Portland director Sean Pecknold has put together a brand new video for Here We Go Magic’s “How Do I Know,” starring experimental dancer Janet Pants. In the middle of a desert landscape or along the side of pools, Miss Pants comes to life like a wind-up robot, full of awkward moves and strange puppet-like animations that make a lyrics like, “How do I know if I love you?” seem to demand an emphatic “ALL OF THIS!” for an answer.
Pecknold was first introduced to the music of Here We Go Magic on a road trip, and a line of synchronicitous experiences led to his directing the film. Here We Go Magic’s upcoming record, A Different Ship, is out now on Secretly Canadian.
By focusing in on a simple guitar riff from The Megaphonic Thrift’s David Lynch-inspired track, “Fire Walk With Everyone,” director Mona Fastvold has turned an indie rock track into a setting for occultism, witchcraft, and magick practices. In the interview below, Fastvold expands upon the ideas that a walk over the Williamsburg Bridge crafted together in her mind.
Two tracks of electronic music courtesy of Sweden’s Bam Spacey and the mysteriously minimal XXYYXX, with visceral music videos featuring female leads going to excessive lengths to consume in the sexiest way possible.
Bam Spacey
Swedish electronic producer Bam Spacey’s latest, Land EP, came out May 22nd on Ceremony Recordings. This video grows with the song; the sloppier the milk-drinking, the fuller the song. Expect another track from Bam Spacey in an upcoming REDEFINE mixtape, and you can stream the entire EP on Fader HERE. It’s highly recommended.
Lyonnais’ music video for “A Sign From On High / Modern Calvary” may be the most spectacular piece of promotional art I’ve seen so far this year. Filmed in multiple locations around the globe by Land & Sea, the scenery reaches as far as the Sahara, London, and Atlanta to recall fashionable regalia and exquisite travel without any of their economic and social implications. Complementary angles and forms intersect and juxtapose to create a world of simultaneous decay and majesty — one which Lyonnais hope is just distant enough to evade recognition. The video for “A Sign From On High / Modern Calvary” is an expansive piece of work, embodying all of the sprawling and meandering of Lyonnais’ sounds with wandering figures and some of nature’s finest landscapes.
The adventure into this music video begins with a small sampling of stills, as chosen by by the band, followed by the video and a smattering of Q&A selections.
2:15 (The advent of humanity)
4:22 (The feminine)
6:03 (The desert dumping into an equally expansive and endless sea)
“To me, it was important to separate the visual to somewhere a little less familiar and more exotic in order to convey the right feeling. There is a certain overwhelming feeling that I get when I think of the Sahara or the Gobi, a place where nothing changes. It could be 2,000 years ago or 2,000 years from now and you wouldn’t know the difference. It humbles you.” - Lyonnais
Drawing from antiquated influences and software, directors Dawid Krepski and Jason Chiu translate the hazy pop sounds of New York musician Beca into a narrative about the understanding and acceptance of the self, whatever that may look like. Below, both directors and Beca answer a brief Q&A about the creative process and underlying message of the “Fall Into Light”.
“The title ‘Fall Into Light’ is a bit of a paradox since I associate light with upward movement, and the concept of falling makes me think of darkness. So it’s this juxtaposition of light and dark which can be taken literally or figuratively, and I like that it’s left open for interpretation. Maybe it means opening opening up yourself enough to see your true self.” - Beca
Belgium’s Antilux and bizarre songwriter Kirin J. Callinan command your attention with highly dramatic presentations and plenty of guitar distortion. (Callinan’s music video is NSFW.)
Antilux
Belgium’s Antilux are pulled around like puppets in this video for “Ophelia,” only to eventually become choked up in a black widow’s tangle of animated strings. This track comes from their remarkable upcoming album, Sleeping Below The Cloud, which is out on Boya Entertainment. Fully-formed and seemingly effortless in sound, the record is well worth checking out. You can stream the entire album below the video, and if you’re feeling lazy, I would highly recommend my favorite track, “Rettgun”, as a starting point.
“Ophelia” Music Video
Director : Boris Wilmot (collectf REANIMATION)
Ophelia : Laura Rodriguez
In 2009, David Daniell of San Agustin and Douglas McCombs of Tortoise disassembled and reassembled seven hours of in-studio improvisation into their collaborative LP, Sycamore. For their upcoming 2012 release, Versions, they’ve given the same seven hours of material and the same creative liberties to engineer and producer Ken Brown to offer up his assemblage of choice. The experimental approach has led to two vastly different records that still live in the same sonic universe. The surprisingly little amount of content overlap between the two releases sees to be, in and of itself, evidence of the importance of individual perspectives.
Versions comes out May 15th on Thrill Jockey Records, and its initial introduction to the public comes in the form of a slow-motion video directed and conceptualized by filmmaker Timothy Leeds, with the help of David Merten. As the sounds of “30265″ teeter gently upon small instrumental seesaws, shapes in Leeds’ video pulse and throb in subtle response. In the Q&A below, Leeds describes the video creation process and some of the decisions behind it.
Whim is a weekly collection of media focusing on independent rock/pop/garage and everything surrounding it. This week we feature a new video from Thee Oh Sees, a free Campfires album, the first clip from Ty Segall Band and more.
Perfume Genius
Perfume Genius’ Put Your Back N 2 It remains one of the most moving and amazing records of the year, and Mike Hadreas continues to support the album with equally terrific music videos. This one for “Dark Parts” features Hadreas’ mother, who doubles as the subject of the track, making for an emotional video. The record has remained in my playlist for months now thanks to its powerful and emotional lyrical content, so it’s great to see those words manifested in video form. Put your Back N 2 It is out now on Matador.
