Note: You Must Now Visit YouTube to Watch This Video. Bastards.
When a publicist sends you a new Suede video, the decision to post it is an absolute no-brainer, because Suede is the shit. If you’ve ever seen them perform live, you know what I am talking about. In this understated video for the transcendent, minor-chord anthem, “Outsiders,”Suede live-animates the cover of their eponymous, 1993 debut album in an underwater, four-minute slow dance that remains entirely engaging for its duration, despite being nearly static, visually. Well played.
Aurally, “Outsiders” is Suede at their very finest. Brett Anderson sounds like he’s been frozen in time for 22 years, and Richard Oakes‘ guitar playing is just insane. So great.
Night Thoughts will be released on January 29th, 2016 via Rhino Records/Warner Brothers. Enjoy!
I’m not sure if I am hallucinating that the four ladies in this band all kind of look alike, or if it is just the effects of the overwhelming psychedelia infused in this great tune, “Land Gone,” by the sublime British quintet, Novella. All I know is that I fucking love this song, because it reminds me of the mind blowing intensity of discovering an aural gem like “See Emily Play” hiding in a pile of Katy Perry records. The video is a simple, super tight studio performance set against a green screen awash with subtly changing colorful visuals, not unlike those oil light shows we used to put on in college when we got bored, which was often.
“Land Gone” comes from the band’s debut LP, Land, due out on Sinderlyn Records on May 12th, 2015. Like them on the FaceBook at This Link! Enjoy!
“Dark Light” by the brooding, soulful, electronic duo called Weeknight is like watching a complete film by David Lynch in under four minutes. Weeknight are Holly and Andy from NYC and they pull off the rare combination of pretty faces and real musical talent even when wearing glow-in-the-dark Day of The Dead/Corpse Paint. Weeknight will digitally release their debut album, Post-Everything on Artificial Records on March 4th, vinyl release date TBA. Pre-order the album at This Link Enjoy!
Sometimes, the only criteria for assessing “good music” is that the music sounds good. And this sounds really good to me. Sharing a common language is not necessary for a band’s music to cross over when it captures a splendid sense of wistfulness and melancholia the way Israeli rock trio Vaadat Charigim does on its video for the single “Odisea”; a marvelously dreamy sepia-toned journey of a young girl riding her bike through the mysteriously deserted streets of Tel Aviv on what could be any late Summer afternoon. A subtle, post-apocalyptic vibe develops as the video progresses, especially when you consider that Tel Aviv is the second most densely populated city in Israel. And while the final “money shot” is somewhat unnecessary, the clip’s brief red and blue highlights seem to indicate that you might see something slightly hidden if you popped on a pair of 3-D glasses. (Hey, why not try it if you have a pair laying around the house?)
While Vaadat Charigim is apparently being lumped into a “Shoe Gaze” category by rock critics, the music sounds to me to be too lush, to the point of being almost fugue-like, to fall firmly into that category. Vaadat Charigim remind me very much of another excellent Israeli band, Rockfour, who sing in English but still manage to maintain an identifying sonic vibe that indicates they aren’t from around these parts. The group’s no-doubt excellent debut album, The World Is Well Lost, was released on November 12th, 2013 via Burger Records (cassette), Warm Ratio (vinyl), and Israeli label ANOVA (CD/digital). Find out more about Vaadat Charigim at This Link. Enjoy!
Vaadat Charigim are a trio consisting of Juval Haring (guitar+vocals), Yuval Guttman (drums) and Dan Fabian Bloch (bass). Photo by Goni Riskin.
Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr passed away in his sleep on Tuesday night (March 12th, 2013) after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 56 years old. Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979, playing on the band’s landmark first three albums; Iron Maiden (1980), Killers (1981) and The Number of the Beast (1982). I interviewed Burr’s replacement in Maiden, Nicko McBrain several years ago and he had only very nice things to say about Clive. Coincidentally, March 12th is also the birthday of Maiden Bassist, Steve Harris, who turned 57 years old yesterday. RIP, Clive.
