November 6, 2009
The video for The High End Of Low's "Running To The Edge Of The World" features Brian Warner up-close and remorsefully weepy when not beating a bloodied woman senseless. It is a painfully weak attempt at shock, sure. (As Videogum put it: "Maybe we shouldn't judge this video too harshly until we've seen it through the window of our Time Machine on the way back to late 1997, the day before Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up' video first aired, when this might have seemed even slightly shocking and not just the obnoxious work of an aging asshole who's run out of ideas.") Thing is, it surfaced the day Rihanna's much-discussed 20/20 interview airs, in which she talks publicly for the first time about being beaten by Chris Brown before the Grammys. The link isn't easy to overlook. Especially with details like these from a Billboard piece posted earlier:
After confirming original reports that he'd bitten and punched her to the point she had a bloody mouth, Rihanna said that Brown had completely "blacked out. It wasn't the same person that says I love you. It was not those... eyes," she said. "He had no soul in his eyes -- just blank. He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him. All I kept thinking all the time, 'When is it going to stop? When it is going to stop?'
So what's up, Marilyn? Bad timing? Half-digested transgression? Creative impasse? Sad old man? Desperate P.R.? Discuss.
Posted at 5:45 PM by brandon in
Tags: Chris Brown | Marilyn Manson | Rihanna
With all the news of Jarvis writing songs to soundtrack other people's motion picture projects -- some for the Forgetting Sarah Marshall sequel, one for Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox -- it's nice to have him soundtrack one of his own, here in this Stéphanie Di Guisto-directed clip for the title track from his Further Complications LP. It's a Cockerlover's delight, nothing but Cocker, bending over, being folded up and pushed around, mugging for the embed player. Watch:
Continue reading New Jarvis Cocker Video - "Further Complications"...
Posted at 2:20 PM by amrit in
Tags: Jarvis Cocker
latest by eric
Grizzly Bear's Amazon-approved Veckatimst has birthed another aesthetically appealing video. (At the beginning of September it was Sean Pecknold's fencing vignettes for "While You Wait For The Others," but the one folks will likely remember most featured exploding choir boy faces.) Here, artist Allison Schulnik creates a smeary rainbow-dripped Claymation landscape for Late Night favorite "Ready, Able." It takes me all the way back to "Knife" for its surreal mix of sadness, repulsion, and a kind of otherworldly beauty.
Continue reading New Grizzly Bear Video - "Ready, Able"...
Posted at 12:47 PM by brandon in
Tags: Grizzly Bear
latest by sump
In conjunction with yesterday's 16th annual European Music Awards, MTV set up a special, free U2 concert at the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of tearing down the Berlin Wall. And in order to secure the premises or whatever, MTV set up a special Berlin wall of their own, a metal barricade that ran the perimeter of the concert grounds and kept out people who hadn't registered online for a free ticket. A wall keeping people out from freedom? Yes, irony and outrage galore. But those that were lucky enough to be on the right side of the wall were treated to a six-song set of U2's classics, kicking off with Bono yelling "Berlin, Du bist wunderbar!" (Berlin, you are wonderful!)(better than calling yourself a jelly donut) and highlighting with Jay-Z joining the band on "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It's not the first time he's rapped over the song (that'd be at last year's Glasto), but now you can see it happen live, all the principals in place and filmed all nice and MTV-like:
Continue reading Jay-Z Joins U2 In Berlin...
Posted at 11:54 AM by amrit in ,
Tags: Jay-Z | U2
latest by Max
In our continuing Twilight coverage.... For those of you who thought maybe Owl City's Postal Service plagiarism would inspire Ben Gibbard to jam with Jimmy Tamborello on some post-Give Up material forgot he had a vampire movie to promote: The Death Cab singer offered a solo take on The Twilight Saga: New Moon rager "Meet Me On The Equinox" for KROQ. He's in town to perform at the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic as part of The Twilight Saga: New Moon Talent Tour. Everything ends.
Continue reading Ben Gibbard Plays "Meet Me On The Equinox" Solo For KROQ...
Posted at 10:04 AM by brandon in
Tags: Ben Gibbard | Death Cab For Cutie | New Moon | Twilight
latest by James
November 5, 2009
Or vice versa. You guys often accuse the synth-pop crew for not smiling enough, but the Philly/NYC BTW provide the chirpy soundtrack for this joyful new Holiday Season Radio Shack ad. (Thanks for the tip, Zach.) The Caralee-fronted "Life Magazine" does the honors. Too bad they couldn't talk the company into giving it a go with "Sex Ads." It may very well be the most color you ever see connected to the band, so don't blink.
Continue reading Cold Cave Tear Into Radio Shack...
Posted at 4:59 PM by brandon in ,
Tags: Cold Cave
latest by Dan Woods
Stream The MTV Europe Video Music Awards • Click over right now and you'll see U2 doing "One" to mark twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Boston trio Pants Yell! is anchored by singer/guitarist Andrew Churchman, who deftly maneuvers his band through nine jangly indie-pop songs in less than half an hour on the band's fourth album Received Pronunciation, the first for Slumberland. It follows last year's horn-lined Alison Statton, which came out via ever trusty Soft Abuse. Things are more stripped down this time: You get a taste of the minimalism in the playfully laidback Rene Dongo-directed video for "Someone Loves You." The sound's pleasantly familiar -- I can't believe it's not Butterglory! -- and the guys do a great job weaving a detailed storyline into the track's efficient twee hook. Waste not, want not.
Continue reading New Pants Yell! Video - "Someone Loves You" (Stereogum Premiere)...
Posted at 2:55 PM by brandon in ,
Tags: Pants Yell!
latest by ed in london
