[PREMIERE] COOL SOUNDS.
We’re lucky enough to premiere this new clip from those rad Melbourne guys Cool Sounds.
As a track, ‘Safe Flight’ is sort of a no-holds-bar approach to songwriting. There doesn’t feel like there’s any filler in here – everything, even the strumming patterns, the sax lines (provided by Mr Snowy Nasdaq), and those little synths at the end (provided by our mate Zac Denton of Ciggie Witch) feels done on purpose, and not just because that’s what happened when they jammed on a riff and thought it sounded good.
Similarly, the clip also takes that step above. We’ve seen clips like this before – that old VHS footage thing has been done forever, but there’s something about the way it’s all interspersed, and layered, and everything else. And although it most likely wasn’t done on purpose, the approach mimics the layers going on in the track itself rather nicely.
The track was mixed by Sam Wilkinson from Sydney guys Day Ravies and it comes from the bands new tape Melbourne Fashion due out next month on new label Whalesmouth which is run by JJ from the rad Bandcamp Hunter.
Really keen to hear more from these guys!
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Miks
TWIN BEASTS.
Very often you’ll find an obvious fine line between totally self-aware and owning, and, well, plain cringeworthy. I think the sheer amount of effort put into this new clip from Melbourne’s Twin Beasts puts it into the former camp. Just. It’s perhaps everything you need in a clip – part gaming, part awkward dancing, part fantastic green screen action.
‘Wasting Time’ is taken from the band’s latest full length, Badlove. It’s a great little track that sort of capitalises on that post-punk vocal chucked up against this sort of 60’s inspired instrumentation. On paper it looks weird, but when you hear it, you’ll get it.
You may have caught the band on a couple of dates as they head around the country launching the new album. Sadly, lagely due to my horrible management of the maamf inbox, I missed the show up here in Sydney…but if you’re in Queensland, then the lads are playing three shows up there next weekend. Full details here.
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Miks.
HOPIUM.
This here is a song about desperation.
HOPIUM are a duo from Melbourne, and although they’ve only one track to their name, and very little is known about them, they’re already hitting it up rather massive online.
Their track ‘Cut’ is about just that. It’s a track about the prospect of loss, a track about the intimacy and physical embodiment of human emotion. It’s dark and industrial sounding, but provides enough space for for just enough emotion to seep through.
And then there’s the clip. As a heads up, it is NSFW, so perhaps if you’re sick at home, like me, it’s fine. But not in the office. The clip captures that intimacy and dark nature of the track really bloody well.
If the clip reminds you of some gritty fashion clip, then you’d be sort of right. It was put together by Yoav Lester and Chris Mitchell at Floating World Films and Ribal and Gil @ Superteam Studios. These guys usually work in the fashion world, but are lending their expert skills to the music video world.
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Miks
SONS ET AL.
So this vid has been kicking around for a few weeks, but my gosh, every time i watch it, it manages to be mesmerising. It’s that slo-mo cut with the quick edits that make it, and mate, that songs a bit of alright too!
‘Day By Day’ is taken off Sons et al‘s new EP, Godspeed coming out in a week (pre-order here). Also, if you super keen, make sure you check ’em out on a brief run of dates starting tonight in Canberra. Check out their facebook for more details on those.
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Miks
TEETH & TONGUE.
New clip from Teeth & Tongue is a little nuts. Creepy, and nuts. Although, if you’re into workouts, then it’s probably your thing.
And I love work outs. And I also love the reference point Groove Armada. And I actually do really like this clip. If you can get past the nakedness and flexing of the two fellas in the background, then it’s great in that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And that track, it’s bloody stellar. Featuring the additional vocal stylings of Laura Jean, ‘Newborn’ showcases exactly what Jess Cornelius is capable of. And if the already building hype surrounding her second album Tambourine is anything to go by, then she’s capable of a hell of a lot.
Tambourine comes out on March 21st through Dot Dash/Remote Control.
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Miks
CLIENT LIASON.
The aesthetic. If there is one thing I do miss from the times of old when big record labels were rich, it was that total commitment to an aesthetic. I don’t know exactly how they did it (money and cocaine were probably instrumental) but the attention to detail with the opulent sounds and visuals was astounding to my young self.
Nowdays we can all put blurry montages together on our friend’s Canon for almost $0 and overall it’s probably much better, but perhaps there’s still room in my heart for classic levels of rich-cocaine effort.
Enter Client Liason and their consistent delivery of these gems. Again their latest is funny and it’s nostalgically Aussie, but it’s so much more than an old joke. It’s real fun, smiling music.
‘Free Of Fear‘ is arranged with less drama in order to have more dance, but it’s still melodramatic and glowing. And somehow the clip is even a step up again from ‘Feeling‘.
Anyway, no more words or it will get weird. I don’t need to convince anyone to watch this. They’re also playing a bunch right now.
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Adam.
PALMS.
I think Palms will do alright/I know Palms have done alright in quite a few end of year lists. Mine will come shortly, but man, these boys are just the best.
A little while ago they released a clip for their track ‘A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again’. It’s all grainy, black and white, and if you’re a local Sydneyite, then you’d recognise the setting being Brighton Up Bar. It’s a clip that doesn’t take away from the raggedness of the track. And that black and white really does complement the glimpses of hope that Al’s voice seems to capture.
The boys have also been nominated for an FBi SMAC Award for Sydney record of the year. Fingers crossed.
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Miks
KIRIN J CALLINAN.
This clip has been floating around the last couple of days, but I only just got round to checking it out.
Kirin J Callinan is known to provoke, from his ‘performance’ at Sugar Mountain at the beginning of the year to his rather divisive album, this is a guy who makes teetering on the edge of art an art form. Sometimes he goes over the line, and sometimes he comes across as incredibly arresting and strangely confronting. That’s what he’s done with his new clip for ‘Landslide’, the latest track taken from his album of this year Embracism.
It took me a little bit to work out how they’ve done this clip…but when it clicks, it just draws you in even more.
This is pretty wonderful.
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Miks
SHINING BIRD.
I was lucky enough to catch the latter part of Shining Bird‘s set at At First Sight fest last weekend. I’d been pretty impressed with the few tracks I’ve heard via the blogosphere as well as via FBi. But mate, seeing them live was pretty excellent.
They have a big big sound. And I know a heap of people have been talking about how ‘Australian’ they sound, but they kinda do. And not in a Boomgates, Dick Diver kinda way. Moreso a mix between Twerps and say, Australian Crawl or even parts of INXS.
The guys have recently released a clip for their big single ‘Distant Dreaming’. And yeah, they don’t let that ‘Australian’ tag let go with the clip. Pretty great though with the backdrop. Reminds me of the Yothu Yindi clip you could make by yourself at ScienceWorks in the early 90s.
The guys have also announced that their debut album is in the works and is in fact due pretty soon (September 6th). It’s gonna be called Leisure Coast and will be released through Spunk.
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Miks
SNAKADAKTAL.
This is a really distressing clip. But really good nonetheless. Good as Sunday afternoon chill. Snakadaktal‘s debut full length Sleep In The Water is due out August 2 and will feature this track ‘Hung On Tight’. There’s a fair bit of anticipation surrounding the release, and with tracks like this one, may well live up to the hype.
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Miks
SARAH BLASKO.
So, it seems to be a bit of a thing to not like Sarah Blasko. And I was definitely one of those people. And whilst some of her stuff I find quite bland, this song ‘All Of Me’ taken from her album of last year I Awake is pretty special. Ms Blasko has also just released a clip for the song, easily one of the most intriguing and dare I say affective clips I think I’ve seen this year. It is being billed as slightly NSFW, but, you can maybe get away with it.
If you dig, then make sure you check her out on a massive regional tour. More details here.
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Miks
PRIVATE LIFE.
This is such a good clip for such a great song. The track itself featured in the April mixtape.
Melbourne duo Private Life have gone and joined the sex industry, albeit rather cryptically (“I wanna eject my rocket fuel in your spaceport baby“) and also only for the 4 minutes and 7 seconds that the clip lasts, from what we’ve been told…
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Miks
ALUKA VIDEO PREMIERE.
So, this is pretty exciting. Maamf is lucky enough to be able to debut the making of vid for one of the tracks from Aluka‘s debut full length, Space alongside a whole heap of other excellent blogs. The track we’ve got is track 9, ‘Street’. Tomorrow, make sure you check out the rad All I Do Is Listen as they premier another making of vid.
Perhaps the best thing about Aluka is that sure they’re an experimental vocal pop group, but it’s still all quite accessible and definitely not alienating. The album itself was released a couple of days ago (April 5th) and was recorded and produced by the excellent Nick Huggins, who has worked with Oscar + Martin, Kid Sam etc. The guys vary it up with their sounds (yep, that is possible with just vocals) as well as the stories that they tell. You can also hear the various locations reflected in both the stories and sounds too (each song was recorded in a unique location across their home state of Victoria). It’s a small bit wanky a concept, but my gosh does it work.
The girls are going to be doing a run of dates in support of the album. Make sure you check ’em out. They’re heaps talented, and also heaps funny (as the clip suggests).
Album Launch Tour
Thursday 11th April- Camelot Lounge, Sydney Friday 12th April- Salamanca Art Centre, Hobart Wednesday 17th April- Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane Sunday 21st April- Nexus Art Centre, Adelaide Friday 3rd May- Uniting Church of Northcote, MelbourneBuy tickets: http://aluka.com.au/tour/
TAME IMPALA
Brand new vid for Tame Impala‘s excellent ‘Mind Mischief’. Sexy cosmic love!
The animation makes this clip – really pretty expressive, and spot on in terms of furthering the story. ACE!
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Miks
HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY.
The new single from Hungry Kids of Hungary, ‘Twin Cities’ flew under the radar a bit for me. It was probably the mid December release date. But man, glad I’ve finally wrapped my ears around it.
I think the clip’s staggered and choppy editing of the pretty mundane daily actions suit the track to a t. The clip doubled with the really quite restrained and controlled brooding epicness of the track nails it.
The bands second album, You’re A Shadow is out on Feb 22 through Stop Start/EMI. You can pre-order it on iTunes here.
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Miks
NANTES.
Really great vid for a really really great track from Sydney lads, Nantes. It looks as though the guys are now operating as a two piece, but man, with songs like ‘Drones’, I couldn’t care less if they had half a member.
The boys have their debut album due out early next year. Keep an eye out!
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Miks
HERMITUDE.
Absolutely killer clip for Hermitude‘s track ‘The Villian’. Taken off their amazing album of this year Hyperparadise. Some crazy thief&security style dance moves!
The dudes are doing a mini run of dates Jan/Feb of next year too. Make sure you check ’em out. Details here.
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Miks
COURTNEY BARNETT.
As a track, this has been kicking around for a little while. And, so has the clip for that matter. But you know what? Better late than never I reckon.
Great clip that suits a really great track. If some widescreen suburban push bike gangs are your thing, then Courtney Barnett‘s History Eraser is probably gonna be your kind of thing.
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Miks
SINGLE TWIN.
A performance from Single Twin, the rather excellent Melbourne singer-songwriter. The performance was part of the Sound/Light/Stone at York Street Anglican Church, run by a rather ace org called The Gate back in July.
Marcus plays two tracks, a new one called ‘Kill This Twig’ and one of my faves off his (really really good)album from last year, ‘Get To Love You’. Both are incredible. The absolutely beut venue helps too.
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Miks
PVT.
PVT are one of those incredible bands that do some of the most innovative, interesting, and thoughtful music out there. The guys are set to release their fourth album Homosapien early next year. The first single from it, ‘Nightfall’ was released a few weeks ago…but just yesterday the clip surfaced.
Directed by Jennifer Juniper Stratford, it’s a pretty freakin colourful, wonky VHS tinged clip. Really pretty darn cool.
You can also get a free download of ‘Nightfall’ below too.
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Miks
TAME IMPALA.
The Tame Impala boys have had an absolutely stellar year so far. New single, ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, my fave cut from their second album Lonerism also has a stellar clip. If amazing animation and some super cool illustration styled tripping is your thing, then this clip is for you.
Love it.
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Miks
SLEEP DECADE.
Sleep Decade are releasing their debut album on Thursday. What seems as years in the making, I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on this one. You can actually stream the album in full ahead of the release on Thursday over on the bands soundcloud.
The guys have also got a clip for their track Mexico. Featuring the absolutely beautiful scenery of Aireys Inlet down here in Victoria, it also features dudes in horse heads. Don’t know why, but the whole feel of the clip really suits the track.
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Miks
Howl – Brothers In Violence Clip
So, I is feeling generous n shit. Two posts in the day of our return. Ballarat dudes Howl have a new clip for their new track Brothers In Violence.
They’re on a pretty sweet little label called I OH YOU, who are also responsible for putting out that Bleeding Knees Club EP a few weeks ago.
Anyway, the track is awesome, and the clip is super well produced and looks awesome..
clipnesday #2
ok. Second up in our Clipnesday series. Some really really great new film clips came into the inbox this week. Some local, some US and some UK. Here’s a selection of the best ones.
First up. Teenagersintokyo. These guys have got a hell of a lot of blog love for their track End It Tonight of late, especially the Seekae, We Have Band, and Nightschool remixes. Check out the We Have Band and Nightschool remixes here. The track is taken from their debut album called Sacrifice which is out super soon. The clip is really great too. Super 80’s in the whole black and white. Reminds me of a Go-Betweens clip.
Second up is a Brooklyn band (who doesn’t come from Brooklyn??!!) called Savior Adore and the clip for their track Bodies. Gotta be honest with you and say that I hadn’t actually heard of these guys before this clip came through. It’s a great song too. The track is taken from their soon to be released album In The Wooded Forest and it’s going to feature remixes from French Horn Rebellion and Night Magic. Clip is fun…and cold.
Finally, it’s a local band. Parades have been around for a short while and have garnered up quite a bit of love. They do of course feature musical genius Jonathan Boulet on drums (is there anything the kid can’t do?). The guys are heading out on an east coast tour throughout June and July (check out the deets over at their MySpace) in support of their new album Foreign Tapes. Great clip too. This is the vid for their new single Loserspeak In New Tongue. If you like painting…well then watch this.
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