Glasgow’s Camera Obscura continues to be quietly fantastic in 2009 and the shimmery My Maudlin Career further distanced the group from any remaining knee-jerk comparisons to Belle and Sebastian.
In celebration of their upcoming release of the band’s next single, “The Sweetest Thing” (out on 7” November 2nd with a b-side cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Tougher Than the Rest”) Camera Obscura shot a ‘70s-inspired music video. It was directed by band friend Blair Young. Frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell puts on her best Paul Simon—wiith big black mustache—while the rest of the band dress up as Art Garfunkel, David Bowie, and Fleetwood Mac. My Maudlin Career is out now on 4AD. Updated tour dates can be found here.
Dance music veterans Basement Jaxx have a new music for the sleek title track from recent release, Scars. The cut features guest vox from Kelis, Chipmunk, and Meleka and the pair commissioned the Dutch artist Jan Van Nuenen to craft an all-CGI video of a rosebush that blossoms and contracts like a trippy Windows Media Player screensaver. (Also, those are some scary caterpillars!)
The video debuted today on Basement Jaxx’s site. Watch the visuals under the influence if you dare. Scars is out now on XL and they will tour the U.S. this fall.
The best track off The Decemberists’ latest album, The Hazards of Love, is without a doubt “The Rake’s Song.” It ties in well with the Portland group’s ongoing lyrical fascination with infanticide and bitter revenge. Plus, Colin Meloy’s folk-prog crew rock your socks off. The single finally gets an equally bad ass video this week. This Jan Švankmajer-esque stop-motion clip was helmed by Alex Dashino and Varvara Volodina, two students from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Those paper puppets are a nice touch too. The band have some remaining tour dates for 2009 and some Austrailian shows in January.
Thom Yorke
“Hearing Damage” (Twilight: New Moon soundtrack) Stream
This past weekend, the indie-centric Twilight: New Moon soundtrack sprung a serious leak. All of the tracks quickly migrated to YouTube. We’ve got surprisingly good streams of tracks from Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear with Beach House‘s Victoria Legrand, Bon Iver with St. Vincent, and Lykke Li.They probably won’t last too long because the Web Sheriff’‘s trolling about the web. The skittering Thom Yorke cut is above and links to the other streams are below. It’s music for glittery vampires!
The Twilight: New Moon soundtrack is out October 20th via Chop Shop/Atlantic.
Last month we debuted the first single from Boston indie rock quintet Mean Creek. Now the upstart group have an official video to share with you all for the ‘90s-esque “Light Into Dark.” In the slick montage, shots of the band playing live are interspersed alongside meticulous birthday cake making from vocalist/guitarist Chris Keene. I won’t spoil the ending but I’ll say this: it gets a tad messy. The clip was directed by Matthew Huard, produced by Rob Mason and filmed by cameraman Tony Segreto at Jorge Peschiera, Cornichon. Baking has never been cooler.
Mean Creek’s sophomore LP, The Sky (Or the Underground), is out digitally now but a physical release is slated for October 13th, via Old Flame. Tour dates can be found here.
This fall, San Diego’s The Black Heart Procession will trek around the world after a three-year absence. Their macabre brand of folk-rock was sorely missed but the Temporary Residence Ltd. release of Six earlier this week surely helped that situation. Above, you can peep the scary, slow-mo montage for the perfectly-titled piano ballad, “Drugs.” The earlier video for “Witching Stone” is equally Halloween-worthy. Both were directed/starred by the band. Tour dates are at the band’s Myspace.
Delorean
“Seasun” (Live at Eristoff Internative Festival) Video
Barcelona glo-fi outfit Delorean made some perfect summer music on Ayrton Senna EP. Last weekend, they made an appearance on Eristoff Internative‘s webcast-only fest. The dreamy group played inside a glimmering box of LED bulbs and video screens and premiered two new tracks, called “As Time Breaks Off” and “Stay Close.” A live version of the amazing single, “Seasun,” was also thrown in for good measure. Check the hypnotic “Seasun” above and stop by YouTube for the full set.
Charlotte Gainsbourg
“IRM” (feat. Beck) MP3
Oct 09, 2009
In August we reported about Beck collaborating on Charlotte Gainsbourg‘s sophomore full-length, entitled IRM (French for MRI). Beck also produced, wrote the music, co-wrote the lyrics and even served as a mixer on the French pop singer-songwriter’s project. You can listen to the title track above. It’s also available as a free download on Gainsbourg’s site.
“I had to do so many [MRIs] and every time I was in that tube I was thinking it would make great music,” she says, referring to the track’s whirring, mechanized beat. The popsmith’s detached vocal delivery is chilly and robotic as she sings lines that leave little to the imagination: “Take a picture what’s inside / ghost imaging my mind / neural pattern like a spider / capillary to the center / hold still and press a button / looking through a glass onion / following the x-ray eye / from the cortex to medulla.”
“IRM” isn’t the long-player’s only single coming out. Thre’s also a Gainsbourg/Beck duet called “Heaven Can Wait” waiting in the wings. IRM is out in January on Because/Elektra. (via P4K)
