Wednesday Blog Reel

The Sandwitches: "Kiss Your Feet" From the amazing 'How To Make Ambient Sadcake'. [via]


Lali Puna: "That Day" from 'Our Inventions' out now.



[mp3] Veronica Falls: "Found Love In a Graveyard"

The Blog Reel is Back!

Flaming Lips (ft Karen O): "I Can Be A Frog"
Lightning Dust: "Never Seen" [mp3]
St. Vincent: "Marrow"

All of these videos and artists come highly recommended by, well, everyone. Especially Lightning Dust! The first few spins through the new Flaming Lips album have been... interesting. Haven't really "absorbed" that one yet.

The Flaming Lips "I Can Be A Frog"

On The Blog Reel: Black Lips, Good Old War, Care Bears On Fire

Featured:

BLACK LIPS "I'll Be With You"

GOOD OLD WAR "That's What's Wrong"

CARE BEARS ON FIRE "Everybody Else"

Isn't watching home videos the best, you guys? Every couple of years, your parents dig those puppies out for entertainment and embarassment purposes, and you're never surprised at what you find. More often than not, these videos are about absolutely nothing. They feature you as a kid sitting around, doing something arbitrary like playing with a toy, perfectly content to mind your own business, but perplexed as to why your dad is uncomfortably zooming in on your face for long periods of time while fumbling with his camcorder and NEVER FIGURING OUT HOW TO FOCUS THAT GODDAMN THING. Well, that's kind of what the Black Lips' new clip for "I'll Be With You" is like. Except, instead of playing with toys, the guys are getting drunk and burning their guitars in the family fireplace. Smile! 

Meanwhile, Langhorne, PA's finest acoustic folk trio Good Old War are far less extreme in their no-frills, studio-centric video for "That's What's Wrong." The song, from last year's seriously underrated Only Way To Be Alone, is a modern-day update on CSNY, featuring intricate golden harmonies from the group's three members. Oh, and we've followed lead singer Keith Goodwin since his time spent in Days Away, and he's looking more and more like Charlie from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (sans the glue) each time we see him. Just an observation. Finally, we're fairly certain that the three girls in Care Bears On Fire have yet to reach Bat Mitzvah age, but that doesn't stop them from confidently rocking out in their debut video for "Everybody Else." We get a major School Of Rock vibe from these chicks; i.e., the song is pretty terrible, but in that "hey, they're young, so good for them!" way. Including this one for the creative paint-by-numbers concept, though. 

As usual, you can find all the videos after the jump. It's good to have you back, Blog Reel! 

On The Blog Reel: Wednesday's Slew Of Videos

Featured:

THE AVETT BROTHERS "Glory Days"

OBI BEST "Green and White Stripes"

PRINCETON "The Waves"

ROMAN CANDLE "Lake Fever Sessions"

Bruce Springsteen is having a hell of a year so far, crotch slides and all, and it's only getting better. The Boss's official site has enlisted a heap of indie artists to contribute to "Hanging Out On E. Street," a series of video interviews and performances dedicated to Springsteen's songs. Our favorite so far is The Avett Brothers' stripped-down but jubilant take on "Glory Days." The Brothers took a break from recording their Columbia debut with Rick Rubin to participate in the project, which also features bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Teagan and Sara, Ted Leo and Valencia. Check out the performance after the jump.

Meanwhile, there are other great things going on in cyberspace this morning. Obi Best, who is fronted by Alex Lilly (backups on The Bird And The Bee's latest) brings us the dreamy video for "Green and White Stripes." It's directed by Max Goldblatt, who also did MGMT's "Boogie Down" clip. We've also got a showcase from Princeton, who first came on our radar last year. They shot a low-budget video on Super-8 film over the course of a winter weekend in LA for "The Waves," which has serious replay value. Lastly, check out some footage of North Carolina's Roman Candle performing new sessions at the Lake Fever Sessions, complete with a cute little kid talking about boogers in the beginning of the clip. We are so there.

All videos after the jump.

Obi Best "Green and White Stripes" Video from Social Science Recordings on Vimeo.


Roman Candle "Why Modern Radio Is A-OK" from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.

On The Blog Reel: Dent May, Jeremy Jay, Marissa Nadler

Featured:

DENT MAY "Meet Me In The Garden"

JEREMY JAY "Lite Beam"

MARISSA NADLER "River Of Dirt"

We're pretty much a sucker for anything Dent May does, so it's no surprise that the Mississippi trailer park troubadour's newest video for "Meet Me In The Garden" has us floored. The Jon Leone-helmed video for the Good Feeling... standout, which premieres today via Pitchfork TV, is a trip. In it, May parades around in vintage Elton glasses, kicks back with a bottle of bubbly and devilishly croons in a bathtub. Mysterious, low-budget and just a little flamboyant, this should definitely earn our Artist To Watch a few more fans in '09.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Jay and the gang are also using P4K to unveil the subtle video for "Lite Beam," from the Love Everlasting EP. If you fancy performance videos with uncomfortably close shots of mascaraed men, this one should be right up your alley. Marissa Nadler's "River of Dirt" video is much more pleasing: The clip, elegantly shot by director Joana Linda, captures the singer and friends on a journey through the Midwest by foot and by train. The track is from the forthcoming Little Hells, out March 3 via Kemado. All three videos are after the jump.

Marissa Nadler - River of Dirt - Directed by Joana Linda from Kemado Records on Vimeo

Origami Is So Hot Right Now

Featured:

FLEET FOXES "Mykonos"

DAN AUERBACH "Trouble Weighs A Ton"

Those Pecknolds can do just about anything. Head Fleet Fox Robin Pecknold, he of the majestic voice that's totally inappropriate for a 22-year-old (read: we're jealous), has again enlisted his brother Sean for directing purposes, and it turns out that he's pretty damn talented too. Sean and team spent the last four weeks working on the stop-motion video for "Myknonos,"from the band's Sun Giant E.P. from last year, and it keeps in theme with recent On The Blog Reels in that it's, you know, pretty and stuff. I would love to see what the rest of that family is like.

Meanwhile, Dan Auerbach, he of the Black Keys and very recent Short Takes adoration, is letting us inside his Akron, Ohio studio for an intimate performance of "Trouble Weighs A Ton," the first track on the brand new Keep It Hid. He's also keeping it in the family by playing the song with his uncle James, who it turns out taught young Dan how to play guitar and sing! Thanks, Uncle James. Check out both videos and a special behind-the-scenes feature about the making of "Mykonos" after the jump.



Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.


Mykonos making of from Grandchildren on Vimeo.


(Okay, you have to click here to see the Auerbach video. Damn non-embeddable videos. Catch up with technology!)

Welcome Home, John Forte

Featured:

JOHN FORTE and TALIB KWELI "Homecoming"

If we have one thing to thank George W. Bush for during his time as President, it's the commutation he granted rapper/producer John Forte in November, effectively releasing him from prison in December after a seven-year sentence. Forte, best known for his brilliant work with The Fugees in the 90s and two unheralded solo records (1998's Poly Sci and 2000's I, John,) was convicted on drug charges in 2000 and was sentenced to 14 years in a Pennsylvania prison. After his incarceration, celebrities and politicans (like Carly Simon (?!) and Sen. Orrin Hatch) actively campaigned on the behalf of Forte, believing that he didn't receive a fair trial. With the help of Hatch, Bush commuted Forte's prison sentence and the man has come home.

Immediately after getting released, Forte teamed up with Talib Kweli to record the appropriately-titled "Homecoming," which samples Kanye West's song of the same name. Forte wastes no time addressing his life in prison and his newfound freedom, and the accompanying video is a gritty, behind-the-scenes snapshot of his and Kweli's studio collaboration. Feels good to have you back, John. We missed you so much that we gave you an On The Blog Reel. Almost makes up for those seven years in prison, no? Video's after the jump.


"Homecoming" John Forte + Talib Kweli from The ICU on Vimeo.

If This Is What Epilepsy Is Like, Count Us In

Featured:

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS "Epilepsy Is Dancing"

Antony & The Johnsons released the fantastic new album, The Crying Light, today. We've been riding this for weeks as one of the best albums of our still very young 2009, and as the reviews start coming in, the world seems to agree. Pitchfork, who yesterday bestowed the prestigious Best New Music tag on the album, is premiering Antony's wild new video for the single "Epilepsy Is Dancing," and we're in turn relaying the video to you in case you read Stark Online over the far-less-popular Pitchfork. 

Naturally, "Epilepsy" is the centerpiece in this week's On The Blog Reel. Antony asked The Wachowski Brothers (remember them?) to help him out for the video, and they put matters into the hands of painters Tino Rodriguez and Virgo Paradiso, who created tribal costumes and a mystical environment. Choreographer Sean Dorsey and his dancers brought the dream sequence to life, and directors AFAS helmed the final product. So yeah, it's sort of a production. It's haunting and exquisite, lending the already haunting-and-exquisite song its perfect visual counterpart. View the video after the jump.

New Bloody Beetroots Video - "Cornelius"

Featured:

THE BLOODY BEETROTS "Cornelius"

I'm not gonna lie, the video we chose for this week's On The Blog Reel will probably kinda-sorta creep you out. Either that or you'll think, "...this looks like the best party ever." Italian DJs The Bloody Beetroots have unveiled their new video for "Cornelius," the title track to the brand new digital EP released on Dim Mak last week. It's a raucous three minutes chronicling a night on the town with young twentysomethings drinking, throwing up, making out, throwing up some more, and then throwing down to the Beetroots' paranoid dance grooves. The whole thing is frenetic, uncomfortable and quasi-disgusting, but you can't turn away. Plus, every time I catch a glimpse of the masks that TBB mastermind Bob Mifo and his partner Tommy Tea are wearing, I can't help but think that Spider Man is the one throwing the rave... which, come to think of it, is an awesome idea for the next installment of that franchise. Paging Sam Raimi! Video after the jump.

CORNELIUS from borntofilm on Vimeo.

Thursday's Slew Of Videos

Featured:
PUNCHLINE "The Hit"
ANNUALS "Confessor"
JIMMY EAT WORLD "Beautiful Day (Yo Gabba Gabba)"

Today's On The Blog Reel features men in drag, men drawn as storybook characters, and men riding through clouds on puppies. Excited yet? First we bring you Pittsburgh pop-punkers Punchline (say that three times fast) and their raucous new video for their hit single, appropriately titled "The Hit." The video follows the band living out their 1990s cliche-sitcom fantasies, starring in their own show, whose opening credits look conspicuously like those of Full House. (The proof is in the font.) While there's no John Stamos as Uncle Jesse, there is bassist Chris Fafalios as Hank the Mechanic. Drummer PJ Caruso, above, moonlights as the chatty sister; a Stephanie Tanner, if you will.

We've also got the new one from Annuals, for "Confessor", which features drawing-versions of the actual band. You know, if they were traveling woods-guides and prison torturers living in a storybook that takes place during an ethereal version of the Spanish Inquisition. Lastly, we've got the most bewildering of all, a clip from today's episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon featuring emo pioneers Jimmy Eat World. They're performing an original children's song, "Beautiful Day", and they're doing so on the backs of dogs and cats. Honestly, to describe it any further wouldn't do it justice.

Videos after the jump!

Punchline - The Hit from absolutepunk.net on Vimeo.

Punchline
"The Hit"
Just Say Yes
Modern Short Stories
Directed by Thom Glunt
via Vimeo



Annuals
"Confessor"
Such Fun
Canvasback Music
Directed by Daniel Auber
via Subterranean

Jimmy Eat World-Beautiful Day-Yo Gabba Gabba


Jimmy Eat World
"Beautiful Day" on Yo Gabba Gabba
via Myspace

Ben Folds, Awesome Video, Great Job!

Featured:

BEN FOLDS "You Don't Know Me"

Benjamin Folds, ever the goofball, has unveiled his new video for "You Don't Know Me" today via Myspace. With a little help from Tim and Eric (as in, Awesome Show, Great Job!), Folds waxes quirky the entire time. Do you like awkward pauses? Weird faces? Men in drag? Josh Groban? Then this is your video! Clip is seriously wack, but in a good way. The song's definitely growing on me, but I wish Regina Spektor would've been utilized more. And you'd be right in wondering where the hell she is in the video; it took me a replay to find her. Check out the video after the jump, and check out Way To Normal in stores 9/30.

You Dont Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)