[Listen] Joe Goddard & Boris Dlugosch – "Step Together"

It seems like Joe Goddard is always busy, dipping his hands into numerous musical ventures including his mainstay Hot Chip to The 2 Bears to remixes and solo projects. Today, he released a brand new solo EP titled Taking Over, and it's pretty damn good. Before you dive in a grab it, we thought it would be best to introduce you with two of its four songs.

The first is "Step Together," which Goddard worked on with German producer Boris Dlugosch. It's a bouncy house track fitted with slick piano chords and Goddard's smooth vocal delivery. The second is "She Burns." It features the vocals of Mara Carlyle, focusing on her echoing tones while hi-hats and spaced-out synthesizers shimmer in the background. Stream the former below, while the latter is accompanied by some grim, funerary visuals.

The Taking Over EP is available to purchase now on iTunes and other avenues.

[Watch] Yeah Yeah Yeahs Jam Atop the Empire State Building in the Clip for "Despair"

Last week, The New York Times reported that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be filming the video for "Despair" atop the Empire State Building in New York. That video premiered today on Noisey, and it marks the first time a music video has been shot atop the historic landmark. It follows the late night journeys of band members Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase as they converge at the building, climbing to its high reaching observation deck to rock out as the sun rises. Watch the Patrick Daughters-directed clip below.

Karen O spoke of the experience, describing it as an "impossible is possible" kind of moment:

I felt like I could give as personal a performance because of our history together. It was important to us that it felt intimate despite being filmed at one of NYC’s most famous landmarks and an international cultural icon. It was my first-ever trip up to the top of the ESB, top of the world, we were up there from 3am to sunrise, I’m guessing very few get to see that view from up there at those hours. I gotta say I had a ‘the impossible is possible’ moment up there with Nick and Brian. If someone would have sat us down at the Mars Bar years back and told us that we’d be performing our music on the top of the Empire State Building one day, we probably would have thought that’s the stuff that dreams are made of, not us, no way."

[Watch] Disclosure's Light Up the Screen in the Video for "F For You"

Howard and Guy Lawrence, the brother duo known as Disclosure, have shared their visuals for the track "F For You," one of many highlights from their great debut LP Settle. It's a simple video, focused solely on the two performing the track on stage with a dazzling array of lights dominating the background. It goes to show that a lot of the time, simple really does work best. Check it out below.

[Watch] Arctic Monkeys Perform Live at Best Kept Secret Festival

Last week we awoke on Saturday to a brand new track from Arctic Monkeys that they'd debuted in Sweden. On Wednesday the band released "Do I Wanna Know?" out of the blue ahead of more festival dates this weekend. So how about on this fine looking Saturday morning you treat yourself to some pro-shot footage of them performing at Best Kept Secret last night in the Netherlands. They even open with the new single straight off the bat. It's 30 minutes of some if their biggest hits via 3Voor12. I'm expecting an album announcement is on the not to distant horizon, but for now it's great to see these boys delivering night after night on the live circuit. Very excited to see their Glastonbury performance next weekend.

[Watch] Yeah Yeah Yeahs Bring "Despair" to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Yeah Yeah Yeahs paid Jimmy Fallon a return visit last night, supporting their latest album Mosquito with a performance on Late Night. Karen O, donning a shiny suit and a Michael Jackson t-shirt, led fellow bandmates Nick Zinner and Brian Chase through a subdued rendition of "Despair." Watch it below.

The outfit has also been busy filming a new music video for "Despair" atop the Empire State Building, making them the first band to do so. According to The New York Times, they received permission to film there in April. Funny enough, Anthony E. Malkin, the building's operator, said, "[t]he way I look at it is, why hadn’t this been done before? Credit to them for having the gumption to ask." When asked about the shoot, Karen O was left in a state of awe:

It’s definitely not just another cool day in the life of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was definitely an iconic moment. It’s hard to do something like that and not to feel like it’s symbolic – it’s like the American dream for us, singing your song on top of the Empire State Building, feeling like: man, where were we 10 years ago, when we were sitting around in some punk rock dive bar, thinking about what to name our band, and New York City, and now here we are at the top. It really felt dreamlike."

The video will premiere next Monday, June 24th, on Noisey.

[Night Out] Big Black Delta @ Mercury Lounge 6/19/2013

image credit: @markb

Despite being well aware of this upcoming tour, somehow Big Black Delta's show at Mecury Lounge on Wednesday night completely caught me off guard in the best possible way. I wasn't ready to leave work and go directly to a show, I wasn't ready for the further-fleshed out lineup that lead singer Jonathan Bates was rocking, and I certainly wasn't ready for my heart to be won over by a couple of overly-enthusiastic BBD fans. The last time I had the pleasure of experiencing that which is Big Black Delta, they were a three-piece consisting of two drummers, which left Bates with singing, programming, and lighting duties. This time around there were a few addiitons to accompany the more complex sound featured on their recent self-titled "official" debut release, namely some guitars and a badass bassist. 

Within the first couple of songs I happened to notice that someone near me clearly had not utilized all of the BO-supressing products that our fine society has to offer. In general, I find that to be pretty rude to subject other people to unpleasant smells, and this was no exception to that rule, at least at the beginning. Upon further examination, I discovered that the gentleman next to me, who slightly resembeled Zach Galifianakis, was the culprit of the foul odor I couldn't seem to escape up in the front. As I attempted to shoot him and his boyfriend a nasty glance, I realized that my fellow show-goer was in a current state of pure joy, dancing around and singing along as much as he possibly could with his boyfriend dancing at about 50% of his intensity. I've hit many a super jaded patch with regards to music, but the sight of this guy just letting loose for the remainder of the set took me back to a time where I wasn't being bombared with a ton of emails full of bands of the millisecond. Little by little his stench was the furthest thing from my mind. It clearly was refreshing for that level of excitement at a NYC for Bates because he couldn't help but point out how awesome the couple were while sporting a huge grin on his face. I feel like moments like that shouldn't have to be the exception in NYC. It would be nice if we all could ignore even the smelliest of distractions and just be able to let ourselves go, one set at a time.  

I can't detail this experience without noting how worthy Big Black Delta was of the excited spazzing from the attendees I featured above. The band's performance was spot on. Even with the music being of an electronic nature, Bates and his band were really able to keep the sound from feeling overly digital and cold. My only complaint was that it was the early show that evening so they had to keep it short. 

If you missed out on Big Black Delta on Wednesday, the band is playing at Glasslands tomorrow night (Saturday) with Joywave and Klaus. For more information on the show, head over to Glassland's website. 

[Watch] Japandroids Tear Up the Ed Sullivan Theater, Performing "Adrenaline Nightshift" on Letterman

Rowdy Vancouver rock duo Japandroids gave the Late Show with David Letterman a shot of adrenaline, performing their Celebration Rock track "Adrenaline Nightshift." The Ed Sullivan Theater echoed with the sounds of rock and roll. Paul Shaffer even cracked a joke about the band being Japanese (haha). Check out their performance below.

[Listen] Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington Remix the Entirety of Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories'

Daft Punk have said they plan to remix their latest album, Random Access Memories, but Nicolas Jaar and frequent collaborator/friend Dave Harrington—together they go by Darkside—went ahead and did it first.

Titled Random Access Memories Memories, the collaboration sees the friends reimagining the album in a less poppy light, shifting the tone to something more sensual and ambient. Most of the vocals are gone, or spliced and altered. The '70s sheen is less prominent. This is dancier, heavier and more sexual. Assuming the name Daftside, Jaar and Harrington provide the soundtrack to every hot, steamy summer night you may have.