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Portishead Gets Animated In “The Rip” Video

After the grainy, low-fi performance video for their comeback single “Machine Gun,” we had been hoping that Portishead would choose a more striking visual for the follow up. So on the second video from their latest album Third, the Bristol-based trio turned to indie-director Nick Uff to bring “The Rip” to life. The hazy, hypnotic animation was all hand-drawn and recorded on 16mm film, lending a raw feel to the scenes that are half dream and half nightmare. Watch things get warped out after the jump.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Flight Of The Conchords Want “Ladies Of The World”

Musical comedy isn’t normally our forte, but New Zealand’s own Flight of the Conchords definitely makes the cut. The duo’s often hilarious HBO show follows the NYC adventures of Brett and Jermaine as they try to break their band into the big time with the help of their awkward, scene-stealing manager Murray.

The show is great, but when it comes to their actual career as musicians, they’ve still yet to convince us. Their self-titled album is out now on Sub Pop Records, and it features many of the genre-bending songs that they sing on the TV show. Their newest video, “Ladies Of The World,” shows Brett and Jermaine seducing a bevvy of women with their throwback rollerskating skills. The show probably won’t return until 2009, so this is the best we have for now. Enjoy after the jump.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Gnarls Barkley Keeps “Going On” With New Video

After their trippy dance party video for “Run” got banned for not passing the Harding seizure test, Gnarls Barkley’s new album The Odd Couple didn’t get as much commercial shine as it should have. So it’s probably good that the video for their new single “Going On” keeps the mind-bending psychedelic visuals to a minimum. The story follows a group of kids celebrating on their way to a mystical door that leads to another dimension. What lies beyond the door is an unknown unknown, but we’re guessing it’ll probably give you seizures too. Watch the video after the jump.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Bootsy Collins Tour Keeps James Brown Alive

Above: The original JB’s lineup in 1970. Bootsy is third from the left in the top row.

Before he was a stunna shades pioneer/bass player for P-Funk, Bootsy Collins was an original member of James Brown’s band The J.B.’s. Legend has it that he was actually kicked out of the group in 1971 during a mid-show acid trip, when he walked off stage because he believed his guitar had turned into a snake.

Regardless of how it went down, the flamboyant bassist is paying tribute to the Godfather James Brown by reuniting with the J.B.’s for a dedication tour, starting September 25th. Although the legendary Bobby Byrd also passed away recently, Collins rallied Byrd’s son, JB’s daughter, and original J.B.s members John “Jabo” Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, and brother Catfish Collins. Last year, the crew proved they can still bring the funk when they scored Superbad. After the jump, watch a classic clip of the band tearing down a Paris stage in 1971 while performing “Ain’t it Funky Now.”

Popularity: 7% [?]

Sa-Ra’s Taz Throws A Political Party On “Vote Obama”

The media fell in love with will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” video, but why does an anthem for political action have to be so damn somber? Taz Arnold (a.k.a. T.I.$.A.) from innovative production crew Sa-Ra Creative Partners is taking a more light-hearted approach with the video for his song “Vote Obama.” In the colorful clip, directed by Kenzo Hakuta, Taz takes to the streets of L.A. to spread his message about votin’ the Obama way: “We hoood, we votin’, and throwin’ it up!” The track, which is basically an extended hook, samples the Isley Brothers’ soul classic “Footsteps In the Dark” for a funky summertime vibe. Music fans will remember Sa-Ra’s offbeat production from their brief stint as artists on Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Watch “Vote Obama” after the jump.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Santogold Drops An Unreleased Track

After celebrating over a year’s worth of run-away success on the internet, Santogold finally released her self-titled album last week. But recently the Brooklyn native, Santi White threw herself back into the blogosphere releasing “Your Voice” her second dub-reggae-fused track, which follows the sound of the album’s Spankrock collab, “Shove It”. Listen to the full song, then watch the video for Santogold’s current single, “LES Artists” after the jump.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Robyn Jacks Cobra’s Dancehall Style

On Letterman last night, hipster guilty-pleasure Robyn performed her 2006 song “Cobrastyle,” a remake of the 2005 Teddybears Sthlm song, which is itself a complete jack of Cobra’s 2001 dancehall anthem “Press Trigger.” This daisy chain opens up a huge can of worms for us, but since we’re in the business of fellating any and all attempts at cultural cross-pollination, we figured we’d give it a shot. After the jump, hear the songs and read our full analysis.

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Justice Gets Gangster In The “Stress” Video

After the vibrant, artsy look of their last two videos D.A.N.C.E. and DVNO, Parisian electronica duo Justice take a decidedly different direction with their newest video for their throbbing synth banger “Stress.” The Romain-Gavras directed clip, which recently premiered on Kanye West’s blog, follows a group of young delinquents (all rocking Justice’s cross logo on their jackets) as they rage through the streets, fighting pedestrians, destroying cars and generally causing mayhem. Sounds like Grand Theft Auto meets Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Brace yourself for the destruction after the jump.

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A-Ron The Don Makes Music With Car Clutch

Photo: A-Ron’s Glob

A-Ron the Downtown Don has a new hustle outside of slinging clothes for his new brand, Off Bowery. A few months back, the former owner of aNYthing teamed up with Ethan Swan of the punk band Emergency, and LA-based musician Brendan Fowler to recorded “Act Neutral” which was released as a 12″ single.

The analog ode to NYC’s downtown lifestyle is as lo-fi as it gets, which really fits A-Ron’s keep it real credo. If his spoken word-eque performance is a sign of A-Ron’s fledging recording career, we’d like to suggest he form a supergroup with party promoter-turned-rapper Roxy Cottontail. Listen to “Act Neutral” and watch the live performance after the jump.

Popularity: 10% [?]

CSS Fights Wife Beaters On New Single “Rat Is Dead”

Out of all Brazil’s greatest exports (Gisele Bundchen and City Of God come to mind), rock music just wasn’t one of them until Cansei de Ser Sexy hit stateside. The band, whose name means “I got tired of being sexy” in Portuguese, first made waves when Sub Pop signed on to to release their debut in 2006. After their song “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” was unexpectedly featured in an iPod Touch commercial, they became the first Brazilian artists to ever get on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

With their upcoming sophomore album Donkey on the way, the female dominated group represents for the victims of domestic violence on their new single “Rat Is Dead (Rage).” Listen to the song and get a refresher on their famous Apple clip after the jump.

Popularity: 8% [?]