Julian Casablancas Brings The Holiday Cheer

Sure, it's Christmas week, and things are a bit slow here at HAD, but when we saw this tidbit, we couldn't resist. You may recall that on Monday we mentioned Julian Casablancas' Christmas cover of "I Wish It Was Christmas Today". Well, not one to settle for a simple studio-versions, Casablancas made his way over to Jimmy Fallon's late night show, and proceeded to deliver the awesomeness in person - along with The Roots, Fallon, and Sanz supporting. Check out the vid above - meanwhile, Merry Christmas to all - we'll catch you on the flipside!

mp3: Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today

Pixies Played Jimmy Fallon - Video

After a rather underwhelming performance of "Here Comes Your Man" on Conan, we were starting to lose a little enthusiasm for the Pixies' recent Doolittle retrospective tour. Thankfully, last week the band redeemed themselves on Jimmy Fallon with a killer version of "Debaser". Check it out above.

mp3: Pixies - Debaser

Phoenix Played Jimmy Fallon, Two New York Shows This Weekend - Video

Well, if you're anything like us, you've been anticipating this weekend for a while: Phoenix will be playing two sold out nights in Central Park with Passion Pit opening. No doubt the shows will be a blast, and it's a great way to close out the summer. Well, not content to simply deliver two nights of concerts, the band have already made their way into the city, and took the opportunity to perform yesterday at the Soho Apple Store and on Jimmy Fallon.

We didn't make it to the Apple Store, but no doubt it was something of a mob scene - free shows tend to do that. The Fallon appearance, on the other hand, we managed to snag, and now deliver to you (above) via the magic of the internets. We have to say, we're a bit bummed that the band is still using "Lisztomania" for their live performances. Given the number of amazing tracks on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, it seems silly to hear the same tune over and over.

That being said, we still love the tune, and the band most definitely nailed it. Combine that with the fact that Thomas Mars has decided to change up his look with a spiffy new black jacket, and consider us won over. See you out there this weekend.

video: Phoenix - Lisztomania (Official Video)
mp3: Phoenix - Lisztomania

Doves Played Jimmy Fallon - Video

We're still reeling from Doves' show at The Fillmore, so we were psyched to be able to catch them the other night on Jimmy Fallon performing "The Outsiders". The performance is surprisingly awesome for a TV spot, and we have to say, the band just continues to deliver in spades. Click above to check out the vid.

Vampire Weekend Play New Track On Jimmy Fallon: "White Sky"

We haven't heard from Vampire Weekend in a while, so we were psyched to see that they stopped in over at Jimmy Fallon's show to drop a new track on the unsuspecting masses. Frontman Ezra Koenig was all dolled up in red fleece, and conspicuously without guitar. Meanwhile, the band enlisted a string section for what seems to be becoming a standard addition to their live televnision appearances.

As for the song, well, we'd say that it's pretty par-for-the-course VW: Koenig breaks out some of the falsetto vocals, and the pseudo-African rhythms are in full effect. That being said, the song seems to lack something in the rock department, being far more of a lilting stroll through Koenig's melodic turns of fancy. Granted, it's easy on the ears, but we're hoping the band will dig up something a bit more edgy when their second record comes to fruition. Check out the video above.