Cinematography and direction by Peter Simonite, 2nd unit director for Terrence Malick’s Tree Of Life. From last year’s Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, released on Temporary Residence.

I won’t lie, I don’t really get this…but it’s interesting; Beirut, Adele, and Kreyshawn all shoved in an eastern European box of lolwut. Worth the confusion for the impeccable lighting and choreography.

Before today, I was pretty certain Lower Dens was fronted by an awkward looking dude with strange fashion sense. From this video and clips of their SXSW performances earlier in the year, I had no clear idea that Jana Hunter was a lady. Now that her hair has grown out a bit, it’s harder to confuse:

Regardless, the simple clip for “Brains” is a beautiful exercise in restraint. The minimalist aesthetic, reflected in this clip and all of Nootropics is wonderful and a damned rarity. Definitely going to end up on many best of 2012 lists.

I still don’t know much about this band, but I like 3 things:

1. Their Mancheter-ness. Some of my best friends are from Manchester

2. A repeatedly struck side-lit floor tom with sparkles and dust on it. It’s an old trope, but I have a weird affection for it.

3. Using projectors. The layered visuals, both added in post and done live at the shoot do much to add to the buzzy claustrophobia that comprises “Eleventh Hour”.

All in all, an interesting first start for Pins.

I honestly have no clue what my opinion is of Grimes. Everyone is in love with her and while I can’t deny the absolute charm of her Oblivion video, I’m not totally sold. I took to the live clip to get a sense of her stage presence and it’s, well, it’s similar to her music to me…something seems lacking. I really want to be swept up in whatever it is people are seeing in her, but I’m still struggling. I puzzled for a while over her minimalist setup too: an SP-404 sampler, an iPod touch, a Boss VE-20 vocal processor, a Juno-G synth and a midi stompbox I can’t identify. I’m skeptical even of this mix of equipment, so simple that I can’t really understand how she manufactures what she does.

However critical I may be, I don’t dislike Grimes…I just haven’t yet drank from the right potion to figure it all out.

Setlist:
Symphonia IX
Genesis
Be a Body
Interspersed with an awkward interview by host Cheryl Waters.

This clip popped up in 2010 and I’ve not heard anything else about them, but if this is all we get from them…it’s a pretty good artifact. The song is a simple bouncy electro-jam, but the clip is a post modern Jackson Pollock wet t-shirt contest. Over the course of this clip, Swedish singer Nora Lindqvist is doused with a variety of complementary paints and occasionally lit only by black light. It’s an arresting visual.

A lovely song of sidechained bliss with a slightly nonsense video. Shot well, but full of pretty people setting up for an American Apparel shoot or something. The song is good, I promise.

From MMOTHS self titled debut EP released last month on SQE Music.

You can download this song free in exchange for coughing up your email address from MMOTHS’ facebook page.

“Bayberry Lane” is the first single off m4w, the second album from Uncles, a Queens-based band comprised of Will Schwartz, Dan Bateman, Tom White, and Graham Watson. The song tumbles peacefully along, shifting through a somber tone before culminating in a sincere, satisfying peak.

I cant’t seem to track down when m4w was released, but you can stream the album over on Uncles’ Soundcloud.

“Wish You Were Red”

“Strangling Good Guys (Live)”

Just to get this out of the way, I don’t think I have much kind to say about Lil B. My first exposure to him was through Clams Casino and when hearing the track he did for Lil B with and without vocals…I vastly preferred the version without his rapping. This song tumbles down the same route; the beat is amazing and while Stunnaman does a good job, the moment Lil B starts, the quality drops. While I didn’t intend for this to just be a slam on Lil B, I guess I’ve never really been called to voice my opinion on him. Instead, focus on the head nodding, glitchy clatter that Star Slinger brings to the table and enjoy.

Nobody asked for this, but regardless, the internet provides and everyone will adore it.

Welcome to the brave new future that is a loving, all pug recreation of the 1995 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony classic “1st of Tha Month”.

Here’s the original for comparison:

Internet, I consider this an early birthday present. Thank you.

Here is the gorgeously weird video for Alpine’s single “Hands” directed by Luci Schroder. The song is a preview of their forthcoming debut album, coming sometime in 2012 on Ivy League. You can grab their first EP now on iTunes.

Also good: Star Slinger’s remix of Alpine’s Icypoles.

via the always amazing Beautiful Decay

Deaf Center – Owl Splinters

Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine

Crystal Antlers – Two Way Mirror

Barn Owl – Lost In The Glare

Holy Other – With U

Fucked Up – David Comes To Life

M83 – Midnight City

I do love this song, despite a few major complaints.

1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and much of M83′s catalog in general suffers from a bit of Manic Pixie Dream syndrome. The faux vintage haze of idealism gets under my skin after a while.

2. That fucking sax solo. I think this single is amazing, right until the worst trend of 2011 slaps me in the face…and still it deserves a place on the list.

‘Midnight City’, when it works, showscases the spacey soundtracks to adolescent daydreams they’ve nearly perfected over the years. Despite the melodrama, the highs are dizzyingly high. See also: Kim & Jessie.

Sabrepulse – Close To Me

Probably the best man in Chiptunes, expanding his sound into a more polished realm. Worthy of repeat. Click the graphic above and buy the album. Keep some money in his pocket so that he can continue to evolve his sound. Plus, the download comes with a few great remixes.

Yuck – The Wall

Nostalgia for the 90′s doesn’t really appeal to me, as I suffered through most of the highs and lows of that decade. Despite leaning heavily on the playbook of many early 90′s staples, Yuck manages to create something simultaneously forward looking and seeped in the right notes of the past.

Phantogram – Don’t Move

Eyelid Movies was one of my very favorites of 2010 and this cut off their newest EP holds great promise for what’s to come. Shaking off a touch of the gloom, “Don’t Move” remains moody, yet catchy and just the right tempo for swaying along.

The Joy Formidable – Whirring

This song reminds me, in all the good ways, of the stomp and harmony of Pretty Girls Make Graves, all while offering a meatier, layered guitar sound. Ritzy Bryan’s pummeling coo floats perfectly above the noise, just as Leona Marrs & Andrea Zollo’s voices did in PGMG.

Eric & Magill – You Make It So Good

I don’t usually find this kind of indie-psych-folk at all appealing, but there’s something amazing tucked into this hypnotically mixed song. The spiraling blend of vocals and crisp drums just sinks in perfectly. However, I can’t make heads or tails of the video.

Stream All Those I Know on Eric & Magill’s bandcamp

Taking the mood from their previous video, Scarlet and dosing it in a thick layer of fog and theatrics, director Jeppe Kolstrup has created a swirling mess that is a perfect backing to the song’s tumbling urgency.

May 28th will see the band release their full length debut on Fat Possum Records. The 10 song album was recorded mostly by Mercury-winning producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and mixed by the Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine In Nails). Without a doubt, once this record is released…2012 will be the year this band breaks out.