awesome - for more check out the write up on stereogum

(Cross-posted at Raising Kaine)

Come out to a Rock the Vote Arlington happy hour this Thursday, June 26th, 6-9 at Front Page in Ballston. Enjoy a night with other fun young professionals, great drink specials - $3 Coronas, good food, and an all around good time!! Register to vote and learn all about absentee voting options in Virginia!

The Arlington Young Democrats - who are always a good time - are sponsoring the event and will be out in force. If you have never come to an event before, this is also a great and fun opportunity to meet current members and find out more about the organization. Be sure to check the AYD Facebook page for more group updates and activities.

Front Page is located at 4201 Wilson Blvd, one block from the Ballston Metro station. Hope to see you there!

And here are some awesome pictures (mostly of me) from recent AYD happy hours (even more below the fold):

And lets not forget that shamless bashing I took from Not Larry Sabato for being the “Creepy Old Guy” that went along with this innocent picture:

So I was trolling around on YouTube yesterday and found this: a user-generated video titled “Asus M3A-H/HDMI with AMD Phenom X4 9850 CPU” from someone looking for help with their computer with the song Complaint Department by Lykke Li in the background. The concept is hilarious even if the video is less so since its actually based on real life.

For full effect it would have needed a freak-out with the dude throwing pieces of tech about followed by green flame explosions. Either way, its still a money idea. So help him out if you can and without further adieu here’s the original video:

another european i know we will be hearing here in the US a lot more about in the near future is the swedish producer/solo act kleerup. recently kleerup produced the song “lay me down” on cyndi lauper’s recent album, but his new 08 self-titled album will be what gets him the most attention.

he’s got a smooth electric-pop sound, but what really stands out are his collaborators. first up was his UK hit “with every heartbeat” with robyn (video below) from her 05 album - its catchy and was remixed to death last year.

personally i got really interested in kleerup after i heard his collaboration with lykke li titled “until we bleed.” its an awesome song builds on his strengths in writing catchy pop/electronic and her soft and engaging vocals. there is a small clip of a live performance below which is money - if anyone finds a full clip of the show please let me know - otherwise the full song is below as well. there’s also a really good cut down cello remix of the song that is also definitely worth finding.

another tune worth checking, his song “longing for lullibyes” with fellow swedish singer titiyo that is also really good. on it he also takes advantage of another talented female vocalist on top of his songwriting skills. all three are below:

kleerup & lykke li - until we bleed live, (full song and other 2 vids below the fold)

kleerup & robyn - with every heartbeat

kleerup & tityo - longing for lullibyes

kleerup & lykke li - until we bleed

“AYD Monthly Happy Hour on the Hill: Drink to Turn Virginia Blue!

This month’s happy hour is hosted by the northern Virginia Young Democrats - Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. Come join us and 150 of our closest democratic friends for a night out on the town.

Thursday, May 29 2008
6:00pm
Top of the Hill (Pour House)
319 Pennsylvania Avenue SE Washington, D.C.
Capitol South Metro Stop

Click here to RSVP!”

The Alligators are poppy indie band I’ve been meaning to take the time to write about for a while now - but have just been to crazy at work to give them the time they deserve. But enough about me. The Alligators’ sound has lot of great things going for it all at the same time: Becca’s female lead vocals are bright and catchy while the piano and guitar going off in their own directions play awesomely well together without getting in each other’s way. Hear it in their song I’m Dungeons You’re Dragons:

The Alligators - I’m Dungeons You’re Dragons

The band’s from way out in Provo, Utah - so i haven’t had the chance to hear them live yet, but i def plan to if they ever make it this area of the east coast because their background vocals sound like they could really get the crowd going live like in Oh Oh Oh below:

The Alligators - Oh Oh Oh

The sound is upbeat, and selfishly I’d love to see them at a venue like Iota - one thats not to big, basically a touch above intimate where its more like a party at a bar than a concert, and you can probably buy a member of the band a beer and tell him or her that you liked their sound after the show. Def give them a listen and check out their MySpace for a couple more good songs like Affiliated and Touch.

Upcoming shows via MySpace below the fold:

UPDATE: kanye really needed to stop at 2

so kanye released a second music video for his song flashing lights - and i have to say i really like the second one a lot better. the fact that the second doesn’t involve a chick beating kanye to death with a shovel may have a little something to do with it, but i really think the stop-motion in #2 is money - especially in conjunction with the smoke and lighting in the scenes with kanye and the club. granted - it doesn’t end well in this one either, but i think the second is much more visually appealing with a better story as well. you judge:

2nd version:

the original below the fold:

the whole video is pretty much a stream of online celebs, one after the other. its absolutely amazing - huge h/t to stereogum:

Kanye helps Diddy fall back in love with hip hop:

official this time. this video was put up a dozen times and then taken down, but this one is up on the Island Records YouTube Channel so I’m guessing it’ll stick this time. check it out:

this second video for Violent Hill is far more entertaining than the original. dancing politicians and bombs followed by a fireworks finale - def money. h/t stereogum

i don’t think this is an officially release, so i’m not sure how long it will stay up. if it does get taken down, the easiest way to find it will be to just go to youtube and search for coldplay + “violet hill” and sort by date added, because i’m sure it will put up again by some one else real quick.

anyway, here’s the video

now, don’t get me wrong - i love the song, but this video is kinda ridiculous. first of all - wtf is Chris Martin doing with the magnifying glass and the hammer? also, the band headbanging around a piano then dancing in a circle on top of a hill to the beat of the drum? i guess if you’re into The Postman meets Les Misérables this one’s right up your alley. but altogether its entertaining, especially martin playing around in the snow at the end and i’m glad they’re not taking the whole revolutionary theme thing too far.
also, in cased you missed it, there is also a sort of preview clip that was put out a couple days ago too which i’m sure won’t be taken down.

h/t to I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS:

“When Obama wins, …” - you’re going to want to hit refresh. a lot.

speaking of which…

and one more below the fold:

this is ridiculously good - adult content warning though:

N.E.R.D.’s new music video Everybody Nose

via money cash hos: “cameos include: Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan, Kanye to the, lots of little hipster fashionista girls.”

not sure what i think about it…

so amazing - Kanye just put up his own remix of Lil Wayne’s Lollipop. You can listen here on Kayne’s blog and Discobelle also has it up for download. def recommended.

black kids are a money band that have been on my playlist for a while. they’re in town thursday at the black cat along with cut copy and mobius band.

if you can’t make it to that show the black and white jacksons are also play thursday over at artomatic and are a sweet live show

not really

hmm, don’t remember any fights with my ex’s being this bad…

“Video for Last Day of Magic, taken from The Kills new album ‘Midnight Boom’, out now on Domino Records.
www.midnightboom.com”

I have absolutely no idea what to think of this video, but the song is amazing: