M.I.A. - Born Free (NSFW)

Well, welcome back M.I.A. One of the reasons why I am forced to display a Vimeo clip for this video is because Youtube pulled it off of their website. You can't really blame them with the video's nudity, execution of a young boy, and slow motion explosion of another boy. Political much? "Born Free" is off of her upcoming album.

We Are Wolves - Blue

Quebec/Montreal based We Are Wolves consist of only three permanent members, however they are able to fill a very professional and full sound. "Blue" comes from their 2009 album Invisible Violence. The complexity/artistry of the video matches the overall tone of the song very well. Posted below is "Little Birds", very LCD Soundsystem-esque.

You have to hand it to the guys in Bear in Heaven. They were stuck in the Madrid airport with a camera and decide 'hey, let's set it on the luggage conveyor belt and see what we get'. The result is a pretty unique video that matches up to their song "Dust Cloud" really well. Especially since they were trapped due to the Icelandic volcano eruption, essentially, a dust cloud.

The video reminded me of a sushi conveyor belt video I saw a bit ago.

Family Band - Children

Brooklyn based (score another one for the Indie Brooklyn scene) Family Band is the collaboration between wife-husband duo Kim Krans on vocals and Johny Ollsin on guitar. "Children" is off of their upcoming LP Miller Path. Overall, their sound is haunting, brooding, and reminiscent of a low key Fiona Apple. Don't believe me? Compare for yourself below.

Earl Greyhound - Shotgun

Brooklyn based Earl Greyhound is on tour with OK Go! and made a trip to Ithaca yesterday. They complimented the high strung theatrics of OK Go! quite well with their more laid back classic rock. "Shotgun" is off of their 2010 album Suspicious Packages. Enjoy!

OK GO! - This Too Shall Pass

OK GO! is starting to become well known for their crazy music videos to accompany their songs (circa the Treadmills off of their first album). Although I am a Johny Come Lately with posting these fine videos representing "This Too Shall Pass" off of their 2010 Of the Blue Color of Sky, they are still incredible videos. Additionally, they play in Ithaca later today, so big news for us out here.



Side note, I DJed for Cornell University's Grad Ball on Friday, a reasonably large crowd (500 people) attended and overall it was a good time. Minus the fact someone stole my Venetian Mask and nearly had both my speakers destroyed. So apologies for missing a couple of posts, been exhausted.

An Horse - Postcards

Kate Cooper and Damon Cox make up the Melbourne, Australia duo An Horse. The song "Postcards" is off of their 2009 album Rearranging Beds while the music video was just released two days ago. Within the music video, the reconstruction of a man from scratch matches the overall ominous but progressive sound of the music.

And it's not what I want to hear, what I want to see
but your skin's covered in postcards from you to me, to me.

When you see me sit by myself, you'll think that I'm waiting for someone else.
But I'm wishing for somewhere else, I'm wishing for somewhere else.

Two postcards in a month or so, well I don't know, I just don't know.

Complicated. Enjoy!

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

Um... yeah... so...

I don't really know what to say about this video. The whole thing actually kinda disturbed me more than anything. I mean, I get the concept and LCD Soundsystem has always pushed the envelope, but the overall effect of the video for "Drunk Girls" off of their upcoming This is Happening, is, well, sort of unsettling. The beginning of the video more or less has the random pandas pulling harmless pranks, then they increase in aggression and overall creepiness overtime. I dunno about you, but when they hulled the backup vocalist into the backroom and had a random woman screaming violently in the background, it got weird. I guess that the video lives up to the name "this is happening" pretty well. Also, the song really isn't all that great, LCD has had much better work in the past.

So, overall, I think this is my first bad review.

A better song and video by them ("North American Scum"):

Christopher Smith - Gently Gently

A confession, Vimeo is a great place to find unique and artistic music videos. The featured video today is Chritopher Smith's "Gently Gently" from their upcoming May 2010 release The Beckon Call. A great way to market your music these days is to produce a heartfelt, artistic, stop-motion video that captures a wide audience. The music style sounds very similar to M. Ward, maybe a little more reserved if that is possible.

Miike Snow - Animal

The Swedish band Miike Snow (if you were wondering, it is NOT pronounced how it looks, but it actually sounds more like Mark Snou) consists Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg. The trip formed in 2007 and released their first self-entitle album Miike Snow in May of 2009. The song "Animal" posted above describes the bands overall sound pretty well, blending electronica, indie, and pop altogether. They range from dark and gloomy ("In Search Of") to optimistic ("Animal"). Posted below is the video for "Black and Blue". I often feel like I could become that guy one day...

Flaming Lips @ Barton Hall - April 18th 2010

The Flaming Lips played at Cornell University's Barton Hall on Sunday, April 18th, 2010. It was an amazing show with Wayne Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble-hamster cage crowd surfing. An okay quality of their cover of Pink Floyd is posted below. Overall, great concert.

Flaming Lips Marathon - Race for the Prize

"Race for the Prize" from 1999's The Soft Bulletin.

Flaming Lips Marathon - Fight Test

"Fight Test" from 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

Flaming Lips Marathon - Pink Robots

"Pink Robots" from 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Flaming Lips Marathon - Breath

"Breathe" actually a cover from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Awesome.

Flaming Lips Marathon - I Can Be a Frog

"I Can Be a Frog" from 2009's Embryonic.

Flaming Lips Marathon - Gemini Syringes - NSFW

"Gemini Syringes" from 2009's Embryonic.

Flaming Lips Marathon - Powerless

"Powerless" from 2009's Embryonic.

The Morning Benders - Excuses

So, I'll admit, I saw this video a bit back on vimeo but decided against posting it because I found the middle section where the lead singer (Chris Chu) starts leading the A Capella section to be distracting. However, the overall project is still quite neat, collaborating with local San Franscisco musicians to celebrate/promote the Morning Bender's 2010 sophomore release "Big Echo". Their album is really worth a listen, to me, it is kinda like Vampire Weekend but without the Phil Collins undertones. I also was forced to post this because the Morning Benders are starting to gain in popularity. Go them. Enjoy!

Kid Sam - Down to the Cemetary

Following up on the Kid Sam's "We're Mostly Made of Water", the Australian band also released the song "Down to the Cemetery" that juxtaposes the restrained rock music and children dancing with the idea of death (always a good mixture). The cousin duo (Kishore Ryan and Kieran Ryan) haven't hit mainstream America yet, but I have a feeling their sophomore album after their 2009's self entitled album will most likely get noticed more internationally. Enjoy!

The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health

Spring boarding off of yesterday's solo work done by Fever Ray, the older brother-sister electric duo released several albums under the band name the Knife. Their 2006 album Silent Shout contains some of their finest work including the posted video "We Share Our Mother's Health". The aptly animated and creepy music video is a product of the artist Motomichi Nakamura. Although the storyline revolves around a girl waking from a deep sleep and attempting to find a sacred apple, the S&M undertones and overall uneasiness dominate the production. Oddly, it reminds me a bit of the Presets music video for "The Girl and the Sea" where the animation enhances the overall tone of the song. Enjoy!

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

Fever Ray is the solo work of Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson from the brother-sister duo the Knife. The Swedish performer's 2009 album pushed the electronic-ambient indie movement a little further, bringing in haunting and at times almost primordial sounds. The album is excellent. "When I Grow Up" is posted above and "If I had a Heart" is posted below.

The Doves - Andalucia

Some bands do not deserve a best of album early in their career, the Doves however have produced three solid albums over two decades (started their formation in 1985) and have made cultural appearances in shows such as the OC and tours with Oasis and Coldplay. Not bad for a group that met while they were 15 in Manchester, England. They have had many number ones on the UK Billboard Charts and have had critical acclaim in the United States. Their most recent album is a best of collection, but it contains the new single "Andalucia" that is presented above. Although it is not groundbreaking in itself, the song summarizes the mature and full sound the Doves are able to produce after releasing four albums (Lost Souls, the Last Broadcast, Some Cities, and the Kingdom of Rust). Since I was late in posting this, enjoy one song from each of these albums below!

Doves - "Cedar Room" from 2000's Lost Souls.



Doves - "There Goes the Fear Again" from 2002's The Last Broadcast (also on the 500 Days of Summer Soundtrack).



Doves - "Black and White Town" from 2005's Some Cities (note the social commentary of the abandoned youths).



Doves - "Kingdom of Rust" from 2009's Kingdom of Rust.

How Music Works

Even though this is from CollegeHumor, it is really well done.

Soulsavers - Kingdom of Rain

"Kingdoms of Rain" is an older song by Soulsavers off of their 2007 album It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land. The group consists of Rich Machin, Ian Glover, and guest starring Mark Lanegan (who has bounced around quite a bit, working on the Queens of Stone Age as well as teh Gutter Twins). The down-tempo often captures a contemplative sound in the majority of their music.

Specifically focusing in on "Kingdoms of Rain" for a moment, one will notice the video imagery investigates Louisiana after the Katrina aftermath. Fitting for this specific song. One of the stunning reminders is that Hurricane Katrina struck landfall nearly 5 years ago now, highlighting the Civil Engineering and political mismanagement of vital infrastructure within the region. Reconstruction is slow within some areas during recovery. As these natural and man-made catastrophes become more common place (due to population expansion, climatic shifts, and over taxation of natural systems) I wonder how these tragedies will impact the artistic output of our society. Will each event filter into our media and how we communicate with each other or will they become common place and entertainment in themselves? If songs such as "Kingdoms of Rain" are a testament the potential creative output resulting from disasters, I hope the artistic community will continue to investigate the human response to forces that are out of their control. At least we as a society may gain a glimpse of who the better more heroic version of each of us are.

Midnight Juggernauts - Vital Signs

The Melbourne, Australia based Midnight Juggernauts return to the Indie electro-pop dance scene with their 2010 album The Crystal Axis. From the first video for the song "Vital Signs" off of that album, it is clear that the Midnight Juggernauts have both preserved their original lush sound and have expanded/matured just a bit. Additionally, they are now officially in the running with Yeasayer for the most psychedelic videos out there. Enjoy!

The Twilight Sad - And She Would Darken the Memory

The Twilight Sad is an indie rock trio hailing from Kilsyth, Scotland. The song "And She Would Darken the Memory" is off of their 2009 sophomore album Forget the Night Ahead. They combine post-punk sounds of bands such as Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Caspian while their vocals remind me of a singer somewhere between the Nationals and Silversun Pickups (when the lead is not pained). Overall, a low-key and experimental output. Enjoy!

The Hoof and the Heel - Fireworks (NSFW)

Montreal based the Hoof and the Heel consists of Harris Shper and Christine Hale, Farid Rener on the drum/synth, and Al Mal on bass. Currently, they only have the EP And All the Tigers released early in 2010, however the overall cohesiveness and intelligence of their sound makes them a band worth noting. The song "Fireworks" is a standout, combining a sense of joy and confusion seamlessly together. The accompanying video depicting the formation and ultimate demise of a relationship compliments the music. Young love is easily confused, so is the melody and beats of THATH. However, in that confusion often resides profound beauty.

Five Years Older - In The City

This is a case where the music video makes the song much better than it actually is. On the surface, Switzerland's Five Years Older "In the City" delivers a standard low-key pop affair. However, the psychedelic distortion the music video provides is truly amazing. Enjoy the package!

The Antlers - Kettering

I have posted previously about the Antlers, so this is not so much a post about the band but the song "Kettering" from their album Hospice. The song is incredible with the story told and the build of the emotions through a haunting progression in the music. Additionally, the song is appearing in pop culture, most recently on Chuck's Monday night episode "Chuck versus the Other Man".

Personally, I listened to this song on repeat while sketching in a small notebook traveling from London to Paris by train. There is something in the lyrics, in the melody, and in the broken harmonies that translates to reflection and sorrow. The Antlers are a stunning band.

I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you.

...

You made me sleep and uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you.

Record Club - New Sensation

What do you get when you combine Beck, the Liars, and St. Vincent? A small side project that has dedicated themselves to covering INXS greatest hits is the answer. The song above "New Sensation" is from INXS's album Kick. Overall, it slows it down and mellows it out. Check out the additional "Guns in the Sky" below. Enjoy!



P.S. I'm BACK!

Okkervil River - A Girl In Port

Home.