The video for King Krule’s “Easy Easy” might be the most light-hearted we’ve ever seen Archy Marshall. He even smiles and looks like he is having fun a few times throughout the scenes of sauntering through the streets and swinging cricket bats on sunny rooftops. The lyrics still carry that conscious grief, but somehow sound hopeful over the high-strummed guitar that rolls in during the song’s chorus.
“Easy Easy” is the lead single off of the upcoming King Krule LP, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, which is out August 24 on XL Recordings, and is either a sign of all that teenage angst coming to a close, or just a random hopeful thought rising above the typical King Krule gloom we all adore so much.
It's been quite some time since we've last heard from NFOP regular Unknown. Since his last appearance here, he's been steadily readying the release of his debut EP, and as a result we've been rewarded with an equally enigmatic music video for the heavy intro track "Blame". It's a slow, metamorphic animation inspiring thoughts of space and interplanetary travel. Created by Belfast-based visual artist Oisin DSNT, it's an incredibly dark journey when accompanied by Unknown's signature slow, sub-bass sounds.
Humbolt County-based weirdo pop act Ensemble Economique has been responsible for one of our favorite albums of the year thus far, following suit with previous years. "We Come Spinning Out Of Control" is a sort of darker direction for EE's Brian Pyle, adding eerie goth elements to his signature style of psychedelia meets dream pop and shoegaze. The song's video blends together clips from various older films, piecing together dreamy landscapes with hints of lost romance and lonely cityscapes, so seamlessly it appears these films were meant for Ensemble Economique's soundtrack.
The Fever Logic LP is out now via Not Not Fun. Watch the video for "We Come Spinning Out Of Control" below.
Sometimes a music video doesn't need to be anything more than a singer singing into the camera; just ask Radiohead, whose video for “No Surprises” used the austere premise to stunning effect and critical acclaim. With the video for “Water Me” British singer FKA Twigs has taken this trope to a jarring (and intensely minimal) extreme. In the video, Twigs’ head is rattled unnaturally back and forth, and her static gaze broken only by the emergence of a squishy, self-propelling tear drop. The creepy video also utilizes some of the same sublimely unsettling facial transformation techniques as Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” video.
“Water Me” was co-produced by rising producer Arca, and sounds like a haunted new age twist on trip-hop staples. The lyrics to “Water Me” serve as a devastating reminder of the dangerous power others can wield over our own perceptions of ourselves.
Montreal's Brusque Twins have been producing dark minimal synth music in the vein of bands like Linear Movement for some time now. Their latest endeavour (and first video) is a more modern nod to the sublimely repetitious but infectiously danceable Factory Floor. In "Game of Desire," Derek George's hypnotic groove is partnered beautifully with Hollie Hensman's airy, ethereal vocals, and the strobelight video increases that hypnotism ten-fold.
Most of the "over average" fans of Molly Nilsson or Geneva Jacuzzimay have heard of the Vancouver-based underground pop star Sally Dige (Dee-uh as she spell checks), emerging from a catalogue of artistically seductive, home-made youtube videos; constantly shifting perspective in idenity and fashion, intelligently conceived within a layer of 80's consumerism. In similarity to her bigger sisters Molly and Geneva, Sally also passes through the intellectual pop / minimal wave genre with glance — perhaps making it even more approachable for the uninvited, blending in vocals in aid of Madonna's earlier days with haunting, almost paralyzing melodies.
Have a first look at her brand new video for "Forget Me" below. The 7", including both "Forget Me" as well as "Losing You", is available for pre-order via Night School Records.
You can't deny that Moodoïd aka Pablo Padavoni has a vision. His concept of psychedelics takes you back to the 60's while also bringing you to an illusory, futuristic world of French hippie-ness, almost like a whimsical version of a George Harrison song. The brand new video for his single "Je suis la Montagne" (which translates to 'I am the Mountain'), experiments with comparative imagery of dessert-like food & nature. The ensemble puts a sparkly spin on their music (and faces). I first learned of Moodoïd when I saw Padavoni play guitar for Melody’s Echo Chamber, which is resulting in Kevin Parker of Tame Impala producing their first and upcoming EP to be released on September 2 through French label Enterprise.
Have a tasty, trippy peek of "Je suis la Montagne" below.
There might finally be something new, electronically leaning coming out of Finland these days to get all excited about (something we've felt there has been a lack of ever since Albert Swarm) — Redder, a Helsinki-based duo whose sound came together over a mutual appreciation for the gothic and melancholic soundscape. Deptford Goth or Fyfe seem to be a distinguishing references to the duo's ardent tribute, having ended up in the self-released debut EP Border/Lines, out on August 19th. Watch the captivating video for "Faster" below.
