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If you're wondering why I'm posting the video for that song in that Hyundai commercial, it's because Vancouver's throwing a big party at Stanley Park and The New Pornographers are playing :)  They're actually just one of the bands from a long list of performers showing up for Vancouver's 3-day celebration of the city's 125th anniversary. So if I were you and aren't doing anything this Saturday night --  I'd head on over to Stanley Park, get a $5 dollar bag of mini donuts, an ice cold lemonade, and bask under the Vancouver sun while I listen to some awesome live music. 

Here is a lovely video from the fine young gentlemen of earcandynewyork.com, taking the art of autotune to its finest, to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. If you haven't checked their site out yet, take a moment to download a couple of their podcasts here which has the occasional IndiemusicDB Pick of the Week. 

Adam and Vance, I know I don't say this enough, but I love you guys - thanks for the wonderful year :)

I have a soft spot for cure for cancer causes and simply anything about kids -- so when this song ended up in our mailbox, I couldn't pass up posting it. Of course, I had to hear the tune myself first, and seeing how the artist introduced herself as a 13-year old girl from the suburbs of Chicago, who composed and performed the song to raise funds for kids with cancer, I found it all the more intruiging. And boy, it did not disappoint.

Kate Diaz is an absolute pro, and Christmas Smiles sounds like a song made by a singer/songwriter who's been at it for years. Seeing how she's using her God-given talent to make a difference in people's lives, makes me ashamed on how I spent many hours of my youth in front of the computer playing Digger. Rather than lament on my wasted potential (I should have done Digger tourneys to raise awareness for socks with sandals victims), I'm here to back up Kate and spread the word.

Here's an audio sample from a live acoustic performance Ms. Diaz put up on YouTube. You can download and donate for a full band version of the song at iTunes or Amazon to benefit CureSearch for Cancer.

Kate is also participating in a holiday concert at December 18 from 6 to 8pm at Potbellys, Lake Cook & Weiland in Buffalo Grove, IL.  where they'll be donating 25% of all dinnertime sales. 

Nothing fills me with much joy than to see Sufjan don wings again in a live performance. He performed live last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon playing "Too Much", a single off his latest electronica themed release, The Age of Adz.  With full-on costume and channeling his inner Ke$ha, we see Soof strut his stuff complete with backup dancers -- who quite notably, had better choreography than Ke$ha herself. Oh Sufjan, you never cease to amaze me.

Hit the jump to see the video that could make your day.

In case you missed it, which I almost did - everybody's favorite piano-pop musician Ben Folds has released an album in collaboration with my personal favorite music-loving author, Nick Hornby. If that name sounds familiar, he's the guy that wrote the book High Fidelity - which was also made into a movie with John Cusack (a movie that's also notable as the book to film translation that gave birth to Sonic Death Monkey).

If that news hasn't made you giddy with excitement, to promote the album, called Lonely Avenue, Ben Folds partnered with viral video hotshots Pomplamoose and Charlie McDonnell. Indiemusicdb.com regulars, might know these two since I've featured them before for our Video of the Week (here and here). Pomplamoose, a duo, who makes awesome original songs and equally extraordinary covers, gets it on with Ben Folds and Nick Hornby with their song Things You Think. YouTube heartthrob Charlie McDonnell on the other hand, takes a shot at making a music video for a song from the album called Saskia Hamilton. Fangirls wouldn't be disappointed as there's a *lot* of Charlie in it, and he looks damn cute too. Now, I'm just waiting for a Merton / Ben Folds collab...

The Pomplamoose vid and Charlie video are after the jump as well as the official video for From Above, the first single from Ben Folds' Lonely Avenue .

OK Go creates videos that I have the compulsion to share - so here it is. Fresh off of debuting it this morning on Ellen - this is their latest called White Knuckles. It's full of all things lovable, a great song, cute furry animals and IKEA furniture (I got two of those wastebaskets at home - they're pretty neat).

Watching Inception last weekend blew my mind off, especially with Joe Gordon-Levitt's zero gravity action sequence. Yet it also reminded me that the last film I saw Leonardo diCaprio in was Romeo + Juliet. It made me feel old knowing that the onceTiger Beat fodder Leo DiCaprio, is now playing married men with kid roles and the goofy kid alien from 3rd Rock from the Sun is playing his slick and dashing point-man. Then I remembered how I loved my Romeo + Juliet OST casette tape and played it to death and also, that I forgot to let you guys know that the Swell Season did a cover version of "Young Hearts Run Free" (which was undoubtedly one of the memorable songs from the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack). What's extra good about it is that you can get it for free, down at the Levi's Pioneer Sessions site, where a whole bunch of other artists take on songs that have influenced their music. I'm posting songs from two of my favorite duos here (The Swell Season and She and Him) but you can go check out the site for more music from Jason Mraz, Dirty Projectors and Passion Pit to name a few -

Young Hearts Run Free by The Swell Season

Fools Rush In by She and Him

Just because I seldom post new music news and I still haven't gotten to my emails to set up a Q and A for Fresh from the Post - here's something that's sort of Fresh from the Post: OK Go's new video :)

Going back to their roots of accompanying their songs with offbeat choreography, with End Love, they make use of stop motion and time lapse to give this video a bit of an edge. Also, they get a new band member in the form of a loyal goose. Their new video premiered at Bonaroo last Saturday and now it's on YouTube for your embedding convenience. You can also download it off their site at www.okgo.net and, maybe keep mum about this, but I think they're giving away a free iPad too.