Videos of the Week

Short work week, but felt long. Glad it is almost done. Here are the videos of the week that slapped me like a bitch:



First single from the upcoming album Skying from The Horrors. I am loving this song, and it's Simple Minds-like keyboards. I love this band, because you never really know what they are going to do next.



I am not a huge fan of the big technicolor sound that The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart adopted for their second album, but there are some really good tracks on it, "The Body" being one of them. And this video is just perfect, really making you miss childhood.


Get Real, Get Right from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

Pretty incredible stop-motion animated video from Sufjan Stevens. Really love this song.



Cell-phone shot video from one of the standouts from Kurt Vile's new album Smoke Ring For My Halo.



Interesting video from LA dreamgazers Warpaint.


Handsome Furs - "What About Us" from stereogum on Vimeo.

NSFW video from Handsome Furs.

Mini-Reviews: FaltyDL/Vondelpark/Kurt Vile

FaltyDL
You Stand Uncertain
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

New York-based DJ FaltyDL is one of the more prominent US names in the burgeoning dubstep scene. His sound is not on the bass-heavy side of the genre, but on more of the Burial/James Blake side, with emphasis on the skeletal two-step drum programming and ambient washes of keyboards. Unlike Burial and Blake, FaltyDL still doesn't have a true signature sound that defines him clearly in a sea of other producers. When he is on though, he can really make some beautiful music. Lead single "Gospel of Opal (ft. Anneka) is a true standout; ringing, bell-like keyboards lumber over organ and a skittering beat, with gorgeous vocals from Anneka.



Too often, however, the album comes across as too scattered; attempting too many styles without focusing on his strengths. Songs like "The Pacifist" and "Open Space" are all production show, with cool sounds but no melody or strong beat to connect with. The best tracks are the more mainstream songs, featuring vocalists or at least vocal samples, which at least provides some warmth. "Brazil" and "Waiting Patiently," both featuring Lily MacKenzie, use her soulful wails to get to you through the complex electronics.



"Waiting Patiently" truly shows FaltyDL is onto something: merging electro-house, blocky dubstep drums, and jazzy trip-hop piano trills to create a unique sound. If he had pushed his boundaries a little more in this direction I could see You Stand Uncertain really standing out against the competition. As it stands, it is merely a good record, showing the producer truly being uncertain about his direction.

Vondelpark
Sauna EP
Rating: Grrrr

Nothing much is known about producer Vondelpark aside from the fact he is based on London. He has no MySpace, Bandcamp, or Facebook pages; nothing except the music to speak for him. And what wonderful music. The songs on this EP are hazy and dreamlike musically, gauzy synths and keyboards, the vocals are heavily manipulated, haunted almost, but the beats are crisp and clear, owing more to garage and two-step than to chillwave. Opening track "California Analog Dream," is a perfect primer for his aesthetic; all of its elements, merging together perfectly:



"Hippodrome"'s elegant two-step beats push against the shimmering guitar work and white noise vocals:



"Jetlag Blue Version," is a song that will either hypnotize you with its submerged, looped vocals and druggy vibe, or it will be akin to water torture:



"Backflip (In The Sauna)" is a track that shows Vondelpark capable of understated beauty. The dream-like vocals and fuzzed out music sound as if coming from a radio submerged underwater before a hip-hop beat takes over and his vocals are played up against a female vocal sample. He is masterful at taking disparate sounds and making them work seamlessly. Sauna is a very short intro to Vondelpark, and of course, owing to his secretive persona, there is no indication if an official full-length is upcoming. I plan to be awaiting it impatiently.

Kurt Vile
Smoke Ring For My Halo
Rating: Grrrr

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Kurt Vile's fourth album is the first one that has seriously grabbed me from the beginning. It sounds like a "great album" and is likely a nice mix of been around the block a hundred times experience and just good timing. Gone are the more low-fi sounding recordings of his past, and enter lush, cathedral-like expansive rooms to wander in. He moves effortlessly from gorgeous, heart-breakingly beautiful ballads like "Baby's Arms" and the haunting "On Tour,"



to shuffling mid-tempo tracks like the perfect song "Jesus Fever,"



and dense, murky rockers like "Puppet to the Man."



Smoke Ring For My Halo reminds me somewhat of Grizzly Bear's breakthrough album Veckatimest, not so much in similar sound, but in terms of taking all the right elements and making them work together perfectly for the first time. There is so much texture and room for exploration in the album, you are always finding new nooks and crannies; from the moody, dreamlike "Society Is My Friend,"



the intricate guitars and subtle story-telling of "Peeping Tomboy,"



and the drugged out, fuzz-fest of closer "Ghost Town."



Smoke Ring For My Halo begs you to get lost in its environments. It is like reading a towering volume of short-stories from a master. At the end you are exhausted and mentally drained, but your mind and body are forever changed from the experience.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Once again is a lovely Friday. Here is the roundup of the latest videos that are so good you could sop them up with a biscuit:



Electro-dubstep track from Boys Noize, one of the many DJs playing Coachella.

Thom Yorke Live DJ Set @ Low End Theory LA 3.9.11 from Theo Jemison on Vimeo.

High quality film clip of Thom Yorke's surprise DJ set at Low End Theory.



Loving this chillwave meets two-step track from enigmatic London producer Vondelpark.



Silly, fun track from Teddybears, featuring Robyn on vocals.



Fun dance punk act from Brazil. Looking forward to seeing them at Coachella.

Jamie Woon - "Lady Luck" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Second video and single from Jamie Woon's upcoming album mirrorwriting.



One of many amazing singles on the new Strokes cd, Angles.



Sneak peak of the new Justice single "Civilization," appearing in an Adidas ad.





Two amazing tracks from Burial, Thom Yorke, and Four Tet.







The first three singles from Alex Clare's debut cd, Too Close. Probably my most anticipated cd of this year, next to Jamie Woon.



My favorite song from Animal Collective.



Interesting charity collaboration from Chris Taylor, Solange Knowles and Twin Shadow.



I never expected to like Kurt Vile, but his new album is completely captivating.



Another hot DJ playing Coachella.



Best song off the disappointing new R.E.M. album. Great video though.



Amazing song from the Barcelona dance/rock collective.



Another wonderful house/dubstep producer playing Coachella, that I am really excited about seeing.



Great song from FaltyDL's second album. Love the vocal a lot.



Frank Ocean is a singer loosely associated with the Odd Future hip hop collective. His album can be a bit hit or miss, but when he hits, as on this track, it can be brilliant.

Non-Sequiturs

Lately I have become obsessed with Colin Stetson's album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges. It's a really complex album of experimental jazz, but hits all the right notes for me. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he is completely sexy.

And who is Michael Fassbinder? Apparently he is some up and coming British actor. But all I have to say is, damn!

I am not trying to be sexist, but I think women would do a lot better if they got rid of those damn, big ass purses. They are a mess, takes you hours to find something in them, and you hit everything and everyone with them as you go by.

Kurt and I just finished watching all of the Alien movies. I bought the 4 DVD Blu-Ray collection the other day. Unfortunately, the quality of the movies went down after the second one, but there are still things to recommend in each of the subsequent films. Kurt even got me watching the Alien v. Predator movie, which was surprisingly good.

I keep forgetting that my cat Ms. C ("Missy") is as old as she is. She is getting crankier and sleeps a lot more than she did before. But every once in awhile she'll show bursts of energy that are shockingly funny. I adopted her from a friend back in 2004 and she was guesstimated to be about 4 at the time. Because I have no idea what her actual age or birthdate is, I have given her May 25 as her birthday, as that was the day I adopted her.

Kurt's dog Tater is so cute. She's still basically a puppy, and has so much energy. She can spend hours running around the backyard digging holes, chasing squirrels and chipmunks, chewing sticks, and terrorizing her brother Nico. Of course, when she does crash out, she crashes out hard. The above pic is her right before she sacked out for a nap.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Head

"We got the righteous advice to use it
Got everything if you can just choose it
I won't just be a puppet on a string

Don't go that way
I'll wait for you"

The Strokes
"Under Cover Of Darkness"

"She was the heart in your heartbreak
She was the miss in your mistake
And no matter what you take,
you're never going to forget
She was the tear in a rainstorm
She was the promise that you would've sworn
And no matter what you say,
it's never gonna come back"

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
"Heart In Your Heartbreak"

"This trail that you're treading
Is one flicked switch awaiting many
The coils the echoes rattling
I hope the fears are buried beneath my love

My love
Love is the everchanging spectrum of a lie,
A lie to hide behind when nothings right
You take form with ink and blood
Can't you see I'm good

Nothing outside will care enough
Nothing outside of you"

The Joy Formidable
"The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie"

"Smoke ring for my halo
Human angel demon
Under as the maiden
Right under the moon over your house
Thought you could see it then

Sippin' from the sewer can
It's the size of my hand
Pacifies the land
Makes the most out of your jizzatown man
I feel like laying down
Yeah and I wanna do it again
Over the miss I kiss again"

Kurt Vile
"Smoke Ring For My Halo"

"We were epitomes of flesh and blood
We were luminescent
Half-aware and self-involved
We've lost our essence

Can't you see
We fell rain black from the stars above
When will we
Take an axe to the frozen seasons"

Young Galaxy
"The Angels Are Surely Weeping"

Appealing Things

Less than a month until Coachella
Biscoff spread
Vondelpark
Spring weather coming
Possibility of Sunday alcohol sales in GA

Annoying Things

Having to sit through an all-day CLE on E-Discovery
People with no manners, who never say thank you and expect you to be at their service
People who can't be quiet, ever; silence is golden sometimes, douche
Dealing with the accounting department at my firm