Oct 23, 2009

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Swedish indie-poptress Sarah Assbring (El Perro Del Mar) brings us this strange, yet enchanting video for her single, “Change of Heart.” In in two hulking male gymnasts gracefully balance on each other.

The idea for the clip came to director Filip Nilsson when he was visiting Lido in Paris, which he does 3-4 times a year. “This particular time there was one act that really hit me,” the artist remembers. “Sandor Vlah and Gyula Takaes aka The Golden Power. They are from Budapest, Hungary. Two men, probably the strongest men I have ever seen. Balancing on each other in such a incredible way that I thought that the gravity had stopped working.”

Nilsson tracked down the two men after four months of faithful searching. The feats of strength and flexibility on display are downright impressive, especially that leg splits move at the 2:30 mark.

Assbring’s Rasmus Hägg-produced third LP, Love Is Not Pop, is out now through The Control Group.

Oct 23, 2009

Norwegian producer diskJokke gives Charlotte Gainsbourg‘s new Beck-penned single, “IRM,” a synth-heavy re-rub above. The whirring, mechanized percussion of the original is replaced by a throbbing 4/4 dancefloor pulse (of course) and some robot lasers. Gainsbourg’s untreated vocals only come on the scene well into the song’s 8:31 minute running time. IRM is out in January on Because/Elektra.

Oct 23, 2009

San Francisco’s The Mantles create some pretty damn fine lo-fi Kiwi-pop. Slumberland recently issued a new limited 7” with their name on it, featuring two exclusive new cuts also available on the trio’s eponymous full-length (out now on Siltbreeze). The a-side is entitled “Bad Design,” which the label notes, “has the lazy drive of a ‘tougher’ Bats—hungover with a shot voice and a negative attitude.”

Sounds about right for a chugging slacker tune about “poor excuses” and “sour faces.” Thankfully, vocalist-guitarist Mike Oliveras’ nihilistic lyrics don’t taint the track’s chipper melody line. Its druggy, chiming brume floats about the room like Dracula’s cloak at feeding time. The Bad Design 7” is limited to 300 copies of “all swirly color vinyl,” so quickly purchase it here. The Mantles have one date scheduled with The Finches and Little Wings on November 7th at S.F.‘s Hemlock Tavern. (via GvsB)

Oct 23, 2009

Gainesville, Fla.‘s Holopaw is prepping their third album, entitled Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness., for a November 3rd release via Bakery Outlet. This is the first studio LP after the Isaac Brock-friendly group left Sub Pop. (They released Holopaw and Quit +/or Fight with the Seattle imprint and singer-songwriter John Orth worked with Brock on the Modest Mouse frontman’s Ugly Casanova side project.)

“The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion” (above) is the first track on Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness. and the LP’s first free preview. The opening cut song introduces the protagonist of “The Little Stallion,” who propels the narrative on most of the following tracks off the conceptual full-length. Also, be sure to check out the slow-building bombast of “Little Stallion with the Glass Jaw.”

The slow-burn track’s panoramic strings and candlelit lead guitar heralds the Florida group’s adventurous instrumentation. They also added accordion, cello, clavinet, organ, pedal steel, pianet, and trumpet alongside Orth’s quavering vox. Holopaw is finishing up an east coast tour right now.

Oct 22, 2009

LDN’s The Big Pink seem to be giving Phoenix a run for their money in the remix game this year. Remixer of the year canidate, Switch ably tackles the duo’s heartfelt conflation of shoegaze, electro, noise-pop on mega-anthem “Dominos.” The Diplo cohort throws a steamy Kuduro beat and some gonzo drums on the electro-rave cut. A Brief History of Love is out now on 4AD.

Oct 22, 2009

Bear in Heaven sure know how to name their tracks, because “Wholehearted Mess” hits its sound head on. The Brooklyn rock quartet set their guitars on a heavy spin cycle from the start and rarely let up. The chaotic cut is from the band’s newly released LP, Beast Rest Forth Mouth (Hometapes). The gloriously messy unit will play a few CMJ dates in New York this weekend.

Oct 22, 2009

Hey folks, summer’s not just you slathering Coppertone® on hot chicks and drinking beer from the middle of an inner tube. There’s sharks in those waters and you best watch out! West Palm Beach, Florida’s Surfer Blood are there to remind you of the bummer aspects of the season. (And no, I don’t mean being too late for the ice cream truck.)

The hazy indie-pop rock group’s debut LP was recorded in their University of Florida dorm room and is coming out on Kanine Records sometime in January of next year. Here’s a second preview taste that will get those sharks swimming around your ankles. “Floating Vibes” catches a hairy guitar riff and goes widescreen for a big melodic finish. Reminds me if when Weezer was actually good. Toes on the nose bra.