Gaga Breaks Records, Listen to New Arctic Monkeys & Lil Wayne, Watch Coldplay Teaser + Weezer Covers Radiohead?

It seems like all the promotion for Lady Gaga's Born This Way has paid off. According to Billboard, in its first week Born This Way hit No. 1 on the charts and sold 1,108,000 copies. Not only is this the biggest debut of the year, but the best selling record in its first week since 2005 when 50 Cent's The Massacre moved 1,141,000 copies. While many mocked her promotional strategy, she's definitely the one whose laughing now. Gaga formed deals with retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon and even took to popular online games like Farmville (Gagaville anyone?). Sidenote: The album is actually kinda/sorta amazing and I'm in love with it. Expect a review soon.

Arctic Monkeys' fourth LP won't be available for purchase until next week, however the band's label, Domino Records have streamed the entire record via soundcloud for your listening pleasure. Head over here to listen to Suck It And See.

With “6 Foot, 7 Foot” and “John,” we heard the Lil' Wayne we've now been accustomed to. Yet, with his next offering off Tha Carter IV, Weezy has changed things up. “How to Love” is an R&B accoustic track with auto-tuned vocals. In it he croons about a troubled fling. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet. Head over here to give it a listen.

Coldplay have released a teaser for their upcoming album which will be out later this year. Lyrics flash on a water-colour background while light, blippy synth caters to your ears. Drummer Will Champion also revealed yesterday that the first single, “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” will be released on Friday, June 4.

And in the strange covers department, Weezer covered Radiohead's iconic OK Computer track “Paranoid Android.” It's not horrible, (I'm a sucker for Rivers Cuomo's cute quirkiness) the band as a whole does a decent job. Watch below.

Grizzly Bear Work on New Album + New Death Cab & Arctic Monkeys

My favourite experimental indie darlings took to their facebook page earlier this week to deliver this message: “Towards the end of this month we head to Texas and continue writing new songs and begin recording new album!” This news brought an incredibly massive smile to my face. Grizzly Bear's gorgeous third album, Veckatimest was released nearly two years ago. Surely it's time for more! No other details are available just yet.

Here's some older Grizzly Bear to tantalize your musical taste-buds!

Watch Death Cab For Cutie's latest video for “Home is a Fire.” The track will be included on the band's forthcoming album, Codes and Keys, out May 31. It's an interesting video; shots of an urban city with lyrics on signs and posters plastered around the town. The song itself is pretty awesome and has an underlying electronic vibe.

We have been give yet another taste from the Arctic Monkeys upcoming release Suck It And See, out June 7. In “Reckless Serenade” shaggy-haired Alex Turner sings about a pretty girl. We're talking really pretty. The track's opening lyric: “Topless models doing semaphore wave their flags as she walks by and get ignored.” Now you get the idea. It's a little happier then “Brick By Brick” and “Don't Sit Down” and sounds like it'll be the uplifting, lovestruck track on the album.

Arctic Monkeys - "Reckless Serenade"

New Videos From Beastie Boys & Lil Wayne + Who Wins Best Album Cover? Weezy vs. Arctic Monkeys

The awesome trio that is the Beastie Boys have released their video for “Make Some Noise.” A few weeks ago, we saw the preview for the MCA directed piece Fight For Your Right Revisited. The video, which was taken from the short-film, features the acting chops of Seth Rogan, Danny McBride and Elijah Wood among many, many others. It's pretty entertaining and a very good use of your time. Head over HERE to watch it.

Both Lil Wayne and Arctic Monkeys have unveiled their newest album covers. One is awesome and one just sucks. The pimped out baby on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III has graduated into a pierced and neck-tattooed young boy on Tha Carter IV. I give it an A+ for consistency and a gold star for it's entertainment value. Arctic Monkeys on the other hand dropped the ball on this one. Were they trying to reintroduce The Beatles White Album? It's been done. I was expecting something really cool now that they have matured into an edgier, classic rock sound. I guess not.

Speaking of Lil Wayne, watch his video for “John (If I Die Today)” which features flashing lights, piles of tires, upside down camera shots and Rick Ross chillin' in a wheelchair.

Listen to Santigold w/ Karen O, CSS are Back, PB&J Post Doc + Watch the New Arctic Monkeys Vid

Epic collaborations only happen every so often. When I read that Santigold and Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O had worked on a track together, I almost lost my mind. “Go” is a declaration of sorts, a statement about the “American dream” (the hunt for fame and fortune). The sound is reminiscent of what was heard on her awesome self-titled album. Karen's partner in crime, Nick Zinner is on guitar, while the song was produced by Switch, Q-Tip and the lady herself, Santigold. Its got a synth-heavy beat with a slight punk edge, what's not to love?!

Santigold - “Go” (Feat. Karen O)

Brazilian dance-rockers CSS are finally returning with their third effort La Liberación, slated for release on August 29. My god, that seems like such a long time away! All we know so far is that the record will feature collaborations with Ratatat. The band has also started touring again, so I can only assume it won't be too much longer til we have some of their new material floating online.
Keep on the lookout!

Swedish trio Peter, Bjorn and John have put together a seven part documentary about the making of their recently released album, Gimme Some. The doc features interviews with each band member and producer Per Sunding. Since Wednesday, the group has been posting one clip a day on their blog. So if you're a fan, make your way over here.

A couple days ago, I reported that Arctic Monkeys released the first single off their upcoming album Suck It And See. They heavy track “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” now has a music video. It's psychedelic and gives off somewhat of an old school rock vibe. Watch below.

Beirut's Cover of “O Leãozinho” + New Arctic Monkeys!

Indie folk sensation Beirut has covered Caetano Veloso's Brazilian beauty “O Leãozinho” (Little Lion). The song is being contributed to Red Hot + Rio 2, a benefit compilation by Red Hot Organization which raises AIDS/HIV awareness. The album will feature Gogol Bordello, Of Montreal, Beck, Dirty Projectors, John Legend, Cults and Jose Gonzalez, just to name a few. Beirut's cover in particular sounds like something the band could have created themselves, but instead cover very well. Frontman Zach Condon even sings in Portuguese, which is very impressive. Listen below!

Beirut - "O Leãozinho”

Last month, the music blogsphere was buzzing about Arctic Monkeys' “Brick by Brick,” a track that left many wondering in which direction the Sheffield boys were heading. It all seems so much clearer now with the release of the first single off their upcoming album Suck It and See, out June 7. “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” is a heavier, brooding track that begs for more than one listen. Where “Brick by Brick” left me mildly satisfied, “Don’t Sit Down...” indulges my musical hunger. Listen below.

Arctic Monkeys - “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair”

New Explosions in the Sky & Fever Ray + Arctic Monkeys Album Details

The instrumental post-rock quartet Explosions in the Sky of Austin, Texas, will be releasing their sixth LP titled Take Care, Take Care, Take Care on April 26. It's their first record in four years. Could changes to the band's style be upon us? Well for starters, their first track off the album, “Trembling Hands,” is significantly shorter at 3 minutes and 31 seconds when compared to their previous works. Yet there's no need to worry, the song holds true to their sound. You can download the song here and listen to it below.

Trembling Hands by Explosions in the Sky

Fever Ray, the electro-ambient sideproject of The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson, has contributed a song to the Red Riding Hood soundtrack. Appropriately titled, “The Wolf” is a haunting song sure to fit the films chilling mood. Complete with tribal howls and dark and eerie beats, it's another Fever Ray masterpiece.

Fever Ray - "The Wolf"

It was announced today that Arctic Monkeys' fourth effort will be titled Suck It and See and will be released on June 7. The album was produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco who also worked on 2009's Humbug and 2007's Favourite Worst Nightmare. The record's lead track “Brick by Brick,” a homage to classic rock, was released last week; you can listen to it here. On their official website, the Sheffield natives also unveiled the tracklisting for Suck It and See.

01. She's Thunderstorms
02. Black Treacle
03. Brick by Brick
04. The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
05. Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
06. Library Pictures
07. All My Own Stunts
08. Reckless Serenade
09. Piledriver Waltz
10. Love is a Laserquest
11. Suck It and See
12. That's Where You're Wrong

Song Pick of the Week!

Arctic Monkeys - “Brick by Brick”

This week's song pick is the new Arctic Monkeys track, “Brick by Brick.” It was released yesterday, but there's no word yet on when their fourth album will be out, which the Sheffield boys are currently still working on. As the song starts, it almost doesn't sound like them at all, then slowly evolves into the psychedelic sounds we heard on their third effort, Humbug. While the lyrics are repetitive and don't hold much substance, it's made up for in it's classic rock energy. In the video we see some studio shots of their new album being recorded. Since this is the only taste we've been offered thus far, I think it's safe to assume we can expect a more mature sound on their upcoming LP.