Wednesday, August 5, 2009 9:26PM - By Seraphina L.
The MTV Video Music Awards released their nominees for Best Breakthrough Video earlier this week. Just like we were impressed with MTV’s Top Albums of 2009 list, we are amazed at how much depth this nominee list has.
The Breakthrough Video category have been absent from the awards show on and off for the past few years, but we’re excited to see it’s back. We’re especially elated that many of the video nominees feature a handful of indie artists! Artist videos include Bat for Lashes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Matt and Kim, Death Cab for Cutie and more. Now we know that the video filmmakers/directors get to take this award home, but we can’t help but think it’s rad that they’ve worked with some of our favorite artists.
Take a look after the jump and watch all the videos that made the list!
My current obsession with Passion Pit for the past few months is not a secret here on BeatCrave. They’ve been featured as one of our BeatCrave Favs, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to know that I am completely stoked for the full-length release, Manners, (due out on May 19th) either. Although “Sleepyhead” will continue to be one of my favorite songs of 2008, their latest single, “The Reeling,” may just take its spot on my top 25 most played songs for the year 2009.
“The Reeling” sounds much more produced than “Sleepyhead,” however, the same vocal techniques and breaking beats still manage to back up the hype they’ve created in the beginning of their career. Their music video for the new track is also pretty rad. It has a lot more going on and we actually get to see Passion Pit rock out in the midst of true hipster party mania. The beginning may remind you of Karen O strutting in “Zero,” but there’s enough entertainment in this video to get past that. Watch the video via mtvU and let us know what you like the most about it!
This week’s BeatCrave Favs are Passion Pit, The Motion Sick, Family Force 5, and DeVotchKa.
Which one is your favorite? Is it the eclectic-folk band, DeVotchKa (listen here)? Do you tend to favor the dance-pop beats from Passion Pit (listen here)? Does the crunk/dance/rap sound of Family Force 5 (listen here) get you going? Or does the charming, catchy tunes of The Motion Sick (listen here) brighten your day?
Which one is your favorite? Be sure to vote for your favorite band! The band with the most votes will have a feature at the end of the month. It’s for a good cause…
If you haven’t heard of Passion Pit by now, you are late in the game. After front man, Michael Angelakos, gave his then-girlfriend an album of six electro-beat rock songs, his entire college wanted the album. That led to the release of their debut EP, Chunk of Change. Since then, they’ve become one of the most hyped up bands of 2008, been signed to Frenchkiss Records, played SXSW, and been putting the finishing touches on their upcoming full-length, Manners. However, even with all that hype from the media, their songs alone are solid enough to surpass any critique – good or bad.
I’ve actually been listening to “Sleepyhead” for a months now (so much that my co-workers have assumed it’s part of my daily pump-up routine) and am still digging it as much as the first time I heard it – if not more. Check Passion Pit out below in our BeatCrave Fav series! Then remember to vote for them in Friday’s poll!
Ray Lamontagne announces his first North American Tour of 2009. This is Lamontagne’s second tour in support of his latest album “Gossip In The Grain” which achieved the Maine singer-songwriter’s highest chart number debuting at #3 on Billboard Charts its week of release.
Broken Spindles, (featured above) sole member Joel Petersen is hitting the road to celebrate his most recent album release “Kiss/Kick.”
Fujiya & Miyagi add another show to their tour. The will be playing at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on February 17th.
Passion Pitkick off their US tour this week in support of their Chunk Of Change EP.
Check out dates for all of the shows mentioned below:
Say what you want about Josh Schwartz’s television series (The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck), the man has given some much-needed exposure to a lot of Indie bands. Back when The O.C. was still on the air, he gave acts like Death Cab For Cutie, The Killers, Modest Mouse, Rachel Yamagata, and more a chance to reach a broader audience on a national scale by having them appear on the show, and even perform their songs.
It looks like he’s returning to that formula with his new web series, Rockville, CA, which will run exclusively on TheWB.com. We mentioned it a few months ago (and maybe some of you even turned up to be an extra in it!), but now it’s finally nearing completion. Set in the fictional nightclub Rockville, the show will feature live performances from bands every week. Though only 15 to 30 seconds of the performances will air during the 4 minute episodes, fans will be able to see the full two-song sets as well as interviews with the artists online.
Passion Pit has announced dates for their upcoming tour. The group plans to perform across the country for the last week in January as well as a few additional dates in December and February.
Passion Pit released their very first EP Chunk of Change in August, and plans to drop their first full-length album early next year. If you’re a Passion Pit fanatic, the group is also currently sponsoring a remix contest for their song “Sleepyhead.” Fans can download parts of the song (link will start download) to remix, submitting their final creations to the band by December 2nd to win fabulous prizes.
Nashville’s Paper Route have just confirmed dates supporting Passion Pit for the new year. Catch them on tour now with Low vs Diamond and Barcelona followed by a short UK tour.
You can listen to or download their MP3 for “Empty House” on BeatCrave.
The MTV Video Music Awards released their nominees for Best Breakthrough Video earlier this week. Just like we were impressed with MTV’s Top Albums of 2009 list, we are amazed at how much depth this nominee list has.
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