Ka - “30 Keys” (Official Video)

Last year, the meditative DIY Brooklyn rapper/producer Ka teamed up with producer Preservation to form a duo called Dr. Yen Lo, and they album they released, Days With Dr. Yen Lo, sounded like bleak mid-’90s New York boom-bap taken apart and reassembled by minimalist aliens. I loved it. Ka has now followed it up with a new self-released two-song single, and he’s made a video for one of its songs, “30 Keys.” Though Ka tends to produce his own music, the beat for this one actually comes from like-minded New York veteran Roc Marciano. The song is a crime-life reminisce, rendered artfully and beautifully. And Ka himself directed the black-and-white video, in which Ka raps in the rain and fills his DVD tray up with blaxploitation classics.

Abi Reimold - “Vessel” (Video)

From the album 'Wriggling'

http://abireimold.bandcamp.com
http://abireimold.tumblr.com/

Filmed and Edited by Jay Miller
In Focus Media
2015
www.jaymillerfilm.com

Bleached - “Keep On Keepin’ On” (Official Video)

Announcing their sophomore album Welcome The Worms as well as a world tour, California punk rock group Bleached released the visuals for a Bangles-inspired rocker called “Keep On Keepin’ On.” Inspired by lead singer Jen Calvin’s desire to create a sense of realness in the group’s music, director Lana Kim’s video intersperses clips of the band with scenes of the girls in everyday locations throughout Los Angeles, foreshadowing themes from Calvin’s life that will undoubtedly pervade the new album. Together with producer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, the Strokes, Spoon), the band created an honest and straight-shooting depiction of their lives through music. Watch the “Keep On Keepin’ On” video below.

Bob Mould - “Voices In My Head” (Official Video)

Yesterday, we at Stereogum published our cover story on punk rock hero Bob Mould. If you missed it, don’t feel bad; we all got sucked into that David Bowie sadness-hole yesterday. But you should know something that Mould announced in that story: Mould has a new solo album called Patch The Sky coming out in March, and that is good news indeed. The former Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman recorded the LP with the truly great bash-rock power trio he’s been recording and touring with for the past few years; it features Superchunk/Mountain Goats drummer Jon Wurster and Split Singles bassist Jason Narducy backing him up. And first single “Voices In My Head” is the sort of soaring hooky, straight-ahead rock rager that Mould has been doing so well for so long. In director Alicia J. Rose’s video, we see Mould attempting to get a grip and ghostly versions of himself yell at him. Check it out below.

Damien Jurado - "Exit 353" (Official Video)

“Exit 353” is a single off of Damien Jurado’s forthcoming LP, Visions Of Us On The Land, which is slated to be released in March. It’s the final installment of the Seattle-based singer-songwriter’s album trilogy, the first of which was 2012’s Maraqopa followed by 2014’s Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Sun. The new video for “Exit 353″ chronicles a young mother and her daughter’s journey to nowhere. Director Elise Tyler told Spin about her motivations:

Damien has a strong history of cinematic music videos, so I felt very free to explore narrative and image with “Exit 353.” I was inspired by the haunting landscapes of the Pacific Northwest; it is a perfect backdrop for Damien’s music, which clearly originates from the towering pine trees, dense fog, and winding hills of the region. We explored the area and created a world where two seemingly vulnerable young women are more powerful than one may think. In my mind, Damien is on the verge of leaving this world and disappearing into anonymity. He is pulled back momentarily by these young women who perhaps need his help — but he quickly realized that he should have never been seduced back into society, that he was and is alone among men.

2001 - “Overloaded” Video (Feat. Fred Armisen)

How does Fred Armisen find time to make so many musical cameos? The Portlandia star, SNL alum, and Late Night With Seth Meyers band leader’s latest appearance is in the video for 2001’s synth-pop track “Overloaded.” The band is a collaboration between Joan As Police Woman’s Joan Wasser and Benjamin Lazar Davis, and both musicians appear in director Benjamin Gregory’s video as mechanics at an auto shop where Armisen’s car is being serviced. Like so many other 21st century citizens, Armisen’s character’s attention span has been ravaged by technology, so he finds some bizarre ways to pass the time while waiting to get his vehicle back. The song’s rather catchy.

Mac Miller - “Weekend” (Feat. Miguel) Video

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Mac Miller, Weekend feat. Miguel, Music, More Music Videos

Boosie Badazz – “Cancer” Video

When Kanye West’s “Real Friends” commenced the return of G.O.O.D Fridays and took over the end of last week, it was nice to have the weekend to process. But after sitting with it for a minute, it’s hard not to notice how much that song is about wealthy/celebrity problems. Not to say those difficulties aren’t valid, but when you come across more grave struggles, the too-busy and too-important raps suddenly seem trivial.

For instance, rap’s great survivor Boosie Badazz just released a sobering reminder of just how bleak life can be in his In My Feelings (Goin’ Thru It) LP. One of the more harrowing tracks on a deeply visceral project is candidly titled “Cancer,” and the New Orleans rapper has matched it with a set of visuals that are gloomy but uplifting. The song opens with Boosie recounting how he received the news of his kidney cancer diagnosis, and similarly the self-directed video opens with a lingering drive-by shot of the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Center where Boosie received treatment and the image of Boosie lying in a hospital bed. Because he underwent a successful operation to remove the malignant tumor, the video inspires hope, especially the shots of Boosie with his children and other loved ones that will not have to cope with his passing as soon as expected. This video will make you reassess what you complained about this morning.

DJ Mustard - “Whole Lotta Lovin'” (Feat. Travis Scott) Video

DJ Mustard and Travis Scott released their collaborative track “Whole Lotta Lovin’” last week, and today they debuted an accompanying video. The clip opens with a shot of lapping waves tinted a deep, blood red, which is a disquieting introduction to what is otherwise a fairly tame video. Alex Nazari — who’s worked with DeJ Loaf, YG, and Future — directs; watch below.

Neko Case - “Man” (Official Video)

Neko Case dropped the beautifully titled The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You back in 2013, and “Man” was one of its stand-out singles. Case’s complete discography is now available as a 180 gram vinyl box set titled Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule, and today she presents us with a video for “Man.” Austin Vesely directs as Case and a posse of young women dance in the streets of an eerily empty city center. Watch below.

Kelsey Lu - “Morning After Coffee” (Official Video)

Kelsey Lu’s “Morning After Coffee” is an exquisite breath of fresh air, especially as the first sounds to hit my ears to begin the week. The NYC via North Carolina classically trained cellist uses nothing but her gorgeous, well-controlled voice and sparse cello plucks to transfix listeners into a beautifully melancholy mood. Director Leslie Satterfield’s “Morning After Coffee” clip is equally as pretty in it’s own right, with Lu wandering autumnal woods and intertwining limbs with a partner in a wonderfully poetic way that mimics contemporary dance movements. Slowly, delicately strumming her cello, Lu is mesmerizing in her performance. She is clearly special, and it will be a joy to see her develop as an artist. Watch the gorgeous visuals below.

The Last Shadow Puppets - “Bad Habits” (Official Video)

After months of hints and teasing, the first single from the Last Shadow Puppets’ second LP — one of our most anticipated releases of the year — has finally arrived. “Bad Habits” comes with a Ben Chappell-directed video featuring Alex Turner and Miles Kane performing together and getting up to no good, and the song itself is a brash, slitheringly groovy thing with an insistent bassline and some string section flourishes courtesy of maestro Owen Pallett. Watch and listen below.

Skylar Spence – “I Can’t Be Your Superman” (Official Video)

Skylar Spence – “I Can’t Be Your Superman” (Dir. Maegan Houang)

I only have one issue with this bugged-out vision of a video: I’m not sure the science completely checks out. Otherwise, it’s perfect.

Skrillex - “Strangers (Remix)” (Official Video)

Skrillex – “Strangers (Remix)” (Dir. Andrew Donoho)

Shooting off roman candles and smashing useless old electronic equipment: This is shit that my friends and I used to do in college when we were bored. This video somehow makes it all look so beautiful that it becomes straight-up noble. That tracking shot near the end, through all the fireworks, is just breathtaking.

Savages - “Adore” (Official Video)

Savages – “Adore” (Dir. Anders Malmberg)

Jehnny Beth has rock’s best thousand-yard stare since… actually, I have no idea. I can’t think of anyone. Has rock ever given us a thousand-yard stare this good?

Pusha T - “M.F.T.R.” (Feat The-Dream) Video

Pusha T – “M.F.T.R.” (Feat The-Dream) (Dir. Kid Art)

More rappers should become horrifying demons in their videos. It’s a great look. (Pusha is one spot higher than Bowie because he’s just that more convincing at becoming a creature of the damned.)

David Bowie - “Lazarus” (Official Video)

David Bowie - “Lazarus” (Dir. Johan Renck)

It’s not as panoramic as Bowie’s “Blackstar” video, but it’s shot through with the same sense of dread. And it gets a ton of mileage from the physical presence of Bowie himself, wizened but still fiercely charismatic and still fully willing to go all convulsive-skeleton on us.

The-Dream Releases Surprise Visual Album On Tidal

Frankly, I’m not sure what to call this artsy thing the R&B singer/songwriter/producer The-Dream has unleashed upon us. It’s not quite a visual album in the same sense as Beyonce’s self-titled offering, which had an accompanying video for every song. It’s not quite a short film scored in the traditional sense, because there are clearly 10 segmented tracks, cohesive in mood but disparate sonically. It’s more like an epically abstract music video with exquisitely composed shots that linger much longer than the standard song-length flick. Anyway, he calls it Genesis, and it’s well worth taking a look if you have a Tidal subscription.

The 42-minute clip is haunting, with dark, somber religious images of figures stalking desecrated church grounds. It’s reminiscent of Pusha T’s “M.F.T.R.” video, which also features The-Dream. The soundtrack is possibly The-Dream’s most adventurous and versatile work to date, mixing shades of classical film scores, electronic music, R&B, and ambient vibes. The description reads: “The Dream explores variations of his random dreams represented as symbols, the face of his soul, and the conflict within himself.”

Genesis is out now exclusively on Tidal.