Gordon Voidwell teamed up with NYC’s Kids Table production crew for his new track “XO Boyfriend” to create a music video that draws from Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” video. The styling, choreography, set design, and photography all take cues from Whitney’s mid-80’s classic. The homage was filmed in a hot Brooklyn warehouse in the summer of 2011, but GV had been keeping it under wraps until the right moment, which unfortunately arose this week with the untimely passing of the legendary singer.
In regards to the concept of the video, director Steve Pristin says “Gordon Voidwell’s music and style is often compared to artists of the 80’s — rather than fight that notion I wanted to fully embrace it, while paying homage to one of the most iconic musicians and music videos of the 1980’s. Growing up, in my home, Whitney Houston was viewed with a reverence unmatched – she will be deeply missed.”
Gordon Voidwell, who just this past week released his brand new MalcolmXXXMclaren mixtape added, “It’s amazing to think that in 48 short years, Whitney Houston covered the entire range of human emotion through music. From epic love ballads to 808-driven synthpop to gospel music, her voice spoke the complexity and depth of being human. On a selfish level, I’m saddened to think there will never be any new Whitney Houston music. She’s inspired a lot of what i do.”
The High Strung, and especially frontman Josh Malerman, are enthralled with blending fact and fiction. Malerman’s Facebook page declares he worked at “General Faw Faw’s Impossible Meats” in 1852 and that he attended “Fabulous Posture University” for the 95 years leading up to 1902. Because of this, their history and experiences are like big riddles, short puzzles that are as artistic as the albums they’ve made. And of their six albums, none captures this fascination with the absurd better than the new one, rightly called ?Posible o’ Imposible?
When describing how the band formed, Malerman either discusses grade schools and gym classes or, more recently, mental homes, where he says he was a patient and guitarist Stephen Palmer was an orderly, before the two realized they worked well together and busted out.
The rhythm section of Chad Stocker (bass) and Derek Berk (drums) are everything a music fan relishes; explosive, original, and danceable, too. When describing them, Malerman says he can’t remember if they “planted” him or if he planted them but “either way we grew out of the ground and picked each other and presented one another to mother in a vase.”
The songs on ?Posible o’ Imposible? are just as enigmatic. Thinking big is the main thread, but maybe it should be described as “imagining” big. The album is home to many modern characters, most of whom are on the verge of creating a grand spectacle. The hunter who tires of animals and seeks out black holes and planets in “Big Game Hunter”. The man who has toiled in obscurity only to be flooded with opportunities in “On Your Way Up!”. The man who experiences the weather before his peers in “Giant.” And, most notably, the world described in “Rats, Rats, Rats” where “there’s a job opening for a clerk at the Church of Satan” and a “dance tonight at the Church of Raging Hormones.”
The High Strung do not present themselves as ironic; their absurdist scenarios are delivered in a way that reveals they mean it. And the band is on their way up, having scored the theme song for Showtime’s new hit series “Shameless”, starring William H. Macy as an impossibly drunk father.
Live, the band verges on a variety show, traveling hucksters who have, as Malerman says, “between a dozen and two dozen melodies in jars, rhythms too, sentences too, and, on stage, if we get lucky, we open the corresponding jars so the songs make real sense.” The best known document detailing the experience of the band’s live show is a lengthy article in Vanity Fair that covers a two-show trip to Guantanamo Bay where Malerman fell in love with a female soldier, Berk was housed with an over zealous interrogator, and the boys “drank more rum than water.”
The High Strung are a rock band, of this there is no doubt, but one that clearly adores music, successfully injecting all this incredulity, absurdity, and irrationality into ?Posible o’ Imposible? and the shows that will accompany it. It’s the type of album kids will be downloading, illegally or not, as they discuss whether or not it’s true that Berk’s drums talk to him or, as Malerman says, “the first time we practiced together, the very first time we played, the boys all struck a C chord at the same time, without preamble. But I sang a D. And instead of thinking we’d fallen short of some cosmic relationship that was meant to be, I immediately understood we were destined to do something… different.”
New York City’s psychedelic rock beast Spirit Animal has announced plans for their next full-length album, Spiritia Animalia, which will see a release later this year. Today, the band is sharing the first single, “Crocodile Skins,” which is available as a free download through the band’s soundcloud page, along with an album teaser video featuring studio footage of the band at work on Spiritia Animalia. Onstage, Spirit Animal is at once manic and precise, with a non-stop show full of big solos, tight grooves, wild sing-along moments and sweat-drenched performances. Check out this recent live footage from Mercury Lounge for an idea of what their live show is like! With mixing underway on their follow-up full length, Spiritia Animalia is poised to deliver the back-breaking rock and shit-kicking funk missing from the modern music landscape. The band, led by Steve Cooper, has already drawn comparisons to LCD Soundsystem and Animal Collective for their blend of irresistible hooks and riffs, complimented by the bands’ tight rhythm section. Add in a healthy dose of frontman freakout, and you have Spirit Animal.
In 2010, the band released their debut LP, The Cost of Living, a unique and powerful blend of rock, psychedelia and dance. The album garnered broad radio play and earned them placements on ABC’s “Happy Endings” and FOX’s “New Girl.” The band recently released a 7-inch for “I’m Around” on Mecca Lecca Recording Co. The video was also used in an HBO “How to Make It In America” promo.
In the spirit of all things amorous, cynical Texan artist, The Wealthy West, aka Brandon Kinder of indie rock band The Rocketboys, is offering a free download of “Love Is Not Enough” from his Volume 1 EP.
The Wealthy West will perform at Swan Dive in Austin, TX on March 30th. Brandon is also in the studio with his band The Rocketboys who are working on their next studio album, due out later this year.
Today sees the US release of The 2 Bears’ debut album, Be Strong, which is available on vinyl and CD from the DFA store, and digitally via iTunes. In celebration of the full-length release, the Bears are sharing a new mix, “Whatever The Weather,” which premiered on Spinner RPM. The mix features new tracks from DFA labelmates Factory Floor, as well as tracks from Armand Van Helden, Henrik Schwarz, Gino Soccio, Davina and more. You can still snag the first free single from the album, “Work,” via DFA’s Soundcloud too!
A London record through and through, Be Strong ducks and weaves to the myriad sounds of the city, as The 2 Bears pursue the perfect party record. Raf Daddy – aka Raphael Rundell – met Joe Goddard (taking time out from his day job as one fifth of Hot Chip) through a party scene that saw them share deck duties at the legendary Greco-Roman parties. Upon venturing into the studio in an attempt to replicate some of the records that they’d lost themselves in the night before, Raf found himself laying down vocals over Joe’s skipping, bassomatic backing tracks safe in the knowledge that they’d soon be replaced by someone with sweeter, more melodious tones. In the end, it was Raf’s voice that characterized and personalized The 2 Bears.
Over its ten tracks, Be Strong conjures up that elusive spirit of the dancefloor without pretension, and with ultimate precision. It’s a soul record in that it’s from the soul, wearing its imperfections with pride. It’s a dance record in that it’ll get you off your seat. It’s a London record in that it couldn’t have come from any other city in 2011, echoing the glorious schizophrenic sound of a late night cab ride listening to a radio with a mind of its own. With minimal effort and maximum respect from their peers, tracks began to be hammered in clubs and on radio by the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Erol Alkan, Pete Tong and Annie Mac. This summer’s Bear Hug EP cranked things up yet another notch with Chris Moyles giving the track some early morning airings and Elton John and Paul McCartney declaring themselves fans.
DJ Massiv G (who helped mix some of My M.O.’s record, Bonfire) drops one for the club to get your 2012 booty shaking on the dance floor.
The lyrics “they gonna get your money some way, times is crazy can we make it through another day?” will resonate with those that are unhappy with the ongoing corruption within our political/economic system.
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour deliver yet another unforgettable anthem on “Heart Attack.” With its instantly memorable melody and caffeinated beat, the song is perfect for singing in cars and bedrooms and guaranteed to invade dance floors. PopMatters premiered the spaced out “Heart Attack” (Cosmic Kids remix) MP3 yesterday.
It’s been over two years since Nigerian-German songstress, Nneka, has toured the United States, and with the upcoming release of her third album, Soul Is Heavy, she’s more than ready to return.
Nneka has also just released the Coki (Digital Mystikz) remix of “My Home” (premiered on Fader) which offers listeners a lively rendition of the heartfelt lyrics and powerful vocals derived from the original track. Nneka explains the song as the realization that “there is no peace on Earth until you accept that both bad and good are part of life.”
Encompassing a combination of hip hop beats, reggae grooves, brass riffs and African-pop, Nneka’s album Soul Is Heavy is a raw and honest window into her beliefs of love, pain, politics and God. The album will be released on February 28th on Yo Mama’s Recordings/Decon.
Musically Amusing 