Dirty Projectors video - Impregnable Question

It was has confirmed to be the final video from last year's Swing Lo Magellan, director Adam Newport-Berra debuted the new video for Dirty Projector's "Impregnable Question."

The video, which comes off as an oddly profound display of nature clashing with high-school medium jock culture, is as funny and odd as it is picturesque. Newport-Berra shot the video over the course of five days in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park.

Watch it below and grab Swing Lo Magellan today on Domino.

New Vampire Weekend video - Diane Young

It turns out that the burning Saab video originally for "Diane Young," the energetic lead single from Vampire Weekend's recent Modern Vampires Of The City, wasn't the "official" video. Today, the band debuted the real thing as a modern Last Supper, featuring an array of indie heroes. Those included are; members of Dirty Projectors, The Walkmen, Chromeo, Santigold, and Sky Ferreira, having a better party than any of us are.

The National perform "Don't Swallow The Cap" on Letterman

Before today's release of the super-anticipated Trouble Will Find Me, The National hit last night's Late Show with David Letterman to perform the LP's early standout "Don't Swallow The Cap".

Last night's live version featured a ring of string and complimentary horn pieces, as well as Doveman, aka Thomas Bartlett coming in on keys, making for a fairly grand performance. Watch the whole thing below, and grab Trouble Will Find Me today(!) on 4AD.

Bonus: The National just announced the band will be performing with Dirty Projectors June 7 at the Mann Center in Philadelphia. Tickets for the event will start at $39.50, and will be sure to sell out quickly.

New Dirty Projectors - There's A Fire

Dirty Projector's steady stream of excellent tracks continues today with the release of "Offspring Are Blank" B-Side "There's a Fire."

Dave Longstreth's staggered riffs star, once again, as the centerpiece of a song that could have just easily fit along with the rest of Swing Lo Magellan. Check it out below, and try to grab one of the limited remaining copies available left over at Domino.

Bonus: The band will be touring with The National this summer, which just announced plans to release a brand new album. Check the tour dates here, via Pigeons and Planes.

Dirty Projectors on Conan

Still coasting after last year's excellent LP Swing Lo Magellan, Dirty Projectors appeared on Conan last night for a swelling performance of "Offspring Are Blank." Check the performance below and grab the album any time you feel like via Domino Records.

Bears And Bullets Albums Of The Year (#25-11)

Now that the Honorable Mentions are out of the way, here's the official Bears and Bullets Top Albums of 2012 list (part one):

New Dirty Projectors video - Swing Lo Magellan

A day after Dirty Projectors debuted its garbage-themed "Offspring Are Blank" video (part of the band's lengthy "Hi Custodian" video), the band premiered another new video for Swing Lo Magellan's title track. Check it out below.

New Dirty Projectors video - Offspring Are Blank

David Longstreth debuted "Offspring Are Blank," the newest garbage-themed video from Dirty Projector's album Swing Lo Magellan. With the video, the band also announced that a brand new 7" - with "Offspring Are Blank" serving as the A-Side, and a brand new "There Is A Fire" as the B-Side - will be available during their January 11 show at Carnegie Hall.

Unfortunately, only 250 copies will be distributed; all vinyl. Grab them if you can, with tickets available here.

Dirty Projectors on Letterman

Last night, Dirty Projectors stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman to perform the title track from their stellar About To Die EP, complete with huge backing orchestra, fitting tight corners on this unusually timed song. Check it out below, and grab the EP today via Domino.

Review: Buke & Gase @ Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia, Oct. 11)

The collective description I've heard over and over again of NY duo Buke & Gase is how they can sound larger than the sum of their parts. Sitting calmly in front of a small crowd at Philadelphia's Kung Fu Necktie last night, Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez moved through subtle rhythms and movements with every appendage. The floor beneath them was littered with peddles - many of which Sanchez makes himself, including his modified six string bass - a bass drum, and a cymbal to complete the illusion of a full backing band.

The more the short set went along, the more the extemporaneous pieces came into play, parlaying Dyer's vocals with harmonizing effects and other nifty gadgets that played the part of what seemed like a keyboard. There just seemed to be so much going on at once, despite the relative tameness of the parts sitting on the dimly lit stage.

And that, in itself, is an unfortunate fault. Despite the creativity and DIY approach, which is something you can really appreciate, there's a cataclysm of what can be done. The levels on Dyer's guitar and Sanchez' bass hardly change during the show, and the vocals - while pretty at times - become garbled in the scope of everything.  To the casual listener, there's not too much assurance of when their 2010 debut Riposte goes into their recently released EP Function Falls. But the result, more often than not, touches base with groups like Deerhoof and Dirty Projectors. Refined uniqueness, just borderline their own.

The band's tour continues tonight at New York City's Mercury Lounge. Tickets are still available.

New Dirty Projectors video - About To Die

From David Longstreth's Hi Custodian project is this new video for Dirty Projector's "About To Die." It's simply a shortened version of the original 20-minute video from the band's new album Swing Lo Magellen.

"About To Die" will also be feature track on the band's upcoming EP of the same name, which will be released November 6 via Domino Records.

New Dirty Projectors - Dance For You

Late last night, another new cut from Dirty Projectors' upcoming release Swing Lo Magellan, "Dance For You" spread around. It's the first new track we've heard since "Gun Has No Trigger," which has been on steady repeat for some time now.

Check out "Dance For You" below and grab the new album July 10, via Domino Records.

Friday Bears: New Dirty Projectors - You Against The Larger World

Part of the large pack of demos that didn't make the cut for Dirty Projector's next album Swing Lo Magellan, "You Against The Larger World" a shorter acoustic song than usual from the group, which only features Dave Longstreth.

So while it won't be released with the album at all, it still will be part of tomorrow's Record Store Day through Smuggler's Way. Listen below.

Monday Bears: New Major Lazer - Get Free (ft. Amber Coffman)

Major Lazer fans just received an exclusive email of the "Get Free" single, featuring Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors in their mail box. You can too if you head on over to their site and add yourself to the mailing list. But, if not just listen to the awesome new single below.

Get Free (ft. Amber of Dirty Projectors) by Bears and Bullets

New Jai Paul - Jasmine

Maybe the only thing making more noise than the new Dirty Projector's single out today is the return of Jai Paul. His newest track, "Jasmine," is the first thing we've heard from him in years, and is damn good. Listen to the stream below and stay tuned if any more details come through.

Friday Bears: New Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger

It's only been out for about half an hour, but Dirty Projectors' brand new single "Gun Has No Trigger" has already gotten a lot (understatement) of attention. It's the group's first new follow-up to 2010's Mount Wittenberg Orca, and the first material from a new album since 2009's landmark Bitte Orca. And, yes, it's pretty damn good. Listen for yourself below and look for new album details very soon.

Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger by DominoRecordCo

Major Lazer preview - Get Free (ft. Amber Coffman)

The official "Get Free" single from Diplo+Switch super-ultimo everyone loves them project Major Lazer won't be available until April 16, but you can watch a little preview of it below. Recognize that voice? Indeed, that'd be Amber Coffman from Dirty Projectors helping out. As always, I look forward to anything I hear from them.

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Review - Day One

Lollapalooza 2010 has come and gone. And as with every year, I'll post my day-by-day in depth review of everything that happened, to me at least.

Day One:

By now, I feel comfortable calling myself a Lolla veteran. Despite the new shake-ups organizers made to the park - moving some stages and increasing size and ticket revenue - certain things about the festival have now become somewhat predictable. Now that's not me saying that I don't enjoy my time, because I certainly do, but the surprise factor has somewhat been diminished. Regardless, August 6, the festival's first full day, was one of the best I've ever had the privilege of being a part of.

The sun was out in pristine blue sky, as Chicago usually seems to this time of year, at a hot, but bearable 80 degrees. Walking in I noticed two distinct things that we're a bit different: one; the size expansion. The Lolla-area had been extended to Michigan Avenue, allowing several stages their own space, more bathrooms and easier in and out access to the park. The other was the overwhelming amount of Lady Gaga fans. They had come in black and pink droves, with colored hair, flaring costumes and skin-tight everything, parking themselves at the south side of the park for the entire day, hoping to save a seat in the enormous crowd that was growing throughout the day. It was a big change of pace for a festival that had never billed a pure mainstream pop act of this caliber. For once, the festival wasn't a haven for mislabeled hipsters and older fans looking for a fun weekend. More on that later.

So, officially, my third Lollapalooza began with Wavves at around noon. For those familiar with the band and their studio work, you'd understand the risks seeing them. Luckily, or in another sense, predictably, the band is better live than advertised. With a weekend short on surprising acts, Wavves was a good start. The noise rock trio, headed by notorious frontman Nate Williams, were a bit out there (if you know the cover of their King of the Beach album you can pretty much figure it out) for the majority of the show, accusing fans for being Ben Stein and whatnot, but they settled into their own, making them a bit more endearing than before.

Wavves

Leaving Wavves with a little time to spare, I made my way to the opposite end of the park to catch the Walkmen, the first of my many heavily anticipated performances. While the first five minutes of the show were clouded with immense, for some reason, technical difficulties, the band broke into with the first of many new tracks from their upcoming album Lisbon.

Decked in their usual casual yet formal clothing, the group, thanks most to Hamilton Leithauser's booming vocals, gave maybe the best early performance of the day, mixing in new work and more familiar singles like "In the New Year" and "The Rat" throughout the show. All in all, a pretty damn good start for just being 2:00 p.m.

The Walkmen

My eventual down-time was few and far between, but between 2:00 and 4:00 I had my first breather. I took short trips to see Ana Sia, my first visit to the updated Perry's Place, and a couple minutes with noise-gaze trio Cymbals Eat Guitars, but eventually found myself waiting for the New Pornographers to start.

Kicking off with my favorite song of theirs, "Sing Me Spanish Techno," Neko Case (draped in a sun-protecting hat), AC Newman, Dan Bejar (who came in and out often) and the rest of the group performed almost every hit they've had in their near ten-year careers, spanning from 2001's Mass Romantic to this year's Together. Needless to say, the group sounded flawless on stage, despite the direct sunlight on Case's fair frame. Friday afternoon had again spurned what would turn out to be one of the weekend's best shows.

The New Pornographers

Once 5:00 rolled around, I was caught in my first of several weekend dilemmas. Do I stay at the north side of the park and catch the Dirty Projectors? Or Fuck Buttons? Well, I knew I wasn't going to Matt & Kim on the south side so there wasn't too much worry there, so I tried my time at both and wound up just grabbing my spot for Hot Chip.

It's unfortunate to note that this was probably the only stain on day one. As I mentioned before, the plethora of Gaga fans camping out at the south end of the park eventually begun to choke the area around the main stage. And by 6:00 any person hoping to grab a spot for either Hot Chip or Gaga had to really manage their way through the sidelines. It's a shame too, because the group put on one of the best shows of the weekend, but half of time I was trying not to bump shoulders with 40,000 others. Still, it was another great show for the day.

With the first night a few hours away from closing, I geared up for day one's headliner, The Strokes. I stayed a short time at Jamie Lidell's bearded and disheveled performance, trying to rest my legs in anticipation of two and half hours of straight standing (and/or jumping). Yeah, it didn't really do much to help.

Jamie Lidell

For those who weren't aware, or don't regularly read this thing, this was the first show the Strokes had done in the United States in nearly four years. While there wasn't any new material to speak of (could be a good or a bad thing), the band seemed like they haven't spent too much time apart, performing almost their entire track list from Is This It? and several other songs from their last two albums. It's hard-pressed for Lolla headliners to put on disappointing performances, and aside from the late start and somewhat early exit (making a scheduled hour and half show into an hour and 10 minute show), The Strokes easily delivered. So for fans electing to, or adamant about staying away from anything Gaga, their night ended pretty well.

The Strokes

Best Performances: The Strokes, The New Pornographers, Hot Chip, The Walkmen
Worst Performances: None

Highlights: "Reptilia" by the Strokes, "Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers and "In the New Year" by The Walkmen
Lowlights: The Gaga crowd at Hot Chip

Day Two Review Tomorrow ...

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2009 (Pt. IV: #10 - #1)

We'll continue our top 25 countdown with songs #10 through #1.

#10: Stillness is the Move - Dirty Projectors

As much as people fawned over Merriweather Post Pavilion, Dirty Projector's Bitte Orca rivaled it many ways. Some would even suggest that Orca surpasses MPP in brilliance with its sheer ingenuity and creative flourish, thanks in part to "Stillness is the Move." Often pop music is regarded is simplistic and rudimentary because of lack of originality and mass consumerism. With "Stillness," however, the rhythms, hooks, and harmonies of Amber, Angel and Haley is as uncommon and inventive as anything else we heard this year. Nearly impossible to replicate, although Solange Knowles did a good rendition.

Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move

#9: What Would I Want? Sky - Animal Collective

After over three minutes of distorted samples and crashes, Animal Collective's "What Would I Want? Sky," begins to glisten in a clash of brilliant vocal sequences, with a sample of the Grateful Dead's "Unbroken Chain" gently grazing in the background. Few and far between do Animal Collective's songs sound so gloriously uplifting and enriching, with Avey Tare asking, "Is everything alright? You feeling lonely? You feeling homely? You're not the only." The direct contrast between the first and the second half are what make Animal Collective such a polarizing and ingenious group -- with mess is beauty, in the brightest places.

#8: You're a Target - No Age

"You're a Target" accomplished something somewhat rare for No Age; they compiled a rousing, loud and boisterous noise-rock song with a collective harmony and memorable bridge. The song, part of the band's four-track Losing Feeling EP, wouldn't so much as fit with their 2008 album Nouns, because it sounds too mature, too frank and welcoming. "You're a Target," sounds, however, more embracing because the visceral fuzz and melody actual comes clean, unrushed, and still categorically immense.

No Age - You're a Target - MP3

#7: People Got a Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

How any artist retooled Hall & Oates coined "Maneater," to not only an extent of not only relevance but revitalization is beyond me. In Neko Case's "People Got a Lotta Nerve," the red-haired singer-songwriter boasts her man eater lifestyle not to the party-styled anthem idea of commanding and conquering the opposite sex, but ravaging them until their nothing. And yet, it's insatiably sweet coming from Case's exquisite alt-country voice -- both terrifyingly honest and beautifully broadcast.

Neko Case - People Got a Lotta Nerve

#6: Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Before first listen to "Ambling Alp," Yeasayer could be deemed more psychedelic than pop. Their 2007 album All Hour Cymbals, aside from the wonderful "2080," sounded like a mirage in the Sonora desert -- long, labored, loose and fluid. "Ambling Alp," albeit very new (released only a few weeks ago), is a terrific step for the Brooklyn band. Pop is often curiously standard and continuous, always looking to achieve what's already been heard. Yet, every so often an artist with enough gall and ambition can make those strides toward a higher level. Radiohead did it, Animal Collective did it, and with "Ambling Alp," Yeasayer is doing it.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

#5: Lisztomania - Phoenix

With most of 2009 rumbling over Merriweather Post Pavilion and Bitte Orca, Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix reveled in their indie shadows and helped the band make their first leap into popular culture. "Lisztomania," creates a mass-appeal without asserting itself. Its bright melodies and cheery and leaping chorus, makes Phoenix sound lighter and more alluring than ever before, and it's not even the best song of the album.

Phoenix - Lisztomania

#4: Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The border between dance and rock music is hard to define. Often times those in music business will attempt to trespass on that border, and, more or less, failure is certain. What the Yeah Yeah Yeahs achieved with "Heads Will Roll," not only crosses that border, but takes it down. Karen O shrieks and shrills on a "chrome" dance floor, imploring that everyone should "dance, dance, dance till your dead," while Nick churns a haunting synth lead, almost sounding like noir with poise. The finishing product, glistening in a metallic stream, is heavier than it appears; it rips and tears through the dance-floor with a midnight castle element -- glowing in the dark and shining under the lights.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll - MP3

#3: My Girls - Animal Collective

"My Girls" rushes into the ear with a earthy stream, followed by the emerging electro beat, humming quietly in the back. The song yearns for simplicity, imploring that Panda Bear doesn't "care for fancy things," but that gloriously simplicity is already there. "My Girls," sounds like sped-up evolution. The sounds careen and swirl around the listener, with tiny percussions, vocal samples and bass punches popping out of the back like small cracks on the Earth's surface. It leads and ends in the same fashion, slowly swelling, rising, climaxing, and falling back down to Earth. But before it falls, "My Girls" goes somewhere Animal Collective, until now, haven't found before -- a place lost between sounds and meaning, combining for something unbelievable.

Animal Collective - My Girls

#2: 1901 - Phoenix

"1901" is Phoenix's advertisement for the rest of the world -- it's the culmination of the bands work for the majority of the decade; smart, invigorating, inviting pop music that can make someone smile for days. The song's fuzzy interlude and landscaping synths make Thomas Mars sound cleaner and cooler than ever, bringing the band in the commercial spot light that has been years in the making.

Phoenix - 1901

#1: Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

"Two Weeks," is Grizzly Bear's triumph on Veckatimest. It's stark, luring, brilliant and incredibly intelligent. Every key note hit by Ed Droste and the rest of the band, honing in on their trademark harmonies, sounds crisper and better than ever. The alarming exceptionalism of "Two Weeks" makes one wonder how much further the band can progress after Veckatimest and 2006's Yellow House. Indeed, if "Two Weeks" can prove anything other than indelible craftsmanship, it's that Grizzly Bear seem to progress at each and every try. How much better can they get?

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks - MP3

Merry Christmas, yall.

Tuesday Bears: Dirty Projectors New EP

Several months after the release of the band's landmark album Bitte Orca, Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors look to continue their 2009 tear with their new Temecula Sunrise EP.

The new four-song set includes two new tracks and two tracks off the aforementioned Bitte Orca, including the title song "Temecula Sunrise" and one of the year's best singles, "Cannibal Resource."

The EP is not so much a departure from the 2009 LP - both of which were recorded at the same time - but an addition to the album, with the harmonious sounds that made it one of the more prominent records of the year and the best of the band's career.

Dirty Projectors - Emblem of the World - MP3