"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.

The Damnwells are an indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, who are signed to Zoe/Rounder Records. The band formed in 2001 and have released two full length albums. The first, "Bastards of the Beat," was recorded in a storage space and in lead singer and songwriter Alex Dezen's bedroom. It was released on Epic Records (Sony/BMG) in April of 2003. The Damnwells' second full length album, "Air Stereo," was recorded at Brooklyn Recording studios in Brooklyn, NY for Epic Records, but was released on Zoe/Rounder Records after the band was let go from their recording contract with Epic in January of 2006. "Air Stereo" was released in stores nationwide on Aug 15, 2006.

The Damnwells have shared the stage with many superstars over the years, such as The Dixie Chicks, Cheap Trick, The Fray and Los Lonely Boys.

A documentary detailing the Damnwells' struggles has just been completed, entitled "Golden Days." The film was directed and shot by documentary filmmaker Chris Suchorsky, and won Best Documentary at the 2007 Phoenix Film Festival in April of 2007.

On April 4th, 2008, Alex Dezen announced on MySpace that the band would most likely not appear in its original formation anymore. He plans to release a studio album in the summer of 2008 together with drummer Andrew Ratcliffe, bassist Adrian Dickey, pianist/guitarist Freddy Hall, and producer Wes Kidd. On his blog, Dezen states that "The Damnwells has always been about my songs with extremely talented musicians and producers collaborating. The personnel have changed, but the essence [...] remains the same." As of March recording is completed with only mixing and mastering left to do. The record was recorded over the course of seven days and features many new tracks which have been posted on YouTube in acoustic form.[

Lately, The Dollyrots and their music have been turning up everywhere. The band has shared stages with the like-minded Muffs and Soviettes, they're currently touring the nation, and they'll be hooking up with the Warped Tour in July. Dollyrots songs have been used on CSI:NY, and frontwoman Kelly Ogden appeared in an episode of the program as the bassist of a fictitious rock group (and even got to be "murdered" on network TV by a bandmate! How punk is that?) The exuberant "Watch Me Go (Kissed Me, Killed Me)" is set to be featured on The Simple Life; "This Cruch" received airtime on The Style Network and lead single "Because I'm Awesome" on Ugly Betty. Sirius Radio deejay and rock 'n' roll hero Little Steven named "Because I'm Awesome" the "coolest song in the world".

The track offers some ironic self-affirmation. It's all done with a wink and put-on pout, and it's as much a critique of the pomp and hyperbole of the music industry as it is a commentary on culture of self-promotion in Los Angeles. For the video, they've also found the perfect metaphor: the tryouts of American Idol. The clip finds the band at the filming of a hypothetical reality show called Because I'm Awesome, and the camera scans the long lines of disaffected performers waiting to strut their stuff. The judges are here, too, leaning back in their padded chairs, pointing pens at the would-be rock stars, and critiquing the performances with a diagnostic eye and a sense of entitlement. The three Dollyrots stand before the logo in different guises: a California girl, a cowboy, a rapper in a hoodie, a glamour queen in a black dress, an anarchic cheerleader. Ogden even puts on a bunny suit with a gas mask and shoves the other contestants. The Dollyrots won't play by the rules; they're storming the gates of the fame industry on their own terms, and according to their own offbeat logic.