Nylon Blogs

Fans of Crystal Fighters rejoice! The Spanish/English band’s only weeks away from releasing their much anticipated second album, Cave Rave (dropping May 28th).

Written in the Basque hills in under two months, the album succeeds in transcending genres, and showcasing the sheer creative force of the band. And because we know you’re anxious to hear it, we’re premiering a new track of the album exclusively today!

Dubbed “LA Calling,” the song is pretty a mosh pit of good vibes, summer fun–and we can pretty much guarantee you’ll put it on every playlist you make this summer. You’re welcome. -ALI HOFFMAN

 

All month long we’ve been celebrating our Young Hollywood issue by coming up with a list of very NYLON-Hollywood movies. (We’ve gone from the best films about  besties, to our favorite summer camp-centric stories.)

Today we want to know: What is your favorite movie about music?

Can you name every line from Almost Famous? Do you know the lyrics to “That Thing You Do”? Was A Hard Day’s Night your entry into an obsession with The Beatles? Is Gimme Shelter the best documentary of all-time (or maybe you’re partial to Woodstock, or Anvil, or Searching for Sugar Man, or…)? You get the gist–there are a lot of awesome music movies out there, and we want to hear from you which ones you love.

Let us know in the comments section below, and then tomorrow we’ll put our 10 favorites up to a vote to find out which one gets the NYLON stamp of approval. –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

 

If you woke up thinking, “I wish I was anywhere but here right now,” you’re in luck: We’re taking you far, far away, to the Copenhagen neighborhood of Norrebro.

It’s the place where Danish three-piece The Kissaway Trail call home, and it’s also the shoot location of their new music video for the track “Norrebro,” off the band’s upcoming album Breach (out this August). “Norrebro has meant a great deal to me for the last three years of my life,” explains vocalist and guitarist Thomas Fagerlund, adding, “I want to show everyone all of the places I’ve spent my time and all of the people that made me who I am today.”

That means that the people you see in the black and white video for the shimmering, moody rock song aren’t actors or extras, but rather, as Fagerlund puts it, “all of our wildly creative friends who live here.” And just like any good night out with your friends, there were plenty of crazy moments. “The wildest stuff happened during the party–the backstage material might find its way to a DVD someday, but for now I have to keep a lid on it,” the Dane adds. In the meantime, you’ll just have to fill in the blanks while watching the video–we’ve got the exclusive premiere! –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Good morning, troops! We can’t think of a better way to kick off a Friday than with a brand new video from the one and only Lana Del Rey.

If you agree, than you’re in luck: The singer’s just released the music video for “Young and Beautiful,” her new single for The Great Gatsby soundtrack (pretty strategic for her to drop it on the morning of film’s opening night, right?).

Complete with tear-shaped rhinestones on her cheek, perfectly ’50s curls, and a massive orchestra backing her up, the video is a perfect example of what Del Rey does best: Simple, sultry, and totally captivating.

Plus, when you see the movie this weekend, we think you’ll notice a pretty strong similarity between Del Rey and Mulligan’s perfect, damsel-in-distress matte red pout. Watch it above and let us know what you think! -ALI HOFFMAN

 

On the one hand, “Snack Attack”–the first single off of Brooklyn’s A Great Big Pile of Leaves‘ upcoming album (out by Topshelf Records in July)–is about exactly what you think it is: food.

“The songwriting occurred during the very late, eerie hours of the night when I was watching Man. v. Food and was frustrated by the combination of escalated salivation in my mouth and lack of high-quality eateries that were open at that hour,” remembers Peter Weiland, the band’s singer and guitarist.

But he promises that that isn’t all: “There is a solid blend of both literal and metaphorical qualities to the lyrical content of the song, which was derived from my experience and interpretation of the world at that moment,” he adds.

No matter what it’s about and where it came from, we like it: From the opening oohs and snaps onward, “Snack Attack” bounces along like the dreamiest, ’90s-tinged late-night crawl ever. “I like to think we write songs that are interesting musically but are also easy and fun to listen to. We like to mix complex guitar lines and different time signatures with catchy instrumental and vocal melodies,” says drummer Tyler Soucy.

And no, you don’t have to be awake at 3 a.m. to listen to it; as Weiland puts it, “The song is like a trip to the boardwalk and a ride down the tallest, twisty-est waterslide on the hottest day.”

Hear what he means below–we’ve got the exclusive premiere of “Snack Attack”! –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

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Our girl crush on Marion Cotillard is huge–but turns out, David Bowie has one on her, too.

The music legend just released a new music video for the track “The Next Day,” and it features the French actress as, from what we can tell, some kind of freak show mix between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Even as she has blood spurting out of her hands, Cotillard manages to look amazing. All those Dior commercials have clearly trained her well. (That and, you know, her Oscar-wining roles.)

The actress is joined by Gary Oldman and the entire music video is shot by Floria Sigismondi (who also directed The Runaways), so it’s practically a mini-movie. But don’t my word for it–watch it above, and then let us know your interpretation of “The Next Day.” –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

We’ve been updating you on the regular as tracks from The Great Gatsby leaked–from Beyonce and Andre 3000 taking on Amy Winehouse, to Emeli Sande in turn covering Beyonce, to a new track from The xx–but starting today you can get it all in one place.

That’s right, the soundtrack comes out today. You can order your copy here–or, if you’re very un-Gatsby and can’t wait for something you want, you can stream the entire soundtrack right here. Check it out below, give it a listen, then let us know which track is your favorite–and if it makes you more or less excited to see the film. –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

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We’ve seen some weird videos from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but their new one just might be the strangest.

It’s for “Mosquito,” the title track off of their new album, and the B. Shimbe Shim-directed track can best be summarized as: hand, mosquito, kid.

We won’t tell you whether or not it will end in splat, but we do want to hear what you think. Love the song but hate the video? Hate the song but love the album? Love it all? Yeah yeah yeah? Let us know in the commentes! –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

We know Vampire Weekend are known for their esoteric references and Ivy League education, but if you ever really wanted to study the lyrics to their new single “Ya Hey” (or just want to spend the weekend karaoke-ing to their music), you’re in luck: The band’s released a lyric video for it.

The track, off of their upcoming Modern Vampires of the City (out May 14, start counting down), features lots of bottles of champagne, views of the Chrysler building at night, and a group of people in togas.

Which is basically our idea of a good Friday night. Watch it–learn it, love it–above. –REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

I know I don’t need to ask if you rememember Taylor Hanson (we both know you still have his poster taped/framed above your bed). The lover-boy, middle child of the Hanson trio just turned thirty, and he’s got a new album (with his bros, duh) coming out this summer–which means he’s got two major reasons to celebrate. But before he parties it up, we figured he needed a slap of reality. Yup, you guessed it–it’s time for a round of BOY MEETS WORLD. -ALI HOFFMAN

THE NEWS: Beyonce and Andre 3000 covered Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” for The Great Gatsby Soundtrack
Taylor’s View: “People feel like it is too soon to cover an Amy Winehouse song? Well, you know, honestly I think it’s probably too much thought going into that subject. I think you’ve got Beyonce, who’s good at what she does. Andre 3000 is great at what he does. Amy Winehouse was loved. And, hey, you’ve got a great song. I personally don’t don’t have any issue with that.”

THE NEWS: FDA Approves Over-the-Counter Plan B Morning-After Pill for Women 15 and Older
Taylor’s View: ”I think access to birth control in that age group is an issue that goes way beyond whether you can go in and get a pill at 15. I see it as a technicality of a much bigger conversation. Ultimately people and their choices go back to things like family and the choices you’re making at that age. What does that say about our culture that we are making that available for such young people?”Bo

THE NEWS: iPhone users considering trading in their cells for Samsung’s new Galaxy S4
Taylor’s View: ”I do have an iPhone. I have had many iPhone(s). Mac has won over and over by creating really high quality products and being the first to really make things attainable to people. Apple’s pitfall is having the ego that simply being Apple people are going to consume their product. So they’ve got some competition? That’s a good thing. That’s how great stuff gets created. We need an iPhone that can make a pop tart. That is my answer.”

THE NEWS: Monkeys Are Adept at Picking Up Social Cues, Research Shows
Taylor’s View: “This is my favorite question so far. Monkeys, yeah, you need to learn to branch out and don’t go with the crowd. I think monkeys need a pep-talk, and they need to find their own path. Where is the monkey leadership? Don’t be like a crab. Be different.”