Keyboard headdress. That’s about all the words I can muster around this mind-bending video from Ra Ra Riot. Their album, Beta Love, is out now.

I’ve only touched the tip of the Explosions in the Sky iceberg, but I’m fairly certain the music in this video is from a completely different planet entirely. The song is called “Send Off” and it’s from Explosions in the Sky’s original motion picture soundtrack for the movie “Prince Avalanche.” With this song and video, I both want to see the movie and listen to the soundtrack.

By now, you’re undoubtedly one of the 5.2+ million people who’ve already watched this Mumford & Sons video. Maybe even more than once (ahem). So let’s just say we’re putting it here for posterity.

I’m decidedly in the not-a-fan category when it comes to Mumford, but this video went a long way in getting me close to falling over that fence. “Hopeless Wanderer” is from the band’s most recent album, Babel.

If Chvrches’ forthcoming debut album The Bones of What You Believe (due out Sept. 23) is simply the sum of their previous EP Recover and this new song, “The Mother We Share,” I think I’d still be overjoyed.

This album is gonna blow your socks off.

Here’s another one from Shad. He’s really got it all firing in unison.

The whole time I’m listening to this song by Volcano Choir I’m thinking to myself “They really found a guy that sounds like Justin Vernon — Bon Iver — for their lead singer.”

Turns out…

Their album Repave comes out September 3.

(An aside: the idea behind the video is pretty great, but it gets a bit tired by the end of the song. A great idea, executed poorly.)

Fiona continues to release videos from her #1 2012 album The Idler Wheel…. This time, in a video directed by her former beau (and one of my all time favorite directors), Paul Thomas Anderson.

This video has a very 60s vibe to it, but it accurately captures pretty much everything that happens in this subdued song. I’m assuming that’s Fiona’s sister there, singing with her in the video, as it is her sister that sings with her on the album on this song.

I’m not familiar with Shad, but I do know Lenny Kravitz, and while I don’t reach for Let Love Rule any longer, I can still appreciate what Lenny was able to accomplish. Clearly Shad agrees.

I really don’t understand why I like Noah And The Whale. It’s treacly, formulaic english pop. There’s barely anything redeemable about it. But yet, here we are, with this song stuck in our head, and a cute but silly little video to go along with it.

Their latest album, Heart of Nowhere, came out earlier this year.

This is basically a lyric video, which I’m quickly coming to feel is a lazy and unimaginative way to release a song / music video. But since it features a song by Elvis Costello and The Roots from their upcoming collaboration, Wise Up Ghost, I’ll show it here anyway.

Costello continues to give me a reason to come back into the fold after falling out of it. The fact that he’s working with the Roots this time around is the best yet. The album comes out September 17.

This is BRAIDS, a trio (and apparently former four-piece) from Calgary. I missed their 2011 debut album Native Speaker, which was shortlisted for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize. Their next album, Flourish // Perish, comes out August 20. If the album sounds like this song — my god, the drumming alone! — I’ll be listening to the album non-stop for the rest of the year.

Also note they’re coming through town in October, playing the lovely, tiny Sunset Tavern on the 23rd. See you there?

Holy crap, Franz Ferdinand are still together, and making music that simultaneously sounds like them, but in a modernized way. “Right Action” is from their forthcoming album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, due out August 26.

If you’re not yet familiar with The Weeknd, that rock you’re under must be nice and cozy. The song shown in the attached video is “Belong to the World,” which appears on his forthcoming album, Kiss Land.

In the video, The Weeknd (whose real name is Abel Tesfaye) appears to be attempting a mid- to late-career Michael Jackson-like performance. Watch the video, and try not to think about Moonwalker or the video for “Black or White.”

OK, I’m scared.

I’ve spoken of my love for Matthew Houck and his band Phosphorescent many times in the past. Solid, twangy, bluesy rock n’ roll. Nobody today is doing it better. And unless quite a few amazing albums come out in the next few months, Phosphorescent’s recent album Muchacho will end up near the top of this year’s Bacon Calendar.

They’re coming to Seattle in September, after having just been through town back in April of this year. I saw them then, and I just bought tickets to see them again. This is officially a must-see event. Don’t miss it.

I love Stephin Merritt, in all his incarnations.

This particular song/video is for his band Future Bible Heroes, from their new album Partygoing, which came out in June. A lovely little ditty called “Living, Loving, Partgoing.”

I would very much like a life-size Stephin Merritt statue at my next camping expedition. Makes for a good bear repellent.

Quite interested in Majical Cloudz (I’m sorry, but really?! “Majical Cloudz”? Ugh.), whose second album Impersonator came out back in May. I haven’t listened to anything else of theirs, but based on this song they sound very much in the same realm as James Blake. I’ll now go listen to the album and report back.

Still trying to figure out Colin Stetson. Here’s a new video, for his song “Who The Waves Are Roaring For” featuring Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon on vocals. Colin and his experimental saxophone can be head on his most recent album New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, out now.

Wow. This is my first taste of Gary Clark Jr., and if the rest of his stuff sounds like “Numb,” I’m going to be bowled over. This video came out back in May, so I’m surprised I haven’t heard or seen it before now. It‘s possible I heard it and mistook it for The Black Keys, as it does sound quite a bit like that, but this gets back to something that those guys lost a few years back. Definitely going to look more into him, starting with his album Blak and Blu, which came out back in October of last year.

2013 might be the year I finally start to like Bloc Party. Their song “Ratchet,” from their EP The Nextwave Sessions, to be released on August 12 is shown above, in a video that can accurately be described as “mind blowing.”

According to Wikipedia the band will be taking an indefinite hiatus after their performance at the Latitude festival on July 19. That’s unfortunate, given my newly acquired willingness to enjoy their music.