Just admit that if you were an astronaut, you'd have done the same thing.  

George Thorogood and Eric Clapton rarely get mentioned in the same sentence, but maybe it's time for that to change. Both bluesmen dusted off classic songs from forgotten bluesmen and brought them to the attention of the general public. Thorogood merely put a wry, funny twist on songs by Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Brownie McGhee and more (as well as his own self-penned classics such as "Bad to the Bone").

A bunch of those classics are rounded up on "Icon," the new compilation from Lonesome George, due in stores on Tuesday. Not only does it pull together his best work, but there's a new song on there, "Do the Do." In an MSN exclusive, you can hear the new song below.

Consider this a starting point for those of you unfamiliar with the depth and breadth of Thorogood's work. While "Bad to the Bone" and "I Drink Alone" have become ubiquitous, his albums always delve into the blues much further. Here's a personal favorite that didn't make the new disc -- Thorogood's sublime cover of Hooker's "One Way Ticket."






 

Oops. They meant to give you just a taste, but the entire new Daft Punk album has leaked. So now it's up on iTunes for anyone to hear. Listen to the record here.

 

Damn, they're good. Daft Punk continues (along with David Bowie) to rewrite the rules of marketing music in 2013. While everyone else is trying to get all the exposure they can, Daft Punk has been cheekily dropping tiny hints, clues and snippets. Mysterious posters all around SXSW. A snippet of music released in a TV commercial during "Saturday Night Live." A first single, "Get Lucky," recorded in complete secrecy and now inescapable. And everything they do goes viral every step of the way.

"Random Access Memories" is due out on May 21, but it can't get here quick enough for fans. Daft Punk released another snippet -- there's just 15 seconds of music in the video for the unboxing of the album below.

 

Brooklyn's The National is the kind of band people get obsessive about, but this is something else again. This past weekend, the band participated in an art installation by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson entitled “A Lot of Sorrow,”  which consisted of a six-hour loop of a single National song, "Sorrow," without pause, played by the band itself. A sample is shown above. If you missed the show, and might perhaps enjoy seeing the band play more than just the one number, never fear; they have extensive tour dates to accompany their new record, "Trouble Will Find Me," due out May 21.  The New Yorker has a detailed (and hilarious) account of the art happening below: 

Just what does it take to get Led Zeppelin to reunite? Even President Bill Clinton's famous diplomacy couldn't do the trick, according to 60 Minutes. AP reported this week that the former president was enlisted by the Robin Hood Foundation and film executive Harvey Weinstein to ask the notoriously reluctant group—whose surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones he had recently met at the Kennedy Center Honors—to re-form to play last year's benefit for victims of Hurricane/Superstorm​ Sandy. The band, as it has many times in the past, said no. Despite near constant rumors, the only full-blown Led Zeppelin reunion to have actually taken place in the past few decades (leaving aside the disastrous Live Aid appearance in 1985, and a couple of high-profile parties) was 2007's concert at London's O2 Arena.

 

And we thought Ziggy Stardust was shocking at the time.

David Bowie's new video for the title track of his album "The Next Day" is here, and there's a little something for everyone. Blood, lots of blood, including two eyeballs served up on a platter. Stigmata. Nudity. Gary Oldman as an errant priest (use your imagination). The pope, a lot of religious symbolism, and did we mention the blood and nudity? Toss in Marion Cotillard and Bowie in the Obi-Wan Kenobi garb we told you about a few weeks back and you've got it all going on here. Not safe for work, for your mother, for your kids, for your fellow churchgoers -- but if there was any doubt that classic Bowie is back, this should settle the matter. Watch the explicit video, which YouTube gave an "adults-only" rating, below. 

It's hard to believe that Mariah Carey is about to have her 14th album under her belt -- outpacing Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and plenty more. It doesn't have a title yet, but the lead single "Beautiful" is now available through iTunes or you can just listen to it through the streaming link below.

Why "half" a single? Because as Gawker points out (and your ears will tell you) the R&B singer Miguel is as much a part of the single or more than Carey -- he takes the first verse and to some ears (mine) is the best part of the song. Or as Gawker puts it, she's "a guest on her own comeback single." You be the judge.



 

Hello All:
Here is a link to a piece that I was ‘required’ to release immediately, by virtue of the impending legal deadline. I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music… but the message is still there. In light of Wednesday’s tragic loss [of former label mate Chris Kelly], I am even more pressed to YELL this to a multitude that may not understand the cost of allowing today’s unhealthy paradigms to remain unchecked!
- MLH