Cursive keeps upping the ante with its videos from Mama, I’m Swollen– a record that has quietly held fast a spot in my playlist for months. I’m bummed I haven’t been able to catch the band live this year, so these videos are all the consolation I have. “Let Me Up” is the climax of the whole record for me, and this video does the song justice. It’s very stylized and cinematic. Moody and over-the-top. If you’re even remotely interested in Cursive, I can’t recommend this enough.

Phoenix showed up in Gossip Girl the other night and while I can stomach that, it pains me to hear Lisztomania 1901 in this Cadillac commercial.

(shamelessly swiped from Tug)

When it comes to Michael Jackson, especially now that he’s dead, there’s such an overwhelming wall of noise to sift through to find any sort of truth or reality. The legend, the rumors, the conspiracies, the propaganda…it’s too much noise, and that’s the only word I can think of to describe it. Noise. Sony is making no bones about cashing in on all the Michael Jackson nostalgia by bankrolling the film version of the This Is It rehearsals. $6o million hardly seems that steep compared to how much they will surely rake in off this limited theatrical release. Despite my cynicism towards Sony’s motives, I find myself morbidly curious about what sort of shape Jackson was in prior to his death. This 45 second clip cuts through the bullshit with a razor. Yes, Jackson looks frail and way too thin, but he seems focused and in control. I’d often wondered what shape his voice could be in after all these years, but his off the cuff snippet of “Human Nature” proves that his voice was untarnished. In fact, it sounds pretty outstanding. [via Idolator]