Music Videos # 71

Hercules And Love Affair (feat. Antony) - Blind



Signed to DFA, Hercules And Love Affair are a project by Brooklyn producer Andy Butler, with Antony on vocals and co-produced by Tim Goldsworthy. And what comes out of this improbable trio? A pulsating acid-disco track of amazingly catchy proportions. The video is done by Saam (the guy behind groundbreaking works for the likes of Klaxons, Simian Mobile Disco, These New Puritans and, er, Janet Jackson) and explores a possible world seen after closing eyes. Oh, and it has an orgy, so go watch it! Their full-length album is out somewhere during springtime.

MySpace page

Cloverfield

There are loads of movies out there featuring monsters attacking New Work, but this one has a capital difference: all the images shown in it are supposed to be captured by one of the character's digital camera. This simple concept and the fact that it's really well explored is enough to make Cloverfield one of the most intense action movies I've seen in recent times. It doesn't have to show much of the monster (and it actually should show even less than it does); or neither to explore much of the character's insights (they all stay pretty unidimensional and anonymous and that's all we need). Appealing quite a bit to our voyeuristic side, there's an atmosphere of collective fear and terror that is almost palpable, while everything seems incredibly realistic, as if you were there. Wait, realism in a movie about monsters in New York? Consequences of the 11th of September...

Trailer:

These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid

With friends like Hedi Slimane or The Horrors and a fast-rising hype surounding them, it was easy to predict that These New Puritans would mark 2008. Now that their first album is finally out, I'm happy to announce that this time you should believe the hype, as "Beat Pyramid" completely fulfils every expectation you could have and then some. Being another one of those objects that uses many different references and sources to create its own unique sound, this time the experience is highly successful, as everything really sounds exciting and new. Exploring claustrophobic atmospheres and using a dense sonic-architecture, sharp guitars (that somehow remind me of Gang Of Four) and an enormous panoply of electronic sounds and samples, its biggest asset actually comes from the rhythmic section. Drawing highly intricate structures, it's here that everything is based upon, supporting an hallucinating approach to rock that is topped by vocalist Jack Barnett and his schizophrenic shouts. A soundtrack to futuristic industrial landscapes or artificial paranoid societies, strange at first but immensely seducing and, above all, extremely addictive. (8,5/10)

These New Puritans - Elvis (video)



Official Site
MySpace page

Music Videos # 70

Jens Lekman - A Little Lost



This stand-out track from covers-EP "Four Songs by Arthur Russell" (a project actually compiled by Jens Lekman himself) is a monument to simplicity. Accompanied by nothing more than a kalimba, Jens rendition of the song is as moving as it could get, while the video is a little visual-masterpiece directed by La Blogotheque (nothing happens? that's the beauty of it! and in the meantime, just look at those colors...). Out a few months before his own "Night Falls Over Kortedala" (one of my fav albums of 2007), this was a good indicator of what was to come.

Official Site

The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future

Out on Sincerely Yours (a label owned by none other than my current-favourite subversive-pop duo The Tough Alliance), "Here Comes The Future" is the first record from Gothemburg singer/songwriter Mikael Carlsson and it's another one of those luminous pop moments the Swedes seem so found of. Sometimes including synths and other electronic elements, other times using only acoustic instruments, influences range somewhere between Saint Etienne, Jesus & Mary Chain and New Order, using disparate vintage elements that subtly produce something truly unique. And out of nowhere, we have a beautiful collection of gentle and intricate pop songs in our hands, songs that dream about a love that never materializes, full of emotional highs and downs, reverb voices and praising the feeling of being lonely only because. Perfect to be heard on sunny winter days (9/10)

The Honeydrips - (Lack Of) Love Will Tear Us Apart - feat. Hanna Göranson (video)



Official Site
MySpace page

Music Videos # 69

Goldfrapp - A&E



Goodbye electro-glam, hello again folk and cinematic ambiences. Goldfrapp are leaving their recent excesses behind and going back to their routes, getting closer to first record "Felt Mountain". The first single from their forthcoming fourth album is called "A&E" (which stands for "Accident & Emergency") and is a haunting track consisting of a simple, almost childish melody and a few minimal acoustic and electronic appointments, with breathtaking results. The video is a cute companion to the sweetness of the song, featuring dancing creatures made of leaves (awww...).

Official Site
MySpace page

frYars - The Ides EP (cd-r)

After first posting about the video for the song "The Ides" a few weeks ago, I was finally able to find this 4-track EP with the same title, the very first release from 18-year-old Londoner Ben Garrett (aka frYars). All I can say is that it was definitely worth the wait, as all 4 songs are at least as excellent as "The Ides", with my highlights currently being the spasmodic "Happy" and "Madeline". Not afraid to be excessive, many acoustic and electronic elements (like piano, drums, computer, acordian drone, voices, synths, bells, beeps, scratches, handclaps...) are inserted around frYars unique voice, lyrics and melodies, to build intricate electro-pop symphonies full of complex details. Think of it as a sucessful atempt to soundtrack a mixture between an alternative cabaret and a fast-ride in a modern fair carousel, with charming music that just wants to passionately celebrate itself and attack all our senses. Watch out for this guy. (9/10)

MySpace page

Home Videos # 9

The Clik Clik - My Dunks (live)



I had read about this band some months ago and at that time, after checking their MySpace page, it appeared to me that there was a lot of potential. So it was with great joy that, during my stay in London, I stumbled across one of their gigs, for the time being still in a small packed bar, in front of just a few dozens of people (though I suspect that is about to change). Their sound is a versatile electro-indie-pop mash with a bit of grime thrown in and a lot of that fresh enthusiasm that defines this new wave of young British bands. For example, the song shown in here is an hilarious story about a love triangle between a boy, a girl... and his dunks. Yes, those white Nike dunks need to remain perfect and pristine white. Pure infectious stuff!

(filmed on the 04-01-2008 at the Bosh! party in London)

Polaroids # 17

Back from London where I spent 10 unbelievable days. And how was it? After getting used to the hordes of tourists everywhere, it actually couldn't get any better! And I guess you can't be blamed for successfully creating and selling so many touristic spots, so let's move on... Nice to see that the city still has everything that made it so famous and well-loved. So many things to see and do everywhere, so many different people and interesting styles, an intense nightlife, uplifting parties, beautiful architecture, nice stores, a dynamic cultural life and, above all, an incredibly relaxed and open atmosphere. To cut it short, you really end up with the feeling that everything happens there. So here are the inevitable touristic shots...







Balloons! Fake snow! "Golden Skans"! Hello 2008!


(Pictures taken in London between 29th December 2007 - 7th January 2008)