Not satisfied to be America's indie-pop darlings, MGMT has been pushing boundaries and alienating some fans in the process with their second and third albums — but no one can say they're not keeping it interesting! Their third, self-titled album came out September 17, and on it is this totally wacky track, "Alien Days," that lies somewhere, influence-wise, between Queen and Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles. The spooky-ass video was just released today, for Halloween, and features lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden singing while tied up naked on a gyroscope. Also, there's a kind of incredible alien dance sequence at the 2:15 mark.

Did we mention there are also goats? And aliens eating blue caviar. It's very Matthew Barney, this.

VanWyngarden says the song is about the feeling that "a parasitic alien is in your head, controlling things.”

[WOW]

Just prior to their appearance at Coachella this weekend, hipster wunderkinds MGMT unveiled music from their second album, Congratulations, last night at the Fillmore. NBC Bay Area's Ben Russo draws comparisons to T. Rex and the Zombies, and says, "While Congratulations is a stronger album as a whole, its lack of a certified dance pop hit may lose the majority of audiences." That's one way of putting it... We just heard people grumbling that it sucked. [NBC Bay Area]

This show was, like, just announced, so we thought it best to bring it to your attention. Stating at noon today, tickets ($25) will go on sale to see MGMT and BLK JKS at The Independent, tomorrow, October 16. For those of you who can't make it to Treasure Island, here your chance to see MGMT in a more comfortable setting. Buy your tickets here. They're sure to sell out soon. Good luck. Update: Show sold out in minutes. Alas.

Barton Carroll (seen above) will be headlining, on Tuesday, at Hotel Utah. Carroll's new CD, The Lost One, comes out the same day. His genuine, story-telling folk songs creates the perfect North Carolina backwoods' atmosphere of his childhood home. Wednesday, if you are ready for some true rock n' roll, then head over to The Independent to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Vampire Weekend is back on Thursday. This time, they are taking their over-buzzed, yet still completely lovable, afro-punk music to 330 Ritch Street hosted by the ever-so-hot popscene. Last time, we were at popscene, it was packed. We have a feeling, it will be again. Don't worry if you already bought tickets to The Lovemakers (who we recommended a couple of weeks ago), Vampire Weekend will be back for two nights in March.

For our weekend recommendations and the full weekly listings, take the jump...