The soundtrack to "New Moon," the forthcoming second film in the hit "Twilight" series, was originally supposed to hit stories this Tuesday, October 20, but fan demand (and a leak) pushed the release date of the hotly anticipated album up to today. The soundtrack, which features decidedly indie-centric contributions from the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Thom Yorke and the Killers, immediately shot to the top of the iTunes album sales chart.

One music video has already come from it — Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox" — and it's possible there could be more. This is an excellent development, as many of the bands involved have a tremendous visual sensibility and could really push the envelope for a lot of these songs. Grizzly Bear have produced a number of trippy, engrossing videos, including the psychedelic "Central and Remote." Yorke, of course, has always focused on imagery (just as he did in the clip for his solo song "Harrowdown Hill"). And Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" is an appropriately epic, cinematic presentation.

To get a better sense of the sort of bands who are on the "New Moon" soundtrack — as well as the sort of imagery they tend to work with — check out the "New Moon" video playlist. It features the new clip from Death Cab for Cutie as well as contributions from Lykke Li, St. Vincent and OK Go.

By Chelsea Devine

At this point, there is little doubt that the soundtrack to "New Moon," the next entry in the "Twilight" series, is going to be in constant rotation on all of our iPods this year. Between Grizzly Bear, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and Death Cab for Cutie, who could deny such musical greatness? Add to that the beautiful and talented Lykke Li, whose brand new single "Possibility" is being released exclusively on the soundtrack, which hits stores on October 20. With the release date fast approaching, Lykke Li paid a visit to the MTV Newsroom.

The Swedish electro-pop songstress sat down with MTV News' James Montgomery to discuss her unexpected participation with the "New Moon" soundtrack. But she also dove into a discussion of everything else that was going on in her musical life and beyond. She mentioned her endless appreciation for all things hip-hop, name-checking the Pharcyde, MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest and the Roots. As Lykke continued to drop names like Royksopp and fellow "New Moon" contributors Grizzly Bear and Yorke, I realized I could listen to her talk about music for hours.

If her soft-spoken and mesmerizing vocals aren't enough to sweep you off your feet, her compassionate, friendly demeanor and killer knack for musical experimentation certainly will. In an oversized fur jacket and combat boots, her outfit was far away from her relatable and empathetic character. She is proud to be a part of the emotional attachment girls across the globe have for "Twilight," as she openly discussed her own emotional experiences with heartache and heartthrobs — essentially, everything "Twilight" stands for.

When the interview was over, I came to firm conclusion: I want Lykke Li to be my best friend.

by Steven Roberts

CHICAGO Yesterday's high temperature was in the '90s. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was 
shining down upon the tens of thousands of people who packed into Grant Park. So when Lykke Li hit Citi stage dressed in all black with a tambourine around her arm, tapping a wooden block with a drumstick, I was sure either she had lost her mind, or I was in for a crazy show.

Li made her way to center stage as an eerie hum played over the sound system. She opened her set with "Dance, Dance, Dance," and 
teased her black ruffled scarf, before finally tossing it to the side. Li would do battle with her scarf and the mic cord 
throughout her set, entangling herself with both as she gyrated and
moved - somehow effortlessly - around the stage.

Oddly enough after "Dance, Dance, Dance," Li decided she wanted to turn up the energy and asked "Lollapalooza, are you ready to dance?" The crowd was more than happy to, as LI went into an electric performance of "Everybody But Me
" and "I'm Good I'm Gone." The Swedish indie pop singer continued to jerk and gyrate on stage, until she took what looked like a much-needed knee, as her band stopped and the music paused.

Read more...

by Steven Roberts

Chicago - - I hope you’ve been enjoying our Lollapalooza coverage. Our small team has been hard at work trying to bring you the latest from the festival. It was hot as you know what today, but we love our jobs so you won’t hear us complaining. There is one thing that bothered me, though. Atmosphere was performing right outside of our media tent earlier, and he was ****ing killing it. Unfortunately, we couldn't go watch it.

The Chicago 2016 stage is right next to the media area, and it has hosted some impressive acts, including Gaslight Anthem and Depeche Mode. But Slug’s voice and Ant’s beats had our staff’s heads nodding as we worked. Other people in the area were actually looking over the fence, separating us from the Chicago stage, and nodding away.

Again, I’m not complaining. I finished writing and editing a video for one blog, and I sat in my chair nodding my head along. Then I went to go shoot an interview and performance for another, and I see a sea of people with their hands in the air waving them like they just don’t care. As we walked by Dhani Harrison – yup George’s son – even pointed out how amazing they were.

After the shoot, I ran to go see the Minneapolis hip-hop duo – with a camera of course. People in the crowd were rocking to the beat, under the intense sun, fixed on Slug’s every word as he made his way around the stage. I wanted to stay and get lost in it all as well, but I had work to do… an interview with Lykke Li.

Hey, I’m not complaining.

By Jett Wells

The headliners at this weekend's All Points West Music Festival in Liberty Park, New Jersey are are all must-see artists who tend to turn in exceptional performances, including Jay-Z, Tool, Coldplay and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But beyond the top-billed groups, there is an abundance of great bands, each of whom could steal the show early. If you want to be on top of the performances that everybody will be talking about when Monday morning rolls around, be sure to arrive early and check out the following sets.

Day 1

The Knux
(1:15 p.m.-2:00 p.m. at Blue Comet Stage)
The New Orleans hip-hop duo brings old-school rhymes and inventive instrumentation to the stage. Their buoyant single "Cappuccino," a catchy rap song with funny lyrics and electronic beats, was featured in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."
Read more...

Last weekend, Sony Music and GenerationFly sent the winner of their summer internship contest to Lisbon, Portugal for Optimus Alive. Here are her dispatches.

By Kristina Truong

I found myself in Lisbon, Portugal, ready to dive head-first into Optimus Alive 2009. Kids on the bus to the festival grounds were just going nuts: Jumping, banging on the exit doors, passing around bottles of who knows what and screaming "Metallica!" at the top of their lungs.

Getting through the entrance, I definitely missed the black outfit memo, as the dominant fashion trend was all black, heavy metal rock T-shirts and cyber goth gear. It made sense, as this was Optimus Alive's metal day, with Mastodon, Machine Head, Lamb of God, Slipknot and Metallica all on the main stage. The lineup was fleshed out by less-hardcore groups like the Klaxons, Crystal Castles, Silversun Pickups and TV on the Radio.

Silversun Pickups caught my attention right away. The band's live performance was very impressive and the sound quality was nearly identical to how they sound on their records. Crystal Castles, a band that I was excited to see again, got the crowd on their feet and on the edge with their intense energy and light show. However, their show was a bit derailed by technical difficulties with singer Alice Glass’ mic. Metallica, on the other hand, performed another phenomenal show. It seems impossible for these guys not to put on a heart-pounding, feet-stomping, hair-whippin’, body moshing, heavy metal show.

The second day of Optimus Alive was similarly exhilarating and blood-pumping. Read more...

By Akshay Bhansali

Curiosity brought me to Le Poisson Rouge in New York City last night for the release of N.A.S.A.'s first album, The Spirit of Apollo. Come to think of it, it brought MTV News correspondent Kim Stolz there as well. Why? Well, the debut album from N.A.S.A. (stands for North America, South America) — made up of DJ Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon — features Chuck D, Spank Rock, M.I.A., Lykke Li, David Byrne, DJ AM, Santogold, Kanye West, Kool Keith, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, Method Man, Sizzla and the Cool Kids ... and yes, the list goes on and on. Not bad for a first record from a yet-unheard-of recording pair.

Based solely on the guest roster of The Spirit of Apollo, one would think the music gods commanded "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" and this record was conjured up. But really, as the duo say on their MySpace page: "The Spirit of Apollo is an ongoing creative collaboration between two lifelong music aficionados, Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, and their friends, friends of friends and musical heroes."
Read more...

By Joseph Patel
Fashion Week here in New York is almost more about the parties, the bold-faced shenanigans in gossip pages and, well, more parties than it is about the actual clothing on the runway. My favorite part, though, is all the music that gets played at different designers' shows. It's kind of a way to tell what's hot right now, what's clicking, what seems to be cutting through the noise. Whatever the hot young models and designers are digging is often a lot different from what I'm digesting on the music blogs, and I enjoy that sort of dichotomy.
Read more...

By Conor Bezane

There's been a strong tradition of indie artists from Sweden — including Peter Bjorn and John, I'm From Barcelona and the Hives — but none sounds like Lykke Li, a 22-year-old singer/songwriter whose music has recently blown up on the Internet.

With a combined total of 2 million hits on YouTube, her minimalist pop videos are resonating with the online audience, and Li is aiming to translate that success into record sales with her debut album, Youth Novels. Kurt Loder is a big fan, and you can check out his profile of Li here.

After our interview with the Swedish sensation, she graced us with an intimate performance of her latest single, "I'm Good, I'm Gone." Check out the full song right here.