The Rules for Battle: Each week, we pit versions of the same song by two different artists in a head-to-head death match for musical supremacy. (Sometimes it will be the original recording vs. a cover version; other times it will be two different covers.) Then it's up to you to decide: Listen to and vote on which version you think should emerge victorious and which should be sent packing. May the best band win!



The Song: 'Hospital Beds'

The Contestants: Cold War Kids vs. Florence and the Machine

In This Corner -- Cold War Kids: Lead singer Nathan Willett's vocals have been called "dreary," and whether or not you agree, that melancholy state of mind is on perfect display in the Kids' 'Hospital Beds,' the haunting tale of two men who make friends while convalescing in, yes, their hospital beds. No doubt it's depressing subject matter, but thanks to a combination of lilting lyrics, meandering piano and a jaunty drum line, it's easy to find yourself listening to it on repeat -- and even easier to forget that it's all about the "joy and misery" of the ill.

Cold War Kids, 'Hospital Beds'

"We wanted to sound a lot different than [on] the first record," Cold War Kids vocalist Nathan Willett tells Spinner of their latest record, 'Loyalty Loyalty,' the follow-up to 2006's 'Robbers and Cowards.' "It's a darker sounding, rounder sounding ... it's a little more serious of an album. More refined, grittier, dirtier, slower and faster."

Don't think that "dark" sounds are born of complete despair. Try something as simple as equipment problems, as found on the first single, 'Something Is Not Right With Me.' "Microphones were falling all over the place and [Nate] was trying to get his chord around a microphone stand, and he just said, 'Something's not right with me,'" bassist Mike Maust says. "I was like, 'That's a great thing there.'"

Artist: Cold War Kids
Video: 'Something Is Not Right With Me'
Highlight: The SoCal indie rockers spend some quality time together in an abandoned warehouse. Buy it on iTunes.

Best known for his role as the tightly wound Dwight Schrute on TV's 'The Office,' Rainn Wilson has become something of a cultural icon. (How many Schrute Bucks do you have?) And while he's held several smaller roles on both the big and small screen, including last year's runaway indie hit 'Juno' and HBO's cult series 'Six Feet Under,' he makes his starring debut as an overspandexed has-been drummer from the '80s in 'The Rocker.' Wilson took time out to catch up with Spinner and talk about his real-life role as a music enthusiast and his own rock-star tendencies.

"There were a lot of perks," he told us of his recent promotional tour, which had him making appearances at music festivals this past spring, including Sasquatch. "I got to interview the Who. I was terrible. But it was a dream come true," he admits, calling Pete Townshend an "icon" and maintaining that behind Bob Dylan, "there's no other person I wound rather meet." But he isn't just about the veterans. During our talk, he drops names like Cold War Kids, the National, Fleet Foxes, the Raconteurs, Kings of Leon and Wilco. "I love Wilco," he gushes. "I just think they will be remembered like the Byrds were, as just a great American rock band. But ask him for his favorite of all time, he's quick to answer "Radiohead."

When it comes to concerts, let's be honest: Unless your band rocks a double kick drum and has ch-ch-chunky power chords, bigger is rarely better. Many die-hard music fans love to play the game 'I saw Modest Mouse in a club this small,' but there's one place on the Net where you can witness amazing, brief moments of musical glory in the smallest venue of all.

Like it says on their Web site, "One song. One take. One cab" is the perfect description of the Black Cab Sessions' modus operandi, and there are moments of minimalist beauty throughout this unique London-based production company's mini-films. If the site feels like a labor of sincere musical love, that is because it is, explains Black Cab-ber/filmmaker Jonny Madderson. He says that they stay true to the one-shot rule for two basic reasons -- endorphins and money. "We're pretty militant about the 'one take' thing, because it adds so much to what is thrilling about the sessions -- watching an artist go for it as the cab weaves around corners and lurches over speed bumps. We're also hard core for financial reasons: We pay for this all ourselves, so doing any more than one take would mean the cab fares get expensive."

• Band of Horses and Jack Penate previewed new songs at Ireland's Oxygen Festival on Sunday.
  

• Cold War Kids have revealed details about their upcoming sophomore album, 'Loyalty to Loyalty,' which will be released this September.
  

• The Apples in Stereo and Elijah Wood have signed a guitar that will be auctioned off to benefit Housing Works, a New York-based nonprofit that fights AIDS and homelessness.
  

• Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Ramones bassist C.J. Ramone made guest appearances during Pearl Jam's second night of a two-night stand at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

• The Cold War Kids will release their as-yet-titled second album on September 23.

• Joan Osborne will release a new album, titled 'Little Wild One,' on September 9. Osborne reteamed with producer/writers Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman, and Eric Bazilian -- the collaborators behind her multiplatinum debut 'Relish' -- for the effort.

• Devo are suing McDonald's over a Happy Meal toy called New Wave Nigel.