FEIST "THE BAD IN EACH OTHER" MUSIC VIDEO!

take a look at the emotionally et dramatically rousing, cinematic treatment for Feist's stunning single The Bad In Each Other. directed by Martin De Thurah {James Blakes' Lindisfarne}.

Thurah's epic treatment evokes the rather preachy et weighty fatalism inherent in the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu, which depending on your taste is a good or a bad thing or perhaps somewhere in-between in that grey zone, anyways decide for yourselves! Feist looks a lot like a young Patti Smith in this video. enjoy!

31. MY ...

31.

My whole being felt, as it were, an immense need

to refresh its vigour in a bath of newness.

{Andre Gide, Fruits of the Earth}

30. AFTER ...

30.

After something happens to you, you go to write it down, 

and either you over dramatize it or underplay it,

exaggerate the wrong parts or ignore the important ones.

{Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath}

29. NO ...

29.

No words, no description can depict the fury

of writers when their amour-propre is wounded,

nor the energy they can tap when they feel the 

prick of the poisoned darts of mockery.

{Honoré de Balzac, Lost Illusions}

WILD NOTHING "NOWHERE"!!!

if you're like me then you've been desperately hanging out for the day when a new Wild Nothing track would come into existence. well, i'm happy to announce that day has finally arrived! so just lie back, slip on a pair of headphones et let your ears soak up the deliciously wistful et day-dreamy, twangly, accordion-laced, twee pop lamentation Nowhere, from Virginia-based indie/dream pop crooner Jack Tatum aka Wild Nothing off his forthcoming "Nowhere" 7" (2012).

"Don't come over,

unless you want to feel something."

Nowhere features the husky, dreamy vocals of Andrea Estella {of Twin Sister}. enjoy!!!





MP3: Nowhere

the "Nowhere" 7" is set for release February 21st on Captured Tracks, the first 500 copies are on white vinyl, so get in quick.

if you don't own or haven't yet heard the sublime masterpiece that is "Gemini", then shame on you! i would strongly suggest you acquire it immediately, as it will change your life! you can find it on vinyl at Captured Tracks, Insound et Norman Records, or digitally from itunes. i'd also highly recommend getting your hands on the wonderful "Golden Haze" EP, as well as the "Cloudbursting" et "Summer Holiday" 7"s! they are available from the same above outlets.

you can find Wild Nothing here: myspace | facebook | wildnothingmusic

28. SHE ...

28.

She will read until she falls asleep,

and neither her parents nor anyone

else will ever be the wiser.

{Karen Joy Fowler, Reading Women}

ZEBRA KATZ "IMA READ"!!!

WARNING: 

the following track is highly infectious, one listen et you'll be addicted!  

peep the mesmerizingly murk-encrusted et crunked-out, throbbing et drawly, witch house-infused single Ima Read, from Brooklyn-based hip-hop innovator Zebra Katz off his new "Ima Read" EP (2012).

Ima Read features the ultra sassy et feisty vocal stylings of Njena Reddd Foxxx! you're gonna want to turn this one up as loud as humanly possible! enjoy!

"Ima read that bitch

Ima school that bitch

Ima take that bitch to college

Ima give that bitch some knowledge."

MP3: Ima Read

check out the wonderfully murky et twisted, school-themed performance video for Ima Read. video directed by RUBEN XYZ for Mad Decent.

the "Ima Read" EP is available from the Mad Decent side project Jeffrees as a free download from hulkshare or you can stream/download it on soundcloud.

you can read Zebra Katz here: facebook | twitter

27. IMMERSED ...

27.

Immersed thus in people, he at last

feels a member of something other

than the order of excluded beings.

{Paul West, The Rat Man of Paris}

YOUNG MAGIC "NIGHT IN THE OCEAN" MUSIC VIDEO!!!

check out the stunning vintage-styled, experimental, super 8mm visuals for Young Magic's fuzzy, distortion-laden, spaced-out epic single Night In The Ocean, off their forthcoming album "Melt". video directed by the uber-talented Andrew de Freitas {Kieran Blake's Yer Not A Sunrise, Cool Rainbows Southern Summer Sun} for Newfoundland Tack!


de Freitas gives us a delicious juxtaposition between lyrical scenic imagery {reminiscent of the poetic films of Jean-Daniel Pollet} et the intimate et playful interactions between a young couple who take turns drawing on each others bodies. an inspired use of overlaid doodly, geometric 2D line graphics {evocative of Ben Rivers' "Slow Action"} cleverly connects the two layers/surfaces/skins together . there is also a playfully lo-fi, homage-of-sorts to Antonioni's iconic, anti-consumerist, explosive climax from Zabriskie Point.

26. SOUTH ...

26.

South, south which is a wind is not rain, 

does silence choke speech or does it not.

{Gertrude Stein, Rooms}

KUH-LIDA "WOLFF"

let your ears et mind meditate on the sublimely wonky et glitched-out, John Cage prepared piano-riffing, experimental hip-hop hallucination that is Wolff, from Chicago-based electro/hip-hop experimentalist Myles Emmons aka Kuh-Lida off his new album "Snacks" (2012).




if you like what you hear then i'd highly recommend checking out the phenomenal "Snacks" album, it is available now for purchase/streaming via the Belgian Man's bandcamp or on Kuh-Lida's soundcloud.

you can find Kuh-Lida here: facebook

SANTIGOLD "BIG MOUTH" MUSIC VIDEO!

take a look at the fantastic new 80s-effects-styled, Haring-esque, 'kids' illustration/animation video for Santigold's latest infectious single Big Mouth. video directed et illustrated by Cody Critcheloe. turn it up really loud et enjoy!!!

25. HE ...

25.

He felt now as one feels in a railway carriage

when one thinks that one is going forward

when one is going backward, and one suddenly

recognises the real direction.

{Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich}

LEILA "WELCOME TO YOUR LIFE" MUSIC VIDEO!

check out the awesome new glitched-out, compression-art et video-effects laden, surreal audiovisual tour-de-force music video for Leila's track Welcome To Your Life from the "U&I" album, which is out now on Warp Records. video created by Pussykrew.

"Welcome to your life ... again!"

 

24. BUTTERFLIES ...

24.

Butterflies opened and shut along the roads

like the flash of white in a camera lens.

{Zelda Fitzgerald, Save Me The Waltz}

23. I ...

23.

I have walked by stalls in the market-place

where books, dog-eared and faded from their purple, 
have burst with a white hosanna.

{William Golding, Free Fall}

22. A ...

22.

A revoltingly charming landscape.

{Marguerite Duras, Sailor From Gibraltar}

21. THIS ...

21.

This blankness was the worst of all.

{Franz Kafka, The Castle}

BLEACHED "SEARCHING THROUGH THE PAST" MUSIC VIDEO!

check out the wonderfully playful et sun-baked, 70s-styled music video for Bleached's hook-laden, Fleetwood Mac-esque single Searching Through The Past. video by Molly Schiot.

20. IF ...

20.

If it's sunny and nice weather I'm in a much

lighter mood and find everything easier to do,

like you fill up with sunshine.

{Gudny Bjorgvinsdottir, Weather Reports You}

19. SKY ...

19.

Sky, so vast is the sky
where faraway clouds just wondering by
Where do they go
oh, I don't know,
don't know.

{ Aloysio de Oliveria/Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dindi}

FAWS "TAKE NOTICE"

here's a delicious slice of auditory bliss i've been lounging about to lately. let your ears soak up the lush tableaux of intricate sounds; crackles, glitches, finger-snaps, infectious minimal beats et plinky synth melody, along with wonky, reverb-swooning, r&b sampled vocals float deliriously over the mix, it all comes together to produce the entrancing, spaced-out reverie Take Notice, from enigmatic Dublin-based electronic producer Faws off his brilliant debut EP "Antonym" (2012).

the stunning "Antonym" EP is available to stream digitally via bandcamp, i'd recommend heading over there now if you like what you hear!

you can find Faws here: facebook

18. AND ...

18.

And all in pink, and all in pink.

{Muriel Spark, The Go-Away Bird}

17. IT ...

17.

It is this instinct for resemblance which guides

us through life, calling on us to halt before

a landscape, a woman, or a poem.

{Raymond Radiguet, Devil in the Flesh}

16. DULLNESS ...

16.

Dullness is as much produced within doors

as without, by rain.

{Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility}

LABYRINTH EAR "HUMBLE BONES"

let your ears soak up the spangly et effervescent, 90s-imbued, gauzy disco-laced, electro pop reverie Humble Bones, from London-based electro pop duo Labyrinth Ear {Emily Jacobs and Tom Evans} off their forthcoming "Apparitions" EP (2012).

"I'm just a Fräulein, 

a little Fräulein"

Jacobs' husky et dreamy vocals totally remind me of Carly Simon. enjoy!



the "Apparitions" EP is coming out February 7th, you will be able to download it digitally via bandcamp, pre-orders are available now.

you can find Labyrinth Ear here: facebook | labyrinthear

15. SO ...

15.

So I learned to write by writing.

{Norman Mailer, The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing}

NICOLAS JAAR "AND I SAY"

next up is the ridiculously infectious et mesmerizingly minimal, blippy et jungly, super-sultry, jazzy, downtempo single And I Say from Brooklyn-based artist Nicolas Jaar, at present just a digital single.

"When I see you standing there
The evening sun upon your hair

Covered up with garden dirt

With just one glance you tear my skirt

And I say ..."

And I Say features the sultry yet nonchalant lyrical stylings of Scout LaRue et is peppered with the percussion et sax-crooning of Will Epstein, enjoy!


MP3: And I Say

if you still haven't checked out Jaar's phenomenal debut album "Space Is Only Noise", then i suggest you do so! it is available on cd from Insound or Boomkat, you can also acquire it digitally from itunes. 

et if you didn't catch my post for Jaar's incredible track Don't Break My Love, then i suggest you do. the "Don't Break My Love" EP is out via Clown and Sunset, at present it is only available as a free digital download, so check it out!

you can find Nicolas Jaar here: myspace | facebook | nicolasjarr

14. SILENCED ...

14.

Silenced she sank easily through deeps under deeps

of darkness until she lay like a stone at the farthest

bottom of life, knowing herself to be blind, deaf,

speechless, no longer aware of the members of her

own body, entirely withdrawn from all human concerns,

yet alive with a peculiar lucidity and coherence; all

notions of the mind, the reasonable inquiries of doubt,

all ties of blood and the desire of the heart, dissolved

and fell away from her, and there remained of her only

a minute fiercely burning particle of being that knew

itself alone, that relied upon nothing beyond itself for

its strength; not susceptible to any appeal or inducement,

being itself composed entirely of one single motive, 

the stubborn desire to live.    

  

{Katherine Anne Porter, Pale Horse, Pale Rider}

13. WHAT ...

13.

"What is this life? A frenzied blurry haze,

What is this life? Not anything it seems, 

A shadow, a fiction,

All we possess on earth means nil,

for life is a dream,

and even all our dreams are only dreams."

{Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Life Is A Dream}

MATANA ROBERTS "POV PITI"

i'm not really sure how this mind-blowing album slipped by me last year! wellanyways, i've found it now et feel compelled to share it with those others who were in the dark. it should be pointed out that this album is intended to be experienced as a continuous, unbroken composition, however i feel this track will allow you to ascertain the intent of the work without spoiling the whole. prepare yourself for the devastating, emotionally powerful et politically potent, soulful et cathartic, cacophonous lamentation Pov Piti, from New York-based avant jazz composer/alto-saxophonist Matana Roberts off her phenomenal album "Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres" (2011).

Pov Piti is based on et inspired by an old Creole folk song called "Pov Piti Mamzelle ZiZi".

it also evokes the emotional, political et spiritual resonance of Max Roach's landmark album "Freedom Now Suite" (1960), in particular the remarkable Triptych (Prayer, Protest, Peace).




i highly recommend getting yourself a copy of the stunning "Coin Coin Chapter One" album, it is out on Constellation Records, available on cd, mp3/flac or 2x10" vinyl! it is also available digitally from itunes.

you can find Matana Roberts here: facebook | matanaroberts

AUSTRA "SPELLWORK" MUSIC VIDEO

check out the entrancingly enigmatic et disquieting, cultish, ritual-steeped, experimental costume drama for Austra's epic darkwave-infused single Spellwork. directed by Yelena Yemchuk.

12. AND ...

12.

And what about you dear readers,

what are your lives like?

{Françoise Sagan, Scars on the Soul}

XIU XIU "HI"!

check out the delirious darkwave-infused, transgressively playful et mordant, angst-laden, athemic lead single Hi, from Brooklyn-based experimental/post punk duo Xiu Xiu {Jamie Stewart & Angela Seo} off their much anticipated new album "Always" (2012).

Stewart's lyrics/delivery are incredible as ever, the first verse is particularly quotable, enjoy!

"If you're wasting your life / say hi
If you are alone tonight / say hi
If you or she should die / say hi
If there's a hole in your head / say hi
If you have a stitch in your wrist / say hi
If when you look at the sky, it is black and shredded"

"Always" is set for release February 27th in Europe/UK on Bella Union Records et March 6th in the US on Polyvinyl Records, it will be available on cd, mp3 et lp! pre-orders are available now, there is an edition of 500 translucent pink vinyl, so get in quick if that takes your fancy! you will also be able to download it digitally from itunes.

if you missed it, you should check out my post for Xiu Xiu's insane cover of Rihanna's Only Girl (In The World).

you can say hi to Xiu Xiu here: myspace | facebook | xiuxiu

REAL ESTATE "EASY" MUSIC VIDEO!

take a look at the deviously entertaining, behind-the-scenes look at the relentless {et unscrupulous} PR machine behind Real Estate's latest single Easy, directed by Tom Scharpling.

11. REALLY ...

11.

Really, he said to himself, it seems I am fated

to die a dreamer.

{Stendhal, Scarlet and Black}

OBSERVER DRIFT "WARM WAVES"

here's the perfect track to cure those lousy Summer blues {particularly for us kiwis who are having a dreadfully wet Summer thus far!}, embrace this delicious dose of irresistibly catchy et carefree, jingly-jangly, indie pop goodness Warm Waves, from Bloomington, Indiana-based bedroom/electro pop producer Collin Ward aka Observer Drift off his phenomenal debut album "Corridors" (2012).

Warm Waves is reminiscent of Wild Nothings ... which is definitely a good thing! enjoy!


MP3: Warm Waves

i'd definitely recommend getting the "Corridors" album, it is available digitally from bandcamp, where you can stream the entire album.

you can find Observer Drift here: facebook

QUILT "YOUNG GOLD" MUSIC VIDEO

check out the delightfully autumnal, 60s-styled music video for Quilt's single Young Gold off the wonderful self-title debut album "Quilt" (2011). video directed by Kim & Luis Arnías.

10. THE ...

10.

The clouds of misery and uncertainty 

were suddenly dispelled.

{Ruth Brandon, Surreal Lives: The Surrealists 1917-1945}

TODD TERJE "SWING STAR (PT 1)"

time for some more sublime sonic goodness from Scandinavia, check out the entrancingly epic, fluttery et pulsating, drum machine-laced, anthemic analog synth pop nocturne Swing Star (pt 1), from Oslo-based electro/synth-pop experimentalist Todd Terje off his forthcoming "It's The Arps" EP (2012).

Swing Star (Pt 1) would fit perfectly onto the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Cop, or any early 80s american action film involving cocaine for that matter! sniff...sniff ... enjoy!




"It's The Arps" EP comes out January 16th on Smalltown Supersound, it will be available on 12" vinyl or as a digital download.

you can find Todd Terje here: facebook

9. A ...

9.

A poem quietly goes aside to weep.

{Kendrick Smithyman, A Note on the Social Arts}

ORCAS "CARRION"

this next track will require your complete auditory attention, grab your airtight headphones, lie back, close your eyes et immerse yourself is this intoxicatingly swoony et soulful, hazy, sublime piano-laced ambient pop meditation Carrion, from Seattle-based ambient pop duo Orcas {Benoît Pioulard & Rafael Anton Irisarri} off their self-titled debut album "Orcas" (2012).

the debut "Orcas" album is set for release April 13th on Morr Records.


you can find Orcas here: facebook  

8. ALREADY ...

8.

Already at that moment, she had felt a kind
of weakness, a pang in her heart, anguish ... 
something like what the characters in a play
she had once seen must have experienced.

{Nathalie Sarraute, The Planetarium}

LA SERA "PLEASE BE MY THIRD EYE"

this next track will get you up et frolicking about the room, or at the very least have your feet tapping! et yes, you'll want to play it as loud as your hearing/stereo will permit. get ready for the infectiously feisty et fuzzed-out, fugacious, forlorn-tinged garage pop fracas Please Be My Third Eye, from LA-based garage pop goddess Katy Goodman aka La Sera off her forthcoming follow-up album "Sees The Light" (2012).

today's post was brought to you by the letter 'F'! enjoy!


MP3: Please Be My Third Eye

check out the refreshingly simple et playfully sped-up performance video for Please Be My Third Eye. directed by Vice Cooler.

the "Sees The Light" album is set for release March 27th on Hardly Art. it will be available on cd et lp, pre-orders are now open. you will be able to acquire it digitally via itunes.

check out my post for the single Beating Heart off the wonderful self-titled debut "La Sera" album.

you can find out La Sera here: myspace | facebook | hardly art

DOUBLE DUCHESS "WHAT'S THAT ALL THAT" MUSIC VIDEO!

just stumbled upon this ecstatically camp music video for Double Duchess' irresistibly catchy single What's That All That. directed by Sebastian Tobler. enjoy!!!

7. SWARMING ...

7.

Swarming city, city full of dreams,
where ghosts in broad daylight catch the walker's sleeve.

{Charles Baudelaire, The Seven Old Men}

GRIMES "GENESIS"!!!

for those of you waiting around in a numbed daze, not quite sure what to do with yourselves until the new Grimes album finally comes out, well good news, your prayers have been answered! expose your ears to the infectiously dizzying et hazy second single, the ebullient et effervescent, euphonic, ethereal-pop epiphany Genesis, from Montreal-based ethereal/synth-pop princess Claire Boucher aka Grimes off her much anticipated third album "Visions" (2012).

today's post was brought to you by the letter 'E'! enjoy!


MP3: Genesis

the "Visions" album is set for release February 21st {north america} et March 12th {rest of world} on Arbutus Records et 4AD {with whom Boucher has just signed}, it will be available on cd, lp et mp3. you will also be able to acquire it digitally from itunes.

if you haven't heard it already then check out my post for the phenomenal lead single Oblivion off the forthcoming "Visions" album.

i'd also strongly recommend getting yourself a copy of Grimes previous albums "Halfaxa" et "Geidi Primes" along with the "Darkbloom" split EP (2011), if you haven't already. you can acquire them from Insound or Rough Trade on cd or lp! 


you can find Grimes here: myspace | facebook | grimesmusic

WOODS "ANY OTHER DAY" MUSIC VIDEO!

check out the deliriously tripped-out, hand-drawn et video-effects-laden, mind-altering visuals for Woods' single Any Other Day off the outstanding "Sun and Shade" album. video directed by EyeBodega, drawings by Jeremy Bradley Earl.

6. WAITING ...

6.

Waiting for the most beautiful moment, the one

he would like to prolong, when the sun falls to

the horizon, for a second sits on a pedestal of

itself – before dropping with sickening finality

behind the sea line.  

{Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover: A Romance}

WILLIS EARL BEAL "EVENING'S KISS"

here's a truly special track that i haven't been able to stop thinking about since i heard it. an utterly captivating et refreshingly stripped-back, endearingly artless et idiosyncratic, forlorn confessional Evening's Kiss, from Chicago-based "below-underground" lo-fi crooner Willis Earl Beal off his forthcoming debut album "Acousmatic Sorcery" (2012).

Evening's Kiss contains some of the best songwriting/lyrics i've heard in a long time, so i feel compelled to quote part of a stunning free-form verse, enjoy!!!

"Drip drop / Window pane hypnotic

Clip clop / concrete, heals on it

I'm still disillusioned / and cool catatonic

Always in a daze / without smoking the chronic

And the doors still open at the end of the day

And I'm still hoping without much to say

You ask me how I'm feeling / Well I'm full of shit and doubt

Ask me who I'm with / and I tell you I'm without."

MP3: Evening's Kiss 

{mp3 taken from youtube so not best quality but you get the idea}

check out the absolutely stunning new flickery, lo-fi, pencil-drawn illustrated animation for Evening Kiss. video directed by Willis Earl Beal et animated by Michael Zauner for Forever-Pictures.

"Acousmatic Sorcery" is set for release March 20th on XL Recordings/Hot Charity.


if you're curious to know more about Willis Earl Beal then check out the great article profile from last year in the Chicago Reader.

5. FROM ...

5.

From the aspect of the word Nijinsky

(the rise of the N, the drop of the j,

the leap of the hook on the k and the

fall of the y, graphic form of a name

that seems to be drawing the artist's élan,

with its bounds and rebounds on the boards,

of the jumper who doesn't know which leg

to come down on), he sensed the dancer's

lightness, just as he will one day realize

that Verlaine can only be the name of a

poet-musician.

{Jean Genet, Our Lady of the Flowers}

4. LIMITED ...

4.

Limited by a beginning and an end, that is, by the

two supreme events of appearance and disappearance 

within the world, it follows a strictly linear movement
whose very motion nevertheless is driven by the motor 
of biological life which man shares with other living things
and which forever retains the cyclical movement of nature.

{Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition}

3. YES ...

3.

Yes, as everyone knows, meditation and water 

are wedded forever.

{Hermann Melville, Moby Dick}

HAPPY NEW YEAR "HIGH SEA"

let's kick things off with a dose of ethereal hypnosis, here's the deliriously broody et off-kilter, wistfully intoxicating, shoegaze-laced lament High Sea, from Brooklyn-based, Brisbane born dream-gaze artist Eleanor Logan aka Happy New Year off the "Happy New Year/Nite Fields" split 7" (2012).




the "Happy New Year/Nite Fields" split 7" comes out January 9th, it is the debut release for the Brisbane-based artist run label Lost Race Records, it is limited to 150 numbered copies only. you can e-mail lostracerecords@gmail.com to pre-order your copy!

you can stream both sides of the 7" via soundcloud.

if you missed my post earlier last year for the wonderful single Twins, then i recommend checking it out.

good news Happy New Year's debut album is set for release in February via Paris based label SVN SNS RCRDS.

you can find Happy New Year here: myspace | facebook | happynewyearmusic

2. WORDS ...

2.

Words are like labels,

or coins, or better, like swarming bees.

{Anne Sexton, Said The Poet To The Analyst}

1. WITHOUT ...

1.
Without forgetting that, I wish, if you'll forgive me,

to go back in time, back to an earlier moment still,

to a time before that time.

{Jacques Derrida, The Animal That Therefore I Am}

ONE-YEAR LATER ...

well, i am happy to report that my one-year audiovisual "project" is now complete, it's quite hard to believe, but i actually managed to post every day for an entire year! i must say it is all a bit of a blur now!!!

i've waded through so much music this past year i desperately need to come up for some air, for fear of drowning in the ever expanding sonic ocean. the time has come for some much needed reflection, a concerted effort must be made to regain some perspective et {re}appreciate the music i've discovered this past year. so my posting will now become more amorphous et less regimented, i will only post when i feel i have found music that is truly interesting et that hasn't already been posted on a myriad of other established blogs, so you should continue to check in regularly because you will be pleasantly surprised when you least expect it!

my warmest regards go out to all those kindred spirits situated around the globe that have continued to return here for one reason or another, to all those wonderful musicians et supporters/'followers' for your kind feedback et gifts, it has meant a lot, et made this somewhat foolhardy endeavor worthwhile!

if you've just arrived here then lucky you, there are over 365 idiosyncratic musical delights for you to discover!

this site {like so many others out there} now acts as a time-machine of sorts, so for those who missed-out, or if you're feeling nostalgic, then 2011 is musically yours to {re}discover once more!