The Killers

12 Notable Music Videos Directed by Famous Filmmakers

As we reported last week, Gaspar Noé — the man responsible for the French films Enter the Void and, shudder, Irreversible — has directed the video for the rather excellent new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds single “We No Who U R.” The video is rather restrained by Noé’s standards, but it fits the song beautifully, and it got us thinking about other well-known directors who’ve moonlighted in making music videos. There have been plenty over the years, some triumphant, some rather less so — so here’s a selection for your viewing delectation! Marvel, giggle, shake your head in despair, and then let us know if we missed any. … Read More

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

Today at Flavorpill, we discussed some of the worst words ever. We explored the world’s eeriest shipwrecks. We spotted the beds that would be sure to freak out a one night stand. We saw toy soldiers on a hilarious backyard mission. We saw Mr. Wizard… Read More

Warning: Werner Herzog’s Next Project Might Shock You

The American Express Unstaged live webcast series has resulted in some pretty interesting bedfellows, a few more surprising than others. There was Arcade Fire and Terry Gilliam; Jack White and Gary Oldman; Duran Duran and David Lynch; My Morning Jacket and Todd Haynes. But the news that legendary experimental filmmaker Werner Herzog —… Read More

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

1. Does Seth MacFalane wish that Family Guy would get canceled? In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter he says: “Part of me thinks that Family Guy should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series. I talk to the fans and in a… Read More

5 Albums to Stream for Free This Week: Little Dragon, Shonen Knife

Notwithstanding the arrival of cloud music juggernaut Spotify on American shores (which we’ll write more about soon), it’s a bit of a quiet week on the streaming album front. But never fear, we’ve still dug deep and found our regular selection of five noteworthy and/or interesting records to stream for free this week — from tasteful Scandinavian party pop to another They Might Be Giants record and, most pleasingly, Shonen Knife doing an entire album of Ramones covers. Listen after the jump. … Read More

Classic Albums Reimagined as Books

There’s notorious interplay between the literary and musical arts – writers often end up becoming musicians, and just as frequently musicians turn into literary authors – so it’s safe to say the skills transfer over, at least to some extent. And the same goes for appreciation – book lovers tend to be music lovers as well, and we’ve discovered a new way to appreciate both mediums at once. Sure, you know which albums to listen to while you’re reading which books, but what if the albums themselves were books? An anonymous artist who goes by See Gee has taken a stab at an answer in an ongoing project imagining what classic records might look like if they had been born as books instead. And boy, do they look like books we want to read. Click through to see a few of our favorites and check out the rest at See Gee’s flickr page. … Read More

12 Great Musical Performances from Yo Gabba Gabba

Indie rock and children’s television came together this morning, when The Flaming Lips performed on the ground-breaking Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba. In its three seasons, the series has featured some surprisingly hip bands. For one of the show’s segments called “The Super Music Friends Show,” bands usually compose a song specifically for the series, in part because the lyrics to their hits may not be appropriate. (Fun fact: The Killers had to be introduced as “Brandon, Ronnie, Mark and Dave.”) To celebrate yet another awesome guest spot — and because even the biggest music fans might have missed them when they aired — we’ve compiled 12 of our favorite performances from the wacky kids show so far. … Read More

Daily Dose Pick: Brandon Flowers

While his band takes a much-needed break, Killers frontman Brandon Flowers is striking out on his own, paying tribute to his hometown of Las Vegas with debut solo album Flamingo.

Known for his arena-sized vocals, Flowers doesn’t dial things back here, working with a trio of top-tier producers (Stuart Price, Daniel Lanois, and Brendan O’Brien) to keep things epic, layered, and moving. The singer’s much harped-on love of Springsteen also plays a major role, in his approach to both songwriting and storytelling. … Read More

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

1. Bruce Springsteen, the Killers, Jon Bon Jovi, and Lucinda Williams are set to contribute to a forthcoming album of Kinks covers by former frontman Ray Davies. [via

[/kml_flashembed]

2009′s Top 5 Indie Soundtracks That Aren’t the New Moon

Whatever your thoughts on vegetarian vampires, sexual repression, or the world’s most puzzling sex symbol Robert Pattinson, you can’t argue with the numbers: the New Moon soundtrack has sold 115,000 copies after just three days. If it goes to number one (which history tells us is likely), Twilight will become the first movie franchise to have two soundtracks reach the top. All of this leads us to believe that middle school kids aren’t the only ones drooling over the New Moon. It’s all of… Read More