"It's no secret when I sing", confessed The Brunettes on 2002's memorable Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks, "I like to sound American". This fetching New Zealand combo knows our pop history better than we do - echoes of Phil Spector, The Archies, Carole King, and countless U.S. bubblegum combos are present in their music. But The Brunettes don't spin candyfloss: their latest single drew (wholly merited) comparisons to the Polyphonic Spree. Over three albums and several EPs, singer-songwriters Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield have fabricated their own Wall Of Sound, filled with reverbed guitars, wind instruments, glockenspiel, electric piano, breezy harmonica, synths, horns, warm echoes. And voices - lots of voices. Mansfield and Bree have the sort of voices that ache to be paired, and when they are, it often feels as if the entire underground is singing at once. They trade lyrics, respond to each other, carry on an ongoing conversation, fill every groove of their recordings with their outsized personalities. Indie stars Down Under, The Brunettes have begun to achieve similar recognition in North America. They've toured the U.S. with the Shins, and they've also supported Rilo Kiley, The Postal Service, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Back home, the combo has demonstrated an ability to move giant crowds: they've played their widescreen indiepop at the massive Big Day Out summer festivals. The Brunettes's music may feel intimate, but they've got a sound - and a style - big enough for the grand stage. Structure And Cosmetics is the most musically-accomplished set they've ever cut: ten cinematic songs, brilliantly arranged and energetically performed. "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth (BABY)" is the kickoff, and its infectious melody and clever lyrics set the tone for the rest of the album. It's also one of the few pop numbers in recent memory to feature a prominent clarinet part - Mansfield wails along on her woodwind during the song's glorious instrumental release.

The image of Heather Mansfield and her clarinet is a central one in the "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth (BABY)" clip. The eye-catching frontwoman toots her horn with black-and-white striped gloves on; it's fascinating and fashionable! The Brunettes are, without a doubt, one of the best-dressed bands in indiepop, and their remarkable (but never kitchy) Sixties-inspired wardrobe is on bold display here. Jonathan Bree looks sharp in a black and white striped sweater that matches both his hollow-bodied guitar and Mansfield's gloves; the frontwoman alternates between an elegant and striking black dress and a floral-print shirt. The band performs in front of swirling pastel backdrops; at times, they seem to be dancing on soundwaves.

Those who've come to expect the very best from Chemical Brothers videos won't be disappointed by "Do It Again". Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons are responsible for some of the most unforgettable clips of the video era.The electro duo have brought in the globetrotting Michael Haussman - recent winner of MTV's Best Video award for his work on Justin Timberlake's Euro-stylish "Sexyback" - for an exercise in cultural cross-pollination of the funkiest kind.

In "Do It Again". Haussman transports viewers to the same remote Moroccan village shown in the movie Babel. There, a pair of young brothers struggle to escape barbaric dentistry, and flee to the sanctuary of the desert. After the younger brother makes the older one promise that he won't allow the dentist to take his tooth, something falls from the sky. It's not a bomb - at least not literally. Instead, it's a cassette tape with "Do It Again" on it (the song title and the words "Chemical Brothers" are scrawled in Arabic on the plastic). The brothers find a boombox, slip the tape in, and their world is instantly transformed. Everywhere they go, the people they meet are compelled to move to the music: old shopkeepers, devout worshippers, and police officers alike drop their reserve and find themselves getting down. The brothers seize control of a bus and ride it to the nearest sizable town, overcoming all opposition through the power of groove. Once they get there, the heist is easy: employees at the bank happily open the vaults and hand over the money, all to the rhythm of "Do It Again". The dusty old village setting throws the struggle between vibrant youth and moribund traditionalism into sharp relief, but it's a battle that the Chemical Brothers have been fighting - and winning - all over the globe

Every new video from Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed is a reason for celebration, and "The Salmon Dance" is no exception: this is sure to be remembered as one of the year's singular clips. Sure, you've seen terrific synchronized dancing in music videos before - but have you ever seen spectacular choreography in a fish tank? Friends, you're about to.

But before plunging into our discussion of this fabulous video, a few words about the international success of We Are The Night, the sixth and most stylistically varied studio album by the Chemical Brothers. The set made its debut at #1 on the British charts, and "Do It Again", the lead single, broke into Top Tens across the world - including Italy, Lithuania, and Japan. We Are The Night re-established the Brothers (not that they ever went anywhere, but pop fans are fickle and need reminders) as the globe's most reliable electro-rock hitmakers. The album drew raves upon its release; The Guardian confirmed that the duo hasn't lost a bit of their edge, and called We Are The Night "their most brilliant work since 1999's Surrender".

"The Salmon Dance" is exactly what it claims to be: instructions on how to gyrate like a fish swimming upstream. Of course, the beat is huge and the bass riff is indelible, and when you've got a dance teacher as funny and commanding as guest emcee Fatlip (The Pharcyde, solo LP The Loneliest Punk) these lessons are nothing but a pleasure. The breaks in the beats are crammed with facts about salmon - there's good science in this song as well as a great kick-drum - and the tremolo synthesizer in the verse gives the track a definite aquatic feel. The Chemical Brothers sponsored a contest in which the creator of the best video upload of a "salmon dance" would win tickets to a show - but they barely needed to offer an enticement. Within hours of the release of the single, a Salmon Dance group had already organized on YouTube, and countless homemade interpretations of Fatlip's instructions had been posted.

These are amusing as hell, and they're testament to The Chemical Brothers's enduring ability to connect with creative people around the world. But none is quite so inspired as the official clip for "The Salmon Dance". The video stars Rory Jennings - well-known in Britain for his role in the soap opera Eastenders - as a young man with a surprisingly expressive set of pet fish. He drifts from bed to the aquarium on the wall, and is greeted there by the big fish voiced by Fatlip, "Sammy the Salmon", and a beatboxing puffer. A plastic diver on the floor of the aquarium opens and shuts a treasure chest, and bubbles rise on the beat to the surface of the water. Jennings stares in amazement as the fish begin to rap - but when the song hits the chorus, an array of seahorses twist and float in psychedelic formation. Others swim in rows, forming cubes and sine-waves in the middle of the tank. He nods along, smiles wildly, and kisses the gourami through the glass. Then the air around him begins the change: cars outside the window float up toward the full moon. The world has become an aquarium - and everything is dancing along.

The Clash were an English punk rock band, active from 1976 to 1986, part of the original wave of UK punk.[1][2][3][4] Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, funk, rap, dub, rock and roll and rockabilly.[5][6] The band were formed by Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Paul Simonon (bass guitar, backing vocals). They originally had a revolving drumming position; Terry Chimes featured on the band's eponymous first album, The Clash, released in April 1977. Needing a stable drummer, they were joined later that year by Jones's friend Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion).[7] This is the lineup from the band's peak, responsible for most of its recorded output, and the lineup named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group disbanded in early 1986, owing to lack of creative control and the loss of Headon in 1982 and Jones in 1983 due to internal friction. Strummer later apologised for their firing, admitting that it was a huge loss to the band.

The Clash were a major success in the UK from the release of their debut album. Their third album, London Calling, released in the UK in December 1979, brought them popularity in the United States when it came out there the following year. It received wide critical acclaim; a decade later Rolling Stone magazine declared it the best album of the 1980s.[8] Rolling Stone also placed it at #8, The Clash at #77, and Sandinista!, the band's fourth album, at #404 on their 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The Clash's style and rebellious attitude, along with their music, had a far-reaching influence on rock, alternative rock in particular.[10] Their record label's A&R director dubbed them "The Only British Band That Matters," which fans picked up and transformed into "The Only Band That Matters".[11] In January 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[12] The band wanted to play at the event, but were prevented by Joe Strummer's untimely death in December 2002. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Without sacrificing an ounce of energy or urgency, David Reid and The Contrast have matured. Every Contrast recording strongly indicates how powerful a force this quartet is in concert, and "My Peace Of Mind" is no exception. A performance clip is really the only proper match for a song that sounds so live, and The Contrast have complied with some compelling footage of the group in action. But this is no dull representation of a Contrast show; instead, the band plays with color and light, and warps the space around them as they play. Shots are saturated with monochromatic illumination - but then a different hue will flash across the flame, or the image of a bandmember will warp or smear. There's a feeling of destabilization that permeates the clip - a sense of psychological deterioration, peril, and the stealthy approach of madness. Masks, fireworks pinwheels, bandages, old stock footage of airplanes, dust clouds and blur effects: they all serve to literalize Reid's mental state, and make the encroaching darkness palpable for the audience.

Every year, the hip-hop spotlight seems to shine on a different city and its distinct style. After the national success of "Still Tippin'", 2005 was all about the H-Town sound. Then, "Vans" and "Yadadamean" turned our attention to the Bay area and the hyphy movement. So where to next? There's no way to know for sure, but all signs point to Chicago. The recent mainstream success of Kid Sister and Flosstradamus - not to mention the latest bestselling albums from Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West - have inscribed the "Chi sound" and Chicago style on the consciousness of hip-hop nation. It's arty, minimalist, clever, consciously old-school, immediate and appealing to indie rockers, alt-rappers, hip-hop heads, and commercial radio listeners alike. And no group epitomizes Chicago's sound and stance more than The Cool Kids do. Their debt to classic rappers (Rakim, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest) is apparent in every record they make; their first single borrowed Nas's promise to "bring '88 back". With their baseball caps, tight Run-DMC jeans, and big shades, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish look like old-school emcees. But like much of the music that's currently come from the Chi, their singles are so straightforward, assured, and approachable that they feel daring, cutting-edge, instantly appealing to adventurous listeners. "Black Mags" has been in heavy hipster rotation ever since its release last autumn; Pitchfork loves it (their set at the 2007 festival hosted by the magazine was a huge hit), and, prompted by the success of the song, Rolling Stone called The Cool Kids one of the ten acts to watch for 2008. But don't mistake this duo for a crossover act - they're pure hip-hop, and they've got the associations to prove it. Last year, they collaborated with reigning titlist Lil Wayne, and they've been touring the country with M.I.A. No upcoming album is any more anticipated by rap fans than theirs. While we're waiting for When Fish Ride Bicycles to drop later this year, we've got the singles and their accompanying videos, and they're fantastic: propulsive, immediate, brassy, dripping with style. Joe Esquivel's visually-stunning black and white clip for "Black Mags" heightens the duo's mystique and situates them within a vital rap tradition. Just as the Houston emcees have their Cadillacs, the Pack have their sneakers, and Lupe has his skateboard, Mikey and Chuck have their BMX bikes. They boast about them, walk them to the curb, and cruise through the city streets on them, passing highways and stop signs, freight trains, crumbling brick warehouses, alleys, ancient Midwestern tenements. There's plenty of fantastic bicycle footage in the "Black Mags" video, and the group of trick riders who back up the emcees are impressive street-corner talents. But the emphasis here is on the two emcees, who, whether on their bikes or off, address the camera with confidence, attitude, and good humor. Esquivel spikes the video with off-kilter and slightly unsettling animations: a cat on a stoop, a bumblebee buzzing around the handlebars, a crowd cheering from atop an overpass, a gigantic plane soaring above the tower blocks. It's a gritty world they inhabit, but one filled with cartoonish irruptions, weird magic, wit..