Dark Steering

So apparently Squarepusher was just joking around with us, pulling our leg, with his last few releases and just biding his time, waiting to release his come back. This song, and video are quite the seizure treat and have made me very excited for his new album Ufabulum to be released this May. Tom Jenkinson, the man behind the name claims that he's "started thinking about pure electronic music again. Something very melodic, very aggressive." 


My ears are already tingling. Maybe that's the tinnitus.

God is a VCR

Matta - Release The Freq from Kim Holm on Vimeo.


I've said it before and i'll say it again: I'm not a much of a dubstep fan, but there's something about the music that seems to elicit amazing music videos. Here's one from dubstep artist Matta for the single "Release the Freq", and it is absolutely gorgeous--from the cinematography to the simple geometric shapes over the imagery of the deer. The video was done by designer and visual artist Kim Holm.


Here are some stills from the video.

Rooboot Hoonds

I tend to stay far, far away from dubstep--so I didn't know anything about Starkey. And although you couldn't call it pure dubstep, he's definitely got the influences. I do enjoy this song; but what attracted me was the amazing video. The synchronized jitters and religious imagery are a combination I would have never expected or thought of, but it works to some amazing, and hilarious imagery.

News and Videos!

Hey guys, it's been a little bit.

Mixes are still being made. Speaking of: There's a Rockabilly mix coming up next week! Yay.

School is in full swing and I've only got two semesters to go so i'm sticking to getting this done right.

Here's a couple new singles and videos released recently that i've been addicted to:

Parenthetical Girls - Young Throats (dir. A Nice Idea Every Day)

You can preorder the new Parenthetical Girls EP Priviledge Part II at their site now.

Jon Hopkins - Vessel (Four Tet Remix) (dir. Bison)

One of the most beautiful music videos i've ever seen and an incredible remix. I definitely suggest watching in HD.

The Art of the Music Video - Synchronization

These music videos speak to the heart of the music in the most basic way possible, synchronization. I mean, that's really all music is: a synchronization, or a pattern, of sound. Organization. The visuals in these videos are treated the same way, linked to the rhythm of the music. And it works so beautifully.

The Art of the Music Video - WTF?

So today's dose of great music videos comes from my favorite catagory; those videos that just make you scratch your head and walk away more conflicted than before. Those that don't necessarily have anything to do with the song concept, or really to do with anything that makes sense. Yeah, so WTF is going on here?

The Art of the Music Video - Cinematic

Anyone who is in my generation has seen, i'm sure, their fair share of music videos. By the time we were kids it was the norm for any new single from any semi-popular band to have a music video accompany it and be played non-stop on MTV, or if it were on the controversial side, only once or twice at night (after 9, I believe).

Being a very visual person and always being interested in film, as well as music, Music Videos have always interested me. I usually remember the ones I like; they're ingrained in my memory like few other art medium can be. So as a new feature for Imaginary Sounds, I've set out to collect quite a few of my absolute favorites and post them here in sections throughout the week.

Today's section is highlighting those videos that blur the lines between music video and--well, just video; either by having cinematography that very closely resembles that used in movies, longer length than the average music video, or just using themes touched on more prominently in movies.

Beastie Boys - Sabotage
dir. Spike Jonze

This is a classic music video if there ever was one. The boys take on a host of 70's cop drama cliche's backed by one of the most bad-ass songs they ever wrote. I can't really figure out though, if the song is only bad ass because of the music video. Really--I've never listened to it separate. Watch for the great uses of dummy stunts.

Health - We Are Water
dir. Eric Wierheim

This video is a recent release by the noise band Health, and quickly shot to the top of my list for favorite videos of all time. It's in this category for 2 of the 3 reasons mentioned. The cinematography is unusually beautiful and extremely well edited (props to Eric Wierheim of Tim & Eric, Awesome Show! fame), and the concept and the finished project look like they would fit wonderfully in any over the top horror film. It's not territory covered by most music videos. Oh yeah--bloody, gory video is extremely bloody and gory.

The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage
dir. Sergio Leone, re-edited by J. Tyler Helms

This fan-made video for the My Body is a Cage is quite literally cinematic; instead of using techniques and concepts from film, it's actually clips from Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western "Once Upon a Time in the West" re-edited to the song. It's a great testament to how a story can be reinterpreted to fit a medium, and fits the song well. Spoiler warning though--if you haven't seen the movie, it will ruin the ending for you.

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
dir. Jonathan Glazer

Anywhere, Suburbia in the middle of the afternoon. Two of the most bad ass musicians I can think of having a no-holds-barred shootout. I'd almost say this is a video that really pays off in the end, and though it does, I think you've got plenty of eye candy to keep you entertained.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
dir. John Landis

The mother of all cinematic videos and the bar at which all other music videos have been held since; Thriller is iconic. I mean...what am I supposed to say here that hasn't already been said about this video? That the whole zombie theme holds a new meaning nowadays? Aw...too soon?

Paper Hats

Working on a few more mixes, I've also spent Labor Day listening to albums by This Heat over and over and over. (Yes, I do have a life, despite this.) Anyways, I stumbled upon this cover of "Paper Hats" by the now-extinct Japanese shoegaze quintet Downy. The band is known for creating a self-proclaimed "amalgam of sound and images," which on layman's terms means that they do some awesome light shows, so it's a bloody shame we only get the audio for this. I want to see its shape! Its form! Its being! Enjoy the sounds, at least.

Here is the original by This Heat:

Here is the cover by Downy:

Do You Love Me?

I decided to read the Bible this summer. I've read it before, but this time I just read it strictly as a piece of historical narrative, finding parts grotesque, others sexually risque and at same time wonderfully poetic. With this, I experienced a relapse in my Bad Seeds addiction--going through the entire discog, picking out songs, and thinking "Ohh. That's what those lyrics mean." Nick Cave's songs are laced with Biblical analogies, blended with American ballads and Australian punk rock, often heartbreaking and serious such as in "No More Shall We Part," but often twisted and humorous with almost like "Tender Prey" and "Murder Ballads." That being said, here's a live performance of "Do You Love Me?" from "Let Love In."

Dressed Up As Bubblegum

It's probably because it's almost 4:30 A.M., but at the moment, this is the greatest audio/visual experience i've ever had.

It won't last I know, but damn...

BTW, mixes are being worked on. Coming swooon.

Ways To See

Continuing the vacation Youtube posts today with a song from Swedish band Dungen's 5th album titled....."4". WTF? Maybe they count different in Sweden. The song is called "Sätt Att Se". These guys channel the best parts of '60s psychedelia and pack it neatly in a basket of LP fuzz and understated guitar solos. They haven't made a bad album to my knowledge, so I definitely recommend checking them all out.

Bury Me Slowly

Coming out of Hip-Hop left-field is Australia's Curse Ov Dialect, who's experimentation with the art form is just as weird as their get-up. This song "Bury Me Slowly," is from their 2006 album Wooden Tongues and is, whether you like it or not, certainly interesting. Featuring a sample of Comus' song "Drip Drip," the performance definitely caught my attention. Adding this with The Cool Kids to my list of the coolest Hip-Hop I've heard in a long time.

(Haven't had a singles post in a while because I'm out on vacation and don't have my music with me. YouTube clips will do for a while. Plus there's visual stimuli, and that's twice as good.)

No One Knows Where the Night is Going

Antony & The Johnsons - The Guests (Leonard Cohen Cover)