afternoon jams: new arctic monkeys and the shins

Today, (my favorite band) The Arctic Monkeys, put out a b-side from Suck It And See called “You and I.” Needless to say, I am very excited about this song and the direction Alex Turner and Co. have been heading since third album Humbug.

They will be opening for The Black Keys on their upcoming North American Tour after just completing their very own headlining tour with UK buzz-band The Vaccines. I highly recommend checking out any of their four albums or any of Alex Turner’s side-work with The Last Shadow Puppets and the Submarine OST, which are all a testament to Turner being widely considered as one of the best lyricists of our generation.

The second song on this afternoon’s post is from American indie-pop band The Shins. Earlier this month The Shins released their first single since 2007 for the upcoming album, Port of Morrow. In 2010, lead-singer, James Mercer teamed up with Dangermouse for the successful project, Broken Bells. However, now back to work with The Shins and a completely new lineup, Mercer comes through with a great power-pop song with some larger, arena-rock capabilities. Take a listen below.