Vampire Weekend has been on a promotional blitz as of late, and with good reason: the release of Contra is just 7 days away. In these two videos, Ezra, Rostam, Chris, and Chris perform two songs from their upcoming album, “Cousins” and “White Sky,” for PitchforkTV’s “Juan’s Basement” segment. The strings section in both of these songs really take them to the next level. Watch and enjoy.

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Now that 2010 has arrived, most of the major music publications have finished putting out their picks for the top albums of 2009. Each newspaper, magazine, and blog uses their own criteria to determine their rankings, leading to an infinite amount of subjectivity. In the words of my boy Alex, these lists are more or less “an exercise in futility.” 2009 did have its share of great, universally acclaimed albums (you’d be hard-pressed to find an indie outfit that didn’t list Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Phoenix, or Dirty Projectors in their top ten), but there were more than a handful of albums that flew below the radar. Here are the top ten LPs that fell through the cracks in ‘09:

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With the release of Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album happening next Tuesday, DJ Toy Selectah has decided to release his own remixed version of Contra on the very same day. Known for his high-energy and fast-paced remixes, Toy Selectah is one of Mexico’s hottest DJs. His remix of Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli” was nothing short of amazing.

Here we get a chance to listen to his remix of Vampire Weekend’s second single from Contra, “Cousins.” It’s definitely as catchy, if not more than the original.

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Check out Jay-Z’s new music video for one of the sleeper hits off of The Blueprint 3, “On to the Next One.” The song’s main hook samples one of the more obscure lines from French duo Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”, much in the same way that T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us” sampled M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”

Is it just me, or is Jay-Z going for the Kanye West look with those shades, leather gloves, and futuristic diamond-padded jacket (complete with popped collar)?

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I just came across some more old, mesmerizing footage that needed to be shared. In this montage of home movie clips, we get to see what the Bay Area was like more than 50 years ago. I love the decidedly retro, supersaturated, and almost grainy look and feel of the 16mm footage. It actually invokes a strange feeling of nostalgia in me; one that makes me wish that I was alive back then to see all of it first hand.

Although the footage alone is compelling enough, it’s the accompanying song that really sets this apart from the pack. The name of it is “Alone in Kyoto” by Air, which may or may not be familiar to you; it was used in the soundtrack of the critically-acclaimed 2003 film Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

The priceless shot in this is the one with the silhouetted man smoking a cigar while overlooking the entire city. In this shot we can make out major landmarks in the background like the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, and the Ferry Building.

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