video: Physics "Modernist Portal"

Physics Lab


Some kid named Physics just dropped this in my inbox. Instantly I was transported back to days of filing medical documents in my Grandpa's office while highly stylized NJ Moms came in wreeking of sample perfumes from Macy's at the Garden State Plaza Mall across the street. Sultry nostalgia evolves into manipulated memories of thinking, "What if these women are PCP peddling aliens in disguise on a mission to disengage us from our brains and, subsequently, eat our ear lobes?" Fudge.

video: Rene Hell "{e.s. des Grauens in fifths}"

Record

WARNING: Megazord notes, "this may cause seizures." You've been warned.

Zord's latest video work comes in the form of another phenomenal Rene Hell cut. The video seems to take Hell's rambling arpeggiations to heart, remixing (and rehashing) arps as video filters. That is not a technical statement, rather a symbiotic one, more in tune to how Oldham warps visuals around Hell's free-flowing synthesis. It's a non-stop barrage of rippling images that pour through digital streets like faucet that can't seem to stop flowing.

video: d'Eon "Kill A Man With A Joystick In His Hand"

Call of Duty

d'Eon "Kill a Man With a Joystick In Your Hand" from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.

Repurposing found media hit its threshold this year, with just about every chillwave riding/witch house fucking bedroom act turning to Archive.org (or Mom & Dad's old home movies) to find source material for videos. It can be nice, and nostalgic, but, in reality, it is weak, with video artists choosing to focus on the dreamy qualities of degrading media in hopes of tapping into the collective baby book consciousness. It's a nice dream, but it's far from reality.

This clip for d'Eon's "Kill A Man With A Joystick In His Hands" is the proto-opposite of this 16mm/VHS dream nonsense. It's a stunning, and at times….wait for it…wait for it…shocking! exploration of where we are as a society at the end of 2010. Single person shooters reign supreme, with millions, perhaps even billions, of youths stuck in front of a flat screen monitor virtually killing friends and foes without thought-- blowing up sanctuaries and humvee's and screaming "fuck yeah!" into an XBox 360 headset, while Mathieu in Finland gets pissed, and in return, blows your fucking head off. The Halo/Call of Duty consciousness has all but embedded itself in our collective realm. It's not just the figment of right-wing Mom's in Kansas worried about their son playing Call of Duty for 19 straight hours without taking a piss break. And, as WikiLeaks pointed out, the brutal violence of video games isn't just from video games. It's a reality, one oft sugarcoated by local news rooms, who shock audiences with lurid tales of violence, before awing them into submission with stories of first graders singing Christmas Carols at old folks homes.

With that in mind, this ain't another Jamie Harley video. This is some real shit. If you think it's brutal, well, it is. If you think it's horrid, it is. If you think this isn't an accurate social-commentary on how our virtual lives effect our reality, well, I'd like to read your dissertation. This one's not for the faint of heart, but, rather, the strong of mind.

This video will make you think, which is a lot more than I can say for half the shit I've watched this year. Big ups to d'Eon and Todd Ledford for their hard work on this one. Hats off.

video: Linda Hagood "MaRsUpIaL sHeNaNiGaNs"

Smack Dab

When Alice Cohen showed me the video for Linda Hagood's "MaRsUpIaL sHeNaNiGaNs", i was instantly struck by its effortless and effervescent joy– both of the song, it's clip and their union. It's uncanny. So genuine and playful and far out (wayyy out). Hagood's vox swirl not to, but with Alice Cohen's hypnotizing paper collage animations, making for one helluva two-minute trip through a warped childhood tale. Ya know how everyone always remarks how tripp'd out kids shows are, well, Linda Hagood and Alice Cohen would make the most beautifully imaginative and wondrous children's show. Though, it'd solely exist in a conjured state...?

The video for "MaRsUpIaL sHeNaNiGaNs" is the first off Hagood's Pink Love Red Love, which was released on Chris Johanson's Awesome Vistas label, whose released are available at Fusetron. Hagood was also on 90s band Smack Dab, who were on Homestead Records, which is also pretty badass.

mp3: D'eon "Keep the Faith" (Airbird remix)

Palinopsia

Hippos in Tanks has been coming hard with a string of releases banging from iPhone playlists round the globe (Games, White Car, Laurel Halo, just to name a couple), but don't let that distract you from seeking out Chris D'eon's, ahum, D'eon project. The Montreal-based electronic composer, whose work falls somewhere between the minimalism of Kompakt bangers and the third-eye'd dance floor jams of his H.I.T peers. While D'eon's last release found him exploring a variety of genres, his latest, Palinopsia, is more "in-the-groove"; it's cohesive and tight, with extended cuts winding in and out of each other, yet each track manages to retain its individual identity. It's not a concept record, but the concept of Palinopsia, defined as "a visual disturbance that causes images to persist to some extent even after their corresponding stimulus has left," could not be more present, as shades of rhythms past and present stew in an enticing, often brilliant, cauldron where future philosophies boil to bewonderment. The visual accompaniment for D'eon's "Keep the Faith" comes from FCP-freakazoid Megazord, who, well, you'll see. Just watch.

In addition, the homey Airbird just took a trip through Megazord's video, and crafted an unhinged remix of the tune, complete with muted vox, glistening synthetics, and an extended downbeat breakdown, which rather than playing the obvious "build->explode" card, rides the repetitive rhythm until the beat complete unfolds on itself and sails into the darkness.

In addition to all this, you can catch D'eon this Friday at the Tortilla Factory off the Jefferson L, where he will be playing the Bobka + Newtown presented Tortilla's on the Creek show, which also features LA BIG VIC, Weird Magic DJs, and special guests. Also, it's my birthday. Come hang.

D'eon- Keep the Faith (Airbird Remix)

new: THE REPORT V.II / Dolphins into the Future video

Ke Ala Ke Kua

One of the hopes for The Report V.II was to get Christian "Megazord" Oldham to work with Dolphins Into the Future (aka Lieven Martens). Both 'Zord and Lieven have been experimenting in similar dimensions, which, though very different, seem to coalesce in some bizarre, 4th level venn diagram. The result of their collaboration is the video for "Ke Ala Ke Kua," a seemingly simplistic rendering of the ideas that may come when you think about Dolphins into the Future or Megazord; new age bliss, oceanic field recordings, digital tomfoolery. It's all here. In fact, it's the aesthetic motivation for The Report V.II.

The Report V.II is now completely finalized, yet I'm unable to figure out how many copies to order. With that in mind, I started a Kickstarter project to get readers/viewers to choose how large the pressing of The Report V.II is. Find out about the compilation, DVD, and book here.

Back the project through Kickstarter!

news: RIP The Old Big Troubles, Hail The New Big Troubles

Back to (Pre-)School

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! BIG TROUBLES DID NOT BREAK UP. IF YOU BELIEVED THAT, YOU ARE HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR.

Seeing Big Trouble's first ever show in the summer of 2009, it was clear the shoegaze revivalists were on to something very heavy. However, in the midst of releasing their debut record on OESB, the group seems to have experienced a bit of a shake up, with founding member Ian Drennan, as well as drummer Sam Franklin, leaving the band, seemingly, for good. (Bassist Luka Usmiani hasn't officially quit, though won't be playing with the new incarnation nightly.) Sam Franklin's official statement:

"Sam's out, Ian said he'll do it when it "feels right"/"when I fucking give a shit again, OK?" and Luka plays whenever the bus is running on time. All who remains dedicated to Big Troubles is Alex. Alex and the children he has collected, recruited, kidnapped and outright stolen. Music enthusiasts: meet The New Big Troubles."

That said, it's nice to hear Big Troubles moving away from the cliche shoegaze realm into proto-rock riffing territory reminiscent of late 90's/early 2000's PRS-guitar rock. The dueling drummers here are definitely not Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman, and thank god!, cause these animals are murdering floor toms. Rumor has it The New Big Troubles will be touring with SwimJams in 2011. Stay tuned.

video: Danny Brown "Cyclops"

Welcome 2 Detroit

While we in NYC anxiously await the East Coast debut of Odd Future, Detroit's own freak-a-zord hybrid Danny Brown is holding down an even grimier, absolutely zoinked style of absurd futuristic hip-hop that's as hood as his hometown, while also kicking on some Parliament-esque outer space insanity. Brown's "Hybrid" plays like a coming out party for a dude who should be on everybody's lips, and his latest, "Cyclops", only reinforces that sentiment, securing Brown's place as one of the leaders of the burgeoning "WTF" rap community. (Yeah, that's what I'm calling it, WTF Rap.) Brown's not a guy I wanna catch in a dark alley, but he's definitely a dude I wanna spend an afternoon with guzzling DXM and spitting with Mad Libs and MPC beats. Even then, I'd have a finger on the 911 emergency number. Peep the "Cyclops" video to find out why.

show: Sore Eros/Mountainhood Record Release Party

Blackburn
Jonathan at Blackburn & I are throwing a big show this weekend to celebrate the latest releases by Sore Eros's (Know Touching out on SHDWPLY), as well as Mountainhood's The Boat-Makers Daughter, the latest full-length from Blackburn. The show also features the mystical guitar ventures of Sultan (grip her TCC tape here), Luka Usmiani's revelatory No Demons Here and Animal Hospital, whom I caught at Coop 87 during CMJ and sounded pretty good. Come hang this Saturday at Shea Stadium. Rumor has it artist Molly Smith will have some silk screened versions of the above poster. Rad. Watch Sore Eros brand new video for "Giraffe's Kiss."

video: Rene Hell "Slightly Eleven"

In My White Tea

Royal robotics groove in reformatted pixels, flickering on the Trintron, as melting Japanese commercials expose themselves to digital delay and FX magic. All the while, Rene Hell seems to be out of the picture, controlling the whole thing with a joystick, or midi-controller. Fluttering synthphonics gleam brightly, even brighter when paired with visuals by the freakishly poignant .mov fucker Megazord, whose probably chilling somewhere in his white tea.

old: Armand Schaubroeck "Ratfucker"

Short Shorts


It's late. Trevor from Woodsman, Jonah, and Friendship Bracelet are sitting on my couch. Trevor puts on a song called "Ratfucker." That's right, "Ratfucker." Hard to describe but safe to say the track, by Armand Schaubroeck, is a fucking shotgun blast to the face. That makes sense when you find out that Schaubroeck, according to legend, was a hitman for the mob, who parlayed his murder loot into studio time, paying studio musicians to riff, before ranting hysterically over the whole shebang. He then moved upstate and opened House of Guitars in Rochester, where once a year he would stack amps on the roof of the building and let kids wail. Fuck yeah...I think??

video: Autre Ne Veut "Emotional"

Feelings In My Heart

Another video from Autre Ne Veut's self-titled debut on OESB/Upstairs, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite pop records of the year. This one is for "Emotional", which squirms in Paisley Park zones. At times it feels like an aching, heartfelt ballad, but it isn't a romantic tune, rather a self-doubting, strung-out-in-the-corner ballad, more in tune with being broke and not able to afford your habit than losing your soul mate. It's the sort of emotionally overboard, yet completely pragmatic pop that Adley has a knack for producing. Neck-and-neck with "Demon Eyes" for my favorite track on this outstanding debut.

video: Tjutjuna "Mosquito Hawk"

Aquarium Frenzy

The ferocious Tjutjuna released their debut LP on Firetalk, Trevor from Woodsman's imprint, and to say that its massive is an understatement. A testament to the 180 gram vinyl it's issued on, the self-titled debut from Tjutjuna is a heavy dose for intense space rock. At times Tjutjuna feels more like an act you'd hear about on a site like Dr. Schluss' Garage of Psychedelic Obscurities with a rating of 5 on the trip-o-meter scale rather than on post-chillwave aware sites like this. A compliment to the Denver quartet, who've been shredding the Rocky Mountains in various incarnations since their teens. It's a testament to Mark Demolar of Woodsman who captured the pulverizing kraut-influenced space rock of "Mosquito Hawk" in this explosive anemone fried clip.

videos: Outer Limits Recordings

Cameos Galore

Those following Sam M's musical trajectory are in for a doozey with Outer Limits Recordings. On the heels of the wonk'd drudgery that defined Flashback Repository and the neon-decay of Matrix Metals is Mehran's latest development, a retro-futurist take on VHS-warped proto-pop. Where his prior works fell into heavy narco-landscapes, OLR is more a playful, almost humorous, take on the Top of the Pops. Easily the most accessible tunage Sam's released, at times OLR feels like the joke is on, well, everybody, as these guys are having way too much fun.

"Burnin" is a Casio jammer with bits of slicing wah warbles that hits the same taste buds as sweedish fish when your on two double stacks and you can't find any water. Whistles and slap-funk guitar riffs really elevate this one to car stereo status.

"Julie" is the haunted love ballad. The vibe is tainted from the start, giving me the impression that this love for Julie is really lust for a sex doll. No, this is not Lars and the Real Girl. More an imagined blow-up doll created in the throws of another endless night fucking with technology and intoxicants.



And if you haven't seen it yet, here's "$20 Bills." Another in this series that proves these dudes are having more fun than just about anyone in America. Not to self: stop taking things so srsly. Srsly.

video: SWALLOWED NIKE7UP THE WAVE MIX

Sad & Low

"Every boy and every girl...SPICE UP YR LIFE!" A powerful mantra in the late 90s pre-teen revolution. Much like his recontextualization of Biebs and Brit before, this re-edit find NIKE7UP mining late 90s top 40 lynchpins and stewing them in a massive cauldron, creating a sensationally syntheic gumbo pop-neophtes are sure to devour. Oh, and it included a Jet sample. So, yeah.

update: OESB

So Sing Along

Well, Todd just laid an Operative Dumbo Drop sized box on my mailbox. Major update from the always provocative Olde English Spelling Bee, who are finally putting Big Troubles debut LP Worry in the palm of the listener's hand. Been waiting for this for over a year, and couldn't be more stoked. Might as well be a major label debut, whatever that means these days. Be sure to grip it asap, which you can, as all orders will be going out this week. Don't hesitate. Seriously.

In other OESB realms, Bobka favorites Pigeons are back with a new 7-inch, the first since their heavenly Lunettes last year on Soft Abuse. Clark & Wednesday are now back in the States, and somehow found time to produce a video for "The Paradise," the A-side from the new single. (View above)


It's been a while since we heard from Greatest Hits, the danse pop machine fronted by Zak Mering (Raw Thrills) and Tyler Thacker. Last I saw them they were DJ'ing at Silent Barn between sets by Speculator, Tonstartssbandht and Run DMT. Seems like they've been re-working their dance floor sensations in bedrooms across Bushwick and are now ready to drop their debut single. If you slept on their (formerly) free to download record Greatest Hits Vol.1, stop dreaming and hop to. The rest of your 2010 will be incomplete if you do not funk on the madness that is "Danse Pop" and "Make You Mine." Serious jammers, for serious party people.

OESB, along with our homeys at Upstairs CDR, are also proud to bring the debut (lots of debuts) from Autre Ne Veut to the listening arena. A bombastic blast of pop sorcery, AVN's been splicing synthetic tracks together 'neath the murky streets for a while, occasionally popping out of a manhole to wiggle & wail on the floor of a beer soaked "venue." His jams are often headphone appropriate, with nether land swirls bringing ethereal melodies to light under solar examination. Been intrigued with his live show and the tracks on MySpace for a minute, as well as his last (NSFW) video, but "Soldier" is what really grabs me. Unpretentious drum-machine enabled bliss pop. Check the video below. Highly rec'd.

And last, but not least, some new shit by OESB mainstay Ducktails. The label's got the new 7-inch, featuring "Hamilton Road," a cut from the forthcoming Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics LP, set for November release on Woodsist. Also, Ducktails Live on WFMU 12-inch from Inflated just came today, and the mastered version of this LP sounds phenomenal. DL it here, and make sure to delete your old unmastered copy.

video: Geneva Jacuzzi "Clothes on the Bed"

Hands on the Bed

Eric Fensler's warped-retro vignette for Geneva Jacuzzi's "Clothes on my Bed" is probably the greatest depiction of teen angst meets bad acid I've seen here. Casio new-wave in the bedroom leads to mirror-singing, and of course, singing in the mirror always leads to hallucinations of smokey stages and flashing lights, the roar of an un-present crowd of onlookers. Don't be fooled, this is not the visual counterpart for a demo submission for Ebony Record's Synthetic Romance compilation (see below), but it probably could be. Either way, a pleasantly twisted end of the day surprise.

video: RUN DMT vs. TONSTARTSSBANDHT

Denton

Run DMT and TONSTARTSSBANDHT went on tour together and apparently they formed a doom psych monster. Heavy to the max, this video from their show in Denton chants in Silver Anfaang II-zones & kick-out-the-jams riffage. It's perpetually boiling over the top. Run DMT clearly has great chemistry with Edwin and Andy, reflected in the all-out, balls-to-the-wall poundin psyche breakdown. It's a far cry from the Bong Voyage and "Spruce Bringsteen," and from the sounds of it those may be but dust in the wind, which may not be a bad thing at all if the video below is telling of what the future holds for Run DMT. FBO.

video: Big Troubles "Bite Yr Tongue"

Worry


After viewing the (phenomenal) video for Jackie Chain's "Haze," Fader writer SHS wrote, "Imagine the brainstorm session. Was Jackie Chain just like, Okay so this song is about weed, so I was thinking for some of it I could be driving a car and smoking weed, and for other parts I could be smoking in a room with another dude. Then the director decided it worked perfectly, so they filmed it and went home and took a rest so we could all blog about it." That's pretty much exactly how I imagined the treatment for this Spencer Dennis directed Big Troubles video went down. Basically, these dudes love fastfood and are going to gorg themselve until...well...yeah. The environment (classic North Jersey roadside establishments) is appropriate. Sorta like how all the Further videos were filmed on the beach. (Those videos rule.)

Big Chuggles are playing tonight at Glasslands with a whole ton of bands. You probably already know that though.

PS- Props to BT for hitting up the real White Manna.

video: Alex Bleeker on Sunday Brunch

Landslide Brought It Down

A few weeks back, in the midst of the World Cup, we rangled a few friends over to view the semi-finals while broadcasting Sunday Brunch on Newtown Radio live from Bobka HQ. It was hot. Very hot. Especialy since our Comfort Zone had just perished. It didn't matter much though, as Budweiser's popped and friends played songs while footballers scored 'sick' goals. The word 'sick' was thrown around a lot. It was a grand afternoon, captured by Ray Concepcion. Take a peek at Alex Bleeker's performance, with more to come very soon.