It’s no lie that both Vampire Weekend and The Black Keys have both had stellar 2010s. As a result, they’re up for a bunch of awards, including Best Alternative Album at the Grammys.

In order to sway to official vote of last year’s Best Comedy Album Grammy winner Stephen Colbert, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys appeared on Colbert’s show. They had a “sellout-off” in which the band that whored out the most music would win. The resulting bit is hilarious; you have to check it out.

Last night, the guys of Vampire Weekend performed “Cousins” on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. I’m posting this video clip for two reasons. 1. “Cousins” is a really fun & upbeat song and 2. It very well could be the last time that they ever perform on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

Now I’m not too crazy about the weird effects on Ezra’s mic (when I first heard it, I thought there was a technical problem) but it’s still a good performance nonetheless. Conan seems to get a kick out of it.

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.

By the way, you can listen to Contra in it’s entirety on the band’s MySpace page.

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.

Indie-pop foursome Vampire Weekend just released a new single off of their upcoming album Contra through their website. The new song is called “Horchata” and it’s a slight departure from some of the stuff on their debut self-titled album. Vampire Weekend fans need not worry however, because it’s a fresh, new, even more upbeat sound. On the new single, they utilize a lot of synth and xylophone. Their sound is definitely evolving.

Contra is set to be released in January.

Listen and enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Vampire Weekend – “Horchata”

[Via Modi over at DCtoBC]

In our second installment of Remix Fridays, we’ve got some old stuff and some new stuff. From Biggie and Tupac, to Vampire Weekend and Imogen Heap, everything is pretty tight. I’ve had all of these remixes in constant rotation over the last 7 days or so. Check ‘em out:

Oh where did this all start? Although Roger Troutman or Teddy Riley are often credited for the first use of auto-tune, that was in fact the talkbox. I once heard that the pioneer of auto-tuning is none other than Cher. That’s right, ‘Do you believe in liiiiife after looooove!?’ Who knew this diva would influence artists in totally different genres.

Now it seems auto-tune is for the masses. Haters tend to target T-Pain, the most notorious (ab)user of auto-tune, but some others include Akon, Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West. Now we see it spreading from R&B to indie rock with Discovery, the much talked-about love child of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot.

Personally, I’m at a loss. I do not know what to think of auto-tune. I had no respect for T-Pain until I watched his interview with DJ Skee of Los Angeles’ KIIS-FM. When asked about the active use of auto-tune in his music, he responded,

It’s making me money, so ain’t about to stop. It’s been working so far… You actually gotta sing, I mean, it ain’t hard. You gotta take your time, really and you gotta know where you can go with it and where not to go with. It’s just like, you gotta work it, man.

This interview did a couple things for me. One, I see his diction is about the equivalent to that of Don Vito, which pissed me off — I’m pretty sure his music would sound like gibberish without the auto-tune effect (as if it doesn’t already). But here’s the two. T-Pain, as much as he sounds like a stupid, high-pitched robot, produces his own music and probably knows his voice isn’t as eloquent as other successful rappers. So he brings back auto-tune and taps into the masses, creating himself a name — be it loved or hated. And as he says, it’s making him money.  Has this interview taught me the mastery of this voice-correction technique? Not quite, but hey, ’80s synth bands seemed cheesy and dated at one time and still made a come back.

Now for Jay-Z, he’s not as torn as myself. Debuting early June on New York City’s Hot 97, Jay-Z’s newest hit ‘D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune)’ serves as a testament for the widespread hatred of auto-tune. Check some of these lyrics:

I know we facing a recession
But the music y’all making gonna make it the great depression
Or your lack of aggression
Pull your skirt back down, grow a set men
Nigga this just violent
This is death of autotune, moment of silence
(La da da da, hey, hey, hey good bye)

Laughable because it’s clever or because it’s so true?

Listen to Jay-Z’s “Death of Auto-Tune”

Word on the street is that this song is only boosting the sales of auto-tuning artists, and T-Pain has pushed his upcoming album release a whole year earlier.

I imagine that Discovery is ignoring the heat of HOV as its album debut LP creates hype along the indie rock circuit.

Discovery is Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. I am pretty partial to Ra Ra Riot, delicately powerful indie rock band with a maturity that tastes very sweet. They were my first big interview in 2007 when I wrote for Syracuse University’s Equal Time Magazine, so I was absolutely psyched to see this collaboration.

Discovery frequently uses auto-tune, which seems to be a streamline against handclaps and throbbing danceability and more handclaps. Think Passion Pit on roofies. The fluidity of vocals boosts the chill factor to the max, and the big beat electro-pop gives it enough umph to keep it up.

We know Miles and Batmanglij have phenomenal voices, so auto-tune just seems like nonsense. But giving the album a good listen, overall, I think it works. LP simply hits the spot for summertime listening.

Personal favorites:

“Osaka Loop Line”

“So Insane”

But my internal debate still lingers, to auto-tune or not? I just don’t know, what do you think?

End of the year lists are one thing that I always look forward to seeing each December, during that special period of time between the magic and nostalgia of Christmas and the drunken debauchery of New Year’s Eve. We here at Jetcomx wanted to put together a special list; not just a list of best artists or best songs. We wanted to highlight the best, most interesting, and creative music videos from the year 2008. After intense scrutiny and deliberation, the crew and I have finally thrown together our version of the 10 Best Music Videos of 2008. Enjoy!

10. M83 – “Kim & Jessie”

This playful and somewhat nostalgic music video of “Kim & Jessie,” directed by Eva Husson, reminds us of a happier time when there wasn’t a care in the world. It reminds us of a time when one could just roller skate all day in a ballerina outfit and custom Nike Dunk roller skates. It reminds us of our youth – in a flirtatiously lesbian sort of way.

9. Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma”

The boys from Columbia University have come up with a music video featuring rolling farmlands, kids playing cowboys and indians, and white suits. It is interesting to note that filmed this music video in one long shot. This was actually the 17th take that they did.

8. Santogold – “L.E.S. Artistes”

Although no actual blood or gore is shown in this music video of “L.E.S. Artistes,” the violence depicted in it is still somewhat disturbing. Santi White’s emotionless disposition is equally as disheartening. Neither of these things take away from the creativity that is shown in this music video, though. Santi White singing on a stallion, anyone? Green sausages used as entrails? Watermelons being smashed in Gallagher-esque fashion?

7. Weezer – “Pork and Beans”

Released on YouTube back in May, the music video for “Pork and Beans” quickly became one of the site’s most watched music videos. Returning to collect 15 more minutes of fame are many internet celebrities including the Numa Numa guy, Afro Ninja, the “Leave Britney Alone” guy, Tay Zonday, Chris Crocker, Miss Teen South Carolina, and Dramatic Prarie Dog. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

6. Radiohead – “House of Cards”

This is one of the most unique music videos that we’ve ever seen. The boys of Radiohead decided to create a music video in which no cameras or lights were used. The process that they used is somewhat complex. I’ll let Google explain it:

…two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.

The outcome sort of looks like what happens when you stick your face into one of those metal pin novelty things from Spencers.

5. Lykke Li – “I’m Good, I’m Gone”

Lykke Li’s music video for “I’m Good, I’m Gone” is pretty straightforward. There is no CGI, there are no green screens, and there is no editing. It’s just a live performance of the song. But this is what makes it a totally kickass music video. That, and the fact that Lykke Li uses a freaking bullhorn.

4. The BPA (ft. David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal) – “Toe Jam”

The music video for “Toe Jam” is so damn off the wall that it’s not even funny. Wood paneling, 70′s shag carpeting, and naked people make up the entirety of this video. Don’t worry though, there is no actual nudity thanks to many strategically placed black bars.

3. MGMT – “Time to Pretend”

After watching MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” music video, all I have to say is that these guys take a ton of acid. This is the weirdest music video on the list, by far. It can’t even be adequately put into words. Just take a look.

2. Kraak n’ Smack – “Squeeze Me”

Who doesn’t love a good flip book? I remember trying to make my own as a kid, but it never turned out well. The guys of Kraak n’ Smack take the flip book concept to a whole new level by making it the focus of a music video. The music video basically follows a day in the life of one guy. This is an example of a simple concept made great by amazing execution.

1. Justice – “Stress”

…And so there was one. It was difficult selecting the number one music video of 2008, but after looking at every other music video, this was the logical choice. The music video for Justice’s “Stress” doesn’t feel like a music video at all. It defintely feels like a scene from say a pre-Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle film. The violence and brazenness of the French street gang in this video is truly terrifying. Justice’s music only heightens that feeling. At the end of the video, the gang turns violent on their own cameramen. They also use a molitov cocktail to destroy the sedan that they carjacked.