It’s hard to talk about Aleks and the Ramps without using the Q word. Not because they wear fun socks, or exclusively play xylophone, but because you can never quite tell what they’re going to throw at you next.
The band have a new album due out on the 14 of February and the first single Middle Aged Unicorn on Beach With Sunset outshines it’s terrible name by being ten types of brilliant. The lyrics are witty and the delivery could almost match Stephin Merrit on the sarcastic baritone front. And it’s catchier than herpes.
The video for the song features setting soft toys on fire, trampolines and smoke machines and was made by Aleks himself. Awesome? You bet it is.
There seems to be heaps of quality new videos out at the moment. Here are some of them.
The Decemberists always have fantastic videos and their latest, Calamity Song is no exception. Based heavily on the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace it shows the band watching a game of tennis turn into a thermonuclear disaster. While it could have turned out horribly wrong, The Decemberists have enough charm and humour to make it compelling viewing.
I dare you to watch Ball Park Music’s clip for It’s Nice To Be Alive and not smile. It’s impossible.
It’s a universally acknowledged fact that Bon Iver is amazing. It is also well-known that Iceland has some of the prettiest scenery ever.Put them together and you get the video for Holocene.
The Rescue Ships are Brian Campeau and Elana Stone. Both are accomplished musicians in their own right with multiple albums and years of experience between them but put them together and you get something wonderful.
I saw these guys a few months ago and their live show is something special. They have a winning combination of hilarious banter and engaging music.
They’ve released a video for their single Up In The Air which was recently made Rage’s Indie of the Week. Brian broke his leg filming and both band members filmed videos about filming the video which are also recommended viewing.
It’s been awhile since Jens Lekman released new music and this week he posted his latest track An Argument With Myself for free download on his blog. The Graceland style arrangement is tad cheesy and would fall flat had anyone else tried it. However everything Jens touches turns to gold and his description of Melbourne’s streets is spot on. The track is from the upcoming Argument With Myself EP which will feature live favourites including Song For Kirsten Dunst. He will also have an album out in the near future.
To say there was a fair amount of pressure of Washington to produce a decent second album is something of an understatement. After the massive success of I Believe You Liar, selling out The Corner five times and playing every single music festival in Australia, we have been given the first glimpse of her follow-up album.
Holy Moses is markedly different from her previous sound. While it’s still a little on the quirky side, the production is much fuller and I can see commercial radio lapping it up. Still, aside from a kazoo solo it doesn’t really warrant a huge amount of listens. And the vide is just puzzling. It looks very inspired by the likes of Lady Gaga and doesn’t seem to fit her at all. Production wise however, it’s quite impressive.
Speaking of new videos, The Panda Band have one for 51 Swimsuits, from their upcoming album Charisma Weapon. It’s well worth a look, and not just because of the bikini-clad women.
It’s Sunday. It’s cold. And Easter is still two weeks away. So I thought it would be the perfect time to post some new Guillemots videos because if there’s one thing we could all do with more of, it’s Fyfe Dangerfield.
So far 2011 has given us new Decemberists, the long-awaited second album from Fleet Foxes, and The Mountain Goats released their 500th record (or something like that). On top of this Guillemots are releasing their third album Walk the River on 18 April.
Although Fyfe Dangerfield released a solo album last year, it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from the band. There are two studio tracks that have been unveiled in the last month or so and both continue the eclectic indie-pop sound of their last record.
The Basket is the first single and the video is quite trippy. If the album is like this, there will by no complaints from me whatsoever.
Walk The River is closer to Fyfe Dangerfield’s solo album. Which is not a bad thing at all.
Texan band Okkervil River have annouced that they will be releasing a new album titled I Am Very Far on May 10th, their first solo release since 2008′s The Stage Names. Very little is known about the album other than the title, and Will Schaff’s artwork, however a new single Mermaid will be released in Febuary.
The band performed new track Wake And Be Fine on Jimmy Fallon recently, with A.C Newman, and thankfully, Will Sheff and the band are at their literate and deranged best.
At the moment I’ve been focused on my end of year film project (a documentary about Melbourne Zombie Shuffle), so it seems quite fitting that I recently got in contact with Sam Wright, who is part of the team that works on 6 on the St, a documentary series that focuses on Adelaide’s live music scene. Each episode is six minutes long and features interviews and live performances by local bands in different parts of the city. While many Australians see Adelaide as a musically deprived hole, this documentary series completely disproves this and features some great local bands such as The Thieves and The Bearded Gypsy Band. New episodes come out on the 6th of every month and if you’re at all interested in hearing new Australian Music, I highly recommend you see them.
Electric Skeleton: What made you decide to create 6 on the street?
Sam Wright: During the Christmas of 2008, my friend in Canada introduced me to a whole lot of short music videos that were filmed on the streets of France. These films were done by Vincent Moon with Chryde from La Blogotheque. I drew inspiration from these films and moved forward in an attempt to create something that would be special for emerging Adelaide musicians.
ES: How long does it take to make each episode?
SW: Generally we will shoot an episode in an afternoon and have time for a snack and drink, so only a few hours really. For the 6 on the St team, it is like going to an intimate gig on the weekend. Kieran Ellis-Jones (Director) will then take a couple of days to edit out the material into an episode.
ES: Having bands play on the street is not something you see every day. How to the general public react to it?
SW: The general public are almost too polite. They walk around our filming. Rather than through it. However, we filmed in China Town last weekend around a Bubble Tea stall. I have never seen so many skate boarder kids attempting to video bomb a production. Which we were fine with. We want the public to become part of the videos as well, as they are just part of the city atmosphere that we are trying to capture.
ES: How do you decide each location?
SW: It is a mixture of places that our team likes, with places that are well known in Adelaide, with places that match the vibe of the artist that is performing.
ES: What makes Adelaide’s music scene different to anywhere else’s?
SW: It is hard to say, as I have not been able to participate fully in any other city’s music scene. All of them would be great I would imagine and unique in their own ways. What makes the Adelaide Music Scene unique to me, is that there are so many different bands (genre wise) that you can see in one night, but you really have to actually care about good music, to actually know where the good music can be found. If you don’t care, you will probably find yourself stuck in some boring Adelaide bar eating an overpriced schnitzel and listening to some terrible cover band.
ES: How do you choose bands for the videos?
SW: We keep our ears and minds open to all particular styles. We scan friend’s Facebook pages for local bands they are seeing. We pay attention to the Triple J Unearthed charts. We read CD Reviews. We attend many gigs. We read our street press. We eavesdrop people at local pubs. We talk to friends about music. We talk to strangers about music. We take our headphones off and listen to people busking in the mall. We do our homework. Then we make a choice.
ES: Do you know which bands you’ll be featuring in future episodes?
SW: We have a few episodes locked in for the next couple of months, but we are keeping some episodes open for local acts that make it into festivals such as WOMADelaide and Big Day Out.
The latest video was uploaded today and features Spine, who aren’t a metal band. You can check it out below.
I know what you’re all thinking. “Is that the guy from The Getaway Plan?” Yes, it is. But don’t worry, because you don’t have to be fourteen and depressed to enjoy listening to Young Heretics.
The Melbourne duo create dark, atmospheric pop songs and they have just released the video for their track Risk/Loss. It was directed by James Lawler and aside from being one of the most visually interesting clips of the year (not including Lady Gaga), it also doubles as a tourism ad for Melbourne with lots of great shots of the city’s laneways. It’s defenitly worth a look.
I can’t embed it because the internet decided it hates me, but you can see it here.
They’ve also been kind enough to offer the track as a free download which you can grab below.
They’re embarking on a national tour to launch their debut album We Are The Loves. If you like what you saw/heard above, make sure you come along to one of their shows.
NATIONAL TOUR DATES:
Sat 10 July – Spectrum, Sydney NSW w/ Guineafowl and Siren Lines
Fri 16 July – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay NSW w/ Comic Sans and Siren Lines – FREE ENTRY
Sat 17 July – The Troubadour, Brisbane QLD w/ Comic Sans and Siren Lines
Fri 23 July – Jive, Adelaide SA w/ Secrets in Scale and Siren Lines
Sat 24 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC w/ Guineafowl and Siren Lines
Thur 29 July – Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA w/ Arms Like Branches
Fri 30 July – Norfolk Basement, Fremantle WA
Sat 31 July – Amplifier, Perth WA w/ Arms Like Branches, Place of Indigo and The Japanese Tongue Sisters
Sun 1 August – Indi Bar, Scarborough WA w/ Arms Like Branches and Place of Indigo
You know what’s better than paying $60 to see the Temper Trap at *shudder* Festival Hall? Going to the Workers Club in Melbourne to see Goodnight Owl lauch their debut video.
Goodnight Owl sound like the lovechild of Josh Pyke and The Postal Service (and in case you wre confused, they have nothing at all to do with the greatly inferior Owl City). They released their debut EP last year and it’s one of those releases that still sounds good after the 13,oo0th listen. Suprisingly, the video for Maps and Compasses is their first, and it certainly fits well with their laidback and glitchy music.
The video will be launched on the 24th of July at The Workers Club. Until then, you check out the video below.
Note: The date has now been changed to the 31st of July. So now you really have no excuse not to go.
I’m going on school camp tomorrow. It involves hiking, drop toilets and tents. I am going to die.
Anyway, before I get attacked by drop bears and the smell of unshowered teenage boys, I thought I’d share a few covers with you.
Before they released The Stand- Ins Okkervil River asked other bands to cover songs from the album and post them on youtube. One of my favourite coveres from this project is Bon Iver’s cover of Blue Tulip. There is less emphisis placed on the lyrics than in the orginal, but with Justin Vernon’s falestto it’s hardly a problem. Seriously though, he could record and Canibal Courpse cover and make it sound like the prettiest thing in the world.
I have an almost endless supply of Magnetic Fields covers and I thought I’d post another one. In year 10 Neon Bible by the Arcade Fire was my favourite album. I was given a burnt copy by a friend and, along with The Shins, they introduced me to the wonderful world of indie music. They did a cover of Born on a Train a couple of years ago, and it isn’t bad, although Win Butler’s voice doesn’t\sound it’s best. If you’re a fan of either band it is worth a listen.
I have to post the video because my internet is having a hissy fit.
If seeing Michael Tomlinson from Yves Klein Blue get naked is on your bucket list, you can now die happy.
For the alternate version of the About the Future video which was relased today, you get to see him strip down. While it is an interesting idea that suits the vulnerable nature of the song, it just seems a bit wrong. I spent the whole video feeling like I was watching something I shouldn’t be. And this is coming from a 17 year old girl with a thing for indie musicians. If that was the aim of the director, then they’ve certainly done a good job.
The Decemberists always have fantastic videos and their latest, Calamity Song is no exception. Based heavily on the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace it shows the band watching a game of tennis turn into a thermonuclear disaster. While it could have turned out horribly wrong, The Decemberists have enough charm and humour to make it compelling viewing.
From war tennis to meteors.
