“What do you need to be happy?”. It seems appropriate to start out 2020 asking ourselves this question. Columbia, MO-now-NYC harpist and neo-classical musician Ruth Acuff posits this question – and then explores the space between what she needs and a list of possible suggestions. This approach is a perfect counterpoint to how “To Be …
Layering overdriven guitars, gut-punch percussion and everything in-the-red everything over sincere melodies, the Chicago noise-punk band balance the bracing with the beautiful with poise and fury. The video follows the post-life travels of a lonely ghost through cornfields, lakes and streams of catharsis following a heart-rending break up. Promising work from a young band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3H6Xdjfivg
Returning with a brilliant short film from their single off of The Undivided Five, AWFTS prove to be undisputed masters of their craft. “The film, which was co-written by Adam Wiltzie of AWVFTS and Jonas Govaerts, is a dark thriller in which a villainous character, played by Nikolai Kinski (the son of infamous actor Klaus Kinski), motions …
A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN – “AQUALUNG MOTHER FUCKER” Read More »
Mediocrity, amirite? For me, mediocrity is a made up term, like guilty pleasures, used to reinforce the capitalist concept of the deification of the successful aka rich. A focus on personal achievement and mastery that is usually unlocked by your parents being really, really wealthy – most likely because of some kind of human rights …
DREW DANBURRY – “MEDIOCRITY, FOR MICAH DAHL ANDERSON” Read More »
The Swiss electro-shoegaze band Inbetween Movies have created a beautiful slice of wonder-filled dream-pop that recalls work by Cocteau Twins and the Sugarcubes. Behind the commanding, effects-laden voice is a fever-dream of a video focusing on the hidden lives of nature and our best attempts to approach this world-within-a-world through ritualized magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_10ZHFzKqo
Swirling and skronking noise-rock from Baltimore, MD, the noise-punk quartet present a pixelated deathscape unspooling from a sentient VCR. This may be a stretch but imagine Unsane filtered through an even prettier version of Unwound playing Shoegaze, and I guess you approximate the unmoored and lovingly unhinged Charm City debutantes. Out on Crass Lips in …
By layering field recordings of rain, birds and crying atop the gentle and distant echo of droning overchords we are invited into a decidedly intimate moment that the Finnish sound artist has created. It’s hard not to get sucked in to the chance encounters intentionally recorded to create a deeply meaningful listen. The last minute …
While there is a lot of warmth in this Byrds-esque alt-country track, there is blood in the streets. The video for “Sure Enough” by the Portland-based artist juxtaposes this slide guitar, Fafrisa Organ and laid back twang with images of (mostly) males who are through sublimating their desire to destroy things and taking it outside. …
FEHLT is the Leeds UK post-punk / slowcore project led by art student Ewan Barr. “Closure” is a close and quite gorgeous approximation of the jittery and anxious late aughts guitar rock bands like Women, Deerhunter and The Hecks spectral-shone through a golden filter of dream pop. Hypnotic guitar lines and Barr’s languid vocals are …
Having dedicated much of his latter career to composing scores for Chinese cinema, the founding father of Trip-Hop teams up with Chinese turnabilist DJ Wordy and video artist Hiraki Sawa to create a surrealist backdrop to his heavy bass line, cotton candy spun synths and ace scratching throughout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvbZpCw6zU