Here’s a nice electronic-plus-stringed-instruments song by Iceland’s múm. The band has always seemed to float around my radar, never landing squarely in it until now.

Their new album, Smilewound — their seventh — came out back in June.

Fun song and video from Scottish darlings Belle and Sebastian, from their rarities and b-sides album, The Third Eye Centre, that came out earlier this year. This particular song, “Your Cover’s Blown” was remixed by Miaoux Miaoux, also from Scotland.

Looks like TV on the Radio (HOW DO THEY NOT HAVE THEIR OWN ACTUAL WEBSITE?!) have a new album coming, but it‘s still not clear when. “Million Miles” will be on it, though.

Sleigh Bells are back, with the title track of their forthcoming third album, Bitter Rivals, due October 8.

I love this slow version of Mazzy Star’s 1993 hit “Fade Into You,” created by Tim Carmody from Kottke.org. He slowed the song down by 18.921%, dropping the pitch and tempo, making it even slower, and sounding like it’s sung by a man. He slowed down many other songs as well, all because of the slow version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” that was circulating around in early August.

Turns out Mazzy Star has a new album coming out on September 24, called Seasons of Your Day.

Another video from The National from this year’s Trouble Will Find Me. This time, the band is getting wasted on camera and apparently injuring themselves.

I love this song. I love the setting. I love the crowd murmur that dies down as the song goes on. And apparently I love Basia Bulat, although this is the first song I’ve ever heard of hers. The recorded version of “It Can’t Be You” can be found on Bulat’s new album, Tall Tall Shadow, which comes out October 1. This will be the third album for the Toronto-based singer/songwriter.

One of my favorites from this past weekend (Bumbershoot 2013) was seeing Superchunk play the KEXP Music Lounge.

Here’s a video for “Me & You & Jackie Mittoo” from the band’s new album I Hate Music. A nice little post-punk ditty.

Here’s a catchy little tune from an English band called Sky Larkin. The song is called “Loom,” and the band’s upcoming third album, Motto, out September 16.

Keyboard headdress. That’s about all the words I can muster around this mind-bending video from Ra Ra Riot. Their album, Beta Love, is out now.

I’ve only touched the tip of the Explosions in the Sky iceberg, but I’m fairly certain the music in this video is from a completely different planet entirely. The song is called “Send Off” and it’s from Explosions in the Sky’s original motion picture soundtrack for the movie “Prince Avalanche.” With this song and video, I both want to see the movie and listen to the soundtrack.

By now, you’re undoubtedly one of the 5.2+ million people who’ve already watched this Mumford & Sons video. Maybe even more than once (ahem). So let’s just say we’re putting it here for posterity.

I’m decidedly in the not-a-fan category when it comes to Mumford, but this video went a long way in getting me close to falling over that fence. “Hopeless Wanderer” is from the band’s most recent album, Babel.

If Chvrches’ forthcoming debut album The Bones of What You Believe (due out Sept. 23) is simply the sum of their previous EP Recover and this new song, “The Mother We Share,” I think I’d still be overjoyed.

This album is gonna blow your socks off.

Here’s another one from Shad. He’s really got it all firing in unison.

Barsuk 15th Anniversary Series

This morning on KEXP, Barsuk Records announced the lineup for their 15th Anniversary concert series to happen in early November. It’s going to be an awesome array of bands you’ve loved for 10+ years, getting together to play albums and songs they’ve all grown well beyond since their release.

Check out this lineup:

Thursday, November 7, at Showbox at the Market:
Nada Surf (performing 2002’s Let Go in its entirety)
Mates of State
More TBA

Friday, November 8, at the Neptune:
The Long Winters (performing 2003’s When I Pretend To Fall in its entirety)
David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion)
Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie)
Minor Alps More TBA

Saturday, November 9, at Neumos:
Menomena
Maps & Atlases
Yellow Ostrich
Cymbals Eat Guitars
With Very Special End of Night Guests

Sunday, November 10, at the Tractor:
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter (performing their 2002 debut Reckless Burning in its entirety, with the original Sweet Hereafter lineup)
Rocky Votolato
Laura Gibson
More TBA

You do not want to miss these concerts. Each individual show is $15, and you can buy a four-day pass for $60. This is a rare opportunity to see some big bands in smaller venues (and there will surely be plenty of surprises that they haven’t announced yet). Tickets go on sale at noon today, August 7, right here: http://barsuk.com/xv. You can also find any additional info about the series of shows right there.

The whole time I’m listening to this song by Volcano Choir I’m thinking to myself “They really found a guy that sounds like Justin Vernon — Bon Iver — for their lead singer.”

Turns out…

Their album Repave comes out September 3.

(An aside: the idea behind the video is pretty great, but it gets a bit tired by the end of the song. A great idea, executed poorly.)

Fiona continues to release videos from her #1 2012 album The Idler Wheel…. This time, in a video directed by her former beau (and one of my all time favorite directors), Paul Thomas Anderson.

This video has a very 60s vibe to it, but it accurately captures pretty much everything that happens in this subdued song. I’m assuming that’s Fiona’s sister there, singing with her in the video, as it is her sister that sings with her on the album on this song.

I’m not familiar with Shad, but I do know Lenny Kravitz, and while I don’t reach for Let Love Rule any longer, I can still appreciate what Lenny was able to accomplish. Clearly Shad agrees.

I really don’t understand why I like Noah And The Whale. It’s treacly, formulaic english pop. There’s barely anything redeemable about it. But yet, here we are, with this song stuck in our head, and a cute but silly little video to go along with it.

Their latest album, Heart of Nowhere, came out earlier this year.

This is basically a lyric video, which I’m quickly coming to feel is a lazy and unimaginative way to release a song / music video. But since it features a song by Elvis Costello and The Roots from their upcoming collaboration, Wise Up Ghost, I’ll show it here anyway.

Costello continues to give me a reason to come back into the fold after falling out of it. The fact that he’s working with the Roots this time around is the best yet. The album comes out September 17.