See Frank Ocean's Great "Late Night" Performance, Download 10-Minute Epic "Pyramids"

Photo by Lloyd Bishop (NBC)

Frank Ocean. You've probably heard the name quite a bit in the past week in one way or another. And while a lil 'ol blog like Mixtape Muse writing about a buzzed about artist might seem like an attempt to ride the coattails of that buzzwave in an attempt to increase our amount of hits, it's really not. We here at Mixtape Muse have been fans of Ocean (born Christopher Breaux) since last year's debut Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. And so, I feel I must share Frank Ocean's performance from Monday night's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

But why?

Download Sharon Van Etten's "Serpents," Catch Her on Fallon Tonight

Photo by Dusdin Condren

A few years back, singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten quietly crept up on all of us, sharing with us an unassuming yet utterly enthralling brand of folk rock. My introduction to her came in the form of her debut Daytrotter session, which I found rather magical: a single voice and guitar creating such moving, interesting songs. I recently caught her latest single, "Serpents," on the radio, which really has me excited to hear her forthcoming third album Tramp. Not only that, it's knocked some sense into me to finally dive into her past work. Check out "Serpents" as well as Van Etten's last two full-lengths in their entirety below.

WATCH: M83 - "Midnight City" (Live on 'Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon')

Ok. Did you watch Jimmy Fallon last night? If you didn't, you missed two things of note: 1) The Roots played Fishbone's "Lyin' Ass Bitch" for Michele Bachmann's walk-on song (!) and 2) M83 absolutely nailed their performance of "Midnight City," from their latest release, the double-album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. For starters, "Midnight City" is one of the year's best tracks, so it made the performance all the more enjoyable. Watch Anthony Gonzalez and co. work some magic below. Just wait for the non-ironic, jazzy sax solo -- it really seals the deal.

VIDEO: The National Debut New Song On "Fallon"

Last night, The National debuted "Terrible Love," the opening track from their upcoming album High Violet. The album isn't out until May 11th so it was special little treat for those thirsty for new material -- or for those unfamiliar with the band.

When I was in my favorite local record shop recently (okay a few weeks ago), I asked about the new Spoon album. The guy behind the counter said he was struggling to get into it, feeling that the band had entered adult contemporary territory. I had a somewhat similar feeling with the first few bars of this new National song. Turns out it was more apprehension than anything else. Luckily, the band progresses through the song displaying why they are one of the most distinguished bands around today, with their trademark eloquence and soaring spirit.

Watch The National's performance of "Terrible Love" below.

High Violet is out May 11th via 4AD.

*This is the album art according to confirmed reports via Pitchfork

Jawbox to Perform "Savory" on Jimmy Fallon, December 8th

It was announced a few days ago that seminal DC post-punk band Jawbox would be reuniting to perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on December 8th, 2009. But what are they going to play? Well, I can confirm that the band plans to play the slow-but-steady rocker "Savory." The song comes from their 1994 album For Your Own Special Sweetheart. This will be the band's first performance in 12 years. No announcements have been made for any other reunion shows. So, get up to Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center or tune in to NBC on December 8th.

As previously reported, the band is reissuing For Your Own Special Sweetheart on CD and vinyl on November 24th. Below is the reissue cover.

Also, some music history made live a few weeks ago...