Tuesday's here and I'm here with my usual breakdown of videos that came out over the past week, along with a few fresh singles. A condensed peek at what's coming up this Fri., Aug 14, with links to full album streams, also included…
Joanna Newsom, "Sapokanikan"
The voice of harp-and-keys-wielding songstress Joanna Newsom is so damn saccharine it almost hurts the teeth, crystalline and pure and holding just as much charm and mesmerizing oddness as usual in the tinkling, sparse-yet-lush first single off her forthcoming full-length, Divers, out October 23 on Drag City. And its production is immaculate — I expect no less from Steve Albini and Noah Georgeson… Check it below.
Whether or not I dig the direction Kevin Barnes has taken his psych band in the past few albums, I can't deny his continued creativity, or at least the hand he has in making sure that of Montreal is always vomiting up technicolor feasts for the eyes. This new video for a track off this year's 13th album, Aureate Gloom, is no different — composed entirely of stop-motion animations created from hand-painted wood. Pretty rad.
The video for the lead-off track on Darkstar's upcoming third LP, Foam Island (Oct. 2, Warp Records), is kind of weird and gross but also funny — darkly humorous and surreal — and the song itself intrigues. I don't know much about the UK electronic music duo behind it, but director Matthew Halsall had some words about the inspiration behind his video: "The general election result was really devastating for me and in many ways it showed the power of the traditional right wing press. The 'hard working' people of Britain are tricked on a daily basis to hate asylum seekers, immigrants and 'benefit cheats' not tax dodging corporations or corrupt politicians. I wanted to somehow reflect the bleak, devastating reality of this in a video that could not be anything other than shocking, vile and attention grabbing."
Maybe you've heard this track and maybe not. I am inclined to think you've probably never heard of this band, so you haven't heard "The Troubadour's Green Room." Kinda Pavement reminiscent, with vaguely Stephen Malkmus vocal qualities by the male lead, grungy guitars and dissonance in cuts like "Everybody," while this track maintains a slower folk-pop groove and features cooing female backing harmonies. The fifth album from the Good Life, Everybody’s Coming Down, drops this Fri., Aug. 14, via Saddle Creek. [Full Album Stream]
H. Hawkline is the strange pop project of Cardiff-born, LA-based musician Huw Evans, who's collabed with White Fence and Cate Le Bon, among others, and dropped a new LP, In The Pink Of Condition, earlier this year. The warm groove of "It's a Drag" kinda continues the rambling, easy-going mood of the previous track, but with a heavy '70s appeal. This track, its video paired with Evans' own artwork, is part of Heavenly 25, a forthcoming compilation celebrating Heavenly Records' recent 25th anniversary. The comp drops September 18.
Bullet For My Valentine, Venom
CFCF, The Colours Of Life [Full Album Stream]
Chinx, Welcome to JFK
Dornik, Dornik
Dillon Francis, This Mixtape is Fire EP
Pat Green, Home
The Good Life, Everybody’s Coming Down
Melanie Martinez, Cry Baby [from the 3rd season of The Voice]
Mother Falcon, Good Luck Have Fun
Gillian Moss, Ceremonial EP
Lithuania, Hardcore Friends
New Politics, Vikings
Pete Nolan, Easy [Of Magik Markers]
Palehound, Dry Food [Full Album Stream]
Grace Potter, Midnight [Full Album Stream]
Soulfly, Archangel
Sweet Baboo, The Boombox Ballads
Stray From The Path, Subliminal Criminals
Teen Daze, Morning World [Full Album Stream]
Waifs, Beautiful You
Emily West, All For You
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2015.