New Order: Restless
New Order has released a fucking awesome music video for their track Restless, the first single to be taken from their latest album Music Complete. Directed by Spanish filmmakers NYSU, the film is a kind of fusion between a rendition of the medieval tale of Arthur’s sword and a modern day rave. I personally found the modern day party scene a little bit unnecessary, and distracting from the much stronger storyline of Arthur. Particularly well shot is the part where Arthur and his lover are being rolled in black crates filled with what appears to be milk (god knows why). It’s a little random but visually incredible.
Steven A. Clark: Can’t Have
Steven A. Clark dropped his insane single Can’t Have two weeks ago, and now he’s offering the visuals to go with it on vevo. The music video is sleek and stylish, featuring two very beautiful people going through relationship struggles. While the plot isn’t exactly groundbreaking the film is cool, smooth and effortlessly sexy, just like it’s creator.
Fascinator: Dead of the Night
Set to join forces with Kirin J Callinan and open Tame Impala’s two sold-out shows at Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles this week, Australian artist Johnny Mackay has a lot on his plate. That hasn’t prevented him from continuing his epic battle against the mundane, as he’s released a ridiculously trippy music video this week for his latest track Dead of the Night. The film features multiples of Fascinator in various different colours and sporting some fantastic robes. You know what? It’s the kind of video you just need to watch. Nothing I say will adequately describe how truly random it is.
Ali Barter: Hypercolour
Ali Barter has just released her latest video clip for her hit single Hypercolour, from her forthcoming EP AB-EP, which will be released on September 4. The film is elegant and simple; Barter simply plays her music at a shitty little Chinese restaurant, while the few men in suits who happen to be there don’t give her a second chance. This doesn’t stop her from having an epic time and really enjoying herself. The concept makes a powerful comment and what it is like to work in the music industry and have your efforts often go unrecognised.
Art of Sleeping: Bleeding Out
Fresh off the back of their amazing Splendour in the Grass set, Art of Sleeping are about to head off on a nationwide tour supporting the Jungle Giants. In the meantime however they’ve left us with this parting gift, an incredible black and white music video for their latest track Bleeding Out. The film depicts the artist’s face broken up into different parts, like shards of glass. The graphics are absolutely awesome, using colour and negative space in a way that is really sophisticated, kind of similar to Hopium’s incredible music video for Cut.
When Sydney’s lockout laws were first proposed, one of the biggest resounding fears voiced by stakeholders was the effect that they would have on music venues. Unsurprising, considering that of the 220 hotels, pubs and clubs that exist in Sydney’s CBD, 143 are classified as live music venues. During the days surrounding the release of the laws articles came out predicting a more or less total wipeout of Sydney’s music scene.
While it is undeniable that venues in the CBD, most prominently in Kings Cross have been severely impacted, the evolution of Sydney’s live music scene has been multifaceted. To get an idea of the way that Lockout Laws work, and other impacts that they have had, check out our feature here.
From a business perspective, the main effect of the laws was to take away venue’s ability to push large quantities of alcohol all night long. As a secondary effect they severely reduced the amount of traffic actually coming into Kings Cross and the CBD. That means that businesses that survived solely as alcohol venues suffered the most. Venues in the CBD now need to offer something else, whether that be pokie machines (fast becoming one of Sydney’s favourite pastimes), food, and music. Venues such as World Bar have done much better than say Soho, partly because Soho is awful, but also because they have a reputation for having some really good DJ’s. People who perhaps once considered themselves too trendy for the Cross are now willing to pay a small entry fee to see an artist they really like.
Of course, then you need to take into account the late-night music venues that haven’t done so well. Located on Liverpool Street, GoodGod SmallClub exists on the periphery of the inner-city club scene, but it built a reputation on being open late. The new laws forcing it to shut its doors at 1:30am have been incredibly detrimental, as they lose the entire portion of the crowd that would have made their way there later in the night. Oxford Arts Factory is suffering a similar crisis, as well as having two strikes to its name already due to breaches of RSA laws.
One of the most exciting responses however, has been the market that’s opened up outside of the lockout zone. Marrickville has seen a huge increase in illegal warehouse parties, which offer people the ability to meet up with like-minded people in a venue that isn’t regulated by the police. They may sound dangerous but generally the atmosphere is incredibly diplomatic and respectful. People aren’t there to get fucked up and beat each other up, they’re there because they either like the DJ who is playing, or they want a night out that isn’t governed by condescending curfews.
Red Rattler and Marrickville Bowling Club, which exist on opposite sides of the street, just off Sydenham Road have also seen a huge surge in popularity, as well as The Sly Fox Hotel in Newtown, which is relaunching as a late night music venue. The Sly Fox promotes that it stays open until 6am, but recent DJ nights have been so successful they’ve kept their doors open until 7:30am. This all corresponds with the introduction of Uber in Sydney, an alternative taxi service which is run through a phone App and offers much lower rates to standard taxis. While it is technically illegal to be an Uber driver in Sydney, more and more people are taking it up as a way of getting to and from venues.
It’s funny how the restrictions and controls imposed on Sydney have led to the emergence of an underground scene that is truly exciting. Who knows, in the next few months these venues may suffer the same fate as icons such as the Imperial Hotel in Newtown. But for now we can take comfort in the ability of Sydney’s music lovers to band together and meet new challenges in a way that is truly exciting and creative.
London professor Will Brooker, who teaches film and cultural studies at Kingston University, plans to spend several months experiencing specific moments of David Bowie’s life. As the hugely revered artist has had a professional career spanning more thang Bowie’s eating habits, limiting himself to the same literature and visiting the same places will help him gain a deeper understanding of the man’s mind at work.
“The idea is the inhabit David Bowie’s head space at points in his life and career to understand his work from an original angle, while retaining a critical and objective perspective at the same time – a kind of split persona perhaps.”
Hey, so it’s not the most conventional method of researching a past icon, but we can’t fault his originality.
So far Brooker has visited Brixton, Bromley and Beckenham and has plans to visit Berlin next month. He has limited his diet to red peppers and milk during weekends, and spent hours pouring over literature by authors such as William Burroughs, a seminal postmodernist writer of the Beat generation, Aleister Crowley and Friedrich Nietzsche. As for the… shall we say more decadent aspects of Bowie’s lifestle, Brooker does what he can.
“The levels of cocaine Bowie was consuming is not just illegal for a professor like myself, but it’s much too expensive – as well as unhealthy. So at the weekend I had a six-pack of energy drinks to try and simulate the experience of illegal substances. It made me very jumpy.”
He spoke to the Guardian about the effect that all of this is having on his overall mood and sense of wellbeing.
“If you’re reading some strange science fiction and books about magic you can kind of get into Bowie’s head and see it’s sometimes quite a strange place. A dangerous place, a place you wouldn’t want to be too long.”
The incredible commitment to detail borders on fanatic obsession, or perhaps a personal midlife crisis. But you know what? Who cares. Brooker sounds like he’s having a fantastic time, and as long as he sticks to those energy drinks and not the hard stuff then who’s to stop him?
Sir Elton John has taken to twitter recently to vent his frustrations at the mayor of Venice, Italy’s decision to ban books which educate on homosexuality from the city’s schools. Luigi Brugnaro recently banished 49 books that touch on issues of homosexuality, discrimination and same sex marriage and families.
A proud advocate for gay rights, John has two sons, and has been married to his partner David Furnish since gay marriage became legal in England in 2014. He has copped flack in the past for speaking out on issues of homosexuality and homophobia, most famously and perhaps most hilariously for when he described Jesus Christ as a “compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.”
In criticism of Brugnaro’s actions Elton John posted a picture of his son’s favourite book, The Family Book, which outlines many different kind of family structures.
Alongside this he posted some rather inflammatory comments:
“Here is one of the Furnish-John family’s favourite storybooks. It champions an all-inclusive world where families come in all shapes, sizes and colours. And most importantly, that families are about love. Our boys adore it.
In the opposing corner we have Luigi Brugnaro, the extremely silly looking mayor of Venice. He’s stupidly chosen to politicise children’s books by banning titles that touch on same sex families living happily ever after.
So instead of encouraging a world based on inclusiveness, tolerance and love, he’s championing a future society that’s divisive and fosters ignorance … Beautiful Venice is indeed sinking, but not as fast as the boorishly bigoted Brugnaro,” Elton wrote.
Brugnaro responded to John on twitter, claiming that he “represented the arrogance of someone who is rich and can do whatever they want.”
This all comes amidst a tide of gay marriage debate in Australia, particularly following last night’s explosive Q&A which discussed the issue. With such strong, prominent voices coming out against gay marriage in Australia its nice to know we have the support of a few superstars.
Andrei Eremin: Anhedoniac ft. Kucka
Anhedoniac is defined as a person with the inability to derive pleasure from normal pleasurable things. A chronic masturbator has an imbalance of the hormone dopamine, rendering him or her incapable of enjoying life to the same extent when they aren’t in an orgasmic state. For people that love to go out every weekend and rail MDMA, coke and booze, normal life becomes a little pale in comparison.
The notion of becoming trapped in an endless cycle of seeking out the next high is a theme that has been explored countless times in electronica, techno, and house music, for obvious reasons. They are styles of music that we like to get fucked up to, and in most cases the person who creates it has at least a basic understanding, if not a full-blown love for that lifestyle.
The real question here is whether Andrei Eremin is really making us contemplate the seduction, and perhaps the destructive qualities of the party life. Or is he celebrating them? Or indeed is he just showing us a bunch of hipsters having a freaky night out in Melbourne? Maybe it’s a bit of all three.
When asked to comment on the video, one of its directors, Louis Mitchell responded, “It’s a sign of poor health to be well adjusted to a sick society”.
Take that how you will.
Art vs Science: In this Together
I feel as though if Sam Kristofski, the director of this latest music video made a one-line pitch to Art vs Science he would have raised a few eyebrows…
“Sci-fi vibes, weird space war between people that are all wearing the same clothes, evil helicopters, all shot on a super los res camera… Oh and it’ll be shot on the beach and also in a field. Oh and also at the end it becomes a ’90s style video game.”
Right. Got it. Then again, Art vs Science aren’t really known for being conventional, they probably jumped right on board. In This Together is the lead single from the bands forthcoming album, Off the Edge of the Earth and Into Forever, Forever. The album will be independently released on 9 October via the band’s own label Magellanic/MGM.
R.W. Grace: Shell
R.W. Grace has released a stripped back live version of her hit single Shell. While the bones of the song are still there, the instrumentals are restricted to a tiny OP1 midi-board, which Grace uses to play a simple beat. A choir in the background gives the song the lift that it needs. Grace talks about how she met the choir and decided to do a version of her song with them.
My band and I were in a final rehearsal before some shows and I was completely wiped out from these pain killers I took for my wisdom teeth. It was the first day I had taken them, so had no idea how strong they would be. I was literally lying on the floor of the rehearsal studio when through the walls I started to hear an incredible a cappella choir in the next room over. It basically broke me out of this coma. I sat up and spoke for the first time in hours.. “WHO IS THAT?”
Szymon: Medusa
Szymon was an intelligent, immensely talented artist who took his life in December 2012, at only 23 years old. Despite having worked throughout all of 2008, recording an entire album of music, he had to postpone the release of his music due to bouts of depression. As a result, Szymon was unfortunately unable to release his music before his death. Such is the nature of tragedy though, that it can bring about the beauty in others. Craig Hawker from Sony ATV and Mark Holland from EMI were big believers in his talent and potential. They worked hard to release the album in a way that was both respectful to Szymon’s work, and gave his music the attention it really deserved.
Curated by both family and friends, Tigersapp is an album that gives a glimpse into the world that Szymon wanted to share. Medusa as a song is both playful and deeply moving. Beautifully animated illustrations depict a world that is grey and dark, but not without hope. Warm orbs of light move around through fish, and are passed between people. The illustration brings to mind the final lines of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, in which after wandering through the apocalyptic wasteland that the world has become, the boy finds trout in a stream.
“You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming.’
Cleopold: Down in Flames
Cleopold’s dark, brooding music video marks his beginning as a solo artist. Down in Flames as a single is everything that an emerging artist should aim for, unique, beautifully restrained and technically flawless. The film complements this perfectly, displaying an insight into the artist’s music writing process, as he calmly commands a grande piano. Cleopold has been based in Los Angeles, and has written multiple singles for Cassian and Miami Horror, as well as collaborating with Australian acts like Bag Raiders. With such enormous potential, it’s no surprise that his debut EP was immediately snapped up by Detail Co., a boutique record label owned and curated by our very own Chet Faker.
[vimeo 134010752 w=500 h=281]
Rooms: Fig
Two-piece Sydney act Rooms are new to the scene, but if Fig is anything to go by, we’ll be hearing a lot more about them real soon. Combining electronic music with live elements like guitars, drums and vocals, Fig is a captivating and unique musical blend. The accompanying video clip shot by Varna Park, depicts the two in old-fashioned princess and knight attire having a little battle with an opposing group on a field. It’s not what you’d call flashy, but the tongue-in-cheek melodrama, combined with the homemade feel, makes it a pretty funny accompaniment to the track. The video follows the track, growing wackier and more intense as the music builds, ending up with the pair going to a party, having a final showdown on a stage and all trying to kill each other. It’s a lot of fun. If you dig it, head to Waywards in Newtown on September 11 for Rooms’ EP launch.
UPSKIRTS: Open Yourself to the Sky
About to head off on tour, this cheekily titled band have released an awesome new music video to go with their latest single Open Yourself to the Sky, off their EP Barely Moving. Featuring gorgeous graphics, the film details the adventure of a little cosmonaut floating through space, as he encounters flamingo dragons, creepy hands holding space fox-owls and and golden woman. Upskirts’ message to stay open-minded and expand your boundaries works perfectly with the film’s intergalactic adventure. The lo-res, pixelated quality of the animation gives it a lovely old-school vibe. (PS – check out the Fave Tunes playlist they made for us).
Alison Wonderland: Take it to Reality ft. Safia
Coming off a string of fabulous sets at Splendour in the Grass and Lollapalooza, Alison Wonderland has just dropped a music video for Take It To Reality, her third single off recent album Run. The music video was filmed across the sold out Wonderland Warehouse Project 2.0, and features some gorgeous cinematography and lighting. Animated white lines flicker around people’s faces and hands, giving the clip a slightly Disclosure vibe. It really does make the warehouse parties look like they were an incredible spectacle – which admittedly, is not what we discovered when we headed to the Brisbane event.
Raleigh Ritchie: Bloodsport ’15
With competition ever growing between artists to be noticed online, they say the first few seconds of a music video are what really counts. Raleigh Ritchie gets that. The opening shots reveal a closeup of simmering bathwater. Slowly, ever so slowly, Ritchie’s beautiful head emerges. Hot Damn. It was one thing to enjoy him as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones, but this is something else.
After this point the music video really becomes like any other: the classic breakup story, Ritchie cutting up ex’s clothes and flushing her shoes down a toilet. It’s worth mentioning the adorable red beanie/creepy face mask at 3:00, though. Bloodsport’15 is a reworking of the same track that originally appeared on his 2013 EP Black and Blue. The new version features additional string components provided by Rosie Danvers and Wired Strings, a troop that have featured on tracks by Coldplay, Kanye West, Adele and heaps more.
Wells: Fractures
Sydney four-piece Wells have released a music video for their debut single Fractures from their EP The Pale King, and it is really quite creepy. The striking film simply features a man waking up in the desert and proceeding to start staggering towards the camera in slow motion. In the final moments of the song the perspective changes – we see that in fact, he’s been walking towards a woman who lies on the ground. The cinematography is stunning. The whole thing reminds me of the recent thriller It Follows, (awesome movie, if you haven’t seen this go and watch it) in which the ‘haunting’ that is passed between people in the film manifests itself in the form of someone following you at walking pace.
tUnE-yArDs: Rocking Chair
tUnE-yArDs actually released their track Rocking Chair almost a year ago, as part of their Nikki Nack LP, but it feels just as warm and relevant today, released afresh with a new music video. Sarah Pupo lends cave-drawing like visuals to a song that is composed on simple, rich vocal harmonies. Such a beautiful song. The primary colours and use of light and shade give the primitive images a feeling of intense warmth and joy.
David Gilmour: Rattle that Lock
Continuing in the vein of awesome drawings and animation, the Pink Floyd legend has released a fucking monstrous new music video for Rattle that Lock. Based on the famous poem Paradise Lost, the music video required a team of 12 animators, artists and composers working around the clock for three months to bring all of its narrative and technical elements together. The result is spectacular, with an animated style that hints at gothic, Japanese anime and Greek mythology and featuring an incredible attention to detail, the music video explores a dark, mysterious world. A frightening black bird takes us from place to place, interacting with various creatures and monsters. Also incase it didn’t already feel trippy enough, that repeated sound that runs throughout is exactly the same as they play in the French railway system (fun fact). Rattle that Lock is the first track to be lifted from Gilmour’s latest album of the same name, so who knows what he’ll put out for his next song. Hopefully something even more ridiculous.
Earl Sweatshirt, Off Top
Recently in town for Splendour in the Grass and a run of sideshows, Earl Sweatshirt has released a fittingly gritty, animated video clip for off his album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. The bare track is set against a series of stark, scrappy cartoon scenes, mostly featuring Earl trying to run away and escape his demons. Trains, demonic creatures, flames and police vehicles all pose threat to the hellbent Earl – for a video less than two minutes long, it’s pretty damn disturbing. Earl has been vocal about his experience with mental illness, and this is a dark embodiment of his inner journey.
RÜFÜS, You Were Right
We’ve been waiting a long time for new RÜFÜS, and our prayers were answered in June when they released the delicate You Were Right. The clip now has an equally lovely clip, directed by KATZKI and produced by Marcus Butler. Gorgeous blue hues dominate the scenic landscape, which follows in a very similar vein to many of their previous clips. Each three band members (and later, a wide array of men, women and children) are featured in their own standalone scenes. Gradually, gravity gives way to each person, moods lift, feathers fly, and the wistful atmosphere becomes rather free, and joyous.
Youngs, Serasan Shakes
This is a really wonderful track from the Melbourne four-piece, and the clip is the perfect complement to the Andrei Eremin-mastered, Anna Laverty-produced single. The forlorn, sentimental track sings of lost love, and video perfectly encapsulates that feeling. Created by Sami Sommariva, who has worked with Flying Lotus, the beautiful scenes have a vintage feel and a demanding sense of nostalgia. Splashes of invigorating, flowery colour and band members painted in white are interspersed with a lonesome house and desk adorned in books and trinkets. It’s eerie to say the least, and only grows more and more surreal as it progresses.
Never one to mince words, or play to anyone else’s rules, Angel Haze is probably one of the most important female rappers of our time. With a provocative lyrical genius and an unapologetic, no-shits-given attitude towards the music industry that she’s apart of, Haze challenges the fundamental values that we live by. Her latest track Impossible is no divergence, over a thumping, warlike beat she chants about power, race and her rising strength as an artist. Haze shoots hard hitting lines like,
“There is nothing that can’t hold me down/ that shit is impossible/ shit is impossible” and
“I am a sickness man/ I am a cancer/ I know the devil man/ I am his handler.”
Haze’s provocative force is not only limited to her lyrics however, she’s spoken out, in her own way, against restrictions placed on her music by the industry. After months of negotiation regarding the release date of her previous album Dirty Gold, Haze went behind her label’s backs and released the album directly to SoundCloud. On December 18 she posted a now infamous tweet.
The manoeuvre was successful, with the album being immediately removed from SoundCloud and given an official release date of December 30. She also discusses issues of immense social importance, such as suicide, racism and sexual abuse, drawing from her own personal experience to empower others. Her commanding confrontation of the man who sexually abused her, over Eminem’s Cleanin’ My Closet is moving, raw to the point that it is almost hard to listen to.
Thankfully the release of her latest track Impossible has been a little more conventional, which must be a relief for the label. There is talk that it might be part of a bigger set of work, and potentially even album, but we will have to wait and find out. Check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwU2JY5RLGg
After a hefty waiting period Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly is finally going to be released on vinyl. The record version of the album will be released on the 2nd of October via Top Dawg Entertainment, a full seven months since the initial album/digital release. An album that most will probably hail as the best of 2015 so far, the jazz-infused hip hop is sure to sound even greater on wax.
To Pimp a Butterfly was straight up revolutionary, addressing themes of race, poverty, class and power in a way that was both lyrically extraordinary and indicative of a deep social conscience. Lamar really changed the game of rap and hip-hop, which is made evident through the repeated love and respect that we have for his work on the site. It should come as no surprise then, that it is getting the vinyl treatment. The album ranked second on Paste’s list of the top 25 albums of the year, and will go down in history as one of the most important albums of our generation.
The sixteen tracks will take up two flat black LPs, and will cost a fairly pricey $27.99 in US dollars. No, it won’t boast any added tracks, remixes, live tracks or exclusives, but that shouldn’t stop the vinyl fanatics from pouncing on it. Thankfully you can pre-order a copy here.
Mac DeMarco has sparked what is probably the cutest episode of mass stalking in musical history. The Canadian singer/songwriter disclosed his real home address in his latest track My House by the Water, in a lighthearted effort to get people to listen to his entire mini-album Another One.
He spoke to Wall Street Journal about his ingenious plan “The way I rationalise it… to have the address you’ll have to listen to the album to the very end… Second, to even consider coming to my house you have to be a kind of superfan. And thirdly, it’s in such a weird part of New York that if they actually get there, they deserve a cup of coffee.”
Great idea in theory… except it didn’t quite work out that way. He told Billboard that he didn’t know what he was thinking “I’ve had about 30 kids come so far.” It seems that the bold move did little to encourage people to listen to the entire album, but rather initiated a kind of challenge for bored teenagers, who are giving very little thought to the actual logistics of visiting a musician at their house. For example whether they are even going to be there. DeMarco stated:
“Everybody has been nice, but I asked a kid the other day, ‘Did you check if I was on tour or did you just come over blindly?’ And they were like, ‘We just came over.’ These kids came from Long Island and Staten Island. They took the train for two hours. You didn’t even think to check if I’m on tour?”
Oh well, at the moment it seems like a bit of harmless fun. Let’s just hope it doesn’t creepy and end up like this situation with Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson.
If you’re interested in paying DeMarco a visit, or if you just genuinely want to here the track, check it out below!
Rytmeklubben: Girlfriend
Feel free to disagree, but this is probably one of the best music videos I’ve seen this year. It starts with the simple idea of creating a music video that is completely seen via an Ipad screen. We follow Rytmeklubben’s every click as he navigates his way through text messages, tweets, photos and the entire world that we created for ourselves on our computers. The clip features cameos from up and coming producers such as Wave Racer, Cosmos Midnight, Basenji and Sable and more, but my personal favourite moment is when Kanye West requests to Facetime. Rytmeklubben declines (obvs) he’s too busy making a music video. The overall effect is lighthearted, but it points out how incredibly digital our lives really are. Through a few clicks and typed words Rytmeklubben conveyed so much about his networks and lifestyle.
MYAMI: Soldier
MYAMI has released a music video for her debut single, Soldier, and in a word it is powerful. Again starting with a simple idea, MYAMI stands in a white room (wearing a similar get-up to the outfits worn by the women in Robert Thicke’s Blurred Lines.) In certain shots, her hands, and then her hair and clothes are covered in a thick black ink. The music video speaks of the concerns for young women going into the music industry, and the artist’s own battle between her true self and the expectations of others. The track was produced by beatmaker and collaborator Wayfarer, and toes a beautiful line between soft vocals and strong, sharp beats.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Ur Life One Night
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have dropped a very quirky, enchanting music video for their latest track Ur Life One Night. Directed by Manoj Leonel Jahson, the clip incorporates various themes of Asian art and Indian miniatures from the Mughai-era to create a dreamlike experience. Jahson spoke about wanted to create that abstract sense of magic:
“When we first spoke with UMO, the idea of creating something abstract yet fun, for their single “Ur Life One Night” sounded very exciting. I am deeply inspired by the quirky Indian magical-realism from our mythology and wanted to create something rooted but still visually appealing. The music lent a dream-like quality and the lyric pushed us to the motif of the Goddess being pursued, yet always being out of reach.”
Crayon Fields: She’s My Hero
Crayon Fields have put out a lovely music video to go with their track She’s My Hero, which comes from their latest album No One Deserves You. Featuring some very sassy men in sunnies, the clip is composed of a collage of different shots of beaches, sea creatures and boats. Essentially where you’d rather be. Feel-good easy watching at its finest.
Mod Sun: Free Love
When they gave Mod Sun money to direct and shoot his own music video, he had a bit of a field day. He pretty much sums his excitement up perfectly via the text on the screen:
“On May 19th Rostrum Records gave me money to shoot a proper video for my song Free Love. I decided to throw a party for all friends on a rainy afternoon. And spend all the cash on ridiculous things like trampolines and girls clothes and a half pipe.”
The clip embodies Mod Sun’s spirit perfectly; relaxed, no shits given, and infectiously joyful.
City Calm Down: Rabbit Run
When you first watch City Calm Down’s latest clip for Rabbit Run you might mistakenly believe that it’s just another generic post-apocalyptic music video set in a shopping complex. It’s not though. It’s all in one take. The amount of preparation that would have gone into making sure that everything worked perfectly, from the singer’s words being in time to the extras coming in on cue must have been substantial. As to whether the pain was worth the gain… I’m not sure. The single shot gives the music video a gentle, mournful sense of motion, working perfectly with the doomsday/zombie apocalypse vibe. Then again it would have a fucking pain in the arse to shoot.