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I'm not ashamed to admit I'm one of those weirdos who actually likes to clean. OK, I love it. I worship at the altar of my Swiffer WetJet. I get giddy when I buy refills of Mrs. Meyer's all-purpose cleaner. And sometimes I make a mess just so I have something to tidy up.

See, when I put on my cleaning hat*, I also put on my set of dirt-fighting jams to keep me pumped while I scrub and shake my groove thing while I'm pushing the vacuum. So if you're looking for tunes to help you shimmy with your shammy too, might I recommend the following songs from Ida Maria, Hellogoodbye, Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix.

(* I don't really have a cleaning hat, but that might be worth looking into. Maybe something like this, perhaps?)

Also, if you'd like to keep up with all my musings, please visit my website and follow me on Twitter (@redpatterndress).

1.) Ida Maria's "Let's Leave": I absolutely loved Ida's debut LP, Fortress Round My Heart, and her follow-up, Katla, does not disappoint. I can't say I'm surprised, though, considering that it's produced by pop-rock maestro Butch Walker. When it comes to my favorite song on the album, I'm caught between "Let's Leave," which is a high-octane romp about a roll in the hay, and "I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast," for obvious reasons. However, for the sake of this cleaning playlist, I have to go with "Let's Leave," which boasts lyrics like "baby, let's stay in" and "going out is overrated." I couldn't have said it better myself -- especially when there's a pile of dishes in the sink.

Listen to "Let's Leave"

2.) Hellogoodbye's "When We First Met": I don't like to do a lot of heavy thinking when I'm cleaning. (That's what yoga's for! Kidding... Sorta.) That's why I don't listen to anything that requires a lot of my attention when I'm focusing on making my apartment sparkle. Take "When We First Met," for example. It's a sweet toe-tapping pop song about how a relationship is charted by a girl's hair growth and various haircuts. In other words, it's the perfect background musical fodder for me to concentrate on capturing all the dust bunnies that keep procreating under my couch.

Listen to "When We First Met"

3.) Two Door Cinema Club's "Something Good Can Work": There's nothing more satisfying than a good hate-clean. You know what I mean: A "hate-clean" happens when when life gets you so pissed that you have to take out your anger on something, anything... So instead of going for a walk and inevitably punching random people in the face, why not take out your aggression on the bathroom grout or that annoying watermelon juice stain on your white rug? I like to turn on this song when I'm about to embark on a good hate-clean sesh, not only because it's easy to keep your magic eraser abrading in time to the beat, but it's such a positive track that your scowl will turn upside down in no time.

Listen to "Something Good Can Work"

4.) Phoenix's "1901": While I completely stand by "1901" being a must-listen for anyone attempting to get their abode in tip-top shape, I feel that I should offer the following caveat: While listening to "1901," you might notice a lull in actual cleaning. I say this because every time I cue up this song and try to sort my clothes for an upcoming trip to the laundry mat, a small head bob eventually evolves into a full-blown bedroom dance party, population: 1. Then, before I know it, I'm sweating and my limbs hurt from being flailed around in every direction. Consider yourself warned.

Listen to "1901"

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Tags Hellogoodbye, Ida Maria, Phoenix, Soundtrack Of My Life, Two Door Cinema Club

(Credit: Steven Dewall/Redferns)

Here we have Ra Ra Riot's video for the song "Too Dramatic," taken from the group's 2010 album, The Orchard.

For the uninitiated, RRR wrap subtly complex melodies, driven by violin and cello, giving them a sound that resembles a more organic Phoenix. But this band, which originates from Syracuse, N.Y., is possibly most defined by the delicate lead vocals of Wes Miles.

In this clip, Miles makes a big splash, not just with his vocals, but with his Cosby sweater. "Too Dramatic" is a totally lovely and breezy song that coasts along on a insistent beat, while violinist Rebecca Zeller and cellist Alexandra Lawn add layers of melody over the top.

The video is more or less a performance clip, with some appealing special effects thrown in for good measure.

+ Watch Ra Ra Riot's "Too Dramatic" video below.

Tags Phoenix, Ra Ra Riot, video

(Credit: Jack Jeffries/MTV)

This week's MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week is Two Door Cinema Club. Faithful Buzzworthy readers will be familiar with the boys from Two Door Cinema Club. They're a lovely Northern Irish trio who make indie-pop that sidles up nicely next to Phoenix and Peter, Bjorn & John. We premiered their charismatic, swingin' '60s-themed "What You Know" video and revealed some incredible videos from their "Live At MTV" performance.

To get more intimately acquainted with Two Door Cinema, we have a great Buzzworthy video interview with the boys. In it, Two Door Cinema Club talk about songwriting (their craft and trade), Ireland (their home), Phoenix (the band), their music videos (which are awesome)... and much more.

Plus, watch Two Door Cinema Club's acoustic performances of "I Can Talk," "Something Good Can Work," "Undercover Martyn" and "What You Know"  from their "Live At MTV" gig.

Finally, you can check out a photo gallery of Two Door Cinema Club. And, perhaps most of all, you should definitely check out their Tourist History album, which is out now.

+ Watch Two Door Cinema's live performances after the jump.
Read more...

Tags MTV Push, MTV PUSH: Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix, PUSH, PUSH: Two Door Cinema Club, Two Door Cinema Club, video

(Credit: Jakubaszek/Getty Images)

Calling to mind the sound of Phoenix, Death Cab For Cutie and Peter, Bjorn and John, Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club make pristine indie pop with immaculate arrangements hiding a melancholy lyrical heart.

Take for instance this track, "What You Know," from the band's lovely Tourist History album, released last April. The song details a relationship in a subtly doomed state, as the track's narrator muses, "I'm not the best you could have attained."

Despite the maudlin undertones of the song,"What You Know"'s video is, on the other hand, bouncy, colorful and fun. Playing this lightly funky tune on a white soundstage, the band are surrounded by women both lounging about and taking part in some choreographed dances and cheerleader moves.

The whole thing--from the suits the band wears to the dances--is very Mod, but never campy on, say, an "Austin Powers" level.

Check out Two Door Cinema Club's video for "What You Know," below. Tourist History is out now.

Tags Death Cab For Cutie, Peter Bjorn & John, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, video

Welcome back to my round-up of all the cool things all the cool kids are watching and listening to this week! And a one, and a two, and a...

1.) Worst attempt at word invention ever? Rapper Yung Humma has ingeniously combined "smash" and "bang" in his soon-to-be hit single "Lemme Smang It," a sultry ditty describing--what else?--doing it. His dance moves will make you really uncomfortable. (Refinery29)

2.) Glad to see the Glee team taking some creative leaps: For their "Rocky Horror Picture Show" Halloween tribute episode airing tomorrow, Lea Michele's goody-two-shoes character Rachel Berry takes the stage as Rocky goody-two-shoes Janet, and Kevin McHale's wheelchair-bound Artie plays wheelchair-bound Dr. Scott. Watch a sneak peek of Glee's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" episode. (Ace Showbiz)

3.) Kanye West premiered his first film "Runaway" Saturday on MTV. It's an epic tale of a man and his really pretty, nearly naked phoenix, with the dopest soundtrack ever and also some ballerinas. Lucky for you, you can watch Kanye's "Runaway" online. (MTV)

4.) Daft Punk surprised all the hip francophile New Yorkers last week when they joined Phoenix on stage at Madison Square Garden during CMJ. No, it's true! There are pictures. I had tickets to that show and bailed last minute. Life of regret. True story. (Metromix)

5.) Simon Rex has been a lot of things: a porn star, an MTV VJ, a network drama bit player. Of course the next step in his career was to become a rapper. (Now there's an idea, Kurt Loder!) Flavorwire did the hard work and tracked down nine more MTV VJ alumni to see what they're up to now. (Flavorwire)

6.) Baby monkey riding on a baby pig: the viral video sensation now with hilarious original soundtrack! (YouTube)

7.) We here at Buzzworthy love kittens. Seriously, who doesn't love kittens? So by logical extension, we love the band KITTEN, who sound like The Killers and Florence + The Machine rolled into one adorable fuzzy package. OK, not really, but they do sound like that. (MySpace)

8.) Do you consider yourself an accomplished meme entrepreneur? (Meaning, can you make stuff go viral really fast?) Our friends at BuzzFeed are hosting Viral Wars, an online competition to see who can score the most clicks in one week. DO IT! Start being viral! (BuzzFeed)

9.) A computer science student embedded the lyrics to Rick Astley's reborn-by-way-of-the-Internet single Never Gonna Give You Up to create the first ever SUBLIMINAL RICK ROLL! Click through to see the original video. (Gizmodo)

10.) What if the sweet, sweet musings of American rapper 50 Cent were translated into the Queen's English? Well, you would have @English50Cent. (Twitter)

Tags 10 Things To Know Now, Daft Punk, Florence and the Machine, Glee, Kanye West, Kitten, LOL, Phoenix, Rick Astley, Runaway film, The-Killers, Yung Humma

Yesterday afternoon, you might have noticed that Twitter started convulsing, people started breathlessly tweeting, "OMG!" and Katy Perry's name went climbing up the trending topics chart. That's because her new single, "Teenage Dream," the title track from her new album, hit the internet. And once again we were left powerless, singing along after the second listen and well into the 15th play.

"Teenage Dream" isn't dissimilar to "California Gurls," and I've even read a couple of people compare it's delicate opening and dazzling chorus to Phoenix's "Lisztomania." But with its chiming guitars, glorious bridge and ever expanding ecstatic feel, it has all the hallmarks of another Dr. Luke and Max Martin classic: Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone."

But where Kelly's anthem was about getting rid of a suffocating love, Katy's "Teenage Dream" is to disappear into the arms of her lover, for eternity: "We can dance until we die/You and I/We'll be young forever."

Honestly, kids: Resistance is futile. This thing will rule the second half of your summer. Check it out below. And as a bonus, check out Phoenix's "Lizstomania" and Kelly's "Since U Been Gone" videos, both below.

+ Listen to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" here.

Tags Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Phoenix, Song You Need To Know, video

The MTV PUSH Artist of the Week is the incomparable French band Phoenix. Its immaculate, perfectly played, emotionally rich pop-rock is some of the most rewarding music being made today. Earlier in the week, we introduced you to the band, found out more about its latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and revisited its incredible "MTV Unplugged" performance.

Today we cap off Phoenix's PUSH week with another batch of videos. First off is an excellent, somewhat plugged version of "1901," taken from It's On With Alexa Chung. We then move on to two interview clips, where Phoenix reveals which song the group loves to cover (Prince's "Forever In My Life") and how the band members have improved as musicians over the years.

Check out the clips below.

Tags Phoenix, Prince, PUSH, PUSH: Phoenix, video

Phoenix, the incredible (in our approximation) French alt-rock band, possesses everything that a band worshiped by critics and deemed almost holy by modern music experts ought to possess. It has a four-album-strong discography with nary a miss and a coveted place on the cultural mantelpiece beyond music (its music was featured in Sofia Coppola's film "Lost In Translation," and the group is scoring her upcoming film "Somewhere"). Phoenix's appeal spans from college kids to NPR parents, and you can find yourself, well, lost in its high-brow, wordplay-heavy lyrics and lush orchestrations. The band has redefined the depths and dimensions of what pop music can be. Phoenix makes music that by definition of pop music is popular. They're influenced by Michael Jackson. They wins Grammys -- and, incidentally met Snooki). They play late-night shows. You can hear their music on a car commercial. Phoenix's music is irresistible and catchy. But unlike most music you hear on car commercials and on late-night shows, this group's music lives in that rarest stretch of pop music's most intelligent outskirts, in its deepest and most reflective pool.

For the uninitiated, see how Phoenix came upon the name of its latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. See how they met and how they handle mainstream success, and watch Phoenix's "MTV Unplugged" performances after the jump.

Read more...

Related Content Watch Phoenix's Videos, Phoenix On Saturday Night Live And The Kids Of PS 22

Tags Phoenix, PUSH, PUSH: Phoenix, video

(Credit: Scott Gries/MTV)

We're all still catching our breath and drying eyes from Phoenix's near-holy "MTV Unplugged" performance. The marimba on "Lisztomania" would have been worth the entrance fee alone, had there been an entrance fee!

But what about the men behind the music? What's on their minds? We decided to find out in this exclusive Buzzworthy Q&A with the fine Frenchmen of Phoenix.

Find out how Phoenix felt about appearing on "Saturday Night Live" (guitarist Laurent Brancowitz musing, "We didn't know it was imporrrrtaaant,' FTW!"). Hear about how Phoenix has changed since the group's early days, how they felt about PS22's kiddie chorus cover of "Lisztomania" and much, much more.

Check out the interview as well as their "Unplugged" performance of "Lisztomania" below.

+ Watch Phoenix's entire "MTV Unplugged" performance.

Tags mtv-unplugged, Phoenix, video

(Credit: Scott Gries/MTV)

Phoenix, while loved and adored by their passionate fans, are truly artists' artists. Their impeccable arrangements, stellar instrumental skills and awe-inspiring production make even the most talented artist take pause. And now we all get to see how Phoenix works -- the heart, soul and brains behind Phoenix -- in this stunning, intimate setting with Phoenix's "MTV Unplugged."

Watch Phoenix's "MTV Unplugged" performance, including "Lisztomania," "1901," "Long Distance Call," "Rome," "Playground Love" and "Armistice." And check out photos of Phoenix's "MTV Unplugged" taping.

"Lisztomania"

"1901"

"Long Distance Call"

"Rome"

"Playground Love"

"Armistice"

Tags mtv-unplugged, Phoenix, video