Category
baths
I’m really really loving this new Baths album, from my neighbor just down the (really really long) street in nearby Chatsworth, CA. And this video of Will Wiesenfeld performing live has me amped for his show next week. Sorry, Farrah! I might need to bail on that Beach Fossils / Here We Go Magic show…
here we go
Just about covers where we’re at (Needless to say, but I enjoy the new Broken Social Scene).
living in colour
It’s honestly not my favo(u)rite song off their new album, but it is a good song all the same and I like the video of ‘day in the life’ moments from their recent US tour.
breakneck speed
“It’s good to be back” indeed. From the sound of “Breakneck Speed,” it sounds like a return of the Tokyo Police Club that dominated indie rock music bloggery of 2006/2007, before an overly/inappropriately-produced debut LP popped their hype bubble. I like the song Alot. The video has a similar feel to the one for “Your English Is Good.” Looking forward to Champ, which comes out on 8 May. You can pre-order it from their website and get a few tracks as digital downloads, including the aforementioned track.
future islands
I guess this week hearsay is basically a video site. I think the problem is that I’m a sucker for videos shot with good cameras. And the color, lighting, and editing of this Future Islands show in North Carolina definitely fits that mould. I was aware of Future Islands from the split 7″ they did with Dan Deacon, but “An Apology,” a track from their upcoming album, In Evening Air has me pretty hyped to hear what else they have up their sleeves. Baltimore by way of Chapel Hill; I love the perceived discrepancy between the upbeat dance-pop of the synthesizers and programmed drums (think DNTEL/The Postal Service) against the Sam Herring’s howling voice. Especially when his voice sounds like Jermaine Clement’s snooty sci-fi writer from Gentlemen Broncos. The vocals remind me a bit of fellow Marrylanders, Wilderness, both for the dedication in delivery, and in how the contrast works so well.
i neeeeed a dollar
This seriously is the anthem of the past year, isn’t it? Aloe Blacc‘s first single from his upcoming album, Good Things, has been floating out there since the beginning of March, but Stones Throw just posted the video. Apparently it is also the theme song for some TV show that a non-TV owner such as myself has no access to.
we are all lost anyway
It’s so refreshing to see a beautifully shot, romantic video of beautiful people that embraces rather than denying what shit relationships can be. The nonlinear pace fits and tells the story well. And I really like the back and forth vocals between singers, Christine Hale and Harris Shper. I’m going to keep checking for The Hoof & The Heel. They have 2 other live session videos for “King Finds Out” and “Tigers” by my friend Elliot of The Fall Trees (who are playing a free show at The Silverlake Lounge on Monday, by the way).
window seat lessons learned
[EDIT: you gotta just go to her site now to see the video]
I am sort of in shock with the reference/inspiration for Erykah Badu‘s video for the first single off New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). I thought Matt and Kim‘s “Lessons Learned” video was ballsy and possibly the best video featuring continual shooting since The Pharcyde/Spike Jonze’s “Drop.” I would never have expected it to hit Erykah’s radar, but who knows… maybe Brooklyn ends up being a small community music-wise… or maybe the accolades and awards it received gave it more exposure than I realized. Clearly she saw a message of empowerment in the public disrobing; confidence and strength seem central themes. Her video is transported from Times Square to her hometown of Dallas, and is blurred and overexposed to make reference to the Kennedy assassination films. I’d be curious to read about the making of the video… Matt and Kim’s was shot pretty guerrilla-style amongst an unknowing public. Hers appears to be staged at the site of JFK’s assassination; my guess is that it is at least semi-orchestrated with extras. [EDIT: she says no extras... badass] Oh, and wow, does Erykah have a body, by the way. Lucky Jay.
i’m here
Spike Jonze’s new short film, I’m Here, was released to the interwebs on Monday. I recognize that this is really a music site, but the short is so music-centric that I think it’s fair game. Plus it’s awesome and I like writing about awesome things. Luckily there are many of them. Oh and one of them is that Annie Hardy of Giant Drag-fame plays one of the robots. Yeah, Annie Hardy who was the focus of the first-ever Hearsay post. “Hey where’s the party, brah? The party where you’re going to invite your pants down to meet your feet.”
from the vault
Pete & The Pirates, Tommy Sanders’ other outlet when he isn’t Tap Tap, just released a couple of live Take Away Show-style performances from Austria for They Shoot Music Don’t They. They do 2 songs, “Blood Gets Thin,” a haunting b-side from a 2009 single, and “Mr. Understanding,” from their full-length, Little Death. I was excited to see these because I really had very little hint at what the band looked like from liner notes and their lack of U.S. touring, but through the magic of youtube related videos, I’m now looking and realizing that they have a whole bunch of videos online for me to go through. I’m on it.