“Not so much a video as a photo to stare at while you check one of the best records of the year so far from The Weeknd, and no we don’t know where the other ‘e’ has gone but we don’t care when the music is so perfect in every way. Sink into this aural bath while The Weeknd massages your nether regions with his bottom end. See, I’ve gone doolally just listening to this epic understated wonder.”
May 20th, 2011
Austra are a trio from Canada — fronted by a one-time budding opera star Katie Stelmanis —who prove that you don’t have to be from Scandinavia to nail mystical electro lady-pop. “Lose It” is the recent single from their excellent second album Feel It Break and the video is direct by M Blash who — tangential fact alert! — played the maths teacher in Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park. For more, including summer tour dates, visit their myspace here.
May 18th, 2011
While it would be folly to suggest that everyone immediately does anything because we’ve suggested it, the fact that we showcased pink trousers a few weeks ago and now a rapper is wearing a pair in his new video can’t be a coincidence can it? Surely not. We look forward to seeing Pusha T wearing our selection of spring trainers in his next video.
May 5th, 2011
Culture,Music,What we're listening to
But you knew that already. Still, in the super-heavy video for Moby’s new track, “The Day”, she gets wings and a sword with which to whup the ass of an offending demon, while the shiny pated musician remains calmly plastered to the ceiling tiles (just watch it, this will all make sense). And for all you TV ad creatives out there, Moby’s forthcoming studio album, Destroyed, is out on 16 May.
April 28th, 2011
Fey indie poppers Low have, astonishingly, recently released their ninth album, C’mon. And as this video attests, they still don’t take themselves as seriously as their sombre balladry might suggest. Try to Sleep features none other than Glee’s John Stamos, doing his flashy-toothed all-American thing against a B-movie backdrop. We wish he’d look at the road more often, though. C’mon is out now on Sub Pop
April 18th, 2011
Grimes makes weird, woozy pop that takes in dance, industrial and R & B, with at least a nod to the recent splurge in Kate Bush-influenced vocals. Real name Claire Boucher, this 22-year-old’s been all over the blogs for the last year, and has already released a couple of full-lengths. Vanessa, a slice of blissed-out electro, is released April 19th on Arbutus Records/Hippos in Tanks.
April 13th, 2011
Now on album five, New York experimental dance outfit Gang Gang Dance are apparently still completely bonkers. Their video for “Mindkilla” manages to be both loads of fun and rather unsettling, a bit like the song itself. Stick around for the demented final 30 seconds, where a man made from pixels dances around with a hockey stick to the sound of a siren. The album, “Eye Contact” is out on May 9
April 11th, 2011
“Not so much a tune as an all-star cast praising the pure majesty of the Beastie Boys who are finally returning with a new album Hot Sauce Committee II,” says Rob da Bank. “Check the video trailer and see how many stars you can spot whilst nodding your head vigorously! I’m so excited at the prospect of the new tunes I’m gonna rip a VW sign off a passing van today and hang it around my neck.”
April 8th, 2011