If my constant harping about the greatness of Elbow’s 2008 album The Seldom Seen Kid wasn’t enough to convince you, then perhaps you’ll be sold on the strength of the band’s Mercury Prize win, which singer Guy Garvey said “is the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
The band also recently released what I believe is the third video from the album. This one’s for The Bones of You:
Someone was also kind enough to upload video of Elbow performing the song on Live from Abbey Road:
Those fantastic fellas in Elbow, whom I post so much about, are up for this year’s Mercury Prize.
In breaking down the nominees, BBC offers up a live video of Elbow performing Grounds for Divorce off this year’s nominated album, The Seldom Seen Kid.
So maybe it’s not quite as rousing as Barack Obama actually speaking in person, but DJ Z-Trip makes excellent use of technology by interspersing some political commentary – Obama meets M.I.A.? – throughout this set at Manifest Hope Gallery in Denver last week during the Democratic National Convention. Watch as Z-Trip takes an Obama clip – “We cannot wait” – and, in a clever twist, turns it into a rallying cry over the Nu Shooz song I Can’t Wait.
(Props to URB for posting this.)
UPDATE: You can download a portion of the Obama set Z-Trip has been working on at his Web site.
Ah, any movement from the Radar Bros. camp is great news. The latest is a new video for Brother Rabbit, a track off one of my 2008 favorites, Auditorium.
The video was directed by The General Assembly, which calls it “our oilfield epic.” Like the Radar Bros.’ music, there’s something sparse and vaguely depressing about this video. Though it doesn’t look like West Texas – it was shot in rural Oklahoma – the passing shots of the oil derricks make me fondly remember my two years in Lubbock, Texas. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as lonely/frightening as driving in the empty spaces of West Texas and seeing those beasts of steel slowly crank up and down, up and down. There’s a political message in here, I’m sure, but that’s not ever really what struck me.
This video (via the Merge blog) seems to capture a day in the life of a lonely existence – an oilfield worker who comes home after a long day to get dressed up, only to spend an evening by himself again at a non-descript bar.
Seriously, I get pretty upset/sad watching this.
Here’s the video for Common’s new single Announcement, starring Pharrell.
Remember: Common visits Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Sept. 13. Get tickets ($29) here.
Well, how’s that for timing? Right on the heels of an announcement of Birdmonster’s Oct. 13 show at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe comes a new video from the group. Check it out below. Keep Dramamine close at hand.
Also, about that Yucca show. I’m excited to say that local support will come from Kinch (on tour now) and two of my very favorite musicians from Phoenix – one happens to be my brother – performing an acoustic-type set together: Chad Sundin of the Via Maris and Brendan Murphy of Source Victoria. I’m told Brendan and Chad will perform each other’s songs and a couple covers. (Related: Source Victoria won the best rock category for the Phoenix New Times’ Summer of Sound series.)
And, now, on with the Birdmonster:
I think if hip-hop is going anywhere – if it wants to think new, think different, think outside the bun – it would do well to take a few hints from Meanest Man Contest.
The Bay Area duo of Quarterbar and Eriksolo are constantly tweaking and redefining what we think hip-hop should be. I like that I’ve been challenged to think about hip-hop in a new way with how MMC fiddles with beats and rhymes in a very electro-pop sort of fashion. They craft beats; they don’t cop ’em.
On the new We Blame You EP – on the always-great Gold Robot Records – you can find a great example of that on You’re Right. It’s Ballin’, an instrumental track that layers beats and minimal sampled vocals over a mesmerizing synth line. (Also, love the title of the track.)
You can pick up We Blame You at eMusic. Dig into some more Meanest Man Contest at RCRD LBL.
We Blame You tracklist (and kudos to Hunter on the cover design):
1. We Wouldn’t Want it Any Other Way (Débruit remix)
2. Throwing Away Broken Electronics (Mochipet remix f/ DJ Lion)
3. You’re Right. It’s Ballin’.
4. They Do (Multi-Panel remix)
5. They Do (Roman Ruins version)
ALSO:
And, of course, the video – a wonderful example of how slow motion should be used:
Here’s a brief (seven minutes or so) but thoughtful look at Paul Mawhinney, who owns an astonishing record collection, allegedly the largest in the world. One million albums and 1.5 million singles? “Astonishing” doesn’t even do that justice.
This is inspiring and heartbreaking in its own way, a story that earned press earlier this year when a sale for the collection fell through. Mawhinney appears to break down a bit while listening to John Miles’ Music: “It’s my life’s song.”
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I love the vinyl popping sound near the end when the credits are rolling. Nice touch.
Forgot to include this in the post about Calexico’s Go Vote show on Sept. 20. So here’s the video for Two Silver Trees, the first single off the forthcoming Carried to Dust.
Well, I don’t think I can get in any sort of trouble for posting this Travis video.
The track, Something Anything, is from the forthcoming album Ode to J. Smith, due out Sept. 29 in the UK. Not sure what that means for a U.S. release.
In more Travis news, the band’s outstanding track, Sing, has been covered by Glen Campbell for his Meet Glen Campbell covers album.
Perhaps Campbell is returning the favor on a Wichita Lineman cover by Travis and Jason Falkner?
Here’s Campbell on AOL’s Sessions: