Archive for the ‘Video’ Category
Must Watch Now: Robyn
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Robyn is back with the first music video off her much anticipated three album release after a five year hiatus following her 2005 self-titled release. And in true Robyn style she shows that good things come to those who wait.
Dancing On My Own includes static special effects to emphasize Robyn’s signature dance moves. As with many of her songs, Dancing On My Own focuses on Robyn’s heartbreak and lost love. In this case, she must endure the pain of watching her former love kiss another woman on the dance floor. But, like Robyn always does, she finds the inner strength to move on. Again, like Robyn always does, she gets us moving as well.
Tags: Dancing On My Own, Robyn
Posted in Reviews, Video | 1 Comment »
Video: Goldfrapp “Alive”
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Here’s a riddle: What do you get when you mix corpse paint, fitted leotards, a giant pentagram, zapping lasers and an homage to Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”? Well, the new Goldfrapp video, that’s what you get!
The group’s new promo for the second single off new album Head First finds Alison Goldfrapp leading an aerobics class filled with Satanic black metallers and a group of fit dancers, who make quite the entrance outlined in neon.
Alison looks bored though, and soon enough she begins zapping the girls into vampires and mayhem ensues as they begin chomping down on some corpse-painted necks.
Tags: Goldfrapp
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
Video: Born Ruffians “What To Say”
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
For their new video, Toronto’s Born Ruffians, director Jared Raab (Diamond Rings, Forest City Lovers) and artist/computer programmer Rob Bairos sought out the assistance of some old-school technology to dazzle our retinas. According to Stereogum, where “What To Say” premiered yesterday, the gear they decided on was a vintage oscilloscope that is often “used in the sciences, medicine, engineering, telecommunications and industry.”
It might not sound sexy, but damn, does it ever look sexy. Hmm… sexy might not be the right word. Stunning, neat-o and super-rad are probably better.
Panning in on a junky workshop desk, the camera focuses on the oscillograph with an intense close-up of the neon green line. From there it slowly moves from line to lips to Luke Lalonde’s head to the rest of the band members performing to Luke’s head eating its head and back.
Raab explained how he shot it, saying: “The instrument is used for viewing voltages and displays in one complete horizontal scan line –- the means the entire Born Ruffians video is always only showing images made from one continuous line. The video was shot once, edited, oscilloscoped, edited and then shot again directly from the vintage machine … The scope you see in the video was actually built in the ’40s…”
The band posted stills of the video and a cool behind-the-scene shot here.
Born Ruffians’ new album Say It is out through Paper Bag on June 1st.
Tags: Born Ruffians
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
Video: LCD Soundsystem “Drunk Girls”
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Q: What do you get when you pair up LCD Soundsystem with Spike Jonze?
A: An army of bullies in poorly designed panda bear costumes torturing, assaulting and humiliating band members James Murphy, Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney on set. What begins with innocent petting and undressing, quickly escalates into full-on beatings, spray painting, fire extinguishing, forced cross-dressing and fireworks.
It’s all in good fun though… right?
Tags: LCD Soundsystem, spike jonze
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
Video: Andrew W.K. “I’m A Vagabond”
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
You’ve gotta love Andrew W.K. If not for his righteously anthemic hyper rock then for his amazing kids show Destroy Build Destroy, his colourful Fox News appearances or just for his unrelenting optimism.
Regardless of what he does, the man knows how to get a reaction out of everyone, especially with his music videos. Let us not forget the elated spirit of “Party Hard” or the ridiculous length of his mic cord in “She Is Beautiful”. With his new single, “I’m A Vagabond” Andrew has done it again.
Sticking with using himself in his signature dirty white shirt/jeans combo as the focal point, Andrew shows us his karate chops by incorporating his martial arts expertise (?) into his inimitable choreography. It’s a pretty simple single-camera shoot that allows a cameo by his guitarist to hammer home that delicious solo over the crawling, epic song structure. But the money shot comes at the end, when “he” pulls out a $100 bill from “a” mouth. You’ll understand the quotes when you watch the clip. It’s very… rubbery.
Tags: andrew wk
Posted in The New Music, Video | 1 Comment »
Video: Veronica Falls “Found Love In A Graveyard”
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
The digital age has made everyone a music video director. The new video by the Glaswegians known as Veronica Falls looks as though they’ve embraced the DIY approach to filmmaking, but oddly enough the short was directed by Nicks Abrahams, who’s grainy stroke has previously worked for Stereolab, Manic Street Preachers and even docs on Depeche Mode and Sigur Ros.
The worn, dated look suits the C86-worshipping sound of Veronica Falls. Opening with snow-filled shots and ethereal chants all signs point to the video descending into some sort of gothic paean. But then Abrahams flips everything upside down and the deadpan turns to hilarity as the band members go… sledding? The fun doesn’t last though, and Veronica Falls end up at their original destination: the grave of Karl Marx. Whoa, heavy…
Watch the video here.
Tags: Nick Abrahams, Veronica Falls
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
Video: Dum Dum Girls “Jail La La”
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
If you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with L.A.’s Dum Dum Girls, the first video from their freshly baked debut album I Will Be (Sub Pop) is a perfect primer.
“Jail La La” not only gives you a sense of the band’s noisy, throwback garage pop, but it also schools you visually on their gang-like image. The Girls push their gang mentality by inserting themselves riding motorcycles, smoking fags, hanging out on the wrong side of the tracks, getting arrested and mouthing the lyrics via extreme close-ups of their bright red lipstick. It’s all done with chopped up editing and a grainy goodness that matches the lo-fi lustre of the music.
Dum Dum Girls play the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto with Girls on April 9th.
Tags: Dum Dum Girls, Sub Pop
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
Video: Titus Andronicus “A More Perfect Union”
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
New Jersey shitkickers have released the first epic single to their recently released second album, The Monitor (which is seriously vying for my favourite LP of 2010). To fit in with the album’s Civil War theme, they play Risk and fight over a prominent Star Spangled flag. They also frolic in the woods with some friends, march along an empty road and put an old-school tape recorder to good use (though I imagine the bootleg would be rank).
The boys are currently touring across North America amd will be in Vancouver on Thursday (April 1st). Then next week they come back for a show in Toronto on April 9th and Montreal on April 10th. Don’t miss them. You’ve been warned…
Tags: The Monitor, Titus Andronicus
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
An Interview with Phoenix
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Although it took them nearly ten years, the record-buying public finally woke up and realized the greatness of Parisian pop outfit Phoenix. It shouldn’t have taken so long, but if one of their four albums was destined to make a difference it was 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. One of the most acclaimed albums of last year, WAP oozed bubbly rave-ups like “1901” and “Lisztomania,” but also an intricate two-part, (mostly) instrumental prog number called “Love Like A Sunset.”
When the band came to Toronto they played the Phoenix, which was obviously a good icebreaker. But we quickly learned that they have a rather diastrous relationship with the city - they almost collectively died here a few years back. Imagine that: we wouldn’t have ever heard Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and they wouldn’t have shown us that bands can sound good on Saturday Night Live.
Anyhoo, here is our conversation with Deck D’Arcy and Christian Mazzalai.
Part 3: On how unexpected their SNL performance was and why they’re such a fantastic live band now.
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: 1901, Lisztomania, phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
An interview with The Raveonettes
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
For seven years now The Raveonettes have been making some of the most beguiling, sun-kissed pop music ever to come out of Denmark, or anywhere really. With a sound that’s as much a product of ‘50 surf, ’60s girl groups and ’80s noise pop, as it was the rock revolution from the beginning of the decade, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo have remained such a productive team because of their desire to keep moving forward.
Their latest album, In and Out of Control, documents another phase in the band’s colourful canon, presenting the most varied selection of songs to date.
The reticent Danes met up with me at local Toronto shop Magic Pony on their tour stop to discuss among other things parenthood, the seriousness of their lyrics and bubbles!
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: In and Out of Control, Raveonettes, Sharin Foo, Sune Rose Wagner
Posted in The New Music, Video | No Comments »
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