Tag: video

No comments

Video: Swiiim, All My Things

  By ,

I’m posting this video for All My Things by Swiiim (Danny Fujikawa, formerly of Chief) during Halloween week because I have to watch it through my fingers because it mashes on not one but TWO of my greatest-fear buttons: being trapped in an enclosed space and drowning.

That said, the song, which is from his new record, Cellophane Castle, is full of echo-booming wub-wub synths and lines like I have been reduced to using the Internet to communicate and is awesome.
 

SWIIIM - ALL MY THINGS - (DIRECTED BY CHRIS ACOSTA)

 
You can listen read an interview about the making of the video – it is just as hair-raising as it looks – and listen to the rest of the (really great!) record at Impose Magazine.

No comments

Video: Metal Machine Music, pt. IV, Fireworks Ensemble

  By ,

A couple of years ago I had the chance to hear Lou Reed’s epic Metal Machine Music performed live by an orchestra.

I realize the ideas of “Metal Machine Music” and “orchestra” may seem like unlikely bedfellows, but the result, the Fireworks Ensemble playing a score transcribed by Ulrich Krieger, is among the best concert experiences I have ever had.

The orchestral version was, like the original, challenging. Brutal, even, at times; some people walked out. There were moments when I was clenching my teeth and clutching my armrests at the same time, just trying to anchor myself and stay above water. For a while it felt a bit like I had stuck my entire head inside the Gom Jabbar.

Then I got used to it, and relaxed, and was able to appreciate the stark, spiky cathedral of sound they were building for us. Below is an excerpt from the show.
 

Fireworks Ensemble: Metal Machine Music, Part IV

 
Rest in Peace, Mr. Reed. We shall miss you very much.

No comments

Video: Alice Cooper, Teenage Frankenstein

  By ,

This is the video for Teenage Frankenstein, by Alice Cooper, the grand-daddy of shock-rock.

It originally appeared on Constrictor (1986), though I came to it via Prince of Darkness (1989), the compilation record he put out in 1989 for, I’m guessing, all of the new fans like me that he acquired when Trash (1989) blew up.

Also, I totally just fell down a YouTube hole just now while looking for this video, and while we’re on the subject of Trash, man I had forgotten how much I really loved House of Fire. Poison was so good, too, I still listen to that one frequently. But if you just want a quick overview of his back catalog, Prince of Darkness works pretty well; my other super-creepy favorite from that one was Roses on White Lace.

Anyway, back to Teenage Frankenstein, which I am sharing because it is great and has an immensely satisfying chorus to shout along to, especially if you are fourteen and feel really awkward. And it’s still fun when you are way older than fourteen, too.

 

Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein

No comments

A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Chris Clarke

  By , ,

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

I first wrote about Chris Clarke back in August; I liked him then (and now) because his songs capture the feeling of wandering through a party, bouncing between conversations and the dance floor and the secret smokers nook on the roof.

This is his latest video, for Beads, from his most recent release, the handpicked. It is about exactly what it says on the tin: beads. Specifically bead necklaces. In addition to Clarke, it features BEATS ME singing the hook, and is really awesome and funky and I love it.
 
http://youtu.be/CHEUxd4cp0o
 
And now here is Mr. Clarke to tell us about a favorite book, record and drink:

A Good Read

I could go easy and say Khalil Gibran The Prophet, or Paulo Coehlo The Alchemist or Herman Hesse Siddhartha, but I’ll go with the next best thing . . . which is better to me in some ways. This good book would be the Tao of Wu by RZA.

I recommend it to people who enjoy all that and more. It has eye-opening philosophies and mind-blowing quotes which draw from wisdoms across the world from different times. In only a few pages you may get a Chinese mythological tale with a moral, a quote from an American industrial innovator from the 20th century… as well as jewels from holy books, chess strategies and discussion of artistic methods etc. The book got tons of information from a multitude of sources most intelligent people haven’t looked at. So off the top it’s brain food.

THEN, you also get all kinds of action. Ghetto project stories involving crime and danger and other fascinating elements that lock you in like these new shows people stay home to watch. The best thing is that these stories are shared only as lessons. As exciting as they are, they’re only revealed if they are part of an equation he wants to demonstrate for you to grasp. There is no gratuitous violence in the book. No hip hop celebrity gossip just to make noise. There is also tons of hip hop nostalgia which reads so lovely. His presence during the formative years and him recounting the vibes he felt and activities he participated in is soul food to a true head in this culture.

The thing though that inspires me the most is the passages about his determination to manifest his visions. He paints a picture well of himself channeling his energies to create and orchestrate his biggest gift to the world, The Wu Tang Clan. Anyone determined to form a powerhouse could benefit from his words. He is truly an enlightened man. All that and bits about his personal life make it that much more personal and actual. I fondly remember reading portions of this book on the deck of a boat during a storm at night! I also bought a copy for a friend and plan to do that again.

A Good Listen

The Nonce, World Ultimate. I recently tweeted “Nothing tops this album in terms of creative rap that u are automatically a G for even knowing about it”

I’m not big on comparisons but they’re like a West Coast Digable Planets but with more emphasis on rhyme styles. They weren’t on that bohemian vibe but musically they definitely had some earthy dare i say acid jazzy shit, but its from south central and it was hard! The beats ALL knock. Rick Rubin signed them if that helps you to want to hear what I’m saying…
 


 
A Good Drink

Water with lemon in it. get your alkaline up!

No comments

Video: Letters to Fiesta, Vampires

  By ,

Letters to Fiesta are: Anna Louisa Etherington (vocals, synth), Tom Brydon (guitar), Andy Fletcher (bass) and Dan Houghton (drums) and they are from Manchester, England.

This is the video for Vampires, the second song from their debut EP Aphorism.

And I want you, dear reader, to stop what you are doing and watch it immediately because 1) the song is lovely and haunting and 2) the animation and storytelling by S. Mushin, who created the video footage, are at the top of the list of the most achingly beautiful visual art I have seen this year.
 

Letters To Fiesta - Vampires - Official Video

 

If you like the tune, be sure to stop by their bandcamp next week and check out the rest of the record.

No comments

Late Night Listening: Lord & the Liar, Thrill-seekers Pubcrawlers and Shoplifters

  By , ,

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome once more to my virtual garage. Tonight we’re going to visit with Lord & the Liar, aka PaweÅ‚ Swiernalis, of PoznaÅ„, Poland.

He’s got an interesting vibe going: kind of jazzy, and also kind of creepy. You can listen to the whole record (somewhat choppily) on his YouTube page, but here are some highlights:

First: Prophet’s Fate, which starts with the following tantalizing line: You can find us making magic / near the flower shop / We are open for new stories / from closed doors, and then combines minimal drums and accordion to powerful, menacing effect.
 

Lord & the Liar Prophet's Fate

 
And second: this live version of Glass Full of Cigarettes, wherein the drummer makes excellent use of a glass bottle and a park bench:
 
Lord and the Liar - Glass Full of Cigarettes / On or Off Kolektyw #27 HD

No comments

A Good Read, A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Andy Abbott, That Fucking Tank

  By , , ,

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

My first introduction to That Fucking Tank was the video I posted a couple of weeks ago, for Making A Meal For Beethoven, one of the songs from their 10th Anniversary record A Document of the Last Set.

I watched it a couple of times, boggling, and then, because I’m always into people who are creative with reverb, static and feedback, I asked for more.

You guys, these gentlemen are really good with reverb, static and feedback. Take, for example, Bruce Springstonehenge.

It is, as you might have guessed, their rendition of a Springsteen song. I have a rule, with Springsteen: If you’re going to go there, don’t fuck it up. Do not, for example, try to play Born to Run on the xylophone and casually butcher it.

I’m not going to tell you which song this is, because that will ruin the surprise, but: they did not fuck it up. They took the sturdy bones of the song and made something new, different, and great. This version is from an earlier record, but you’ll get the idea:
 

 
Here’s another one, that’s all them: A Wonderful World Of, which starts out jammy and contemplative and then kicks into gear:
 

 

Anyway, after listening to all these and more, I definitely wanted to know more about them. So today, here is Andy Abbott, the man behind the baritone guitar, to tell us about a favorite book, record and drink. There’s a little bit of a twist to the proceedings this week: I gave him a prompt of “Halloween.” Here is what he had to say:

A Good Book: Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban.
This is a post apocalyptic sci-fi neo-primitivist journey-of-discovery novel set in an unrecordable time in the future. It’s based in Kent and is written in this weird mutation of the South Eastern accent.

It describes a society that has returned to the Iron Age following a nuclear disaster and the protagonist slowly pieces back together the events that led them to their current state. It’s a grim, dirty book and slow reading but has this odd euphoric, hopeful feeling throughout. I’m currently working on a music and film project with my other band Nope and artist Eoin Shea that takes it as a starting point.
 

 
A Good Drink: Most ales by Magic Rock
Magic Rock are a Huddersfield-based brewery that started a few years back. they make exceptionally tasty ales which is saying something given the proliferation of ‘craft breweries’ and the like, especially in Yorkshire. Curious is great, as is High Wire and Human Cannonball. Apparently the brewer is a Tank fan. Their design is also mint.

A Good Album: SAW2 [Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II] by Aphex Twin / No Pussyfooting by Fripp and Eno

I’m assuming that the album is to be chosen to go with the book and the drink in which case I’d want something pretty long and immersive.

I’d probably go for Selected Ambient Works II by Aphex Twin, or No Pussyfooting by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. They’d allow me to soak up the vibes and relax into an aled-up stupor quite nicely.
 


 
http://youtu.be/elTuRy7OhgQ

No comments

Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City

  By ,

Internets, I have a confession: I spent all day today listening to Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend on endless loop.

Literally all day. More than eight hours, even allowing for breaks for lunch, phonecalls, and a webinar.

It started because I had Diane Young stuck in my head (again) and then I just kind of got stuck in their groove and didn’t get out.

My observations on this experience are as follows:

1. Whoever came up with the video for Diane Young really fucked up. They took this FBI-agents-on-roller-skates dance party of a song and made it the soundtrack for the world’s most emo Last Supper. That said, when I watched it, I said both “what the hell? and also “I guess I’d maybe like to hear the rest of that record,” and I was not previously a Vampire Weekend fan.
 

 
2. They somehow sound like a fusion of Paul Simon and fun., but minus the latter’s tendency towards gloppily anthemic pop ballads. Now, I enjoy listening to Nate Ruess wear his heart on his sleeve and jump up his range as much as anyone else, but after a while it’s like being force-fed a seven course meal consisting entirely of cherry cobbler and vanilla custard. Vampire Weekend is just as capable of sweetness, it’s just that theirs is the less dessert and more the perfect hot cup of coffee from a street vendor before dawn on an icy New York morning.
 

 
3. Okay maybe they are a little bit gloppy sometimes:
 

 
4. A brief sampling of reactions to a few of the rest:

Don’t Lie is both plaintive and full of furbelows; Finger Back is a real New York love story (and also a true story, at least in part) told at breakneck speed and also my very favorite song; Everlasting Arms is what you play when cleaning your kitchen by yourself on a Friday night (bottle of wine optional); Hannah Hunt reminds me of a time when all of my furniture was foldable or inflatable and the Tower Records in the East Village salvaged many a bleak evening; and Hudson is the sound of the heart of the city that exists beneath/beside the one with all the bright shiny lights. There are the places the tourists go, and then there are the places we actually live, and sometimes they look like they are the same, but they are not.

Overall: A++, would marathon again.