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Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Indie Rock, Music Videos, Purling Hiss

As the Susan Miller followers among you know, Mercury is currently in retrograde. The Philadelphia indie-rock band Purling Hiss knows this too!

The lo-fi enthusiasts premiered the lead single “Mercury Retrograde” from their upcoming Water on Mars a couple of weeks ago, and now they’ve got a video to match — and you can watch it exclusively here.

The clip is appropriately out-there, with the trio performing ~~in front a green screen~~ in the kaleidoscopic cosmos. Everything about the clip — the slackery sweaters, the Dinosaur Jr.-y sounds, the unkempt hair — feels like something that could’ve been featured on MTV’s 120 Minutes in its heyday.

In other words, it’s really good. Check it out for yourself below:

Mar 7 2013 10:00 AM ET

Hear the Cold War Kids cover Nick Cave's 'Opium Tea' -- EXCLUSIVE

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Cold War Kids, Cove, Indie, Indie Rock, Nick Cave

They’ve been away for a bit, but California indie band Cold War Kids are back in action this year.

The band’s set to release their fourth album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, on April 2, and they’ve already debuted the lead single “Miracle Mile” to stir up excitement. Now they’ve got a new treat for you: a cover of the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds song “Opium Tea,” which you can hear exclusively here.

But wait, didn’t Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds just release an album as well? They did! So everyone’s a winner here. Listen to the Cold War Kids’ take on the Cave classic below:

Mar 4 2013 11:36 AM ET

In latest rant, Morrissey goes after Beyonce

Tags: Beyonce, Divas!, Indie Rock, Morrissey, Things That Are British

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

A few months ago, Morrissey had to postpone a handful of tour dates because of ill health. But perhaps he merely needed to take time out to restore his cantankerousness supply, as the habitual complainer has been extra prickly lately.

While on stage during a show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday night, Morrissey paused to go after none other than Beyoncé, whose purses caused “the extinction of the rhinos.” The former Smiths singer is, of course, super-vegan — so much so that he lobbied hard to have the venue purge itself of meat products for his performance. (The concession stands were only mostly vegan, though Moz should probably consider that a victory.)

Beyoncé is the latest target in an incredible run for Morrissey. He previously canceled an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! because the cast of Duck Dynasty was also booked on the show (he takes umbrage with the whole idea of hunting, of course), and he later issued a scathing screed against Paul McCartney about his commitment to animals and his association with the royal family (who Morrissey finds more abhorrent than a bacon cheeseburger). READ FULL STORY »

Mar 1 2013 09:00 AM ET

My Morning Jacket's Jim James to headline Artists.MTV event at SXSW -- EXCLUSIVE

Tags: Indie, Indie Rock, Jim James, MTV, My Morning Jacket, SXSW

Image Credit: Karl Walter/Getty Images

It’s only March, but many are already putting Jim James’ solo debut Regions of Light and Sound of God in the running for their year-end lists, making the bearded My Morning Jacket messiah one of this year’s hottest SXSW acts.

So who better than a indie-country-folk-soul hybrid like James to headline an event hosted by the MTV/VH1/CMT trio? The sister music channels (who all share Viacom as a parent company) have announced the details of an SXSW showcase of their new Artists.MTV platform, including an impressive lineup of performers.

James will get top billing, with NYC indie-rockers Guards and LA’s Youngbood Hawke playing the two slots before him. Other acts including ZZ Ward, Elle King, Ashley Monroe, and Striking Matches are also scheduled to perform.

The party goes down the evening of March 12 at the Control Room in Austin. Check out the complete lineup below, and head to MTV.Artists for more information on the acts:

READ FULL STORY »

Feb 28 2013 10:00 AM ET

Let the Buzz Begin! Check out Aussie brother act Atlas Genius -- VIDEO

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Atlas Genius, Buzzworthy, Indie Rock, New Stuff, Things That Are Australian

Looking to delve deeper into this year’s crop of on-everybodies’-mixtapes bands? Atlas Genius is an excellent starting point (and not just because they’re so close to the beginning of the alphabet.)

For the second entry in our new monthly Let the Buzz Begin! video series, Australian sibling act Atlas Genius dropped by EW HQ to say hello and give us a special acoustic performance of their breakthrough single “Trojans.”

The band, fresh off the release of their debut album When It Was Now, are currently embarking on a jaunt through North America, including their first-ever stop at SXSW this spring.

Check out EW’s conversation with brothers Michael and Keith Jeffery (pictured above), and an unplugged performance of their single “Trojans” in the videos below:

Feb 27 2013 10:32 AM ET

Fun. deal with their baggage in 'Why Am I The One' video: Watch here!

Tags: fun., Indie Rock, Music Videos, New Stuff, Pop

The boys from fun. have established themselves as a great contemporary video band. Having already introduced narratives involving Civil War reenactments and drinking with dudes from MTV, there was clearly only one thread left: the story of a sad suitcase.

Such is the story of the new video for “Why Am I The One,” a sweet, melancholy ballad from fun.’s hugely successful album Some Nights. Watch as the dudes dress in fancy suits and look wistful while their precious cargo gets tossed all over creation, lost in a poker game, and strapped to the back of a motorcycle. For a music video about a valise that sort of looks like it has a face, it’s surprisingly compelling.

Give it a spin below. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 25 2013 03:03 PM ET

Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut new single 'Sacrilege': Hear it here!

Tags: Indie Rock, New Stuff, Rock, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Image Credit: Dan Martensen

It has been too long since the last time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs put out a single. Sure, we got to hear singer Karen O collaborate with Trent Reznor on that awesome cover of Led Zeppelin’s ”Immigrant Song” for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and guitarist Nick Zinner shredded all over that one Santigold song, but there’s a particular chemistry between the three members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs that has yet to be replicated or duplicated.

“Sacrilege,” which just premiered on Zane Lowe’s BBC1 radio show, is the first single from the band’s upcoming album Mosquito. It has the same kind of noisey bounce the Yeahs seem to do effortlessly, and then the gospel choir comes in at the end to kick it up a notch. Give it a spin below. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 20 2013 12:00 PM ET

Listen to 'I Saw Her Face,' the latest single from Brooklyn's the Men -- EXCLUSIVE

Tags: An EW Exclusive!, Indie Rock, The Men

In anticipation of their upcoming fourth album New Moon (out March 5), Brooklyn’s the Men are releasing their latest single, which you can listen to exclusively here.

Titled “I Saw Her Face,” the song finds the five-piece band decompressing the fast-and-hard sound that has made them underground favorites since their 2010 debut.

Clocking in at nearly five-and-a-half minutes, the track even features a sustained indie-meets-classic-rock breakdown, complete with guitar solo — all of which hints at New Moon continuing down the relatively accessible path that the Men started on with last year’s Open Your Heart.

Give “I Saw Her Face” a listen below:

Feb 20 2013 09:39 AM ET

On My iPod: 'Castle' star Stana Katic on collecting folk music and making out to Led Zeppelin

Tags: Castle, Country, Indie Rock, Jack White, Led Zeppelin, On My iPod, Pop, Queen, Rock, Stana Katic, Television, The Band, Things That Are Canadian, TV

Image Credit: Brian To/Film Magic

On Castle, Stana Katic plays Kate Beckett, a no-nonsense detective who often has to reign in partner and paramour Rick Castle.

In her life outside of network procedurals, however, Katic is a little more footloose—she regularly travels the world in search of new culture, and spends a great deal of that time on the road listening to and collecting new music.

She also got an education in punk rock history for her upcoming film CBGB, in which she plays producer and club mainstay Genya Ravan. Check out some of Katic’s favorites below, and spin them all on the Spotify playlist at the bottom:

Queen, “I Want to Break Free”
“F— yeah. I never knew about until very recently. There are just these classic rock songs that for some reason weren’t on my radar growing up. It speaks to me on so many levels. Everyone around me was like, ‘How do you not know this song?’ And then I watched the video and was even more in love with it. Freddie Mercury is incredible. He’s an amazing vocalist, and his story was really wonderful as well. It’s that amazing mix of classical ballad vocals with rock, and I see that happening a lot now. The lead singer for fun. or Neon Trees—these guys have voices that could fit elegantly and comfortably on any Broadway stage, but here they are entertaining us with rock music. Their vocals are so complex and capable of inspiring a lot. Freddie Mercury, I think in so many ways led that path. He’s an incredible performer. I like this song because it’s got a great beat, it’s got a lot of fun going for it, but it speaks to my restlessness, my wanderlust right now. I feel like a caged cheetah sometimes.” READ FULL STORY »

Feb 19 2013 03:03 PM ET

Bonnaroo lineup announced: McCartney, Mumford, A$AP Rocky, R. Kelly, Bjork and more round out wildly diverse roster

Tags: Bonnaroo, Festivals, Indie Rock, Mumford & Sons, Paul McCartney, Rock, Things That Are British

This summer, the sons of London and Liverpool will descend upon Manchester — Tennessee, that is.

The annual rustic revel known as Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival has announced this year’s lineup, with Paul McCartney and Mumford & Sons topping the bill for the June event. Other topline guests on the docket include Bonnaroo veterans Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Icelandic export Björk.

Mumford & Sons, who this month snagged the Album of the Year prize at the Grammys, won’t be the only folk group packing their suspenders: The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and Glen Hansard are also slated to play.

Of course, the full lineup for the four-day event, going down June 13-16 at its usual Tennessee stomping grounds, gets more diverse as you go down the list: Wilco, R. Kelly, the Wu-Tang Clan, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Grizzly Bear, Nas, Earl Sweatshirt, and ZZ Top are just some of the acts who’ll be heading to the farm.