Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Remember how, after one EP, everyone thought Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would singlehandedly save rock and roll? No band can live up to that kind of hype, but after two albums and countless live shows, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have proven they're more than just a passing phase. I got all excited about them again after seeing this new video for "Down Boy," off the new EP coming out July 24 called Is Is.

Filmed at a live performance, the footage captures all of the legendary weirdness of the YYYs in creepy night-vision colors. Clad in a space-age Bowie-esque unitard, Karen O is her usually sassy and slightly disturbing self (be sure to watch until the end), and the song is great too, blending the band's harder punk styles with the brooding impact of "Maps." To see the video, read more

• Def Leppard is nearly finished working on a new album titled Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. Though the title sounds kind of glittery and fun, the music will apparently be "classic Def Leppard," plus "some moments on it where anybody that's familiar with our music will go, 'Whoa! I wasn't expecting that!'" says frontman Joe Elliott.
• Tool thinks people will be interested in watching their "surreal" band movie.
• Cat Power's album The Greatest has won the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize, beating out albums by Band of Horses, Beirut, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Spank Rock and Tom Waits, among others.
• Asia (remember them?) has reunited and is working on a new album.
• I am super excited for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' release of their EP, titled Is Is and scheduled for July 24.

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Lately, I've been almost as excited about the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack as I am about the accompanying summer blockbuster. The movie, of course, comes out out on Friday, but the soundtrack hits stores tomorrow, and you can listen to the entire album online now at AOL Music.

It really is a pretty daring soundtrack for a big summer movie. The contributions from bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jet are edgy but also fit nicely into the superhero-movie mold. My favorite tracks are probably the Walkmen song, "Red River," and Black Mountain's "Stay Free" — both of which are pretty interesting departures from each band's sound. However, Snow Patrol's "Signal Fire" is a bit maudlin and movie-soundtracky for my taste. Anyway, give the CD a listen and let me know what you think.