New Phoenix video - Trying To Be Cool

Following up "Entertainment" the electric lead-single and alluring video from Phoenix's latest triumph Bankrupt!, the band enlisted the help of directorial team CANADA and The Creator's Project to create what seems to be the biggest music video ever for "Trying To Be Cool." Which, it seems, might actually be the point of the track.

Every trick is pulled out, from fireworks, obscenely obscure visuals, magic, choreography, tons of outfits, and a countdown that finally goes somewhere. It's an absolute joy.

Bankrupt! is out now on Glassnote.

Made In America Festival reveals 2013 lineup

Following last year's monster success, Philadelphia's 2013 Made In America Festival has revealed its stunning second-year lineup.

Leading the charge is Beyonce, which seems like less of a big deal when you remember that Jay-Z is curating the whole ordeal. Alongside her will be Lollapalooza headliners Nine Inch Nails and Phoenix, with Deadmau5 as the head electronica act.

The mid and undercard are swelling as well, with Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Public Enemy, Calvin Harris, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Solange Knowles, and still many more.

The lineup was revealed today via Spotify, which has a mixtape that reveals every artist here. Public sale for tickets will begin April 17, and will be held in Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Labor Day weekend.

Lollapalooza Headliners Leaked

Aha! Finally some big Lollapalooza news.

Aside from that Nine Inch Nails news that Billboard leaked out a few weeks back, confirmations for this year's festival were largely stray. Aside from a few small confirmations, like Angel Haze and Imagine Dragons, nothing was firmly stamped down.

As per usual, The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot released the fest's first "confirmed" headliners. Previously rumored acts Mumford & Sons, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend are indeed on the billing alongside The Killers this year. All four performed at the festival in 2009 and 2010, but only The Killers and Phoenix were previously booked as headliners. M&S have obviously exploded since their 2010 appearance, so the headlining spot isn't surprising, but Vampire Weekend booked as an official headliner may be still curious.

Lollapalooza fans will recognize a slight gap in headliners - an electro act. Since 2011, festival organizers have made a large concerted effort to bring more electronica music to the festival, booking Deadmau5 in 2011 and Avicii and Justice last year. With the four new headliners and Nine Inch Nails, only one headlining slot remains. Nothing is confirmed, but expect that final slot to go to a major electronica act.

The four headliners weren't the only acts leaked, however. Previously rumored Postal Service and The National will also be heading to Chicago this August. Expect the full lineup release in the coming weeks.

Lollapalooza takes place August 2-4 this year. Stick here for more updates and rumors.

Lollapalooza Rumors Update

It's been some time, but with only a few weeks left before the official Lollapalooza 2013 lineup is revealed, its time to get up to speed.

As I have mentioned before over at The 405, Billboard released word last month that the recently reformed Nine Inch Nails would be performing (although unconfirmed). The band would likely fill the legendary billing for the festival, taking up either the top or second highest billing on the list.

Of the other North American festivals, no lineup has more of a resemblance than Montreal's Osheaga Festival. Last year, three of the major acts (Justice, Florence + The Machine, and The Black Keys) ended up playing both festivals, which both take place the first weekend of August. A huge amount of mid-tier and undercard acts crossed over as well, which amounted to 25 acts playing each (a 20 percent carryover rate).

Among this years Osheaga headliners are The Cure and Mumford & Sons. Considering The Cure have been rumored softly for Lollapalooza for nearly five years, and the continual rise in popularity of M&S, both would seem like logical inclusions.

Among regular Lollapalooza veterans, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and The National all have gaps in their tour schedules and did not play in last two years. Additionally, a few hard-to-get names have similar tour gaps and will be appearing at next month's Coachella; New Order, The Postal Service, and the Wu-Tang Clan.

For up-to-the-date info on who might be playing, stick with us. Or, even better, keep tabs on Consequence Of Sound's Festival Outlook page.

New Phoenix video - Entertainment

Back when we first heard "Entertainment," the lead single from Phoenix's upcoming studio LP Bankrupt!, it wasn't hard to pick up on the classical Asian vibe. Indeed, the song was compared to Siouxsie and The Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden" for the similar, unmistakable lead aesthetic, of which director Patrick Daughters utilizes.

The video features a narrative of love-drawn actors spliced across different eras, which gets very soap opera-y at one point. Check it out below and grab Bankrupt! April 23 via Loyaute and Glassnote Records.

New Phoenix(!) - Entertainment

Today, we finally get a first taste at one of 2013's most-anticipated albums: Phoenix's Bankrupt!. "Entertainment," the lead track from the upcoming LP, premeiered earlier today on Zane Lowe's BBC 1 Radio show, but there's a lyric-video already up for it.

Check it out below and grab Bankrupt! April 23 in the U.S.

Coachella 2013 lineup revealed

While there was some big news out there today, including a brand new Strokes song that nobody seems to like, yesterday's revealing of the 2013 Coachella lineup is still the big story.

As with last year's lineup, the Indio, California festival will span two separate weekends in April (12-14 and 19-21). Following up last year's impossibly good lineup, this year looks to top it.

Featuring the shockingly rare Blur and Stones Roses as the day one headliners is enough on its own, but throwing acts like Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, New Order, Wu Tang Clan, a reunited Postal Service, and TWO Nick Cave acts make it the early front-runner for festival of the year.

Not just top heavy, the fest's mid-card and lower tier acts are ... just damn good: The Descendants, Thee Oh Sees, Violent Femmes, Major Lazer, Trash Talk, Japandroids, Local Natives, Four Tet, Dinosaur Jr., Danny Brown, Wild Nothing ... it just keeps going.

Click on the poster above to see the full lineup, but tickets won't be available for a few days. There's a special countdown on the Coachella website that you can keep track of, but tickets will sell fast when it comes.

As for Lollapalooza fans, while my status is uncertain this year, Coachella does have some forbearance on who performs at the Chicago festival. In 2011, the two huge events shared 31 acts (18 percent of the billing), although none of the acts were headliners. Last year, only one major headliner (The Black Keys) performed at both.

What does this mean for 2013? Well, don't expect Blur, The Stone Roses, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to appear, but don't count out Phoenix.