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Two things get bloggers' attention like no other: 1) youth; and 2) an act comprising either seven (or more!) members, a married couple, or just one person masquerading under a band's moniker. So, there have been smattering of blog posts on Arizona's Bark Bark Bark, but given that we're talking about one kid (Jacob Cooper) who's hella young (he be 20), safe to expect more internet love soon (fondness for synths and repetitious name are bonuses). And we fell prey to Cooper's trap; Bark³ brings it like Panthers on standout cut "Haunts," a dirty, dark electro-pop vibe, with digi beats and distorto-vox that moan along to fit its name. Night time dance fare, the sorta stuff Evan and Marilyn probably have blood thunderstorm sex to.

Bark Bark Bark - "Haunts" (MP3)

http://search.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=44616&p=INS36259">Haunts is available via Retard Disco.

Paris goes to jail today. Days ago, Warner Bros. came to their senses and dropped her from their label. Last night, Sarah Silverman showed no monologue mercy in the only redeeming moment of the MTV Movie Awards telecast ("to make her feel more comfortable in prison, the guards are going to paint the bars to look like penises ... I just worry that she's going to break her teeth on those things") -- replete with the heiress's reaction (not happy).

So of course it's time to tarnish the least low low-point of her career (it's a career, right?): Turns out "Stars Are Blind" sounds a bit too much like UB40's "Kingston Town" for the latter's liking. Via Contact:

V2 Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music and Hilton's songwriter/producer Fernando Garibay are being sued by Sparta Florida Music Group, who allege parts of the track are lifted from UB40 classic Kingston Town. The £250,000 ($500,000) writ, filed in London's High Court, claims breach of copyright. Sparta Florida intends to draw on evidence from a musicologist and on internet articles to prove their case.

Franz Ferdinand and producer Erol Alkan set out to cover LCD Soundsystem and wound up paying homage to New Order with their hot-shit contribution to James Murphy's "All My Friends" deluxe single release, so it's nice to see the track get a stand-alone video. Anna McCarthy's trippy clip has jerky shutter speeds, kaleidoscopes 'n' prisms, and a lounging lady biting the hand that impedes her, while Franz heads hover like the dirty disembodied voyeurs they are.

If there's one thing aside from shameless self-promo Kanye can say he's learned by Graduation day, it's how to pick a sample -- and on "Stronger," Mr. West bundles both skills quite tidily on the way to his MC degree. Daft Punk-ophiles got psyched when Kanye announced his forthcoming LP would have a track sampling "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (and a vid starring the robots themselves -- make a note for his next award show stage crashing speech), sure to hit with club kids and indie folks alike. There's a high-quality radio rip floating around, and its invasive "This is a Mark Ronson Authentic Shit exclusive sive sive sive" DJ announcements are offset by hearing Kanye offer that "you can be my black Kate Moss tonight." Grab your blow and your smokes and take him up on it at Nah Right.

RELATED: What would you do if you had access to the Daft Punk offices? If you answered "film yourself wrestling in your skivvies next to the deconstructed robots and Daft Punk paraphinelia," then a) something is wrong with you; and b) head here for vid from from a Swedish TV duo called La Vida Locash at the Daft Punk offices. Swedish-styled Cribs, with less pants. (Thanks, Will)

UPDATE: After the jump, the theatrical trailer for Daft Punk's Electroma, released this year in France, Japan, and Australia, US release pending. After premiering at Director's Fortnight, Wiki says "the film was unfavorably compared with Gus Van Sant's Gerry and Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny for its extensive hiking sequence." So, uh, hiker-haters beware.

The Instant Karma: Save Darfur comp's first single comes from Green Day who, after reminding the Idol-worshipping crowd about how they're doped with religion and sex and TV, set their cover of Lennon's anti-anthem to testimonials from people touched by the Sudanese atrocities. 90% of the proceeds from the single's sale go directly to the Save Darfur-Amnesty International program, so buy, then delete. Everybody wins.

Seems So Bright - Red Letter Box (Paper Chalk Mix)

Monday! Liberation from the weekend (what?)! Time to kick off the week right: a yummy remix of Red Letter Box from Music For Robots Vol.1 alumnus Seems So Bright! In case you got distracted by the roster of Vol. 2 artists and forgot to pay attention to SSB popping up on your tourfilter list, don't worry, we gotcha covered. So much so, in fact, that we're willing to outfit you with a copy of their full length release, Blinds Down (or buy it from the band if you're impatient), and send you to see them headline the Mercury Lounge tomorrow night!

First prize: Two tickets to SSB @ Mercury Lounge, Tuesday 6/5, plus their CD!
Second prize: A copy of the Blinds Down CD

So, here's what you need to do for the goods:

1) Send an e-mail to us at this address, with Seems So Bright in the subject line

2) In said e-mail, include your full name, your cell phone number, and...

3) ...the name of the song Seems So Bright contributed the Music For Robots Vol. 1

That's it! Entries will be accepted until Tuesday morning, at which point we'll call the winner and figure out how to get them their CD. And if you don't win, we'd still love to see you there! If you actually find me there and put on your best I'm-sad-coz-I-didn't-win face, perhaps I'll even buy you a beer.

Liberation!

We get tons of unsolicited CDs here at Robot Central's Minneapolis headquarters, which is great. It's really nice of people to send us their stuff, and it's even better when that stuff turns out to be good, like the CD Fourth Of July On The Plains by the band Fourth of July from Lawrence, Kansas.

Fourth Of July - Long Gone.

Fourth Of July's record label is Range Life Records, which is very fitting. Not only is there a country tinge to their sound, there's a Pavement tinge as well, and it's the Pavement sound from "Range Life" that especially comes to mind. This song is one of the more country-oriented tracks on this record, but it has a charm that stuck out to me. There are other good songs on Fourth Of July On The Plains, but this is the one I played over and over.

I think it's great that Pavement has become such a touchstone for bands these days. While other bands can't pull it off, I think bands like Fourth Of July and Hockey Night have found ways to use the same shabby formula for good songs. And good for them.

You can download the entire Fourth Of July On The Plains record from Range Life Records.

SoftLightes - “The Robots In My Bedroom Were Playing Arena Rock”

Check out the Softlightes’ new video for “The Robots In My Bedroom Were Playing Arena Rock” — a favorite track from their debut albm.

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Whilst the Whites thump their way across Europe, Jack took some time off from long-distance calls to discuss his distress over leaky Icky by showing off a couple of new tunes for the Jools Holland faithful (and redecorating the stage floor a swirly shade of peppermint). Here's "Effect And Cause," featuring an old-school, Berry-esque rock 'n' roll progression and a smiley, shaker-to-the-stick wielding Meg.

Jack ditched the guit for a bass and invited Jools to relive his Squeeze days on keys during "My Doorbell," and of course they weren't leaving without doing up the title track. Find both clips after the jump.

Now that you've had a few weeks to stew over Sky Blue Sky not being YHF 2.0, it's time to give the Tweedy troupe's latest a fair shake -- and since you're indoors avoiding the pretty summer weather, watching this vid of the Dead-indebted "You Are My Face" live at Spinner can make you feel you used your air-conditioned relaxation time constructively. Dig the dynamic shift from loping-guitar verse into Cline's fiery fretwork. Thinking Sky Blue Sky will sound live good live.

Take the jump for "What Light," "Hate It Here," and "Side With The Seeds" from the AOL sessions.