We've written before about how much we love it when a member of a band doubles as the group's video director. It always seems to us that the resulting clip is playful, enjoyable to watch, and true to the spirit of the song. When the video is conceptualized by the group's principal songwriter, the fit between lyrics, sound, and image invariably becomes even tighter. Danny Chaotic is the frontman and ideologue behind the Chaotica project, and his video for "When She Falls", the lead single from Prison Of Decay, fits the track perfectly. It's fast-paced, voyeuristic, confrontational, aggressive, and humorous, and its portrait of a decadent, media-drunk superstar feels instructively hyperbolic and all too current. Like so many disgusted by contemporary culture, Chaotica loves to watch the inevitable self-immolation and fall of those overnight celebrities; unlike others who are more squeamish about their schadenfreude, they're not ashamed to say so

vNevertheless, if things continue the way they've been going for the group lately, the members of Chaotica are likely to have to contend with some celebrity of their own. Granted, it wouldn't be of the overnight or undeserved variety: the industrial rock group has been putting out albums and playing shows since the late Nineties. But recently the underground has begun to recognize what Fort Wayne, Indiana already knows - the four members of Chaotica are budding stars. Certainly the members of the quartet look the part - as the "When She Falls" video demonstrates, the musicians in this act are kinetic, adrenaline-fueled, dramatic in performance, and commanding before the camera. Danny Chaotic is, in particular, the very picture of the modern rock frontman; big-voiced, edgy, and brash, he dominates the frantically-paced band footage in the "When She Falls" clip.

He also dominates the song. "When She Falls" is a scathing put-down of a media-fabricated "puppet-girl" celebrity and a de facto declaration of independence from the usual starmaker machinery. The musicians punctuate Danny Chaotic's vitriol with rapid-fire machine beats, squalling lead guitar, hooky-abrasive synthesizer, and overdriven bass. In the "When She Falls" clip, Danny and Chaotic howl away in tight quarters: a tiny "stalker room" lined with photographs of a fictional fashion-television star. Danny Chaotic kicks hard against the claustrophobia generated by the setting - and in so doing, he lashes out at the confining elements of a culture dizzy with self-congratulatory gestures. We see the young woman in action, too: abusing her fans, her butler, and her cosmetologist, privileging her dog over other human beings, teasing the spectators on the runway, gabbing on her hot-pink cellphone, and drawing rapt attention for doing very little. A renegade paparazzi photographer (most likely the one who created the "stalker room") gets into her bedroom at night and catches her at an inopportune moment; but besides that, she is in complete control of her surroundings. She's a comic caricature, for sure, but she's not too far removed from actual celebrities whose activities are closely followed by American television viewers. No wonder, then, that Danny Chaotic and his band react so fiercely to her monumental excess.

No doubt Devin Lima picked up some attention-getting tricks during his time as a charter member of chart-toppers LFO. But as visually-appealing as the fashionable Lima is, he recognizes that there are few things in this world quite as eye-catching as two good-looking women flirting with each other. So after taking a well-deserved break from the record industry, Lima returns to the spotlight in high fashion - arm in arm with a pair of stunning friends who dig each other every bit as much as they dig him.

Outrageous? Sure. Then again, the absurdly-catchy "Hangin' With You" clip simply dramatizes Lima's comeback single - a song that addresses a woman with something more than a friendly interest in the singer's girlfriend. Lima's "problem" (if you even want to call it that) is his ambivalence: he's not sure how he feels about his friend's amorous intentions. He's plainly intrigued, though: "you're playing with her hair", he wails, "and my head". His excitement - and his prurient interest - is infectious.

That sort of mischievous enthusiasm pervades Mozart Popart, the debut album by Lima and his band The Cadbury Diesel. It's an uproarious collection of classic rock guitar, R&B beats, clever lyrics, singalong choruses, double-entendres, party-movers and crowd-pleasers, funk, soul, and vintage psychedelia. LFO were an undeniably fun bunch of hitmakers (who could forget "Summer Girls", the song that ruled the airwaves in mid-1999?), but nobody would ever mistake them for a band; The Cadbury Diesel, by contrast, is a legitimate outfit and a fearsome live act. Guitarist Tony Valley cuts a swath through Mozart Popart - his leads are positively electrifying, and wholly consistent with the album's in-your-face aesthetic. Meanwhile, Devin Lima has never sounded better: he croons, raps, toasts, shouts, and testifies with the fervor of a mid-Sixties soul man. No wonder the All-Music Guide boasts in a four-and-a-half star album review that Lima "has all the makings of the next generation's Justin Timberlake".

Jeff Kennedy's playfully erotic clip for "Hangin' With You" is an absolute hoot: everybody seems to be having a fantastic time, and why not?, the cast is sexy, provocative, and out to show off what they've got. It opens outside a beauty salon - Lima's not sure he wants to let his girl go inside, but she twists away from him and takes a seat in the stylist's chair. Her friend is inside, too - and while Lima waits, somewhat nervously, out on the street, the two women flirt wildly, teasing each others' hair, helping out with the shampooing, and getting provocatively close. The whole thing climaxes (so to speak) with a kiss between the girls that couldn't be described as anything other than sweetly exploratory; it's an awfully pretty picture, and no F/X man in Hollywood could craft a more eye-catching conclusion. Finally, we watch Devin Lima leave the salon with both women, determined to make the best of his provocative situation!

They've had some of the biggest hits of the alternative era - "Dose", "Take A Picture", "Where Do We Go From Here?", the controversial "Hey Man, Nice Shot" just to name a few - and their characteristic fusion of industrial music and anthemic hard rock has made them a massive concert draw and a commercial-radio staple. They've collaborated with Trent Reznor, The Crystal Method, D'Arcy Wretzky from the Smashing Pumpkins, among many others. But none of that is what we respect the most about Filter. We respect Filter for their guts, their outspokenness, and their willingness to tackle difficult subjects in their rough-edged rock songs. A band whose lead single concerned the televised suicide of Philadelphia politician Budd Dwyer is not likely to shy away from tough language and provocative sentiments.

And as Filter's career has progressed, their statements have become bolder, more confrontational, and more articulate. Songs on The Amalgamut, their 2002 release, addressed addiction, the Columbine shootings, prison, false patriotism, and the 9/11 attacks on America. Anthems For The Damned, their latest release, picks up where the last album left off - singer Richard Patrick writes candidly about rampant militarism, the culture of violence, and his own experiences in alcohol rehabilitation. The album is appropriately-titled: these are huge cinematic-sounding productions, rafter-raising and inspiring, in spite of (and sometimes because of) the dark tone.

The band's critiques of modern society are sharp, but wouldn't stick if they weren't delivered with such conviction and power. Richard Patrick's voice has always had a lunatic authority to it; on Anthems For The Damned, it soars through these mixes like a guided missile. As always, his vocals are spot-welded onto edgy, bracing tracks - crammed with distorted guitar, piston-pumping bass, and experimental electronics. That said, "Soldiers Of Misfortune" may be the most immediately accessible and appealing thing they've ever recorded: a piece of concrete-solid modern rock with an undeniable chorus and a magnificent performance by the animated Patrick.

And don't get the wrong idea: this track may be radio-ready, but the Filter frontman is as polemical as ever. Written after a Filter fan was killed in action overseas, "Soldiers Of Misfortune" is a condemnation of America's addiction to armed solutions to international problems - and a pledge of sympathy for the young combatants who pay the ultimate price. "Can't we learn from history?", bellows Patrick, before soliciting a prayer for peace from his audience. Evan Lane's clip for "Soldiers Of Misfortune" is bleak and, at times, disturbing. But the band looks terrific - as commanding as they ever did in the mid-Nineties. Lane shoots the quintet under cool blue light; Patrick is sometimes blurred and sometimes swallowed whole by the darkness, but at critical moments, his face snaps into crisp focus, and he delivers his broadsides with infectious outrage. Around the band, a sea of black, bubbly oil is brewing - and soldier-mannequins, adorned with the American flag - sink slowly into the tar. It's a visual metaphor for the military quagmire we've found ourselves stuck in, and it's particularly upsetting to see the young faces sacrificed to the hunger for oil, their faces swamped by black gold.

You'd be well within your rights to take it as a joke - after all, Flight Of The Conchords started as a sketch about "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo." But after winning awards on three continents for their off-the-wall performances, appearing on the Letterman Show, Conan O'Brien, and NPR, and taking star-turns at Bonnaroo and the Sasquatch Festival, it's time to take the Conchords seriously as rock superheroes. Certainly, fans of their successful HBO series know that Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are tuneful and talented, and they've got no shortage of inspired musical ideas. In fact, that's the meta-joke of the Flight Of The Conchords television program: two skillful and self-aware performers pretending to be an inept pair of wannabes stumbling their way through the New York City club scene.

It's a tension that's well-exploited on Flight Of The Conchords, their first proper release (and one that made its debut at #3 on the Billboard charts). The album is funny as hell, of course - but it's also jam-packed with catchy choruses, skillfully-written melodies, and some remarkably effective vocal and instrumental performances, too. In fact, if Clement and McKenzie weren't such good songwriters, their satires wouldn't hit with anywhere near the force that they do. "Boom", the horny Sean Paul send-up, is uproarious in its single-minded intensity; it's also pretty damn funky. "Think About It" parodies politically-conscious soul so well that if you weren't listening closely at the absurd lyrics, you might mistake it for an old Marvin Gaye track. "Inner City Pressure" is a hilarious chronicle of petty day-to-day frustrations; it's also a sonic dead ringer for vintage mid-Eighties Pet Shop Boys. And from its synth-bleeps to its wonderfully dispassionate vocal performances, "Robots" - a sort of new-wave version of Spinal Tap - is simply letter-perfect.

"Ladies Of The World", the lead single, takes on promiscuous seduction music; thanks to Mickey Petralia's warm production, it could easily be mistaken for one of Beck's successful experiments with twisted disco. Nima Nourizadeh's clip for "Ladies Of The World" mines a similar seedy-Seventies aesthetic: Clement and McKenzie are dressed in period threads and, better still, put on rollerskates. Their amateur roller-boogie moves turn out to be enthusiastic and often surprisingly skillful. The ladies of the world are on wheels, too; as in the clip from the television program, the Conchords interactions with them have a clumsy, endearing charm. The whole thing is shot through gauzy filters and faded a bit to look like a genuine Seventies artifact. The finished product plays as an alt-pop counterpart to Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction" - and don't be surprised if the Flight Of The Conchords track ends up on the same playlists.

Few bands are born to the kind of anticipation and excitement that greeted Grand Archives. Indie stars from their debut, the Seattle five-piece has carried the burden of exalted expectations with consummate grace. Mat Brooke and his combo may have wanted to sneak up on the underground - but when you're a former (and founding) member of the Band of Horses and Northwest-rock legends Carissa's Wierd, that's not so easy to do. Pop audiences, rock critics, and weblog scribes predicted great things for Grand Archives - and with their gorgeous debut record, they've delivered.

Many are already calling The Grand Archives an early contender for album of the year. Certainly it's hard to imagine a warmer, smoother, more tuneful, or more enveloping set; Brooke's elegant songwriting is empathetic, relaxed, emotionally forthright, rootsy enough to satisfy any fan of sophisticated American music, and poppy enough for summer singalongs. And sing along they do - all five members of Grand Archives are accomplished vocalists, and their frequent multi-part harmonies are pure heaven (check out, for instance, the stunning voice arrangement on the heart-stopper "Torn Foam Blue Couch"). Traces of spooky Band of Horses-style alt-country are discernable here, as are the echoes of Iron & Wine and Beechwood Sparks, but listen closer: the sound and the style are resolutely their own.

Pitchfork has been enthusiastic about the group since their public debut - their first EP recordings were profiled and discussed at length on the site, and their journalists have followed all subsequent Grand Archives moves with mounting interest. "The way Grand Archives come forth with arms outstretched", raves staffer Ian Cohen in his enthusiastic review of the full-length, "results in a debut that exceeds most expectations". Other publications - online and elsewhere - have echoed this praise, never failing to point out just how downright ingratiating this music is. They've won fans wherever they've played - and after opening shows for Modest Mouse, performing on the Late Late Show, and touring the country with Sera Cahoone, it's safe to say that Grand Archive fans are everywhere.

"Miniature Birds" begins with a woodsy harmonica before opening up into a verse melody that feels as warm and wide as the summertime outdoors. No surprise, then, to find that the offbeat - but engrossing - clip for "Miniature Birds" is something of a June idyll. The band (as bands often will) is rolling through bucolic countryside in a van, trees and flowers in full bloom around them. At the side of the road, they spy a hitchhiker - a kid who couldn't be more than thirteen years old, armed with a guitar and singing to catch their attention. After they pick him up, they're slightly alarmed to discover he's an awfully enthusiastic guest: he's the one who sings the words to "Miniature Birds", getting in the eye of the camera and the faces of the members of Grand Archives. When they stop the van to stretch their legs and consult the map, the kid takes the steering wheel and drives away, stranding them on the dirt lane. But he's just playing: they find him parked up the road at an alpaca farm, riling up the animals under a noonday sun. All forgiven, the band and the kid grab a bag of feed, and let the livestock eat from their outstretched hands.

Mikel Knight is a twenty-six year old rap and urban artist originally from Houston, Texas. His career started at age fifteen performing at local South Texas clubs and writing music. Throughout his teens and in to his twenties, Mikel slowly climbed to the top of the heap in the South Texas hip hop scene. 11 years of recording experience in the studio allowed him to create a fresh new sound that combined strong elements of pop and southern street rap. In 1995 Mikel was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he used the time away to write and formulate what was soon to be his 1st album. After a reversal of evidence in 1996, he was released and landed an artist development deal under the name A-GEE with Sonar Records and released his first album "Suthern Comfort-Life of A-GEE". The album quickly became a regional favorite among PDs at several urban stations, and put Mikel on the map. Not content to sit back and wait for the world to notice, Mikel Knight went back in the studio with producer Matt "Mack Damon" Gallegos and Quinton "Black" Banks III of Too Short/Jive records in 1999 to create his sophomore album "Strugglin 2 Hustlin". With his second album, Mikel continued to promote his budding talent to the Texas hip hop industry and beyond. Mikel became the focal point of several articles in national magazines Billboard, Blaze, Murder Dog and the Source. In addition to producing for Mikel, the duo continued to co-produce traxx for other artists and expand their sound to other markets. The unmistakable commercial edge they gave underground street music, with melodic hooks and slick production, transformed much of the Texas/southern rap scene and forced others to follow suit. But soon, another run in with the streets caused Mikel to be fighting for his freedom once again while trying to promote his second effort. Less than a week after the album was released, disaster struck again. Mikel was arrested and jailed for assault when a brawl broke out in a Texas nightclub where he was promoting his single for the album. Mikel's legal team was able to negotiate a deal, and he was released again. He began a coliseum and radio tour to support his new album. Some of these past and future performances have included shows with: Eminem, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Dru Hill, Next, Juvenile, Hot Boyz, Trick Daddy, Trina, Genuine, South Park Mexican, Kid Frost, ESG, Lil' Troy, Big Pokey, the Screwed up Click, C-note and the Botany Boys and Knight Owl. Realizing that it was time to branch out beyond the regional rap scene of Texas, Knight sent out feelers to several major and indie/ major labels. After starting up his own independent label, 1203 Entertainment, Mikel was soon taking calls from A&R reps and executives from big industry dealmakers from BMG, Arista, Blackground, The Firm, Def Jam South, the Edmonds Group and more. While he was still developing his label, Mikel began work on his next project.... the Mikel Knight album. Now assuming the new name, Mikel headed to Oakland, California to work with Bay area hit maker Steve D. and San Diego slugger DJ Fingaz(E-40, Richie Rich, D-Shot, Celly Cel, and B-Legit). To diversify his sound, Mikel also enlisted the production from Platinum hitmaker Happy Perez (Master P, Fat Joe, Capone n Noreaga, Ashanti and Murder Inc. and dozens of Texas rap stars). Determined to forge a new sound and direction in hip hop, Mikel went to L.A. to record with Platinum and Grammy award winning producer Bobby Jones of Bone Thugs and Harmony and Mo-Thugs fame. The first song written by the two became Mikel's hit single "Peckawood" which instantly caught the ear of the industry and started causing controversy wherever it was heard! While managing his career and running his independent label, Mikel managed to secure another deal. After signing a distribution deal for his solo projects with American Music Co., Knight permanently relocated to L.A. to record with the industry's elite. The Hardest Wood Outha Forest was completed in the Summer of 2001 and set for release that fall. Mikel and his group the Game Officials (made up of several childhood friends) set out to promote the breakaway hit "Peckawood". Mikel and his crew shot the video for "Peckawood", and success was just beyond the horizon, but the album and its single were tied up in court less than three weeks after the release when Knight was forced to part with AMC due to a breach of contract. Taking the reigns, Knight set off on his own to continue the buzz "Peckawood" started, releasing the video which subsequently played on BET and MTV2. With a rapid fire lyrical flow and slick hook, the "Peckawood" video was soon causing Miekl's phone to ring off the hook again. Still, not ready to begin negotiating yet, he decided to do one more push before taking meetings. Spring Break 2002 Mikel and the Game Official crew flew to Florida, loaded up the SUV and placed Peckawood videos and cd's in the hands of thousands of fans in Panama city and Daytona. Pirate radio and video shows put the video in rotation immediately. Recording in his Texas studio just weeks later, Mikel got a call and was flown back to L.A to sign a production/ radio promotion deal with Gary Marella of Universal/Motown and Rick Sackheim of Arista records. Continuously working and promoting his music, Mikel toured the Southern US briefly in the Winter of 2002. Mikel brought down the house night after night as the only white act on the all Latin Texacali tour. Just when momentum was peaking, another breach of contract resulted in the separating from a label once more..... but If you think that Mikel has stopped since then... your wrong! Returning to Los Angeles, Knight has since been recording two albums at the same time. The new and highly anticipated Mikel Knight album and the 1st album for his group Game Officials. All the while Mikel has continued to record for others, appearing on albums across the U.S, produce and write lyrics for artists, as well as making publishing and film advances. In Fall of 2003, Mikel allowed a documentary crew to capture the sessions and lifestyle that will become the "Memoirs of a Texas Boi" record. The all-star cast of guests on the record offer a glimpse of the rap game from the inside, including Bun B of UGK, Baby Bash, Happy Perez, Rasheed, Paul Wall, Russell Lee, and a host of other talented friends. The footage will appear in "Huntsville to Hollywood", a special edition DVD to be released Spring 2004. Your favorite Bad Guy is also exploring a development deal with several TV networks to realize the commercial potential of his story as it unfolds. What makes Mikel Knight so different from other rappers/writers and producers? Innovation, Talent, Confidence, Ability and Progressive Maturity. Mikel has a knack for creating the perfect combination of production, lyrical performance and stamina it takes to succeed. With a tight flow and melodic delivery, it is no surprise that the "Mikel Knight Sound" is starting to appear in other markets. Whether its a hard knockin' Southern club track causing controversy or a smooth "playa, playa" anthem, a vivid storytelling ability that documents the struggles of one of the world's talented rappers remains at the core of Mikel's delivery. For a long while, Mikel Knight was a Texas rapper making albums and singles on a regional level. With the hard work, and recognition from his first two records and the hype leading up to his 3rd, Mikel was able to leap to the national scene with the release of "Peckawood". Now free from any label attachments and free to record fresh new material Mikel has set out to tackle European and Asian markets and reinvent himself for his next Major Label debut which will undoubtedly come soon! "The national audience is ready for me to come out with a shocker" says Knight " "If you haven't heard me, you've heard OF me". "Its destined for me! So don't be surprised if you're in the club one night and you hear the bad guy, cuz I'm comin back again! The Peckawood ain't done by a longshot!"

One thing we've noticed over the years is that when a bandmember directs the clip, the result is always tremendous fun. That's not to say that we don't value the contributions of experienced outside directors - it's simply to acknowledge that the in-house option often has the best understanding of what it is that makes a particular band connect with its audience. The four members of Mink have collaborated with some of the best and highest-profile videomakers in the world - you'll remember that their last clip (for the raucous "Talk To Me") was directed by Christian Lamb, who has shot videos for Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, and Coldplay. But they've turned the camera over to bassist Grant Fitzpatrick for their latest effort, and he's made "Get It Right" a nonstop hoot and a celebration of everything that makes Mink so irresistible.

Then again, when you're working with musicians as telegenic - and enthusiastic - as Mink, it's hard to go wrong. The transcontinental quartet (three Australians, one American, and fans all over the world) are inspired amateur filmmakers, posting video excerpts of shoots, gigs, and assorted hijinx to a YouTube channel titled MinkTV. In their clips, they're eminently watchable, performing with staggering energy and visible personality. Unsurprisingly, given their taste for spectacle, they've become big in Japan and they'll be making their Japanese debut by appearing at Fuji Rock Festival '08 alongside The Go! Team, My Bloody Valentine, and Hard-Fi.

They've made names for themselves stateside, too, and their American profile is growing. Mink has toured the states with Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, opened shows for Angels & Airwaves, headlined at the hippest Brooklyn clubs, appeared at Lollapalooza, and placed songs on weblogs and radio playlists across the country. "Get It Right", the latest single, was featured in the most recent episode of House. Their songs feel classic: bruising big-riff garage-rock indebted to the Stones and the Stooges, but slavishly imitative of neither. Singer Neal Carlson pouts and sneers his way through these urgent and infectious rock cuts, bleeding attitude as he does.

Carlson is entertaining to watch, and Fitzpatrick and guitarist Nick Maybury are awfully compelling, too - but drummer Stella Mozgawa steals the "Get It Right" video. Explosive behind the kit and gloriously spazzy in action shots, she's the group's not-so-secret weapon; a pint-sized, tongue-wagging dynamo with a knack for dramatic gestures. And just like the rest of the band, she looks good in superhero tights. Yes, Grant Fitzpatrick has cast the members of Mink as caped crusaders, battling a gang of costumed evildoers on the streets beneath the Manhattan Bridge and the boardwalks of Coney Island. There's mysterious masks, safety goggles, acrobatic and occasionally hilarious play-fighting, and even a carrot used as a cellphone. Much of the footage is intentionally sped-up for comic effect, much as it would be in a live-action Saturday-morning special. And regardless of how much fun they're all having - and how much chaos they're generating - the members of Mink take pains to reconstruct some famous shots from Help! It's a tip of the cap to the band's classic roots, and a reminder that music video wasn't always so serious.