The second edition of Music Video Monday is upon us!



Archie Powell & The Exports deliver a clip of ninjas, kidnapping and rock ’n’ roll amid a track equal parts The Hold Steady and Fountains of Wayne.



Manchester Orchestra’s entire life flashes before its eyes in this shiver-inducing clip. Consider me officially on the bandwagon for their new album.

Smith Westerns, whose “Dye It Blonde” I raved over here, gets a 10-minute mini-doc/music video called “Die with Your Chin Up.” The color palette particularly matches the band, which enhances the experience.



In honor of the Thunder’s victory over Birdman and the Forces of Garish Tattooage yesterday, here’s a clip sent over by Delo Creative (Flaming Lips, Broncho) that documents Thunder fandom way more intense than yours. And mine. It’s not music-related, but whoa. Just … whoa.

While you’re here, grab these free MP3s:
1.    “Cassette 2012” — Delay Trees. Finnish band keeps “Transatlanticism”-era Death Cab sound alive. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2.    “The Echoes” — Cassettes Won’t Listen. Bass-heavy club tomfoolery with indie aesthetics? Yr rave just got fey.
3.    “Creature of Nature” — Witches. Nineties-friendly guitar rock with maudlin overtones and great bass work.

It’s too bad that Marnie Stern’s session with The A.V. Club’s “Undercover Series” wound up unusable due to technical difficulty, because I’d have been a lot more interested in hearing an interpretation of Huey Lewis from a very different artist.

However, with The Hold Steady, we do get to hear a couple of pretty solid, cheesy guitar solos from Tad Kubler and Steve Selvidge. Now close your eyes and try to re-envision “Back to the Future” through a Hold Steady lens.