Still trying to figure out Colin Stetson. Here’s a new video, for his song “Who The Waves Are Roaring For” featuring Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon on vocals. Colin and his experimental saxophone can be head on his most recent album New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, out now.
Wow. This is my first taste of Gary Clark Jr., and if the rest of his stuff sounds like “Numb,” I’m going to be bowled over. This video came out back in May, so I’m surprised I haven’t heard or seen it before now. It‘s possible I heard it and mistook it for The Black Keys, as it does sound quite a bit like that, but this gets back to something that those guys lost a few years back. Definitely going to look more into him, starting with his album Blak and Blu, which came out back in October of last year.
2013 might be the year I finally start to like Bloc Party. Their song “Ratchet,” from their EP The Nextwave Sessions, to be released on August 12 is shown above, in a video that can accurately be described as “mind blowing.”
According to Wikipedia the band will be taking an indefinite hiatus after their performance at the Latitude festival on July 19. That’s unfortunate, given my newly acquired willingness to enjoy their music.
There’s a definite time and place for M.I.A., and just because I haven’t found it yet doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what she’s produced to date. Here’s a new video, for the song “Bring The Noize” which is off her forthcoming album Matangi, to be released “in the near future.”
Perhaps it’s the bleach-blonde hair, or the fiery green dress, but the way The Deer Tracks’ lead singer Elin Lindfors is portrayed in this video for their song “W” reminds me of Daenerys Targaryen rising naked out of the ashes at the birth of her dragon offspring.
Please draw your own conclusions.
The Deer Tracks’ The Archer Trilogy series concluded back in February of this year.
Just like King Kong, here are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from atop the Empire State Building, with their fantastic, bombastic song “Despair.” Their fourth full-length album, Mosquito came out this past April, complete with one of the worst covers ever applied to a professionally-produced record.
Great little professional live video from Atoms for Peace’s club performance last month. SO looking forward to finally getting to see this lineup at the Treasure Island Festival down in the bay area in October.
Here’s a new, rather amazing video from Beach House’s 2012 album Bloom, for their song “Wishes.” It was directed by the very funny Eric Wareheim (who also makes a very brief cameo within).
No words.
Maybe the new album from Editors — A Ton of Love, due out July 1 — will be the album that gets me back into the band. Nothing’s hooked me on the past couple albums, but “The Weight” (above), and the title song from the new album (video here), at first listen appear to have repeat-worthy hooks. We’ll see.
I’ve said it before: I don’t hear lyrics. I can listen to a song over and over and over again, to the point where I can sing every word of the song, and not ever have understood the meaning of the words I’m singing. Consequently, I’m terrible at making “emotionally meaningful” mix tapes. I’ll put songs on a mixtape that sound great together and blend well from one to the next, but then be told by the receiver “those songs you put on my mixtape were all so dark!” Heartbreak, death and mayhem, and I’ll just not have heard it until it was plainly told to me.
Which puts me in a strange position when confronted with a lyric video, such as this new Okkervil River video for their song “It Was My Season” from their forthcoming album The Silver Gymnasium, due out September 3. Here, I am presented with the lyrics in an unavoidable fashion. I can’t watch the video without reading and understanding the lyrics. And I hate to say it, but I think it makes the song sound worse to me. I’m fairly confident that this new song is actually quite good. But, because I now have read all the lyrics, and their nonsensical, somewhat strangely comic nature, I don’t like the song as much.
I’m very curious if I’m the only one that reacts this way about songs. Do tell, won’t you? But don’t sing it to me, because I won’t hear you.
Billy Bragg does comedic songs (and videos) perfectly. Here’s “Handyman Blues” from his latest album, Tooth & Nail.
Here’s another one from Toronto’s July Talk. A more recent video that came out this past April called “Guns + Ammunition”. Nice little one-take video. Or is it?
As @gregorybflynn pointed out, they’re playing the Sunset on the 29th, if you happen to be free (unlike me that night).
Grumble grumble.
If you were ever wondering what a band would sound like if it were a love child of the Strokes and Hospitality sung by Tom Waits, then you’re in luck. It appears that July Talk’s self-titled debut from last year may be another gross oversight of my 2012 Bacon Calendar.
One of my major oversights for the 2012 Bacon Calendar: exitmusic’s awesome album Passage. Can’t win ’em all, I suppose. Here’s a new-ish video from the album, for their song “White Noise.”
Here’s Seattle’s J. Tillman, otherwise known as Father John Misty, with another video from last year’s Fear Fun. “Funtimes In Babylon”
I would really like to know what all the props in this video are from. They couldn’t possibly have been set up just for this video.
The National - Learning (Perfume Genius cover)
I love everything about this.
If you watched the video for The National’s latest video, “Sea of Love,” you should watch this. It gives the National’s version much more of a reason for being.
Edwin Birdsong - “Cola Bottle Baby”
Wow, so that’s where that sample comes from.
And, my goodness, what a very very long sample that turns out to have been.
Yikes.
Well I’ll be damned.
Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, David Bowie. Not quite SFW.
That is all.
Anything I say here about Janelle Monáe will reveal my ignorance of what makes her everything that she is. Let’s just say I like this song, this video, and the fact that Erykah Badu appears on the song and in the video as well.