Music Videos

Watching Colin Stetson live is an absolute jaw-dropping marvel. With his circular breathing technique, Colin Stetson crafts soundscapes with a bass saxophone like no one else can.

This video for “Those Who Didn’t Run” is quite simple, comprised of little more than a few components. Trees, mountains, smoke, waterfalls, and most importantly, the moon, are woven together in brilliant succession with the music to create a synesthetic delight.

Directed by Isaac Gale
Edited by JoLynn Garnes and Isaac Gale
2011

“Summer Of Love” is one of the most compelling tracks on Prince Rama’s latest album, Trust Now, and this new music video feels revelatory, an Indian and Hare Krishna-inspired celebration of glitz and glamour.

Crafted completely by Prince Rama and with the help of close friends, this video begins slowly and ethereally but culminates in loosely symmetrical brilliance that some of their visual influences (see below) would probably be proud of. Most importantly, though, it captures the essence of the sisterly duo’s softness and decadent flair in a mere six minutes. “Summer Of Love” is probably their most impressive visual output yet, and is an important marker on their attempts to synthesize their music with their unique visual style.

Stay tuned for our interview with Prince Rama, which is coming before the end of the year!

Starring Melissa Huser and Prince Rama
Directed by Prince Rama
Shot by Ian Perlman
Edited by Prince Rama with technical assistance by Julian Bozeman
Post-production, special effects and titles by Julian Bozeman

Fucked Up’s release David Comes to Life is a sure bet to end up on many a critical darling’s acclaimed best of 2011 list. The sprawling epic tells the life story of David, a factory worker who falls in love with an activist named Veronica, and accidentally kills her when the two try to bomb the factory he works in. Through an introspective and existential battle, David realizes he is a character in a narration and battles to establish his own destiny outside of the story. Fucked Up is a band constantly pushing the boundaries, and have released three music videos either revolving around the story, or containing bits and pieces of the story within. This is slowly turning out to be one of the more elaborate albums released recently, and despite an announced upcoming hiatus, Fucked Up don’t appear to be done with the story of David yet.

Below is the trio of music videos; the third and most recent features the death of Veronica at the end.

The first video, “Queen Of Hearts”:

The second video, “The Other Shoe”:

The third video, “Turn the Season”:

Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain was released in 1973. The psychedelic story is geometry-heavy and laden with symbolic imagery and metaphysical themes. In short, the visually-stunning masterpiece has inspired countless creations, and it seems to be receiving another breath of fresh air as of late.

REDEFINE MUSICIANS, ARTISTS, AND FILMMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY.

It seems Finland’s SINNAI are amongst the creative folk inspired by Jodorowsky, and they’ve shown that in their latest music video. The band is less than a year old but are releasing their krautrock-inspired Olympic Games on February 21st, 2012, on Splendour Records (Casiokids, His Clancyness, Brad Laner). “Anthem 1&2″ is the first single for that album, and they’ve decided to match it up to scenes from Holy Mountain.

It goes without saying that the video is visually incredible. And SINNAI certainly did credit Jodorowsky on their YouTube credits, but it needs to be asked: is this re-appropriation an acceptable homage or an easy way out? It there artistic integrity or is it trite?

Towards the bottom of the post is a Physical Therapy 3-step remix of “Anthem 1&2,” along with two fan-made music videos set to Holy Mountain. The first uses Amon Düül II’s “Müller’s Frau Jam”; the second uses Sleep’s “Holy Mountain.” It could be argued that the SINNAI remix is most artful of the three, but does it matter? Are these the video equivalents of cover songs?

Siinai – Anthem 1&2 (Physical Therapy 3-step remix) by Electronic Beats

“It’s outside and somewhere; we don’t know where is, and in my lyrics, I work with these kind of places — places that don’t exist.” - Soley

Listen to “Cocaine” (Little Dragon Remix) – DOWNLOAD MP3

Odd Future’s The Internet (Syd The Kyd & Matt Martians) will release their debut album Purple Naked Ladies featuring “Love Song -1″, “They Say” and “Cocaine” on Odd Future Records digitally on December 20th. The physical version featuring 3 bonus tracks and exclusive art and packaging will be in stores Jan 17th. Digital release tracklisting below.

But first…

Odd future, yadda yadda, that’s cool and all, but the point of this post is more to share this amazing Little Dragon performance of “Forever” from 2007. Old, sure, but age is made up for by minimalism, beauty, delicacy, endless wonder, etc. etc.

THE INTERNET – PURPLE NAKED LADIES (ODD FUTURE RECORDS) TRACKLISTING
Release Date: DEC. 20, 2011 (Digital)
1. Violet Nude Women
2. They Say/Shangrila (ft. Tay Walker)
3. She Dgaf
4. C*nt
5. Cocaine/Tevie (ft. Left Brain)
6. Ode to a Dream (ft Kilo Kish & Coco O.)
7. Gurl (ft. Pyramid Vritra).
8. Love Song -1
9. Lincoln (ft. Mike G & Left Brain)
10. Web of Me
11. She Knows
12. Fastlane
13. Visions (ft. Coco O.)
14. The Garden

This black and white for Reigns’ “The Diagram” is a classy one. For the single from their upcoming album, The Widow Blades, they expertly bathe the entire video in blacks using minimalistic compositions and heavy strobing. Given the careful planning that no doubt went into every shot, the appeal of this video lies more in the relationship between the audio and the visuals from shot to shot, than in any cohesive storyline or message. Best of all, even though there is not very much going on, the video encourages one’s constant attentiveness.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW

To shed some light about the album’s actual content, though, is a snippet from their press release: “Whilst growing up in the country Reigns, Operatives A & B, from an early age, became aware of the bizarre yet inconclusive fate of a woman from a neighbouring village. It took some years (and a great deal of wading through a seemingly endless stream of local conjecture) for them to ascertain that the woman in question was Millicent Blades: a middle-aged widow who had disappeared during the blizzard of 1978, vanishing somewhere between the villages of Tup’s Fold and Tone Gulley. Nothing was found of her save a set of interrupted footprints and a pile of clothes – all turned inside out. The intervening years have provided much in the way of outlandish theories pertaining to her disappearance but very little in the way of answers. In a possibly futile attempt to reverse this situation and still haunted by the stories they heard as children, Operatives A & B went back to the area to document her final journey across the countryside.”

Made by Toshadeva Palani.

Album released 24 October 2011 on Monotreme Records on CD, digital and limited vinyl (250 copies, double gatefold 180 gm on white vinyl with black splatter – includes a free CD of the album plus a numbered, hand-printed A5 lino cut made by the band).

Read our review of The Widow Blades.

This video for Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur’s “Trouble” resides mostly in a David Lynchian universe, with heroined-out slow-motion vibes. Interspliced, however, are quick flickering shots of TEED (Orlando Higginbottom) being adorned with mysterious headdresses — an art form that has become a staple in TEED’s videos. The pieces featured in this video include a geometric wire-framed headpiece, crafted by UK wearable art designers Yunus And Eliza, and a feathery piece reminiscent of a Native American headdress.

Each of TEED’s videos are amalgams of a number of wordly influences, and TEED himself has a hard time explaining where they come from. When asked if there are any cultures which he finds particularly inspirational, he responds, “Eastern, western, northern, southern..? I don’t know what to say. I also feel it is unhelpful to examine your influences too much; the important thing is the moment of inspiration, and there isn’t a formula for that as far as I know. Though its fair to say that I get the most energy from the people I come into contact with who are also making things…”

The legendary KATE BUSH releases a brand new studio album 50 Words For Snow on Anti-Records on November 21.

The album features 7 new tracks set against a background of falling snow, with a total running time of 65 minutes; through a highly evocative musical and lyrical landscape this haunting album once again pushes the boundaries.

” I can feel him melting in my hands….”

50 Words For Snow is KATE’s second album release of 2011, following Director’s Cut which was released in May to massive critical acclaim.

The new album features a small number of special guest musicians including Elton John, Andy Fairweather Low and, on the title track, the British writer/broadcaster/raconteur Stephen Fry.

KATE BUSH has been cited as a huge influence on a range of artists from newcomers like Florence and the Machine and Feist to established artists like Tori Amos and Bjork; she has also been praised by figures as diverse as OutKast, Tricky and Sex Pistol/PIL legend John Lydon who said; “Kate Bush supplies me with all the clues and it’s up to me to put the answers together, and that surely is what we are all looking for”.

Writing about Director’s Cut British rock weekly NME said; ‘Kate Bush is the most influential British female artist ever. No Kate Bush – no PJ Harvey, Cocteau Twins, Bjork, Tori Amos, Joanna Newsome, Goldfrapp, Bat for Lashes; it’s not only female solo artists either – Radiohead, Suede and Patrick Wolf are all fans whilst her distinct falsetto is evident in the output of Anthony and the Johnsons”.

Here is her new track, “Wild Man”:

Kate Bush – “Wild Man” by antirecords

50 WORDS FOR SNOW TRACKLISTING

1) Snowflake

2) Lake Tahoe

3) Misty

4) Wild Man

5) Snowed In At Wheeler St.

6) 50 Words For Snow

7) Among Angels

We’ve recently gone HD-video-shooting crazy! This live performance of “Thief-Boxer, Asleep” at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City is just one of many.

See our YouTube channel for additional videos of Gardens & Villa, City Of The Sun, Prince Rama, Gang Gang Dance, Battles, and more.