Friday, September 30, 2011

I, too, would like to meet Dave Grohl

Posting break due to my mom visiting me for a little while, and that throws everything off. Oh and it's officially cold and autumnal here, so that's also a bit depressing. I know, excuses...

To get back, a few videos by Wavves (I hate the extra v, it makes me want to pronounce it differently, maybe like "wahhhhves" or something?). I really like their sound because they have that San Diego surf punk vibe that makes me feel like I am home, and young, and hiding from the summer sun.

"Bug" - I think this is their newest. While this song does not explicitly mention Dave Grohl (unlike their "I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl"), this video still manages to incorporate him. Are we sensing a theme? Also it has a random mermaid (wait for it), and a little gratuitous violence (which I wasn't really expecting).




"King of the Beach" - I find this video irritating. They prance around, smoke, do nothing. Song is fine, but nothing interesting about the video.




Then there's "Post Acid" - which one amusing YT comment dubs "more 90s than the 90s" (seriously, when was the last time you saw an alien featured in something in that way?).





Monday, September 19, 2011

Via @laughingsquid - they tweeted this earlier today. I like Wiretree, but I don't think I've ever in the past looked up one of their videos. Don't know why, just never crossed my mind. I really like this video (description below).

The song really reminds me of Iggy Pop's - The Passenger though. (That link goes to some classic Iggy wearing a horsetail. The Passenger is one of those songs you hear once and it just sticks... I used to covet an Iggy poster at the music store I went to a teen. Also he sang the Space Goofs theme song, and the show was pretty dumb but I love the "la-la-la we like monsters" thing, it's such a great theme - again, heard that how many years ago, and I can still hear it in my head sometimes? Memorable.)  And so that's pretty much what I think of when I hear it. Which is fine, as this is still a good song and a fun, cool video.

"An underwater adventure! Animated music video for Wiretree's song 'The Shore' wiretreemusic.com/
Animated/Directed by Eric Power ericpowerup.net"




So I looked up some of the others too, for your convenience.

"Days Gone By" - has a cute dog, and just a nice lo-fi feel with the camera shooting.





"Information" - is a recording of them playing live, shot very nicely. An excellent song.





And the one song of theirs that seems to sneak onto a lot of my playlists, "Big Coat" - I don't know if this is an official video, or just a vid setting it to vintage speakeasy type footage or what. I just know I really really like the song, especially the soft "wooh-oooh-ooohs" at the end.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ravel's Bolero

Stole this from my friend J's fb this morning. A delightful way to wake up.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

"As the winter turned the meadow brown..."

This is my song of the day. Woke up to some louder-than-usual rain, and was a little saddened because we have such late-arriving summers here that I am not ready for fall. I love wearing sweaters and drinking tea by the fire and baking to warm the house and all that, but I still need a few more days of warmth at least. Had to go outside and trim some branches because if it's truly fall, then soon our crazy winds will pick up and I don't want anything hitting the windows if I can avoid it. I hate yard work, I'm not gonna lie. And since it had rained earlier I got soaked. It was unpleasant. Then I came in to warm up, and this song was playing on my mix, and I was immediately struck by how tonally perfect it is for how I feel today. Very chill, a little mournful, a little plaintive, and a lot of wishing I was on a Greek island basking in the gentle sun.

"And you will go to Mykonos / With a vision of a gentle coast /And a sun to maybe dissipate / Shadows of the mess you made..."


"Myokonos" - Fleet Foxes  - The video fits the song, very moody and ethereal. It is all made of shapes, which is good because this is a lot of song to compete with, too much concrete action or even people might be distracting. I think it also has a nice video-game, sci-fi/fantasy feel, what with the moving shapes and structures. Love the light/shadow/dark trees. I really like it.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Not sure if we'll have time to hit the aquarium, but I'm mini-breakin' it to Vancouver for Fri/Sat with a friend, mainly so I can see the Surrealist art exhibit. But look, technically this video has music too, and more importantly - baby octopuses!!!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Fun with samplers


Monday, September 5, 2011

All Eyes on You

Got this from The 405 website, where they call it:
 "The alluring, summer song for the summer we never had."
I don't know about that, but I do like the song (I generally like their stuff, but it doesn't always stand out) - especially the 80s vibe of the music coupled with the even older feel (or Cold War/Apocalypse feel?) of the video.


St Lucia - All Eyes on You from HeavyRoc Music on Vimeo.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Brief TV promo interlude

I love the show Community, especially that they are not afraid to sing and dance and be schmoopy and delightful. This writeup in Pajiba has the promo for the new season, a real music video featuring Abed (by Jones Street Station) and 2 musical highlights.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Come out from the world, and into my arms

I am in a huge Blitzen Trapper phase (it's just the right mix of folksy Americana sometimes vaguely heavy indie rock slightly Beatles/classics-tinged drama that I really appreciate, it hits "all the right chords" in me just perfectly). They are a band that initially I did not really want to listen to, just based on their name being borderline insufferable (Vampire Weekend would be another). But great music won me over. And yesterday on twitter I RT'd a link (from @rainnwilson RT'ing @SubPopWorld - who is a big fan, to say the least - see The Blitzen Trappen Massacre below) to their latest music video, which you may or may not have seen. I like the song, but actually I'm not a huge fan of the video - nothing happens, it's just them, and they shoot guns (could be promising) but no one dies (boring). But I RT'd just because I happen to like them and have all their albums, etc. I hope to catch them around sometime (they're from Portland). It takes a lot to get me to shows nowadays (that's the aging misanthrope speaking), but I pretty solidly like their work, so maybe I should do it. Their next album is coming out really soon as well.

The latest video - "Love the Way You Walk Away" -





I do like the video for "Furr" though - simple, with just enough quirk in the paper to back the fantastic song (looks like it was on Skins recently and sent a bunch of people there, LOL):




One of my other favorites is "The Man Who Would Speak True", but it's just a vid of what looks like an in-store performance. Love those lyrics and the story.



"Wild Mountain Nation" has some lovely lyrics as well -
Come out from the world
And into my arms
Like wind on the water with me
Come out from the city
Come out from the town
Build stone by stone a wild mountain home





Video (and song) wise, I also really like "Black River Killer" which is so moody and lonesome and it's great he ends up in OR, because you know, the PacNW and serial killers! That's like peanut butter and chocolate! (Also it makes me think of my "Sociology of Murder" class back in undergrad. Good times.) The video goes literal, but in a very cinematic way, and with some good slightly creepy masks for a nice touch.





And finally, "The Blitzen Trapper Massacre" (just for lolz):