Spencer Krug, he of the many different music projects (including Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes) has a fourth release from his most recent project Moonface. This new album, Julia with Blue Jeans On, is the most sparse thing I’ve ever heard from Krug. It’s just him and a piano, and that’s a-ok with me. Krug’s unmistakable voice is haunting on a good day. In this new work, it’s downright suicidal. But in a good way.
I haven’t really enjoyed anything Jim James has done since his old band My Morning Jacket released Z back in 2005. But this song and video, “State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” from his debut solo album Regions Of Light And Sound Of God, sounds very much like it might be a b-side to that amazing album.
Makes me want to check out the album now.
Modern day Pink Floyd. This is the best way I can describe Darkside, Nicolas Jaar’s new project with guitarist Dave Harrington.
The title of this video, for Darkside’s song “Metatron,” says it’s “unofficial,” which would normally keep from posting it. But this song, this album, this band needs to be heard. Very quickly rising to be one of the most interesting releases in 2013.
This new video from Thom Yorke’s side project Atoms for Peace came out a few weeks ago, and I missed posting about it until now. I love the combination of CGI, motion-capture and stop-motion animation in this video. But if you know anything about me, it’s hard for me to say a disparaging word about anything Mr. Yorke does.
I’m not proud.
You can also watch a brief video about the making of the video above, if you’re into that kinda thing.
While this new video from Okkervil River isn’t anything to write home about, the song featured in the video is. The Silver Gymnasium, the new album from Will Sheff’s band of misfits is seriously growing on me. It’s the first Okkervil record I’ve really connected with since The Stage Names, which came out six years ago. Horns, harmonica, vivid storytelling with poppy musical hooks — you really can’t go wrong.
Here’s an awesome video from Summer Camp, a duo from England. I’m unfamiliar with the rest of the band’s work, but this song evokes the best of what bands like Rilo Kiley did ten years ago.
This song, “Two Chords,” is super catchy, and the video blends lip synching and story together very well, while only showing the two band members as supporting cast members. Their 2nd album, eponymously named, came out earlier this year. I’m going to go check it out right now.
I love how graphic and colorful this video from Kate Nash is. The look is unabashedly flirty, and Kate does a great job of selling the 60s fashion in the otherwise bare room. The song is best defined as “pop rock,” but definitely leans more towards the pop side of the spectrum. It’s from Nash’s newest album, Girl Talk.
NSFW!
Posting this video in case you haven’t been to an of Montreal show and seen Kevin Barnes naked. This man likes to let it all hang out.
Of Montreal, from Athens, Georgia, have been around for a very long time, and this song, “Fugitive Air,” is pretty rockin’ from what I’ve heard from the band in the past. It’s from their most recent release, Lousy with Sylvianbriar, which is worth looking into even if you haven’t liked of Montreal in the past.
It’s been a while since I paid any attention to Camera Obscura, but the kooky-ness of this video is impossible to pass up. The song is nice, too, but like most of their songs, it doesn’t hook you like a good pop song should.
This song is from their last album, Desire Lines, which came out back in June.
Ah, Dismemberment Plan. Twelve years is a long time between records, and there’s no way the new album could have lived up to the expectations of fans who have stuck with them this long. But the album, Uncanney Valley, has its moments. Like the above song, “Waiting.”
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen another D Plan video (not that they don’t exist), so this was a novelty in more ways than one for me. They’re coming to Seattle on December 7. You should go.
More Chvrches, this time for their song “Lies.” I haven’t done a thorough review of everything I’ve listened to in 2013 yet (that comes in December), but I said it before and I still believe it to be true: Chvrches = best new band of 2013.
I was a pretty big fan of Stornoway’s 2010 debut album, but their 2013 album Tales from Terra Firma hasn’t really hooked me. Thanks to this video, for a rather nice song called “Farewell Appalachia,” I’m going to give it another go.
Here’s the most recent video from Jagwar Ma, from Sydney, Australia. Their debut album Howlin’ came out in June, and has been in constant rotation ever since. This particular song, “Come Save Me” is one of the best on the album, even if this video for it is kinda meh.
The band is playing one of those Red Bull Sound Select shows on December 10 at the Neptune. It only costs $3, but you have to give Red Bull your first born. It’s totally worth it.
Gorgeous animated video and song from Vancouver, BC’s Young Galaxy. It’s from their 4th album, Ultramarine, which came out this past April
Another day, another awesome Australian band. This time it‘s a band called Cloud Control, and just like Jagwar Ma, they’re also from Sydney.
I love this video. It was filmed on location in Bolivia. The creepy clowns, a 13 year old girl who lip synchs with major conviction, and confetti. And the song is every bit as great as the video. Haven’t listened to the rest of their album yet, (Dream Cave, which came out back in August) but I now have high hopes it will be totally awesome.
Coming in at just over 22 minutes, this new video from Arcade Fire is more like a sketch comedy show than a music video. It was directed by Roman Coppola, and has cameos by a slew of people, including Bono, Ben Stiller, Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Rainn Wilson, Bill Hader, Zach Galifianakis, and I’m sure many others that I’ve already forgotten. But in the end, it’s still a delivery mechanism for some new music from the band, off of their forthcoming album Reflektor, which is due Oct. 29. The songs “Here Comes The Night Time,” “We Exist,” and “Normal Person” can all be heard within the video.
I wasn’t a huge fan of The Suburbs, the band’s last album, but from what I’ve heard already, I’m very excited for this new album.
A natural progression from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleigh Bells, London’s Savages are here to pound your head in, musically.
They’ve been around since 2011, but their debut album, Silence Yourself, didn’t come out until this past May. Sorry to say I’m a bit late to Savages — they came to Seattle a week ago Monday. Did you go?
This video is definitely NSFW.
It’s also pretty ridiculous, and not in a good way. I do like the song, and The Weeknd has been making some great R&B, Michael-Jackson–esque music for a couple years now. Now he’s moved into the Michael-Jackson–esque video realm as well, complete with simplistic story lines and chauvinistic mayhem.
Even so, it’s poignant, and you should probably watch it (in the comfort of your own home, rather than at the office).
Filmed in Detroit, this video for “Muzzle Blast” by The Darcys is beautifully bleak. It was directed by short-film director Adam Azimov. Who knew Detroit could look so good and so utterly horrible all at the same time?
I hadn’t heard of The Darcys, who are from Toronto, Ontario, until now. Intrigued, to say the least. Their latest album, Warring, came out last week.