FYF Fest, which has had issues with security and crowds in previous years, seems to have moved past those problems and evolved into a healthier, happier festival. Standout sets included Girls, who played heavily from their upcoming Father, Son, Holy Ghost, buzzbuilders Purity Ring and steady, show-those-tikes-how-it’s-done vets like Guided By Voices and the Descendents. Jasper Bernbaum took his camera to downtown LA’s State Historic Park on Saturday to document for you.

This final batch of Randy Cremean’s photos from this year’s 10th annual Bonnaroo festival includes the Strokes, Cold War Kids, Robyn, Mavis Staples, a SuperJam featuring Dr. John and Dan Auerbach, and more.

Like New Kids On The Block before them, Cold War Kids are one of those bands long-ago fans have a hard time admitting they once loved. I’m not sure why. Where’s your loyalty (to loyalty)? I never liked them — feel free to do a background check — so I’m comfortable continuing to think they aren’t interesting. But maybe “Royal Blue,” a song from their forthcoming Jacquire King-produced third albumMine Is Yours, will lure the old-guard back into the fold. (Or maybe it’ll make them realize their favorite onetime buzz band would work well on a tour with Jack Johnson.) Listen at HypeM, break out the Tapes ‘N Tapes.

Mine Is Yours is out 1/25 via Downtown.

The White Stripes’s “Hello Operator” showed up in a new Converse commercial featuring Dr. J and Jim Jones, among many others. Converse is one of those brands that artists can be associated with, without losing credibility, though in general it doesn’t come up as much as it used to. Fun commercial, too:

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Dr. Martens are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a digital ad campaign designed to remind you that rock stars wear Dr. Martens. This didn’t work so well last time around. But this time they’re doing something that directly involves musicians by having 10 (or 9, really) young bands do ten covers of nu-classics. Each cover gets its own music video, and will be available as a download. The covers range from intriguing (Buraka Som Sistema covering Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”) to, well, not (D.O.A. and Michael Davis of the MC5 covering Cold War Kids’s “Something Is Right With Me”). Put this Human League cover by DāM-FunK in the former category, especially since it’s accompanied by a nutso video from director Ace Norton. Besides furthering the director’s food obsession, the video looks like it was shot on analog tape, in a nice nod to the song’s origins, and perhaps even John Carpenter’s They Live.

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At Seattle’s biggest music festival, rain is not unexpected; still, the downpours at Bumbershoot ’09 were scary even for this neck of the Pacific Northwest. No bands got electrocuted, but the sound cut out during Black Eyed Peas’ set, so that’s something. Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse were huge draws as the three-day event came to an end last night: Isaac Brock even claimed he was performing with a cracked rib, “but I did it to myself.” The previous day, Yeah Yeah Yeahs enjoyed a rare break in the weather and introduced a new touring keyboardist named Jessica. Other highlights: kids crowd-surfing on an inflatable turtle during Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, the reunited Os Mutantes at the KEXP Lounge, and De La Soul covering Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc” with a full band. Photogs Josh Bis and Josh Lovseth were on hand to capture all the excitement.

Black Moth Super Rainbow recently got interactive for their trippy trampoline-assisted “Dark Bubbles” video. Cold War Kids follow suit in surprisingly psychedelic fashion for the even more interactive “I’ve Seen Enough.” It was directed by Wilco documentarian Sam Jones who filmed each of the four Kids playing his instrument solo on a dark stage. Instructions for the viewer: “Choose a color to change tracks. Click a band member to mute/unmute them.” You can also decide you’ve seen enough and mute them all. Check it at MTVMusic.com.

After we premiered each track from Death Cab’s new Open Door EP, the band set out on a North American tour that found its way to UC San Diego’s RIMAC Arena last night. Photographer Andrew Youssef made the drive from L.A. to La Jolla (as did a lot of folks impatient for the Hollywood Bowl show in July with Tegan & Sara and the New Pornos), which featured standard cuts and EP fare along with opening sets from Ra Ra Riot and Cold War Kids (their first show back after two cancellations due to Nathan’s laryngitis). Pretty bloggy bill, RIMAC. Tour dates, setlist, and lots of pics this way:

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The Reagan babies’ sophomore LP isn’t out until next week, although more than a few of you have already filed reviews. For those awaiting a legit listen, stream away at MTV.

2006 was a good year for Cold War Kids — getting the internet love, the NME love, becoming a lightning rod for music critic conversations about blog bands and Christianity, etc. They’re back now with the Loyalty To Loyalty LP, and on first listen to the lead single we noted not too much had changed (“they learned a disco rhythm — otherwise it’s still relatively twitchy and full of those soul yelps”). The video shows the Kids are still twitchy in person, too, although that fits the song’s title — in an abandoned warehouse space, drawing on chalkboards and knocking shit over, rocking in chairs and frantically trading dishware. I.e. trying not to let it show, not doing a very good job of it.

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