The unofficial festival onslaught kicks off this week with the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. For those unable to attend, we're bringing the music to you – profiling 20 artists who you either know already or will by the week's end. Listen and download all of these songs for free. You're welcome.

Artist: Little Boots

Snap, crackle, electropop! This saucy, synth-y Brit and former lead singer of Dead Disco has already collaborated with Hot Chip and Greg Kurstin, and seems poised for stardom after a memorable set at CMJ last fall. Plus, Perez Hilton lurvs her.

Download: 'Meddle'

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: 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa'

The Contestants: Vampire Weekend vs. Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip

In This Corner -- Vampire Weekend: If you haven't heard of these eclectic music blog beloveds, you deserve a visit from Nosferatu himself. Or maybe just a mix tape from a savvy friend. Either way, you should check 'em out -- this band of Columbia University alumni describe their musical style as "Upper West Side Soweto," and this original cut, 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,' demonstrates their liking for "soukous" music -- Congolese rumba -- rather well. The fact that the Vamps name-check their clash competition, Mr. P. Gabriel, in the tune makes the contest all the more piquant.

Vampire Weekend, 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa'


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M.I.A. hasn't, in fact, left the building, though she did announce from the stage at Bonnaroo that she was retiring, effective immediately. We've heard that before (right, Jay-Z?). Nevertheless, M.I.A. will play the Diesel XXX Party on October 11 in New York City.

The event is part of a worldwide cross-marketing campaign by Diesel, and will also feature N.E.R.D., Hot Chip and a number of other bands that are still unconfirmed. Similar events will happen concurrently in 16 other cities across the planet. All this according to the Diesel website, which lists further information about the party but is sketchy with details like, um, how to get tickets.

Maya, don't go breaking our heart.

Hot Chip officially kicked off their North American fall tour by hitting up two festivals recently: Street Scene in San Diego, and Treasure Island in San Francisco. The gigs were the band's 29th and 30th festival appearances this year alone. Ruminating on hitting the Big 3-0, multi-instrumentalist Owen Clark joked, "We might have a crisis."

We'll see if they end up getting flashy convertibles or any wild tattoos, but in the meantime, the band has switched it up some for this tour, with the addition of drummer Leo Taylor. They previously used a drum machine to fill that position and, prior to that, enlisted the help of LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney.

"Basically, in music, you have to remember that you can do what you want," Clark tells Spinner. "So we decided to do something a little bit different."

Death Cab for Cutie will be performing a free concert at the college that registers the most voters through the Ultimate College Bowl, a national competition encouraging students to get involved in the presidential election.

AC/DC have announced fall tour plans in support of their upcoming album 'Black Ice.' Tickets go on sale on September 20.

Hot Chip recorded a cover of Joy Division's song 'Transmission' and have teamed up with Peter Gabriel to rework Vampire Weekend's 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.'

Jarvis Cocker, turning 30 this year, will headline Rough Trade Records' 30th anniversary tour.

Keane have announced that their third studio album, 'Perfect Symmetry,' will be released on October 13.

Radiohead's Colin Greenwood joined Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in working on the soundtrack for the birding film 'Woodpecker.'

Hot Chip's live concert EP, recorded in Berlin, is now available on the U.S. version of iTunes.

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has criticized Amy Winehouse for "imitating black music in her idiotic way."

Artist: Hot Chip
Video: 'One Pure Thought'
Highlight: In what essentially looks like a Roy Liechtenstein painting come to life, the British electro-pop band gets animated into a pointillist paradise.