FKA twigs - “Video Girl” (Official Video)

Before she got internet-famous by making music on her own, FKA twigs worked as a dancer in other artists’ videos. “Video Girl,” a song from her stunning debut album LP1, is about the feeling of being recognized as “the girl from the video.” Now, things have come full-circle, and she’s made her own video for “Video Girl.” It is nothing like any of the videos she ever danced in. Instead, it’s an unsettling black-and-white short film with big ideas about sex and death and movement. In the clip, twigs stands in an observation room, calmly watching a lethal injection. She also imagines herself into the room with the body, twitching and whirling her way around it. And then there are some fucked-up grainy visions, as well, with twigs covered in metal cyborg jewelry and a dude with a mouthful of blood. Kahlil Joseph directs. It’s a hard video to wrap your mind around, but you can watch.

The Afghan Whigs - “Lost In The Woods” (Official Video)

Although the Afghan Whigs would do a killer cover version of Bon Iver’s “The Woods” and/or Kanye West’s “Lost In The World,” their song “Lost In The Woods” is an original from this year’s comeback album Do To The Beast (Stream). The song now has a video that’s appropriately set in the woods, involving an array of eerie characters including a wolf, two dancing women in white dresses, and a creepy skeleton-man. Longtime Whigs collaborator Phil Harder directed the clip, which successfully transports the band’s back-alley soul catharsis to a different kind of shady environment. Watchto get in the Halloween spirit.

Greylag - “Yours To Shake" (Official Video)

Greylag’s video for “Yours To Shake” is the second clip we’ve seen this morning to set a sleek, classic-rock-inflected indie song in a haunting woodland environment. The colorful clip was directed by Ben Fee, and it follows a number of intriguing figures through some dramatic encounters in the forest.

Niia - “Body” (Official Video)

R&B singer-songwriter Niia released her debut EP, Generation Blue, today. It contains the gorgeously ghostly track “Body,” which has gotten the video treatment and a remix from the Range. The video, directed by Tim Saccenti, plays like a sadistic fairy tale in black-and-white, with shadowy shots of a BDSM relationship intercut with ferocious dogs that dart along the screen chasing a slow-moving rabbit. The remix from the Range comes on the heels of their recent collaboration “David’s House,” and sees the producer provide a subtle reworking of the track.

Jacques Greene - “1 4 Me” (Official Video)

R&B experimentalist Jacques Greene has announced a new EP called After Life After Party with a new song and video for “1 4 ME.” It’s a stylish video for a slick song that plays off a trend I didn’t even know existed in which people ruin their new shoes in water and film it to put on Youtube. (That’s according to Fader anyway, who premiered the video.) Even without that context, it’s a very pretty video set in what looks like a hotel pool. Watch the video and read some words from Greene about what inspired the new EP.

These tracks were born out of experimenting with a bit of self-imposed restraints. Afterlife was a particular sound palette I wanted to stick to and see what would come of it. ’1 4 Me’ was trying to challenge myself to keep an arrangement dead simple. They came out of a period that was actually really prolific for me and I hope to share more soon, but these two stuck together with a playful spirit. Some fun for the end of summer, as we tread into winter.

Tracklist:

01 “After Life, After Party”

02 “1 4 Me”

03 “After Life, After Party” (Suicideyear Remix)

04 “After Life, After Party” (Sei A Remix)

Tkay Maidza - “Switch Lanes” (Official Video)

We took notice of Australian rapper/singer Tkay Maidza after the release of her Switch Tape mix last week. “Switch Lanes” is a song off of that mixtape, and it now has an animated video to go along with it. Director Sachio Cook creates an anime-influenced goth world and follows our protagonist through it, which is filled with cotton candy creatures and pastel-colored memes. It’s a beautiful and mesmerizing video for a great song.

Lemonade - “Orchid Bloom” (Official Video)

Lemonade’s @LILINTERNET-directed video for “Orchid Bloom” is a dizzying look at our darkest nights, those ones when you’re drunk and maybe a little high and your mind keeps flashing back to a past love, where your whole being is filled with a desire for a missed connection. Subtitles stand in for our own subconscious worries and thoughts — one of them reads “What’s wrong with you, dude?” and they get more esoteric as the video continues: “So there’s infinite parallel dimensions where every possible outcome is happening. I’m gonna go there.” The quick cuts and bright lights are a little overwhelming at times, but it perfectly captures the feeling that it’s trying to recreate.

Buzzcocks - “It’s Not You” (Official Video)

Back in May, Buzzcocks put out their PledgeMusic-funded record, The Way for backers only. It’s their first album in eight years, and it’s not getting an official release on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, and they’ve shot an video for album track “It’s Not You.” It features images of the band members washed out and playing superimposed on a brick wall lit up in funky colors.

Shamir - “On The Regular” (Official Video)

Shamir debuted earlier this year with his impressive Northtown EP, which was put out on Godmode Records. He’s now transitioned over to XL and announced that move in a big way with “On The Regular,” his first single for the big-name indie label. It’s a bratty schoolyard dis track that snaps like a rubber band, featuring mile-a-minute rap and a bubblegum-smacking beat. Shamir knows how to switch it up, too: the bridge is a beautifully sung ode to disco diva culture that’s accompanied by a ferocious grin: “Don’t try me, I’m not a free sample/ Step to me and you will be handled/ See, that’s my crown on the mantle and if you try and touch it, yes, there will be scandal.” The video asserts the song’s Shamir-as-king stance, with visuals that pop with color (sometimes literally).

Grouper - “Made Of Air” (Official Video)

Grouper’s new album Ruins closes with a gorgeous 11-minute ambient instrumental called “Made Of Air.” Today, to mark the album’s release, Liz Harris has shared an equally gorgeous video by director Paul Clipson. I can’t emphasize enough that both the song and Clipson’s collage-like nature footage are absolutely splendorous things. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed today — and even if you’re not — why not press play, go into full-screen mode, sit back, and relax?

Lucius - “Hey, Doreen” (Official Video)

Just in time for Halloween, Lucius have delivered a murder mystery by way of a video for Wildewoman track “Hey, Doreen.” Directors Leblanc + Cudmore helmed the clip, which (if I’m understanding this right) features elderly versions of Lucius singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig who seduce and murder older men by disguising themselves as youthful lasses. Or it’s about the real Lucius singers disguising themselves as elderly ladies? I’m going to need to watch this a couple times to figure it out, but that won’t be a problem because it’s a great video.

Flight Facilities - "Sunshine" (Official Video)

This week, the Australian electronic duo Flight Facilities released their latest album Down to Earth. The single "Sunshine" features vocals from comedian/musician Reggie Watts. Watts also stars in the video. (Flight Facilities themselves make a cameo.) 

Directed by Rhett Wade-Ferrell, the clip opens with Watts on the phone, explaining a movie concept based on the "combination of two classics: Twilight meets 'Happy Days'." It goes from there...

Down to Earth also features collaborations with Kylie Minogue, Bishop Nehru, and more.

Alice in Chains - "Phantom Limb" (Official Video)

The video for Alice in Chains' "Phantom Limb," a heavy, throbbing track off their 2013 album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, tells the story two men — one older, one younger — pitted against each other. After the younger man, who resembles Matt Dillon's character in the 1992 movie Singles, forces his way into the residence of the older man, he begins brutally assaulting him. The seven-minute clip, directed by Roboshobo ("Voices," "Hollow," "Stone"), culminates with a supernatural twist that leaves neither person happy. The video is available as part of a BitTorrent bundle that also includes its video treatment, the shot list and access to the band's merch.

In an interview last year about the album, vocalist-guitarist Jerry Cantrell praised the overall grit on The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. "There's some real filth in there," he said. "That's intentional, and that's also just how we sound together. We're trying to make a record that we dig and we're trying to keep the bar high for ourselves and see if we can get past it, and I think that we did again. And of course you want people to dig it too and to respond to it, and to have that start happening is satisfying."

Sharon Van Etten - “Your Love Is Killing Me” (Official Video)

Sharon Van Etten doesn’t appear in her video for “Your Love Is Killing Me,” a gorgeous song from her Are We There album. Instead, Carla Juri, the star of the new indie film Wetlands, plays a woman with a lot on her mind and no real regard for New York City’s indoor-smoking ban. Sean Durkin, the filmmaker behind Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed the video. And as with that movie, he tells a lot of subtle story without too many words, just giving you faces to read. Watch it at Indiewire.

Frankie Cosmos - "Art School" (Official Music Video)

Earlier this year, Frankie Cosmos (aka Greta Kline) released her excellent full-band LP, Zentropy, and we didn’t really give it its proper due here. It’s absolutely fantastic, one of my favorite albums of the year. Not many people can extract so much emotion from songs that rarely travel over a minute in length, but she manages to create a whole world in just 18 minutes. Kline distills wisdom in whispers and platitudes, alternating between intimately personal details and grand dramatic statements that only she could pull off with such sincerity. After releasing a billion or so albums on Bandcamp prior to Zentropy, she had a firm handle on the songwriting side of things, so working with a full band allows these tracks to stretch their muscles. They sound self-assured and confident, which contrasts nicely with the lyrics themselves, which are mired in uncertainty and doubt. “Art School” opens the album, and it now has a very goofy video, which was directed by Sophia Bennett Holmes. Kline acts (?) like a Justin Bieber-obsessive: she watches the “Baby” video on repeat, jumps around on a bed that’s surrounded by Bieber posters, and even turns down a photo of boyfriend Aaron Maine to put all of her attention on the pop singer.

Hamilton Leithauser - “5 AM” (Official Video)

“Do you ever wonder why I sing these love songs/ When I have no love at all?” So goes “5 AM,” a minor-key piano ballad from Hamilton Leithauser’s solo debut Black Hours (stream) that feels like what Jeff Tweedy might call “the bible-black pre-dawn” — a black hour indeed! The track now has a video by director Tristan Patterson that expertly matches the song’s wistful, forlorn mood.

Bleachers - “Rollercoaster” (Official Video)

Jack Antonoff is the co-leader of fun. and the guy who co-wrote and produced Taylor Swift’s excellent “Out Of The Woods.” He also has a solo side project called Bleachers, and he released a great and surprising debut album called Strange Desire earlier this year. In his new video for the busy, gleaming new wave track “Rollercoaster,” he and his backing band go all Teen Wolf, riding on the roof of an ice cream van while chasing a pretty girl down a desert highway. Richard Shepard directed the video.

Iggy Azalea - "Black Widow" ft. Rita Ora (Official Video)

Purchase "Black Widow" On iTunes Now: http://po.st/BlackWidow
Stream On Spotify: http://po.st/BlackWidowS
Directed by Director X and Iggy Azalea

https://www.facebook.com/iggyazalea
https://twitter.com/iggyazalea
Instagram @thenewclassic
http://www.iggyazalea.com

Future - “Hardly” (Official Video)

Future doesn’t really need to release mixtapes anymore, but he’s about to give us Monster, the new tape he recorded with producer Metro Boomin. We’ve posted the title track and “Break The Rules,” and now Future has directed his own video for “Hardly,” another of the tracks that’ll appear on the video. The clip is dedicated to Future’s dead friend OG Double D, who makes some beyond-the-grave cameos, but it’s mostly just Future looking thoughtful in an empty white room and a deserted beach. Song is nice, though.

Joakim - “This Is My Life” Video + Kindness Remix

Joakim turned 25 this weekend, and to celebrate, he gave us all a gift: a unique look into his day-today via the “This is My Life” video. The video chronicles the French producer’s life through a series of Instagram videos played from his own laptop. Videos flash by as error messages, emails, and update alerts clutter his screen, creating memorizing chaos. A robotic voice narrates the captions of the videos in a detached monotone. When the vocals come in, the video morphs into a montage of Joakim’s face superimposed onto the faces of several movie characters, blending fantasy with true-life events. Joakim is also releasing a This Is My Life EP, which includes a remix by Kindness. The remix adds a funky disco beat to the electronic track, and makes use of subtle but persistent beats to build tension in the song.

John Cale Releases - “If You Were Still Around” (Official Video) On The One-Year Anniversary Of Lou Reed’s Death

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Lou Reed’s death, and Reed’s former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale has released a new video for an old song in Reed’s honor. Cale recorded a more upbeat version of his formerly somber “If You Were Still Around,” originally included on 1982′s Music For A New Society. It’s matched with visuals by director Abigail Portner, the sister of Animal Collective’s Dave Portner AKA Avey Tare. Along with the video, Cale shared a statement that touches obliquely yet poetically on his friendship with Reed:

A Moth and a Candle met. They decided to become friends. Everyone enjoyed watching their discourse – especially the risk takers. Then one day a big rain came. The Moth couldn’t fly and the Candle puttered out. Everyone laughed in bitter awe and blamed the rain. Most however knew the deeper truth — the Candle remains lit and the Moth will stay close.

The video appears to visually reference VU and Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia roadshows, with Cale performing against video projections under dim lighting.

First Aid Kit - “Stay Gold” (Official Video)

The Swedish sisters in First Aid Kit deserve credit for their timing. They dropped the autumnal video for “Stay Gold,” the Americana hymn that serves as the title track from their new album, as fall is at its aesthetic peak, at least in this part of the world. Like their “My Silver Lining” clip, this one gets lots of mileage from images of both sisters breezing through woodsy landscapes. If they’d dropped it just a couple of weeks later, after the leaves turn into gross brown mush on the ground, it wouldn’t have worked anywhere near as well. Right now, though, it plays like a contented audio-visual sigh.

OK Go - “I Won’t Let You Down” (Official Video)

OK Go have released their latest eye-catching spectacle of a music video, this time for a song called “I Won’t Let You Down.” As always, the music itself leaves a lot to be desired — I’d even go as far to call this song actively bad, when they usually hover around inoffensive — but the visuals make it worth at least one watch. The video is shot in a single take and features the four members riding on some kind of weird Segway/pedicar hybrid (UPDATE: it’s a Honda UNI-CUB), surrounded by hundreds of backup dancers that are all holding umbrellas. The most impressive parts are when the camera takes an aerial view to watch the intricate coordination that is required to create the patterns and spell out the words that they do. It looks like they shot all of this really slowly and sped up the video to make it seem more seamless — you can tell something weird is going on with the pacing in the first few seconds of the video. It’s all pretty impressive.

Rick Ross - “Keep Doin’ That (Rich Bitch)” (Feat. R. Kelly) Video

Rick Ross’ Hood Billionaire comes out next month, and it’s his second album of the year following Mastermind, which came out back in March. A few weeks back, he shared “Keep Doin’ That (Rich Bitch),” a track from the upcoming album that features the despicable R. Kelly. Now, he’s put out a video for the song that pretty much checks off all the hip-hop music video clichés: it’s set in an opulent mansion with a bunch of beautiful women, there’s dollar bills being thrown, and even some snakes for good measure.

Led Zeppelin - "Rock And Roll (Alternate Mix)" (Official Video)

I love Led Zeppelin, but I’d say there’s a good third of their catalog that I can’t hear anymore. I don’t mean I don’t want to listen to it; I mean I cannot hear it — I’ve heard it so much that it’s just white noise, like the sounds of midtown traffic outside Stereogum’s offices. And for me, no song has been worn thinner than “Rock And Roll,” from “Led Zep IV,” which might as well be “Happy Birthday” by this point. So I love hearing alternate versions of these tracks, because if even one aspect of the mix is different, it can change my entire listening experience. Next Monday, Zep will release re-mastered, expanded versions of both “IV” and Houses Of The Holy, and those reissues will include a bunch of alternate takes, including this one, of “Rock And Roll.” Frankly, this take hews too close to the album version to actually reinvigorate the song for me, but according to Pagey, it offers a “different perspective.” Read his explanation and watch the lyric video for the track below.

Says Page:

“Rock And Roll” is something that came more or less out of thin air. John Bonham played the drum introduction, and we were doing something else at the time, and I came in with the riff and stopped what we were doing and did it. It was spontaneous. You can tell everyone is having a real good time. The piano is by Ian Stewart (longtime sideman with the Rolling Stones). This version is a different mix, a different perspective on the song.

Rob Cantor - “Shia LaBeouf” Live (Official Video)

Rob Cantor - “Shia LaBeouf” (Dir. Scott Uhlfelder)

How does a video like this come to exist? Who ponies up the money? Who is it for? Whatever, I don’t care, it’s great.

FartBarf - “Homeless In Heathrow” Video (NSFW-ish)

FartBarf - “Homeless In Heathrow” (NSFW-ish) (Dir. Brandon Dermer)

The past few weeks have not come remotely close to giving us enough Halloween-themed music videos, but this one goes a lot way toward fixing that situation. Props to Dermer for willing to get genuinely creepy with it, and props to FartBarf for operating under the name FartBarf.

Kiesza - “No Enemiesz” (Official Video)

Kiesza - “No Enemiesz” (Dir. Syndrome)

I am glad my articles of clothing don’t suddenly transform into people the second I take them off. That seems like it would cause unwanted complications in my life. Kiesza sure seems to have fun with it, though. Related: Someone really needs to cast Kiesza in a Step Up sequel as soon as possible.

Allo Darlin’ - “Bright Eyes” (Official Video)

Last month, we shared Allo Darlin’s single “Bright Eyes” from their most recent record We Come From The Same Place , which we also posted for you to stream. Now we premiere for you the silly, tongue-in-cheek video for “Bright Eyes,” one of the emotional highs on Allo Darlin’s most recent release. Since the song is more or less a conversation between a man and a woman about the happiness they experience being together, it makes sense that the theme for the video is relationships. The brighter side of being in love is shown through the random pairing of objects on the wedding cake, while a recurring couples therapy type situation serves to comment on the pitfalls of relationships. Still, the patients are inanimate objects only serve the purpose of setting up a cringe-worthy (in a good way) pun that flashes across the screen. Check out the video, directed by Casey Raymond.

Chvrches - "Under the Tide" (Official Video)

Chvrches have shared the video for "Under the Tide", taken from their excellent debut The Bones of What You Believe. Directed by Sing J. Lee, it's a trippy space journey featuring Martin Doherty singing in between anime footage.

Beverly - “Yale’s Life” (Official Video)

Over the summer, Drew Citron’s indie-pop project Beverly (which started out as a duo with Frankie Rose) released the bright, engaging debut album Careers. After making videos for “Honey Do” and “Out On A Ride” and “All The Things,” they’ve got a new clip for the slow and stately “Yale’s Life.” In the video, we see Citron and her bandmates playing onstage and, for some reason, doing carpentry, as director Jim Larson gives them glamorous ’80s lighting and films them in ecstatic slo-mo, lending the whole affair a seedy, dreamlike feel.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Kelly" (Official Video)

New York indie pop outfit the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have shared the video for "Kelly" from their recent album Days of Abandon. Directed by Art Boonparn, it's a performance clip shot in vibrant, warm colors. The song is sung by Jen Goma of A Sunny Day in Glasgow.

Scott Walker & Sunn O))) - “Brando” (Official Video)

The enigmatic experimental music master and human myth Scott Walker just teamed up with drone-metal wraiths Sunn O))) to release an uncompromising collaborative album called Soused. And now the choreographer Gisèle Vienne has made a “short film” to accompany its opening track, the berserk nine-minute meditation “Brando.” The icily precise, cryptic video is full of near-motionless dancing and ominous tracking shots through fog-enshrouded forests. The French writer and actress Catherine Robbe-Grillet makes an appearance. Watch this strange, intense piece of work.

Lone - “Restless City” (Official Video)

Lone’s Reality Testing jam “Restless City” was released as a single this week with a remix by Head High as the B-side. To complement the single, the original “Restless City” how has an entertaining animated video by Ruff Mercy. It’s a real sensory overload, with imagery speeding in and out of the frame before you can wrap your mind around it. That makes it a good match for Matt Cutler’s brisk, brainy techno production. Even the dark-hued color palette is a perfect fit for music that casts such a dusky tone without compromising its playful spirit.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - “In The Heat Of The Moment” (Official Video)

Last week, Noel Gallagher announced the 2015 release of Chasing Yesterday, his second album with backing band High Flying Birds. That announcement included news that Chasing Yesterday will include a guest spot from Johnny Marr on the LP’s closing track “Mighty I”; it was also paired with the album’s first single, “In The Heat Of The Moment.” Today, Gallagher releases a video for that song.

Watch American Horror Story: Freak Show Take On Lana Del Rey

American Horror Story is taking a distinctly musical turn this season; we’ve already posted the show’s take on Fiona Apple’s “Criminal.” And as previously reported, last night’s episode featured Jessica Lange, a 65-year-old double Oscar winner, singing a Lana Del Rey song. The song in question turned out to be the Born To Die special-edition bonus track “Gods & Monsters.” And Lange took to the song like she was born to do it, cranking the vaudevillian-witch thing into overdrive.

Panda Bear - “Mr Noah” (Official Video)

Panda Bear has announced the details behind his new album, Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper, and shared the album’s first official single. The first single is called “Mr Noah” and is accompanied by a video directed by AB/CD/CD and an EP (already on iTunes), which contains three b-sides: “Faces In The Crowd,” “Untying The Knot,” and “This Side Of Paradise.” 

CREDITS
Dir: AB/CD/CD
Hero Dog: Boycie
Production Co: http://www.partizan.com
Producer: Adam Farley
Production Manager: Jon Mealing
PA: Suzi Simms
Loc Manager: Thomas Gale
DoP: Olivier Cariou
1st AD: James Dyer
1at AC: Ahmet Husseyin
2nd AC: Louis O'Brien
Grip: Johnny Donne
DIT: Ashley Hicks
Steadicam: Thomas English
Jimmy Jib: Shaun Willis
Gaffer: Lee Parfitt
Art Director: Mikey Hollywood
Stylist: Joseph Crone
Hair & Make-up: Emily Bilverstone
Camera Co: Arri Media
Lighting Co: Panalux Lighting
Editor: Joce Hockings
Edit Co: Circus - www.thecircus.tv
Colourist: Matt Hare
Grading Co: Glassworks - http://www.glassworks.co.uk
VFX Co: Golden Sq - http://www.goldensq.com
VFX Producer: Luke Toyne

The Bug - “Mi Lost” (Feat. Miss Red) Official Video

The British producer the Bug released his all-over-the-place album Angels & Devils a little while ago, and after dropping his epic dystopian “Function / Void” video, he’s made a very different clip for “Mi Lost,” a collaboration with the Israeli dancehall artist Miss Red. This is a small, low-budget video, one that focuses entirely on Miss Red and on smeary in-camera effects. Directors Aviya Wyse and Daniel Tsukahira filmed the clip in Miss Red’s Haifa City hometown.

Honeyblood - “Choker” (Official Video)

Over the summer, the Scottish duo Honeyblood released a wonderfully incisive and hooky self-titled ’90s-style fuzz-rock debut album. It’s one of those albums that gets better every time I hear it. They’ve just made a video for “Choker,” a pointed song about falling in love with someone you can’t trust. The Tardo/Williams-directed video turns them into noir heroines, which is a good look for them.

Peaking Lights - “Everyone And Us” (Official Video)

Hazy dub-pop duo Peaking Lights released their Cosmic Logic album a couple of weeks ago, and now they’ve made a video for the sunny, fizzy single “Everyone And Us.” Robbie Simon directed the clip, which appears to be made mostly from animated construction-paper cutouts and photos of Peaking Lights. It’s a piece of goofy homemade psychedelia, and you can watch.

Low Pros - “100 Bottles” (Feat. Travi$ Scott) Video (NSFW-ish)

Earlier this year, A-Trak and Virginia rap producer Lex Luger teamed up to form Low Pros, a duo whose music fuses both definitions of the term “trap music.” On “100 Bottles,” they teamed up with Travi$ Scott, a young Houston rapper and producer who’s all unstable energy and thus perfect for a sound like theirs. In the track’s new video, Scott (or a broken-down robot version of him, anyway) wanders a glitched-out CGI vision of a futuristic Japanese metropolis. It’s all very Lawnmower Man. There’s a quick glimpse of some decidedly inorganic boobs, so proceed with caution. Nate Brown and Gustavo Torres direct.

Public Access TV - “In The Mirror” (Official Video)

Ex-Be Your Own Pet member and longtime rock sideman John Eatherly’s Public Access TV already gave us one fun video for “Rebounder.” Now here’s another freewheeling clip for the upbeat Strokes-meets-Free Energy pop-rocker “In The Mirror.” In keeping with the song’s heavy Cars influence, it finds them driving around in a car, apparently having a blast. “In The Mirror” is definitely an appropriate tune to blare on the stereo in that situation.

The Coathangers - “Drive” (Official Video)

Atlanta punks the Coathangers have put out a video for “Drive,” a track from their fourth full-length album, Suck My Shirt, that came out earlier this year. The video follows around two adorable plush dolls who seem like they’re star-crossed lovers. The dolls accompany the band on tour and pop up in all sorts of different locations — the beach, a wine shop, on a train, in a church. It’s all really cute!

The Head And The Heart - “Let’s Be Still” (Official Video)

The Head And The Heart have shared an elaborate video for “Let’s Be Still,” a song off of their album from last year that shares the same name. It starts with a man waking up because of some tortured dreams, follows him (and a cute puppy) as they make their way to a field, where they meet up with their lover and travel in some hot air balloons. Apparently, the video was inspired by Mary Poppins, but I’m getting more of a Moonrise Kingdom for adults vibe. It’s a very pretty and pastoral video, and you can watch.

The New "Marcel The Shell" Video From Jenny Slate Is Ridiculously Cute

Comedian Jenny Slate and her husband, director Dean Fleischer-Camp, have released a new Marcel The Shell With Shoes On video, and as one’d expect, it’s ridiculously cute. This one’s called “The Most Surprised I’ve Ever Been,” which is also the title for the couple’s Marcel-themed children’s book out this week. This is the third video in the Marcel series and the first we’ve seen of the shell with sneakers since 2011.

The video teaches us a lot about the little guy, like how Marcel protects himself in a rain storm and what his favorite saying is: “Life’s a party, rock your body.” Also, poor little Marcel has allergies.

S - “Vampires” (Official Video) + Stream "Cool Choices"

“Vampires,” the excellent lead single from Jenn Ghetto’s excellent S album Cool Choices, now has an excellent music video. Directed by Finch Wolfe, it stars Tacocat bassist Bree McKenna as a woman nervously going out in public after a breakup — coping with changes around the house, dealing with judgment from friends, hoping she won’t see her ex. The old haunt McKenna anxiously wanders into happens to be hosting an S concert, so Ghetto and her band make an appearance.

Dej Loaf - “Try Me (Remix)” (Feat. Remy Ma & Ty Dolla $ign) & “Bird Call” (Official Video)

Detroit rapper Dej Loaf has had a breakout year, and this week she reiterated her status as an MC on the rise with updates to two of her biggest hits. Breakthrough “Try Me” blends chirpy, poppy sing-song that verges on cartoonish with the cold-hearted pulse and dead-eyed threats of Chicago drill music. On the new remix, Ty Dolla $ign and the recently released Remy Ma show up to lend their own melodic verses over a DDS beat that sounds like an ice palace with subwoofers installed. Meanwhile “Bird Call,” a DJ Whoo Kid production on which Dej outright raps (and raps well!), gets an official video shot by Dan The Man at Eminem’s Shade45 Studios in New York. It’s pretty barebones as music videos go, but the song is well worth your time.

Gwen Stefani - “Baby Don’t Lie” (Official Video)

Gwen Stefani’s “Baby Don’t Lie” video is here. Directors Sophie Muller and Weirdcore set Stefani and her dancers against a colorful smattering of green-screened backgrounds not too far removed from the single artwork. When they rewind it back, some of that color seeps into the black-and-white imagery that kicks off the clip. There’s also some Beats Music product placement; Stefani did attend the Apple product launch with Dr. Dre, after all.

Los Angeles Police Department - “Enough Is Enough” (Official Video)

Los Angeles Police Department’s warm and pillowy self-titled debut album from earlier this year is only sounding better as the cold chill of winter begins to descend on NYC, though I guess frontman Ryan Pollie doesn’t have to worry about that considering he’s all the way out on the other side of the country. His video for “Enough Is Enough” captures the fleeting pleasures of summer well enough, though (maybe it’s because he grew up just outside of Philly). Pollie’s seen playing guitar in a comfy-looking Giants sweater, peeking through trees, picking some fruit, and laying down in some water. Much like his music, the video is simple and unassuming.

Ought - “New Calm, Pt. 2″ (Official Video)

Earlier this year, the Montreal postpunk band Ought released More Than Any Other Day, a complex and confident full-length debut that surprised a lot of people. The album didn’t quite come out of nowhere, though. Last year, the band self-released a promising EP called New Calm. And later this month, they’ll drop another new EP called Once More With Feeling…, which includes re-recorded versions of two of those New Calm tracks. We’ve already posted “Pill,” and now they’ve made a video for “New Calm, Pt. 2,” a seven-minute freakout that sounds like what might’ve happened if David Byrne had hosted a late-’80s D.C. hardcore band. In the video, directors Aaliyeh Afshar and Max Taeuschel juxtapose footage of the band performing with images of a woman at a laundromat and a bunch of kids at a birthday party.

Charli XCX - “London Queen” Lyric Video

Charli XCX’s Ramones-inspired new single “London Queen” has been growing on me the more I listen to it. It’s certainly kitschy, but it’s also pretty damn catchy, even if the lyrics leave a lot to be desired compared to the goth-pop of something like “Nuclear Seasons,” which was Charli’s first major collaboration with producer and songwriter Justin Raisen. (He worked on some other songs from Charli’s first record, had a hand in “Boom Clap,” and co-produced Sky Ferreira’s debut alongside Ariel Rechtshaid.) The lyric video for “London Queen” is done in the colorful and bubbly animation style of basically every ’90s edutainment computer game. Watch via nylon.

Museum Of Love - “The Who’s Who Of Who Cares” (Official Video)

Museum Of Love — a new collaboration between former LCD Soundsystem drummer Pat Mahoney and Run-Roc labelhead Dennis McNany — recently released their self-titled debut album on DFA. Mahoney’s deep-throated vocals suit the oppressive electro-disco that McNany has cooked up in the studio. The video for album track “The Who’s Who Of Who Cares” builds much like the song: slowly, then all at once. It starts out with some hands sculpting a face out of clay that starts to come together as the song progresses. First you just see a blob, then more definition continues to be added until there’s a nose and a mouth, and by the end of the video it’s creepily realistic. And then the sculpture is melted away.

Todd Terje - “Delorean Dynamite” (Official Video)

When crafting the live visuals to accompany his It’s Album Time anthem “Delorean Dynamite,” Norwegian producer extraordinaire Todd Terje sought out Frank, a fellow Norwegian who happened to own a Delorean. So when Frank decided to sell the car, Terje and director Espen Friberg decided to make him an advertisement. Thus, the “Delorean Dynamite” video ended up looking like an ’80s infomercial and in fact functions as a real-life advertisement for a car you can actually buy on Norwegian Craigslist. According to a press release, Frank is also accepting offers at delorean_dynamite@hotmail.com — serious inquiries only. Don’t let the gimmick distract you from the fact that “Delorean Dynamite” burble-bangs and It’s Album Time rules. Meet Frank and his vehicle below.

Girlpool - “Plants And Worms” (Official Video)

“Plants And Worms” is one of the many standouts on Girlpool’s self-titled EP. According to a new interview with the band for Rookie, the song “is about how scary life can be and just feeling afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and then realizing that’s how we grow.” That’s what artist Catleya Sherbow gets at in the sullenly-animated video for the track. It starts with one of those mornings when all you can do is pull the covers back over your head and go back to sleep and continues into a watercolor fantasy world haunted by an anxiety monster that our protagonist eventually fights with a pair of scissors.

iLoveMakonnen - “Tuesday (Remix)” (Feat. Drake) Video

iLoveMakonnen has shared a video for his Drake-featuring “Club Goin’ Up On A Tuesday” remix. Drizzy appears in the video as well, and the airballer and the up-and-coming rapper trade off verses in the club while sipping out of styrofoam cups. The hazy club footage is intercut with people singing the song’s hook during their everyday lives. The mask that shows up on the cover of Makonnen’s debut EP is also heavily featured.

Girl Talk & Freeway - “Suicide (Remix)” (Feat. A$AP Ferg) Video

Earlier this year, Girl Talk and Freeway released a pretty great collaborative EP called Broken Ankles. A$AP Ferg hopped on a remix of EP track “Suicide” a little bit later, which now has a video to go along with it. The clip was created by artist Lisa Ramsey, who turned all three of them into alternate reality versions Simpsons characters. There’s a group of gun-toting Barts, a Maggie smoking weed, and a Krusty The Clown cameo.

Etnik - “Unclassified” (Feat. Mykki Blanco) Video

Etnik has released a video for his hard-hitting new collaboration with Mykki Blanco. The video amplifies the gothic-rave vibe of the song, featuring slow-motion dancing and some intimidating-looking car rides. Blanco gets down in a mechanic shop and plays with fire. The badass visuals were directed by photographer Björn Jonas.

Twin Peaks - “Making Breakfast” (Official Video)

As a rule, the Chicago garage rockers Twin Peaks (who should really consider changing their name now that the real Twin Peaks is coming back) make really good music videos. Their clips for “Flavor” and “I Found A New Way” are both dumb, sloppy fun, and even something as minimal as their new “Making Breakfast” video turns out to be way more watchable than it should be. Singer/guitarist Clay Frankel spends the entire video either living with egg mashed into his hair, which seems like a terrible way to live, or cooking breakfast on an outdoor grill, which seems like an amazing way to live. Past collaborator Ryan Ohm directs.

Dave Grohl shares unreleased version of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” video

There’s a fun little Easter egg hidden within the first episode of Foo Fighters’ HBO series, Sonic Highways. As Alternative Nation points out, the episode features unreleased footage of Nirvana’s video for “Heart Shaped Box”. Specifically, the footage sees the trio swapping instruments, with Krist Novoselic on drums, Kurt Cobain on bass, and an overexposed Dave Grohl fronting the band. There are also several closeups shots of the band performing in normal and particularly vibrant color.

See a few photos from the footage below — or, watch the full episode of Sonic Highways at HBO’s website.

Original video:

Interpol - “My Desire” (Official Video)

Interpol’s new video for “My Desire” follows their clips for “All The Rage Back Home” and “Twice As Hard” as the third from El Pintor, the band’s new album. Director Markus Lundqvist films the band playing to a handful of sad, desperate drunks in a mostly-empty bar, and it occurs to me that this is probably the ideal place to witness an Interpol show. The guy pounding whiskey and poring over Polarouds of an ex might be a mess, but he’s also approaching the band’s set with the right attitude.

Thurston Moore - “Speak To The Wild” (Official Video)

Thurston Moore’s new solo LP, The Best Day, is due out tomorrow (although you can already stream it here). Today, we get a video for “Speak To The Wild,” the sprawling 8-minute tempest that opens the album. In the cryptic clip, a mother gets separated from her child in a forest that conveniently also seems to be inhabited by creepy, cloak-wearing cultists. It’s not entirely clear what’s actually going on, but, soundtracked by the ebbs and flows of Moore’s and James Sedwards’ twin-guitar assault, it sure is engaging. Director Santiago Mostyn shares a few words about the thought behind the video:

I have the image of a character, a woman who could be a mother (slightly older, slightly wilder, like a silent Jenny Wilson) carrying a large and alien precious object into the forest and sequestering it there. It would be a narrative trajectory but with sublime interruptions — the cavity where she stashes the object filling with gold, painted figures following her through the trees, DIY-Kurosawa style.

Watch FKA Twigs’ “Concept Film” For Google Glass

FKA Twigs stars in and directs a new video called “#throughglass” that acts as both an impressive showcase for Tahliah Barnett’s dancing and a weird commercial for Google Glass, which is featured prominently in the visuals. (They call it a “concept film.”) Twigs is joined by an cadre of dancers who all have some crazy awesome makeup effects going on. The video is set to reworked versions of “Video Girl” and an unreleased Twigs track called “Glass & Patron.” Watch, via fkatwigs.glass.

Split Single - “Monolith” (Official Video)

Split Single is a supergroup of sorts: The band consists of drummer Jon Wurster from Superchunk and the Mountain Goats, Britt Daniel of Spoon, and frontman Jason Narducy from Bob Mould’s band, Superchunk, and the owner of some outrageously sexy elbows. Split Single released their new LP, Fragmented World, in April, and today we get a video for album track “Monolith,” a ferocious rock anthem that asks, “How much can you peel away?” A lot, apparently, because the video is as simple as it gets — Narducy, clad in a red velvet cape and a boyish crown, sticks his head out of a car window screaming the lyrics to the track, but the camera is rotated at a 90-degree angle the whole time, creating a skewed sensation for the viewer.

Pond - “Elvis’ Flaming Star” (Official Video)

Former Tame Impala bassist Nick Allbrook left that band last year to concentrate on fronting his own Aussie psych-rock project, POND. The two bands still share multiple members, though, and you can definitely hear POND as the shaggier, zonked-out cousin to Tame Impala’s technicolor explorations. Today, Allbrook and co. announce a new album, Man It Feels Like Space Again, coming in January. They’ve also shared a lo-fi silly-string-and-water-balloon-fest of a video for glammy, aggressively tuneful lead single “Elvis’ Flaming Star.” It does a good job of capturing both the joy and the weirdness inherent to their music, and you can watch.

Foo Fighters - “Something From Nothing” (Official Video)

Foo Fighters have put out a music video for their first Sonic Highways single, “Something From Nothing.” It’s a pretty straight-forward affair, with the band jamming out in the Chicago studio they used while the lyrics are scrawled out in white behind them, though it gets a little more frenzied as the song builds up by using a bunch of quick cuts and bright lights. It’s the same performance that closed out the first episode of their HBO series, which premiered on Friday.

Shabazz Palaces - “Motion Sickness” (Official Video)

For their new music video for “Motion Sickness,” Shabazz Palaces opt for intimacy instead of trying to top the ambitious, sprawling visuals for their recent single, “#CAKE.” It paints a complex, troubling, and sometimes touching portrait of a drug dealer who is struggling with addiction and has a kid to support. A smart and subtle twist at the end hints at some of the art-rap group’s political underpinnings.

Nicholas Krgovich - “City Of Night” (Official Video)

Last month we heard Nicholas Krgovich’s “City Of Night,” a jazzy, sultry tune from Krgovich’s debut album, On Sunset. Now Krgovich shares a video to go along with the track. The clip features Krgovich executing twitchy dance moves in the harsh light of car headlights, and at other times, in fluorescent light. The chorus repeats the question, “Who’s going to be there for me?” Apparently the answer to that question is Amber Coffman, the genial vocalist and guitarist from the Dirty Projectors. At the end of the video, at around the same time a saxophone starts to seduce in the background, Coffman appears, clad in white, back to back with Krgovich, dancing between the flickering beams of light.

Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan - “Freestyle” (Official Video)

“Freestyle,” which is not a freestyle, is one of the best songs on Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, and Birdman’s wonderful new collaborative mixtape Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1. Thug and Rich Homie both get surprisingly personal on the song without tying anything to a particular concept. And in the new video, from director Be El Be, they show ridiculous amounts of chemistry every time they’re rapping onscreen together. The clip takes place at one of those mansion parties that’s full of women in their underwear. This is not exactly a novel rap-video concept. But it’s worth watching just to see the levels of weird charisma those two bring to the screen. Check it out below.

At The Gates - “Death And The Labyrinth” (Official Video)

A majority percentage of my 2014 has been spent either anticipating or appreciating the new At The Gates album, At War With Reality, so it’s hard for me to have any perspective on the fact that the album is actually coming out next week. This is a big fucking deal! It’s been NINETEEN YEARS since their last album, Slaughter Of The Soul, one of the best metal records of all time, IMO. And as far as I’m concerned, At War With Reality is on a comparable plane. Last month, the band dropped the new album’s title track/first single, and today, we get a second single, this time with a video. “Death And The Labyrinth” is At War With Reality’s opening song (it’s preceded by a spoken-word intro), and it wastes no time getting to the fury. Two caveats: This video is really lame, and I actually think the rest of the album is better than the two singles the band has chosen to release. Still, the two singles are a totally adequate preview of the LP, and they provide evidence, at least, of this fact: At War With Reality does nothing to tarnish the legacy of At The Gates; if anything, it takes that legacy to another, higher level.

Nude Beach - “For You” (Official Video)

Ryan Naideau, drummer for the extremely likable Brooklyn power-pop trio Nude Beach, used to work at the Children’s Museum Of The Arts’ summer camp in New York. And in making the video for “For You,” a beaming song from the band’s forthcoming double album 77, he and his band returned to his old place of employment. The kids at the camp put together the song’s video, animating some drawings and building the sets and presumably writing the story, in which the band travels through space to visit a Doggy Nightclub.

Young Ejecta - The Planet (official mini-album trailer)

Last year, Brooklyn-based electronic duo Ejecta released their debut album Dominae, replete with richly intimate and cosmic tracks. The duo consists of Neon Indian’s Leanne Macomber and production team Ford And Lopatin’s Joel Ford, but as we reported last month, they’ve been forced to change their name by a DJ going by Ejecta. Under the modified moniker Young Ejecta, Macomber and Ford will release mini-album The Planet, due out in January.

Sea Ghost - “Cave Song” (Official Video)

“I don’t wanna cry with you/ I’d rather be hiding with you/ I’d rather get sick and confused”: This lyric from Sea Ghost’s “Cave Song” highlights the essence of the Georgia-based band’s personality — a jocular, light presence that shines through in their new video. Directed by Ian Shoemaker, the clip serves as an introduction of sorts to the space occupied by Sea Ghost within the larger sphere of garage rock. What the video lacks in structure and deeper meaning is made up for by the intimacy of the scene they invite us to watch: The bandmates gallivant around the woods eating pizza, playing guitar with one hand, cramming into a kiddie pool, and dragging out staring contests with the camera. The video culminates in a purposefully clichéd instrument demolition, mimicking the last section of the track that sounds like instruments are actually being smashed.

Tennis - “I’m Callin’” (Official Video)

Back in August, we premiered “I’m Callin’,” a groovy track off Tennis’ most recent full-length release, Ritual In Repeat. Now the husband-and-wife indie-pop duo release a slightly sinister video, directed by Keith Musil, to accompany the track. The video contrasts a relatively light song with chilling visuals; it begins with Alaina Moore finding a severed human finger with a street address inscribed on it, which eventually leads her to the house of an elderly woman who sits at a desk writing “Ritual In Repeat” on a slew of VHS tapes scattered around her. She points Alaina to a room in the back of the house where Alaina encounters two dressed-down clones of herself, and the three of them perform a dance in front of a camera that records their moves. The owner of the missing finger — which ultimately led our protagonist to a house where she finds herself (literally) doomed to execute these repetitive dance moves for a strange elderly archivist — is eventually revealed.

The Staves - “Blood I Bleed” (Official Video)

Justin Vernon produced “Blood I Bleed,” the new single for British folk-rock sister-act trio the Staves. And the song’s new video, shot in India, is just as lush and oblique as the song. The clip clearly tells a story about lives intersecting, but it’s just about impossible to figure out what all these people have to do with each other. Still, the video, like the song, is just ravishingly beautiful, and you don’t need to know what, exactly, is going on to enjoy it.

Pissed Jeans - “Boring Girls” (Official Video)

Last week Sub Pop reissued Pissed Jeans’ 2005 debut album Shallow, and today that album’s brilliant “Boring Girls” gets a highly entertaining video by director Joe Stakun. This is the band’s third collaboration with Stakun, who also did “Bathroom Laughter” and “Romanticize Me” from last year’s Honeys. This time out Stakun has created a surreal dream scenario involving a pathetic schlub, described by the director as Full House meets Twin Peaks. The schlub is played by Clay Tatum, comedian Shelby Fero plays the postal worker, and Tatum’s dream date is Laura Simpson (Jennifer Lawrence’s friend who broke her fall at the Oscars). Conceptually this is a trip, and it’s visually striking too; shout out to those balloons.

Spring King - “Demons” (Official Video)

The video for Spring King’s “Demons” feels like an exorcism in visual form, frenzied and manic. It follows a few different characters towards their eventual breakdowns: a man exercising, a magician going mad, a self-conscious dancer. All of their anxieties manifest themselves in violent and disturbing ways. The fuzzy and jerky quality of the video, which was directed by Jack Whiteley, only adds to the craziness, purposefully making it a little hard to figure out exactly what’s going on. The music itself is celebratory stuff — the UK band makes anthemic power-punk, and this song has a rousing chorus that feels like it’s been around for decades.

Vince Staples - “Fire” (Official Video) + Stream "Hell Can Wait"

Vince Staples released his new EP Hell Can Wait last week, and now he’s shared the video for “Fire,” which sees him rapping the lyrics to the song in a church while at confession and standing in front of some stained glass. It stands in the shadow of an instant-classic church-themed video that was released a few weeks ago, but there’s no way Staples could have forseen that.

Damien Rice - “I Don’t Want To Change You” (Official Video)

Irish crooner Damien Rice is back after eight years away, and he’ll release his new album My Favourite Faded Fantasy in a few weeks. We’ve already heard the title track and “I Don’t Want To Change You,” and the latter now has a video to go along with it. The visuals are set on the dock of a serene-looking lake, while Rice stares directly at the camera and sings while it switches between extreme wide shots and super close-ups. He also pulls the whole backwards video trick, which is pretty tired and lame, but it always looks kind of cool when water is involved.

Watch The Trailer For 808, Drum Machine Doc Feat. Afrika Bambaataa, Damon Albarn, Questlove, Phil Collins, New Order, Rick Rubin, & More

More than 30 years ago, Afrika Bambaataa’s Arthur Baker-produced “Planet Rock” changed the music industry forever, thanks in part to its use of the revolutionary 808 drum machine. The 808 created a beat no one had ever experienced before, and eventually gave birth to genres such as EDM, synthpop, dubstep, and countless others. Now, Atlantic Films, You Know Films, and Arthur Baker have announced the 2015 release of 808, a documentary telling the story of the seminal machine. The film features commentary and contributions from artists including Pharrell Williams, Afrika Bambaataa, Questlove, Damon Albarn, David Guetta, Phil Collins, Diplo, New Order, and Rick Rubin. It also includes an interview with Roland founder Ikutaro “Mr. K” Kakehashi, who discontinued the 808 in 1983. Baker said of the film, “The making of 808 was a very personal journey for me: being able to reconnect and interview (along with Luke Bainbridge) many of my old DJ/producer friends, while helping get the godfathers of the early scene some overdue acknowledgement.”

Wildbirds & Peacedrums - “Keep Some Hope” (Official Video)

Swedish experimental duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums have just released a video for “Keep Some Hope,” a song from their upcoming album, Rhythm. The husband-and-wife unit are known for their minimal yet powerful percussion-driven sound, and “Keep Some Hope” is their creative take on a soul song. Mariam Wallentin’s strong vocals deliver the titular mantra, as the drums ceaselessly march forward. The video is an unsettling depiction of two lovers clinging to one another as they slowly disappear. The intense images of the two embracing in the forest and watching each other through windows is potent yet ominous.

Lil Herb - “Fight Or Flight (Remix)” (Feat. Common & Chance The Rapper) Video

The young Chicago hardass Lil Herb got two generations of his hometown’s rap eminences to guest on the remix to “Fight Or Flight,” a standout track from his great Welcome To Fazoland video. In the remix’s new video, Common and Chance The Rapper join Herb in ambling around the decaying South Side of Chicago, as director Verluxe splices in footage of the Mike Brown protests in Ferguson. It’s an engagingly gritty piece of rap video, with real stakes, and that Chance verse is a thing you need to hear.

Big K.R.I.T. - “Pay Attention” Video (Feat. Rico Love)

It’s weird to sell a guy with a fervent internet-dork fanbase and an Amish beard as a heartthrob, but that’s what Def Jam is trying to do with the great Mississippi rapper/producer video in his new “Pay Attention” video. The song pairs K.R.I.T. up with the R&B singer Rico Love, and it’s the first single from his forthcoming Cadillactica album. If it gives him the commercial wiggle-room to make more songs like the album’s bugged-out, amazing title track, then fair enough. In director Daniel Czernilofsky’s “Pay Attention” video, a girl in lingerie climbs all over K.R.I.T., and K.R.I.T. still keeps looking pensive.

Kittyhawk - “Welcome Home” (Official Video)

Chicago-based indie-pop group Kittyhawk have released a video for “Welcome Home,” from their debut full-length, Hello, Again. The band’s sound is reminiscent of early-aughts emo: Kate Grube’s friendly, enticing vocals draw comparisons to Rainer Maria and the Anniversary, and she pairs those vocals with fresh narrative lyrics — creating an irresistible combination of the familiar and novel. In the video for “Welcome Home,” the band joins a suicide cult that meets in a blanket fort, and one by one, each member drinks a poisonous concoction. They all go to Heaven, where they have a rowdy pillow fight as white confetti rains from the sky. It’s a perfect backdrop for the music, and it creates a quirky juxtaposition of bright, childish images with an overtly dark narrative.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - “Quail And Dumplings” (Official Video)

I’ve always thought water parks were a little weird: the whole idea behind them is fun, but there’s so many people and kids running around that it has the potential to become a totally miserable experience depending on what kind of mood you’re in. Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s video for “Quail And Dumplings” plays off this idea, using shifting perspectives to follow two people — one of them is Will Oldham himself — through a water park (called Quail And Dumplings Wet & Wild Water Park) and see how their experiences change depending on their mood. The lazy river can be peaceful or rough, a trip down a slide either exhilarating or rattling.

Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins Cover Bob Dylan's "From a Buick 6"

Jesse Malin and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins cover Bob Dylan's "From a Buick 6" at photographer Danny Clinch's book release party at the McKittrick Hotel in New York.

LIFE - “Take Off With You” & “Money” (Official Videos)

Because LIFE are an immensely talented British pop-rock band led by a pair of brothers (Mez Sanders-Green on lead vocals and Mick Sanders on lead guitar), there will be inevitable comparisons to Oasis. But “Take Off With You” and “Money,” the tracks that comprise the Hull quartet’s new double A-side single, are more like a young Arctic Monkeys trading Alex Turner’s snarling wit for the pop shine of the 1975, but without the saccharine boy-band feel to it. This is young, fun, fast-paced, urban pop-rock, and I fervently recommend it to you. LIFE released videos for both songs earlier this year before they signed to Grand Jury, the new label that also signed Twin Peaks this year. Watch both clips below, preferably at a high volume.

U2 - "The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)" ITunes Version (Official Video)

As you might have heard, U2 released a new album not that long ago! No? Samsung user? Not to worry! The band is doing some traditional promotion now that the album’s in Target, including releasing a video for “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone).” That’s the song about the first time Bono heard Joey Ramone’s voice and how that voice transformed the young Irishman. Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more Joey Ramone footage in the video for a song that bears his name, but that’s not the direction they went with this one. Look, this clip is not gonna make anyone forget the Anton Corbjin-directed “One” video, but then again, why would you want to forget the Anton Corbjin-directed “One” video? You wouldn’t. The “Miracle” video, which is similar to the “Echoes” commercial the band did for Apple last month, premiered on iTunes today (go to the store and look for the U2 banner in the carousel). You can watch a YouTube rip below.

The band also did a Facebook Q&A today in which one user asked, “Can you please never release an album on iTunes that automatically downloads to people’s playlists ever again? It’s really rude.”

Here’s how Bono responded:

“Oops. I’m sorry about that. I had this beautiful idea and we got carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that kind of thing. Drop of megalomania, touch of generosity, dash of self-promotion, and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years mightn’t be heard. There’s a lot of noise out there. I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it.”

You can watch that here.

Rancid - “Already Dead” (Official Audio)

Berkeley punk greats Rancid announced their new album Honor Is All We Know a few weeks ago, and they’ve already posted video of themselves playing three new songs and shared the first single “Face Up.” “Already Dead,” the latest song that they’ve shared, is the best one we’ve heard yet. The song does that great old street-punk thing of sounding like an old folk song while still being ridiculously fast and loud. And while Matt Freeman’s bass playing is always nimble and dizzying, it’s especially nimble and dizzying on this one. It’s a great song, and you can listen.

Foxygen - “Coulda Been My Love” (Official Video)

Today, Foxygen release …And Star Power, their messy, ambitious sprawl of a new album. And they’ve also chosen this morning to share their video for the seductively shambling album track “Coulda Been My Love.” Grant Singer, who worked with the band on their deeply entertaining “How Can You Really” video, returned to direct this one. He films the band in repose, lazing about a mansion in the hills somewhere. There’s also some extreme close-up makeout footage. It’s a fairly minimal video, but it does a nice job capturing this band’s gawkily slippery charisma. Maybe it’s the band’s shamelessly retro fashion sense, but the video reminds me of the footage of the Rolling Stones recording in Gimme Shelter.

Bo Ningen - “CC” (Feat. Jehnny Beth) Video

British postpunkers Savages recently got together with the Japenese heavy psych band Bo Ningen to record the forthcoming Words To The Blind, a single-track 37-minute collaborative album. Before that, Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth showed up on “CC,” a feral fuzz-rock bugout from Bo Ningen’s recent III video. She’s in that song’s brand-new video, too, shadowboxing against a stark black background. Most of the video, though, is the wild-eyed Bo Ningen frontman Taigen Kawabe wandering a cloudy countryside. Aephie Huimi Chen directs.

Adult Jazz - “Am Gone” (Official Video)

Way back in January, long before we named the thoughtful and adventurous Leeds indie quartet Adult Jazz we premiered their tremendous single “Am Gone,” the song that made us fall in love with them in the first place. Nine months later, having basked in the glow of debut full-length Gist Is (Stream), we now present the “Am Gone” video. Directed by Samuel Travis, it stars London artist/musician Suren Seneviratne (AKA My Panda Shall Fly) as a Christlike figure wandering the wilderness in gallows. As with Adult Jazz’s music, there are a lot of ideas flying around behind the striking aesthetic. As Travis explains, “The video plays out some of the ideas about self-restraint and spirituality that ’Am Gone’ throws up lyrically, but in a very physical and immediate way. The central character changes from a figure to be pitied for his unfortunate circumstances to an almost menacing presence who is very much in control of their situation.” Intriguing!

Deptford Goth - “Two Hearts” (Official Video)

“Two Hearts,” the new single from the British singer and producer Deptford Goth, is a softly downcast shrug of a song with a few gospel undercurrents. And Daniel Woolhouse, the man who records as Deptford Goth, wants to make sure you actually hear the song, as the new “Two Hearts” video doesn’t offer much to distract you. Most of the video is a downcast-looking Woolhouse singing the song in front of a sunset, with a few stock images of beaches and meadows thrown in for good measure. Woolhouse co-directed the video with Aniel Karia.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - “In The Heat Of The Moment” (Official Audio)

It’s been almost three years to the day since Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released their self-titled debut album, and today, they return with a new single and the announcement of a sophomore LP, Chasing Yesterday. That album title seems so ripe for mockery that I almost wonder if it’s a pre-emptive strike: There’s nothing you can say about Noel Gallagher that he hasn’t said about himself. The single, “In The Heat Of The Moment,” has no relation to the similarly titled Asia song. Instead, it sounds a lot like post-Be Here Now Oasis and/or the last High Flying Birds album. Which is to say, it’s good! Say what you will, but Noel delivers the hooks, and his voice has aged a whole lot better than Liam’s. (Also worth noting: The album opens with a song called “Riverman,” which has no relation to the Nick Drake song “River Man.” And the track “While The Song Remains The Same” has no relation to the Zeppelin album, etc.) According to the press materials, Johnny Marr guests on the album’s closing track, “Ballad Of The Mighty I.” Also according to those materials, “In The Heat Of The Moment” was “inspired by a documentary in which an astronaut said that going into space for the first time feels like touching the face of God. ’If that’s not an opening line for a song I don’t know what is,’ said Mr. Gallagher.” Of course he knows: “Today is gonna be the day…”; “Maybe I don’t really wannna know how your garden grows…” Yes, Noel Gallagher knows from opening lines. Listen.

Tombs - “Heroes” (David Bowie Cover) Video

When NYC post-metal band Tombs covered David Bowie’s “Heroes,” they did two versions of the song: the traditional version, in which the whole song is sung in English, and “Heroes/Helden,” featured in the film Christiane F, in which the first half of the song is in English, and the second half in German. For the latter, Tombs enlisted Ralph Schmidt (of Planks) to handle the German lyrics, while Tombs’ own Mike Hill took the English side (although he seems to be singing with something of a German accent). Today, Tombs release a video for the “Heroes/Helden” version of the song, to coincide with their upcoming tour supporting Pallbearer (dates below). It’s directed by Jaclyn Sheer & Samantha Astolfi, and focuses only on Hill and Schmidt, presumably because Tombs circa 2014 have two members who were not in the band when this track was recorded.

Tove Lo - “Talking Body” Live Video

We recently dubbed Tove Lo’s Queen Of The Clouds the best pure pop album of 2014 so far, and “Talking Body” is one of many reasons why. The song is as catchy as it is salacious — “If you love me right, we fuck for life,” she sings oh-so-tunefully, one of several eminently quotable lines here — and its sparkling, genre-defying arrangement rides the playful-serious borderline in tandem with the lyrics. In the video below, Tove Lo and her band demonstrate that “Talking Body” sounds just as good live on stage.

Ex Hex - “Waterfall” + "Hot and Cold" (Official Video)

Mary Timony’s new band Ex Hex released their ridiculously fun and catchy power-pop debut Rips last week, and today, they give us their video for the two-minute rave-up “Waterfall.” The vaguely Halloween-themed clip does fun, pastichey things with ’50s sci-fi B-movies. It stars all three Ex Hex members as rocker aliens who visit Washington, D.C. and give ray-gun punk makeovers to various Capitol Hill functionaries. If you’ve ever spent much time in our nation’s capital, you probably already know that the city could really use these ladies’ services. Wartella directed the video, and various punk rock luminaries make guest appearances: The Cramps’ Kid Congo Powers, the Make-Up’s Michelle Mae, Chain & The Gang’s Francy Z. Graham, and D.C. hardcore old-timer Alec MacKaye.

Ex Hex - "Hot and Cold" (Official Music Video)



Featuring:
Ex Hex (Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, Laura Harris)
Ian Svenonius as the man
Stephen Lanning II as the waiter

Directed by Lara Gallagher

Produced by Robert D'Esposito
Cinematography by Aubree Bernier-Clarke
Costume and Production Design by Jade Harris
Editorial and Effects by Levi Abrino

Co-Producer: Jordan B. Hamilton
Associate Producer: Emily Yurek
Assistant Director: Magdalene Serpa

Art Director: Drew Laughery
Set Dresser: Matt Hopkins
Hair and Make-up: Samantha Denecke
Additional Make-up: Bri Alberts

Assistant Camera: Allison Johnson
Gaffer: A.J. McClary
Swing: Jeff Colia
PAs: Tyler Bertram, Joel Rene Cano
Transportation: Jeff Stillwell

Catering and Craft Service: Stephanie Lanning

Special Thanks: Bent Image Lab, Jesse Canright, Noah Stanik, Steve and Stephanie Lanning, Kara Place, Hippodrome Media, Matt and Krystal Fleeger, Jonathan McShane, Fabiola Reyna, Kevin Robinson, Gibson