#1 Bjork: The second song from Björk’s cross-platform interactive album Biophilia is out. Stream Cosmogony below. [ALL NEON LIKE]
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

#2 Feist has just released the first in a series of teaser videos on on her official website. It’s a noisy instrumental track layered over a black and white time-lapse scene. If this is where she is going with her long-awaited follow up to The Reminder, then my mind is blown. Stay tuned to ListenToFeist.com for additional video updates.

#3 Friendly Fires have covered Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory for BBC Radio 1, and it sounds fantastic. Listen below:
mp3: Friendly Fires – The Edge of Glory (Lady Gaga Cover, BBC Radio 1)

#4 Karen O. “will unveil her “psycho-opera” at St. Ann’s Warehouse in October as part of a week-long showcase of art, music, theater and film works known as the Creators Project.” [Wall Street Journal] I’m at the edge of my seat for more details!

#5 M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez) has released the first song from his upcoming double album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (due October 18, 2011) titled Midnight City. Stream below:
Midnight City by M83

#6 No Doubt are in the studio with Major Lazer (Diplo & Switch) penning tracks for their long long awaited follow up to Rock Steady, this should be interesting…

#7 Portishead have announced an expanded US tour to supplement their ATP curated residency in New Jersey. Get your tickets for Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, full tour dates here.

#8 Santigold and Spank Rock are the face of Alexander Wang’s Fall 2011 T Campaign. The video clip features a new mix of Santigold’s Collaboration with Karen O. Go. Santi is also featured in Beastie Boys‘ latest single Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win, and as a doll in the accompanying Spike Jonze directed video clip. I’m beside myself with anticipation for the new album!

PHEW.

Santigold Live at Terminal 5, 6.9.09

Today just got 1000x’s more awesome! Santigold is back with a brand new track, and she’s brought along the inimitable Karen O. of Yeah Yeah Yeahs along for the fun. (Britney and Rihanna should watch and see how a real collaboration is done!)

Speechless!!! Can’t wait to hear the rest of Santi’s upcoming record.  Read Life and Times‘ exclusive Santigold interview and stream the track here!

Stream:: Santigold – Go (Featuring Karen O.)

mp3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Turn Into (Nick Zinner Remix) [alt]

Ida Maria Citi Stage Saturday 2:15PM >>

We’ve seen Ida Maria a handful of times this year in intimate venues such as Bell House, Music Hall of Williamsburg and Mercury Lounge so it was interesting to see what she’d do onstage at a festival in broad daylight.

At the beginning of her set I got the impression that she felt a bit constrained and tame waiting to bust out (see pic.) Once she loosened up a bit Ida released her signature growl and shriek, locking in everyone’s attention and awe. The absolute highlight of Ida’s set was when she dumped water onto herself before diving into a spectacular cover of The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog.

Chairlift Citi Stage Saturday 3:30PM

Chairlift opened their set with the fabulous cover of Snoop’s Sexual Seduction and set the loungey seductive tone for their hour long set. There were a few sound issues but the trio powered through and delivered a strong set that served as yet another great platform for infiltrating mainstream.

<< Arctic Monkeys Budweiser Stage Saturday 4:30PM

My 3rd time seeing them in one week and I’m not sure i would’ve turned down 10 more opportunities to see them. Arctic Monkeys have matured and progressed in the ways every great band should and this set was an undeniable Lolla highlight for everyone who caught it. A.Turn and co.’s set was 10 min longer than at APW, so a more well rounded performance was able to take shape featuring the achingly epic 505 as set closer. The crowd went seriously bananas (read: crowdsurfing, moshing, pushing, flailing) and the band deserved every bit of excitement and enthusiasm hurled their way. [Jess]

Santigold Playstation Saturday Stage 5:30PM >>

Call me naive but I honestly didn’t think Santigold would draw in the immense crowd that she did on day 2 of Lollapalooza! Bon Iver played the Playstation stage the night before as well and surprised me with the number of people squeezed in to catch his set.

Santigold donned a gold jumper and gold sneakers to a huge crowd that ranged from ghetto to prep. It was pretty awesome sweating my ass off in Chicago with a bunch of strangers chanting “Brooklyn we go hard, we go hard!” in unison..if only they knew the half of it!

MP3: Basement Jaxx Featuring Santigold – Saga or zShare

Glasvegas Vitamin Water Stage Saturday 5:30 PM

Glasvegas’ crowd was surprisingly subdued, most likely due to the fact that the crowds were stalled across the park as the overwhelmingly large Arctic Monkeys crowd was leaving and the just as incredibly large Santigold crowd was filing it. Despite the serious festival gridlock, Glasvegas played a tight set as more and more fans trickled in to catch James Allan expertly belt out favorites like Geraldine and Daddy’s Gone. [Jess]

<< Lykke Li Citi Stage Saturday 6:30PM

I had to unfortunately leave the Santigold set a few minutes early in order to make it in time for Lykke Li. I saw her only one week prior at All Points West but I just can’t get enough of her captivating set. Her set from Lollapalooza was extra special in that she brought on Miike Snow singer Andrew Wyatt for the cover of Kings of Leon’s Knocked Up. It was a great and unexpected treat!

MP3: Miike Snow – Plastic Jungle or zShare

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Budweiser Stage Saturday 8PM >>

One week prior we caught Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ killer set at All Points West, so this time around it was all about singing and dancing our asses off. We found a comfortable spot and literally danced until we were (almost) dead, scaring bystanders! Jess said it best:  it was our own Saturday night dance party featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs! Indeed it was, and also a great prelude to another epic night out in Chi-town.

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (Erol Alkan Remix) or zShare

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at APW, 7.31.09

We arrived at Liberty State Park on Friday around 4PM and headed straight to the Blue Comet main stage for the Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jay-Z trifecta of awesomeness. Upon arrival we were greeted with a torrential downpour, complete with lightning and mud.  It wasn’t an ideal situation, but we laughed through it all and made the best of it.

The last time I saw Vampire Weekend was in 2008 when they played with Chromeo at the 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards, a huge year for the band that helped birth a new wave of music fans via Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (I will admit that I liked that movie).  But alas, we did not have the security of Roseland Ballroom as protection from the undesirable weather conditions on Friday night.

Vampire Weekend at APW, 7.31.09

With lightning flashing across the sky it was unclear whether the show would go on, that was until Vampire Weekend took the stage. The band got soaked but were visibly happy to be there which in turn uplifted everyone’s rain soaked mood.  VW left the stage on a positive note by ultimately taming the storm and delivering the news that Friday ticket holders had a free pass to one of the two remaining dates of the All Points West Festival!

By 7:30 the rain clouds disappeared for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ set and the park grounds turned into a muddy dancefloor with an enormous glittery eyeball centerpiece as the disco ball. Heads Will Roll kicked off the journey with seamless stops back and forth from rock-rave to intimate and emotional places such as an acoustic sing-along version of Maps.

Other highlights for me included the masterfully subdued Skeletons, Y Control, Date With the Night, Zero, and Honeybear. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that it took me almost 10 years into Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ career to finally see them live but all of that pent up adoration was 100% justified by the band’s incredible performance on opening night. It was a perfect crowd rouse for Jay-Z who followed shortly after. Needless to say, we’re anxiously looking forward to catching the YYYs kill another live set this weekend at Lollapalooza!

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Honeybear or zShare
MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps (Slamer Remix) or zShare
MP3: Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance (Miike Snow Remix) or zShare
MP3: Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (The Teenagers Remix) or zShare

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at APW, 7.31.09

Jay-Z at APW, 7.31.09

I wish we had time to share our experience at of All Points West so far but alas theres only two of us and we must make time for sleep and afterpartying.

Enjoy a few pics of Friday’s fantastic sets we saw, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jay-Z and Vampire Weekend.

It was a wet, muddy, sweaty yet AMAZING and went above all of our expectations. Full coverage will be rolling out ASAP. Thanks for your patience. Please follow anthoNYC for Twitter updates from the festival.

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Runaway or zShare

Yeah Yeah Yeahs will stand in for the Beasties at Lolla, line-up changes for All Points West have not yet been announced. We’re hoping for a swift recovery and hopefully the opportunity to see the legendary Beastie Boys live soon!  Enjoy the first single from Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 (originally scheduled for release in September),  Too Many Rappers featuring Nas premiered last week on Zane Lowe.

Click HERE to view the video MCA posted on the official Beastie Boys YouTube Channel.

MP3: Beastie Boys – Too Many Rappers (Featuring Nas) or zShare

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MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Turn Into (Nick Zinner Remiz) or zShare

The secret gig will be on Sunday, April 12th at 8pm, following their appearance on Saturday Night Live with host Zac Efron. It’s Blitz...be prepared for madness and good luck to all the hopefuls! By the way I’m once again re-posting that Erol Alkan remix of Zero (we were the first to post the full track) – needs to be heard and loved by all!

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (Erol Alkan Rework) or zShare

Stream Zero Here:yeah_yeah_yeahs_zero

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion (Diplo Remix) or zShare