Michael Franti & Spearhead “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)”
Michael Franti & Spearhead have a new track you can buy called “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)”. It’ll be a part of their July 30th album, All People. The video features some colorful characters in what looks a bit like a post-apocalyptic future. Maybe not, but there is plenty of rubble and little to no electricity. The people are wearing some fun, colorful outfits. They’re dancing and whistling. Everyone is having a good time. This video is like the happy area of Thunderdome (think Mad Max here). Seriously, it’s like the born again Christians of that fictional world. It’s a lot of fun. I wish I were hopping around with them right now. I’m alive, too. So are you. High five.
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Grape Soda “Obvious Signs”
Grape Soda’s first album is called Form a Sign. Their new single from the album is “Obvious Signs” and features a video that is all too common a tale of my life. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve lost friends and even had bands break up this way. Driving a pickup truck, half the duo of Grape Soda hits an animated deer. Sadly, the deer dies. A quick pullover to drag the carcass off the road and one dirt grave with a flower later everything seems fine. Except for the fact that the animated deer reconstitutes itself as a ghost deer. The ghost deer goes to our friendly musicians home and begins to haunt him. Soon enough, the haunting doesn’t do the trick. Both bandmembers get together for some video games, only for the ghost deer to join in and rack up an unbelievable score. That is indeed the unbelievable part of this video. When the band starts to practice, the ghost deer talks the drummer into playing more video games. Next thing we all know, Grape Soda have ceased to exist and the new rage of Athens, Georgia is Ghost Soda. Our downtrodden hero sees this live in concert, and dejectedly walks home. Ghost Soda pack up their van and drive home accidentally hitting our protagonist. He reanimates as a ghost, and all seems to be just fine.
Flume featuring T.Shirt “On Top”
Flume is preparing to tour the United States later this Summer. He has a new track with T.Shirt that is pretty banging. The video for “On Top” was shot at a live performance in Australia. There isn’t much to the video. A screen behind Flume shows T.Shirt rapping while Flume performs. It’s hard to say that a dj is performing, but they are. Usually I don’t go much for videos of concerts, but when it comes to dj’s I see things a little differently. With a band, they are performing for you. You are watching them. With dj’s, while they are performing, they are also listening and grooving with the audience. I’m taking nothing away from the talent of dj’s, but it’s a different experience for the audience. A band performing don’t get the chance to enjoy the music with the audience since they are working hard to create it. Flume, as any dj, doesn’t have to be doing something all of the time. He gets some nice breaks observe the crowd, or clap along. He dances with the crowd. It’s quite the event. Something I’d like to check out.
Ellie Goulding “Tessellate”
Ellie Goulding recently released her album Halcyon but that is not keeping her from working hard on new music. Recently she recorded a cover of Alt-J’s “Tessellate”. The video was shot in Paris, France this past May. Shot in black and white, for some reason appropriate for Paris, it features Ellie walking the empty Paris side streets. I find Ellie alluring, one of the few blondes in this world I can say that about. This video doesn’t decrease that sentiment. In a few shots we see the most skin I’ve ever seen Ellie expose, and yet she keeps a trenchcoat on that does cause enough of a cover to frustrate the onlooker. Without being overly sexual, the video is provocative. I can’t help but feel that Paris is all the better simply for her having walked there.
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San Cisco “Fred Astaire”
San Cisco have been busy. Recently they performed a live performance of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” for a series called Like a Version for triple j. Later this year, in July, San Cisco plan to release an EP called Awkward. They released a new single from the EP called “Fred Astaire”. The video is in the flavor of Fred Astaire. The song’s about a girl who is probably looking for a guy like Fred Astaire. A charming man who can sweep the girl off her feet. It features San Cisco performing for four pairs of dancers, each dancing a different style. When the lead singer tries to dance with a girl, he gets upstaged by her partner who cuts in. It’s a bit sad, but it’s a fun song. In the end, he finds his dance partner, and they’re not that bad. A lot of great dancing in this video. The drummer looks absolutely adorable; sorry just had to mention that. Hope it gets you in the dancing mood for this weekend.
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