The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
The Current Music News

Today’s Music News: Michael Jackson (RIP), Black Keys (NSFW), Arcade Fire (meta) all drop new vids

by Staff

August 15, 2014

If you're a fan of music videos, today is your day. First up is the latest posthumously released clip from Michael Jackson: "A Place With No Name," released exclusively on Twitter, is a song about a broke-down Jeep in a remote place. The song gets a video about a Jeep that willingly stops in a remote place because a dramatically draped woman and also Michael Jackson are dancing there. Only one of them gets in the Jeep, though.

Next, there's the Black Keys' "Weight of Love," set in a commune run by German model Lara Stone and populated entirely by gorgeous women who are half-naked because, you know, they like to live lightly on the land.

Then, Arcade Fire's Win Butler gets behind the camera, directing a "You Already Know" clip that features the grooviest conquistador outside of the Kitty Cat Klub's pool room.

Even our own Mark Mallman got into the act, transforming into "Malldusa" in a new clip for his single "Monster Movies."

Elsewhere in moving images, Björk released a video trailer for an upcoming documentary film about her elaborate Biophilia concerts. The film will have its local premiere at the Heights Theatre on October 20.

Def Jam Records announced that it will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a limited-edition box set and a massive birthday bash at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on October 16, headlined by 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, and DMX. Sorry, no LL Cool J or Beastie Boys appearances have been announced—yet. (SPIN)

To complement that Def Jam box set, you'll want to leave room on your record shelf for Belle & Sebastian's entire catalog, which is being reissued on vinyl on Oct. 7. The band recently finished recording their ninth studio album. (BelleandSebastian.com)

Appearing on The Tonight Show to confirm rumors that she'll be appearing at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift joined Jimmy Fallon in a winningly nerdy skit. (Billboard)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JltEXpbGM8s

You probably shouldn't stop using those earplugs if you're going to stand right in front of the speakers at First Ave, but a University of Western Ontario study suggests that drinking coffee may reduce hearing loss—for women. Sorry, dudes, no data on your situation just yet. (Billboard)

Kimd, a new app, promises to reduce the distraction of concertgoers who hold their phones aloft to capture photos and video. The catch? The offenders actually need to download the app, which dims the phone's screen while recording, and use it. (Consequence of Sound)

21 years after Crispin Dye, a singer/songwriter and former AC/DC manager, was killed by a mugger in Sydney, Australia, the New South Wales police have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identity of Dye's assailant. (SPIN)

Mano, Kanye West's longtime DJ, announced on Twitter that he's been canned from his job spinning tracks for Ye. In his tweets Mano was indignant (and seemingly homophobic), but as demonstrated in this montage, Mano's job performance hasn't always been above reproach. (SPIN)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MNYOngxYj4

Drone, not drones: Alan Sparhawk might say it, but Spencer Pollard—bassist for hardcore punk band Trash Talk—took action, knocking a video drone out of his airspace by flinging a can of beer at it during a show on Saturday in Detroit. (Billboard)

As revealed by Third Man Records on Instagram, Jack White has a new haircut.

Jack White

The headline on Consequence of Sound says it all: We have a new favorite Thom Yorke GIF.

thom-yorke
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.