Given their propensity for more off the wall visual accompaniments to their songs, each new Vuvuvultures video release is beginning to feel like something of an event. What on earth will they have come up with this time and will Harmony have been browbeaten enough to consent to the inclusion of a vagina laser?
We were somewhat taken aback to find then that the video for “Safe Skin” (from last year’s excellent VVV EP) is almost fairly normal. This is the band who brought us a march into space to obtain multiple limbs, a dark trip to a fantastical and freaky underworld, and of course a woman who eats human-sized flies… (yep). What’s going on?
Well, we did say almost and fairly normal. Directed by James Copeman, the man behind the visceral promo for the menacing “I’ll Cut You”, “Safe Skin” feels like an interesting visual take on the performance video. Harmony is singing, the band are playing, though none of them are with each other, Harmony dances a bit, shows of plenty of skin (safe or otherwise) and that’s about it. Except its not, of course its not.
The visuals are a kaleidoscope of flesh and music, as well as a little oddness thrown in as well. Harmony’s eyes shudder as they blacken, primal screams escape mouths in the form of scribbled lines, which also fill wine glasses. Nothing though compares to the ooze, the liquid gunk that dribbles and pours out of, well you can see for yourself, suffice to say it is not a vagina laser substitute, thankfully (although, you could see it as being something similar if you looked in a certain way…).
While you watch the video below (possibly at home, there’s no explicit nudity but a Harmony sans coulettes may still get you in trouble with the boss, or a raise, depending on your boss) consider the following three exciting pieces of VVV related news.
1) Their debut album, Push/Pull, will be released on Energy Snake Records / Cadiz / Universal on 29 July.
2) It will be preceded by a brand new single titled ‘Steel Bones’.
3) They will be touring the UK tour in support of this release.
More details on where and when will follow but one thing we do know is that they will be playing Open in Norwich on 4 July. How can we so sure? Because we’re only putting on the flipping show ourselves! Yep, its the first ever Alphabet Bands promoted gig and we are made up that it will be one of our blog crushes headlining. Tickets are on sale now and cost a mere £5. Support comes from Box of Light and Horse Party.
Sales pitch over, go watch the video (and buy tickets to the gig!)
Did any of you ever see the Donnie Darko sequel? S. Darko? No, us neither (it has a score of 3.7 out of 10 on IMDB, why would we? Even Man Getting Hit By Football has a higher rating – probably) but apparently the plot involves people having lots of weird visions. Kind of like what is going on in the new Fenech-Soler video then…
In the promo for “Magnetic”, a big and upbeat piece of synthy electro pop excitement, singer Ben Duffy finds himself jumping through time and locations, and looking quite harangued for it. Lights flicker and clocks spin backwards as a doppelganger and the rest of the band (who turn up everywhere) appear, as does a rabbit-headed character who bears a no-doubt entirely coincidental resemblance to Frank (and any other persons living or dead) from the aforementioned Donnie Darko.
In his attempts to find sanity and sense, Ben runs, turns, wades and sits, though why anyone would voluntarily crawl into a washing machine, regardless of the messed-up stuff going on around them, is beyond us. You could argue that it’s an allegory for Alice in Wonderland but we’re not trying to impress a cute girl in English Literature now, so we won’t.
The video moves at pace, jumping around all over to give a sense of confusion and chaos. It’s a lot of fun and one that we have no doubt in proclaiming to be almost certainly a significantly more entertaining watch than Donnie Darko 2.
As an aside, while we wrote this all the lights in Alphabet Towers started flickering in agitated excitement and the wifi dropped out completely. Maybe we will be the next ones to receive a visit from Frank?
”Magnetic” is out on 1 July and is the first official single from the band’s second album, ‘Rituals’, which will be released on Warner Bros. Records on 2 September. Fenech-Soler’s next headline show will be at Londons Electric Ballroom on May 22nd. Tickets are available here.
For “Something New”, Strangers have brought us a video that incorporates something a little older in style. Given that the song deals with the rush and excitement of a new relationship/sexual encounter in its lyrics; “The sound of our hearts/The beat of a drum/Can feel the heat/As we follow the sun/Kiss me again/It feels like something new”; and that its promo pics featured the guys and a rather scantily clad (she actually looks rather nude) young lady, we were expecting a video whose content was perhaps a little naughty. We were wrong.
Featuring a contemporary and presumably interpretive dance, choreographed and performed by Jess Roberts, the mostly monochrome visuals provide a stark accompaniment to the shadowy noir-pop of the track. With not-so subliminal flashes of lyrics occurring occasionally and splashes of rainbow colours outlining both the words and the fluid movements, the result is akin to Pan’s People (or person) on crack. With her billowing skirt and tumbling tresses, Roberts is like an LSD Kate Bush, swirling and twirling to the sounds of Strangers. It’s surprisingly great and addictive to watch.
We knew it was coming, we talked with MS MR about their past and future videos for “Hurricane” when we met up with them a few weeks ago. They started to drip feed gifs to the world via their tumblr last week to tease us that it was on its way and, given the visual stylings and dark undercurrent of their recent video for “Fantasy”, we thought we knew what to expect.
We were wrong…
“Welcome to the inner workings of my mind/So dark and foul I can’t disguise”
Indeed.
Filmed on location in Southern California, ghoulish, freaky images, surreal situations and a little bit of light erotica. It’s like the band, or Director Luke Gilford, decided to film their tumblr. Either that or the cheese they eat before bed is mighty strong. One thing is for sure, it doesn’t detract from the song and instead it complements it in a very different but no less entertaining way than their first, (un)official video did.
MS MR release their debut album, Secondhand Rapture, on 13 May and you can pre-order it here.
Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to something a little bit different.
Like every other blog, we are inundated with emails from bands and PR companies on a daily basis, asking us to feature their music in some form or another. While this is great and we love hearing as much as we can of what comes in, we just don’t have enough time to feature everything. No matter how late we stay up writing (and believe us, it can get quite late).
We’ve been thinking for some time about how we can cover more of the music we like on a weekly basis and have finally settled on this, a weekly feature showcasing no more than ten tracks and/or videos that we have enjoyed in the past seven days. Most of it, but not all, will have come directly from the inbox and while we won’t be as verbose in our descriptions of each one, we figured some words were better than none. At least this way you get to hear them too right? And that’s the main thing.
So sit back, relax, get your ears ready and enjoy ten of the best as we rummage around and find out ‘What’s In The Box?’ for this week.
The Deer Tracks – “Lazarus”
Seeing as this is a new feature, we wanted to start with something pretty darn good and, thanks to Swedish duo The Deer Tracks, we think we have. No doubt we could make a joke or two about posting a track named after a guy who was raised from the dead less than a week after Easter, but we don’t have the time, there’s music to discuss.
“Lazarus” is a full of life (sorry) electro-pop song that has that distinctly Scandinavian feeling about it we have come to know and love from the likes of Nikki and the Dove, Lykke Li and others. It is both danceable and a tad melancholic at the same time, an understated banger perhaps. We’d certainly be inclined to get up and get down should it come on in a club and we happened to be there, despite never going to clubs…
Regardless, it’s a cracking tune and a great way to kick off the weekend, oh and it’s even a free download. We can’t say fairer than that.
The Deer Tracks new album, The Archer Trilogy Pt. 3 will be released in the UK on 27 May, via The Control Group.
No Joy – “Hare Tarot Lies”
This has had a lot of blog love in the last few days and with good reason. “Here Tarot Lies” drifts along in a state of hazy bliss, all woozy guitars and beats with the quintessential ethereal vocal swirling softly through the heady mess. It’s a brain befuddling, dreamy piece of wavy wonderfulness that, you can buy it digitally, right now, from Mexican Summer. We recommend you do as it is cheaper than getting drunk and gives you the same feeling, result.
Their new album, Wait to Pleasure comes out on 22 April, also on Mexican Summer.
Vandana Jain – “Ecstatic”
Something wicked this way comes. Brooklyn-based graphic designer turned performance artist Vandana Jain to be exact. Here be darkness and we can’t help but be drawn in. Sounding a little like one of our teenage loves, Curve, “Ecstatic” begins in shadows. Foreboding, slithering and skittery electronics twitch and shudder under Jain’s soft but mildly intimidating vocals before climbing above ground to the dystopian city above. It is more neon and bright, but still somewhat twisted and sordid, like a hidden corner of the Blade Runner world, an alleyway we catch a glimpse of but really, really want to see more of.
“Ecstatic” is the first single from Vandana Jain’s forthcoming debut album, Anti Venus.
Minute Taker – “Heart” (Pet Shop Boys cover)
This is brilliant, Minute Taker, aka Manchester-based alternative songwriter/producer Ben McGarvey has gone loop pedal crazy for this cover of the Pet Shop Boys classic, “Heart”.
Evidently he told The 405 that he chose this track to cover as he’s always been a big 80′s fan. “When all my school classmates were listening to Blur and Oasis I was listening to Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Alison Moyet”. We were almost the same, but we listened to Blur and Oasis as well. Still we loved the Pet Shop Boys (still do) and can recall singing along to “Heart” in our primary school days, mistakenly thinking it was called “Everytime” because that was the word they sung the most. Ahh, youthful innocence. Anyway, take a watch of this innovative piece of glory.
Spring Offensive – “No Assets” – Olympians Remix
Two of our favourites collide in this next track. Norwich’s own Olympians have provided a special and vibed up remix of Spring Offensive’s latest beauty, “No Assets” (the video for which has to be seen to be believed). What’s more, you can even download it for free as well. God bless Olympians!
Louis Brennan – “Clean Break”
We’d not heard of Louis Brennan before his latest track, “Clean Break” dropped into the inbox this week but evidently he has been referred to as being ‘Future Folk’ by others. We’re not entirely sure what that means but we do know that “Clean Break” is a fairly dark and glitchy piece of electronica that, along with his Gabriel Bruce-esque baritone, sent a shiver down our spine. It’s brooding and kinda creepy and really good. It’s also free to download below.
His debut album, The Reductive Power of a Coastal Town, is due out in May.
Cold Mailman – “My Recurring Dream”
Confession time, while we do like this track and its boy/girl harmonies, we are more in love with the video. Directed by André Chocron, it is conceptually quite simple, we follow a single camera as it moves forward through a sequence of strange worlds from within the unseen protagonist’s subconscious, but the execution is exquisite. Transitions are almost seamless with the move from one scenario to the next almost feeling logical, despite them often being completely unconnected. There is so much going on in each one as well, so much detail to take in and admire it is worth several repeated viewings. We won’t spoil how it ends but let’s just say, it’s not called “My Recurring Dream” for nothing.
Something a little bit more jazz-infused now as we let Julia Biel’s new track wash over us. “Watch The Stars” is a smooth piece of swirly, trip-hopish jazz folk. We’ll let that sink in for a minute. Her voice is silken and soft, the kind that would lure sailors to their doom in legends of old, and soars up to the stars she is watching, swooping across the night sky. “Watch the Stars” is the first single from her forthcoming new album and you can download it for free from Julia’s website.
Fear of Fiction – Record Store Day CD sampler
We finish up with a couple of nods to the forthcoming Record Store Day (20 April people, mark your calendar). First up is a little audio visual preview of their RSD release from Fear of Fiction records. Their limited to 100 copies CD release features six tracks from six different artists of varying styles, including the very excellent Salt Cathedral who we have featured on the site before.
The track listing is below and if you like what you hear (and why wouldn’t you?) you can pre-order the CD direct from Fear of Fiction.
Track Listing:
1. Death Rattle – The Blows
2. Salt Cathedral – Take Me To The Sea
3. Kitchenettes – I Still Talk To Your Mother
4. Casimir – The Entire History Of You
5. Bare Pale – Shame
6. Idles – Introduction & Two Tone (Live)
Dutch Uncles – “Slave To The Atypical Rhythm”
Finally this week we have another brilliant cover version for your ears to fall in love with. This time from Dutch Uncles who have taken Grace Jones, dialled down the outlandish and scary, and come up with this brilliantly soft and soulful version of “Slave To The Rhythm”, which will be released on 12” vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day.
BONUS GOODNESS!
Prince & 3rd Eye Girl – “Let’s Go Crazy (2013 Rework)”
Ok, we know we said finally before but we just had to share this as when we heard it our immediate reaction was, ‘Ho-leeeeeeeee shit’.
Just listen to that fuzzier than Robin William’s back guitar as it drips all over this grinding, bluesy rework of the Prince syntho-classic, “Let’s Go Crazy”. We love Prince, you know we love Prince, we make no excuses for it and when he drops shit as awesome as this, we really don’t have to. Enjoy!
See you next week for more inbox related aural pleasure.
