Kafka On The Shore

Grizzly Bear - Ready Able / video directed by Allison Schulnik

(via headunderwater)

“Surreal mix of sadness, repulsion, and a kind of otherworldly beauty” — Stereogum. Yeah, totally. The more I watch this, the more I find that the otherworldly beauty overpowers the repulsion. “Ready, Able” is my favourite song on the album; could it have anything to do with my liking this video in the first place? Probably.

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Cadbury goes Ghanaian

I don’t get excited about cinema commercials the way I used to. I find them stale and unoriginal these days, or maybe I’m just turning into a grumpy old fart. Anyway, as I was sighing my way through some seriously boring and irritating adverts at my local cinema earlier, two of them actually grabbed my attention and made me rejoice in my seat: the Cadbury (featured here) and the Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Macadamia commercials. Both are about going fair trade…Simply put, I want more Africa in my ads.

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Dan Black - Symphonies

This Dan Black video is so good. And so is this one.

More: Passion Pit Remix

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Get The Blessing - So It Goes / Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes

Get The Blessing have been uplaoding a bunch of visual accompaniments to tracks from their freshly released sophomore album, Bugs In Amber. The album is great (not much of a departure from their first), the videos rather interesting. “So It Goes / Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes” is my favourite of the pack and the visuals fit the music perfectly. These are two consecutive tracks that work as one, “So It Goes” slowly building up to the explosive “Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes”. The transition happens 3.10 mins into the video, just when colours start appearing and things start heating up.

Sidenote: I also like the visuals for The Word for Moonlight Is Moonlight and The Speed of Dark.

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Françoise Hardy - Mon Amie La Rose

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Fiona Apple - Not About Love

It’s actually with this Fiona Apple video that I first got a taste of Zach Galifianakis’s comedy. I really like how the two of them goof around in this video. Plus, it’s a great Fiona Apple song.

Bonus: In this clip (sadly not embeddable), Fiona gives a really cool introduction to the music video, pointing out Galifianakis’ talent for lipsyncing.

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Todd Rivers - One Track Lover (from the cult UK TV series, ‘Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace’)

Todd Rivers is all about the voice, which has an even more grandiose quality in the IT Crowd.

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Arnaud Fleurent-Didier - France Culture (of his upcoming album La Reproduction)

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First Aid Kit - Our Own Pretty Ways (via indierawk)

More First Aid Kit, [drunken] trees, and awesomely bad sweaters. If you’re not a fan yet, get on the friggin’ bus, son!

I’ve just hopped on that bus. Sweden strikes again. Those two sisters make cool covers (and not just the Fleet Foxes one that seems to be everyone’s favourite), but I like their original songs even more. Beautiful voices and great melodies. I’m not sure about the wooly jumpers though.

Here’s another bucolic rendition: You’re Not Coming Home Tonight, one of my favourite songs on Drunken Trees.

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Micachu and the Shapes - Golden Phone (via britticisms)

Cute video. Ok, fine, I’m just using this as an excuse to break the audio post routine and post a video. Great song, cool album (although most songs are way too short) and a real pity that Micachu is not on the Mercury Prize 2009 shortlist.

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Grace Jones - Slave to the Rhythm

Like many others of my generation, as a kid in the 80s, Grace Jones scared the shits out of me. To me, she was this giant mechanical head that could swallow an entire car - with me in it. I’m referring to this Citroen commercial. I would picture her getting out of Studio 54 totally off her head, going on a rampage on the streets of New York, snapping innocent necks left, right and centre. However put off I was by the diva-esque persona, it was impossible not to be in awe of her outlandish style and her growling voice. “Slave to the Rhythm” is simply awesome. Love the video and love this live rendition.

A colleague of mine went to see Grace at Somerset house last night and it seems that she’s still got it.

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