Music Videos

In Japan, Aokigahara is a forest at the base of Mount Fuji. Both a tourist destination of natural bounty and one of the top suicide sites in the world, it is simultaneously so lush it has been nicknamed Sea Of Trees and so mythologically curious that it has become associated with demonic presences. Exemplifying the region’s conflicting connotations is The Nocturne’s latest album. Aokigahara stirs up feelings from vague spaces — akin, perhaps, to what the morbidly curious feel when stumbling unexpectedly upon death. In circumstances when one can gain enough distance to view decay in its true artistic form, one can find in death the same sense of elation one finds in anything strange and novel.

With a singular reverbed inhalation from vocalist Emma Ruth Rundle, Aokigahara oozes dreamily into existence. It follows with the haunting line, “Life steals up my breath” — but contrary to instinct, the mortality captured by these lyrics is not sad. Sonically speaking, it might even be construed as hopeful. With ethereal textures framing the aery vocals, blacks and whites blur into hues of grey, evading definite emotions, like manifestations of dark dreams while one lies in the radiance of morning light.

Listen to “The Road” – DOWNLOAD MP3

Listen to “Love” – DOWNLOAD MP3

As expected from a band that includes two members from post-rock veterans Red Sparowes, The Nocturnes’ instrumentation is well-seasoned and dynamic. What makes their sound truly mesmerizing, though, is its inclusion of folk and shoegaze influences and the interweaving vocals of Rundle, guitarist Paris Patt, and guitarist Julian Rifkin. These components crystallize perfectly, particularly in the album’s first half, and are exemplified by the album’s strongest track, “The Road.” Despite ebbing and flowing from affirmations to negations and back, “The Road” maintains a wondrous sense of balance. Rundle and Patt seem to embody mournful ghosts reaching out to one another in the afterlife, the arrangements and melodies contributing a monastic quality of timelessness and eternal knowledge.

Aokigahara is a record focused on death and malaise, but it is also a comforting companion. By taking into account the bigger picture, The Nocturnes seem to perceive difficult themes from a vantage point outside of themselves, from a space that accepts and understands all.

Needless to say, that throwback metal style is all the rage now. The Sword just recently opened up for Metallica, and after releasing two albums to sett the stage, it is time for their definitive album. Warp Riders is the band’s most focused effort. With cover art that looks straight science fiction, Warp Riders is less a concept album and more just consistent with its science fiction themes. The album opens with the eerily instrumental tones of “Acheron/Unleashing the Orb” before launching into the stoner metal riffs that placed The Sword at the forefront of the new metal wave. “Tres Brujas” wastes even less time with setting an ambient stage and just launches straight into juicy throwback metal riffs designed solely for headbanging and nothing more. “Arrows in the Dark” takes packs an absolutely brutal kick, and absurd guitar melodies reign supreme in “Night City.” In less words, this album is flat out metal.

The sound that The Sword is helping to bring back showcases a clear progression from the band’s previous two albums to where they are now. Warp Riders is nothing but metal, but it isn’t as obvious as in previous albums. It isn’t that the riffs aren’t equally as delicious as they were before — if anything, they’re are more. Warp Riders is a mature effort from a band that is really starting to plant its roots into the genre’s ground. And rather than just shoving it down your throat, The Sword have fun and add a bit of intelligence to it all. The album doesn’t necessarily bite as hard as The Sword’s previous albums, but their previous albums also faltered with lack of consistency. Warp Riders is a model of consistency — 10 straight tracks of pure, rocking metal.

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“I try not to think at all. If I pre-think anything, it’s usually bad.”

This video from Sydney’s WIM creeps through nature, continues with woman, and ends in death and massacre. In 4:20, one takes a quick glimpse into an alternate reality of fog and semi-jungle surroundings which betray an initial sense of familiarity.

As they say, “See you on the other side.”

Directed by Daniel Askill from Collider.

We, as human beings, are just animals. Measly, measly, animals, lacking uniqueness, though try and try we may.

In this video for the minimal “Still Corners,” flickering apparitions of band members float in like film reel projections or and turn about like three-dimensional holograms. Although there are only a handful of shots, the editing, which syncs up nicely with the audio, makes the visuals extremely hypnotic.

“It’s about confusion,” explains Greg Hughes. “It’s about being confused. Am I going crazy? Does this person like me? What’s happening? That’s the vibe of the whole record really.”

Peer through crystal balls and tunnel through holes full of religious iconography, facepaint, starry lights, and animation. This video for “Spacetime” is reminiscent of some kind of cross between shamanistic rituals, voodoo magick, and goofball schtick, just like these metaphysical-minded chumbawumbas. Simultaneously playful and deep, Gardens & Villa are pretty much the best combination ever.

“I [would] just always go to thrift stores and just see these beautiful, beautiful blankets and stuff that were like two bucks… Now, the aesthetic has come into fashion, so it’s kind of like, of course people see that stuff and like it – but when I was collecting it, nobody liked it; it was just crap.”

The Echo
Los Angeles, CA
2011 – 07/21

Sam Mickens

With his sleek and composed appearance, Sam Mickens, who also fronts Seattle-based band The Dead Science, kicked off the night. Mickens’ solo set did not seem like a far cry from his work with the band. Though he was only equipped with a guitar, the songs were softer and less spastic, yet still the notes and words creeped from stanza to stanza. His voice quivered like that of a ’50s crooner with an added menacing touch. For his closing song, he was joined on stage by Extra Life’s Charlie Looker and Craig Wedren, of the Dischord Records band Shudder To Think, on guest vocals.

Extra Life

When Extra Life took the stage, it was a great surprise to see only three guys. As complex as the band’s music is, one would expect at least six band members, with half of the group playing a type of instrument that would come out of a Tim Burton movie. In reality, the band was just composed of vocalist Looker on synths, a drummer, and guitarist. Playing songs off the latest Extra Life EP, entitled Ripped Heart, Looker’s facial expressions were like that of a mad scientist. The rhythm of his vocals was almost Gregorian chant-like and his focused stares seemed to take cues from a plethora of voices inside his head. The band’s set was like an abstract painting where a viewer’s eyes have a hard time focusing on one point. The listener’s ears are taken for a wild ride without much of a focus point — not necessarily a bad thing. While filled with contrasting dark percussion and sometimes vibrant synth sounds, songs like “Strong Brother, Weak Brother” managed to be quite enchanting. The eeriness of “Head Shrinker” felt like it stopped time, giving the audience the chance to better grasp and appreciate the compositions.

Parenthetical Girls

Parenthetical Girls had a lighter tone compared to the night’s prior performers, but their set was nothing short of mesmerizing. Touring with an entirely new band, frontman Zac Pennington and his new recruits got off to a rough start with “A Song For Ellie Greenwich,” as the mixing levels were a bit off. However, everything was fixed by the next song, the electro-fused “Careful Who You Dance With.” When not playing guitar, Pennington endearingly jumped into the crowd and pranced around the club. Something about his graceful movements were reminiscent of a cuddly bunny rabbit, and his hand gestures channeled the allurement of a flight attendant. He’s definitely one of those guys that both women and men can be attracted to. On the last song, “Stolen Children,” Pennington went into the crowd and while crouched down, went around the club tapping the ground, walls and mirrors. His actions mirrored that of a young child marveled by a new environment, excited to explore and create. It made the music even more charming.

Abe Vigoda

Excited to once again be sharing the stage with Parenthetical Girls, Abe Vigoda closed out the night with their muddy pop tunes. Though the music incorporated punk and garage rock elements, the band’s set was very ebullient. Whether it was a song using a lot of distortion or a tropical-inspired track, it was obvious that the band members were having fun as they danced on stage. They were also very gracious in between songs, thanking everyone for attending the show. Gratitude was strong a reoccurring theme, making the night that much more enjoyable and reinforcing the importance of community between bands and fans.

Calgary-based musician Chad VanGaalen is one talented dude, and his artistic skills are just as prominent as his musical skills. How fortuitous that he is in a position to animate a video such as this one, for “Peace Is On The Rise”! What you can expect from this video is plenty of aliens, morphing and melting characters (primarily towards the amazing end), heavy linework, and ever-amassing subtleties. The video explores both the micro and the macro, with an overall result quite reminiscent of a ebbing and flowing cartoons like Superjail! or Fantastic Planet.