last month - fitting much more neatly in the King Khan niche.

The new video comes from German animation team Hylas, which put together a claymation that explores the lost culture of the circus-era strongman. Check it out below.

Idle No More is due out September 3 on Merge.

Tuesday Bears: New Crooked Fingers - Typhoon

On Breaks in the Armor, the group's sixth album since Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann formed the project in 2000, Crooked Fingers have prepped the October 11 release (via Merge) with "Typhoon," a song title maybe somewhat befitting that minimal earthquake a lot of us on the East coast of the U.S. just felt.

You can grab the download below.

Crooked Fingers - Typhoon - MP3

Friday Bears: New Rosebuds video - Woods

Raleigh, North Carolina duo The Rosebuds premiered the first video from their fifth studio LP Loud Planes Fly Low, which was released last Tuesday on Merge Records. "Woods," directed by Steve Choo, is a grainy VCR-like recording, mixed with a few splashes of dark water surfing.

Catch Rosebuds on tour this summer alongside Bon Iver. Also, read up on Aquarium Drunkard's review of Loud Planes Fly Low and interview with the duo.

Rosebuds - Woods

Wednesday Bears: The Love Language

While I was out in New York City yesterday, meeting Russell Brand and whatnot, I missed out on an excellent new single from The Love Language. The sound, borrowed heavily from early-60's surf-ish rock (if you couldn't tell by the album cover), is mixed with blissful harmonies that sound a little more boisterous than a lot of us may be used to for this type of music.

That being said, the single "Heart to Tell," and the group's album Libraries are utterly fantastic and deserve an immediate listen. The album is out now, via Merge Records.

The Love Language - Heart to Tell - MP3

Monday Bears: More new Arcade Fire songs

Earlier this morning, BBC Radio's Zane Lowe premiered two new tracks from the Arcade Fire's heavily, heavily anticipated upcoming album, The Suburbs, weeks after the record's eponymous track and "Month of May" were leaked online.

The new tracks, which you can grab at We All Want Someone to Shout For, are a bit more everlasting than their other two previous releases. See for yourself below.

The group is currently on the European leg of their tour to promote The Suburbs, and won't be back in the States until August 1. You'll still have to wait for their new album, which is scheduled for release August 2, via Merge Records.

Arcade Fire - Ready to Start - MP3
Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait - MP3