During a brief stint of post-graduation unemployment in 2010, UK-based illustrator/designer Tobias Hall put his newfound free time to good use by illustrating a series of posters that re-imagine songs lyrics. The collection, appropriately entitled Lyrics, transforms images created by musicians such as Miles Davis, Radiohead, and Mumford & Sons into stunning visuals that capture the tunes’ vibes. Explore the lyrics from hits like “Summertime” and Ellie Goulding’s cover of “Your Song” in gorgeous illustrated form below, and purchase Hall’s colorful posters over at Society6. Read More »

1. Today is President Obama’s 50th birthday! The celebrating already began last night with a fundraiser for his 2012 campaign in Chicago that featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, OK Go, and Herbie Hancock. [via The Daily Beast]

2. According to Us Weekly, Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford (better known as the frontman for Mumford & Sons), were once “childhood pen pals,” and now they’re engaged! [via Vulture]

3. Courtney Love may have gotten drunk while on a shopping spree in Sydney, Australia, and then stumbled into the streets where she almost got hit by a car. According to this website, when a fan tried to help out her out of harm’s way, Love responded by saying, “Stop telling me what to do, I can do what I want.” Lovely.

4. Some good news: Not only is Breaking Bad sticking with AMC, but now it looks like we might be getting two more seasons of the beloved series instead of just one! [via Deadline]

5. Coldplay stopped by Jimmy Kimmel last night, and played two of their new songs, “Charlie Brown” and “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” Watch both clips here.

Bonus Buzz: 20 Scents That Secretly Defined Your Childhood

Over the past week, it’s been really hot and then really wet and unseasonably cold in New York. The weather can’t make up its mind, but luckily we’ve already decided on the week’s ten best new jams, all oven fresh. We’ve got The Shins covering Squeeze, Wavves moving beyond acid, and fantastic releases from brand new acts like Everything Everything and Graffiti6. Whether you want to listen to them one at a time or all at once is up to you. Be sure to Right Click + Save As after the jump, or scroll to the bottom to download the entire mix.

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London-based Mumford & Sons breathe new life into folk rock with powerful four-part harmonies, lightning-fast banjo picking, and pint-hoisting emotion.

Led by frontman Marcus Mumford, the band rocketed out of the UK indie-folk scene that also birthed Noah and the Whale and frequent collaborator Laura Marling. Although they formed less than two years ago, Mumford & Sons have found fast success, with their debut LP, Sigh No More, cementing their place as one of 2009′s most exciting acts.

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