Phantogram “Fall in Love”
With their new album Voices due out February 18th, Phantogram have made a video for their single “Fall in Love” for promotion. Yeah, the song may be in time for Valentine’s Day, but the video isn’t your cookie cutter love story. It’s shot in black and white featuring the band and an artist, a woman who mostly lies atop a block. It’s basically what Phantogram would like if you viewed them playing live in a kaleidoscope. Look for many great things from their upcoming album.
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Public Service Broadcasting “Everest (1924 Expedition)”
Public Service Broadcasting have a video for their 2012 single “Everest”. The video is an animated feature that loosely chronicles the 1924 expedition of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine to reach the top of Mt. Everest. The video features the duo going through many hardships yet always coming to the others rescue. As they reach higher up the mountain a narrator tells us how the air is thin of oxygen that you start to hallucinate. This is where our animated duo begins to think a little strangely. One imagines he is a bear while the other suddenly has a rocket strapped to his back. Needless to say, much like real life, our animated heroes do not survive the climb. In reality there is still debate whether or not they reached the summit. What we have is a great snapshot of the animated pair. It’s always good to have a happy memory. Their last album Inform-Educate-Entertain was released May 6th of last year.
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Thomas Azier “Verwandlung”
Thomas Azier had a few singles in 2013 that garnered some attention. He plans on releasing his debut album Hylas March 10th. His latest single is “Verwandlung” and the video for it is an homage to Claire Denis’ film Trouble Every Day. We see Thomas and some female whom he loves greatly. He’s cleaning her naked body and giving gentle, loving caresses to her. We also see that she is locked away in an abandoned building, that Thomas appears to purchase blood for her, and that the man who sells Thomas the blood looks up at a window and spots this mysterious lady. He decides to enter the building and make his way to her. It’s enticing, meeting a naked woman in an abandoned building, especially when she is eager to have sex with you. But this is where things take a turn. I won’t give away the ending. Let’s just say Thomas must really be in love with this woman to put up with her shit.
John Newman “Out of My Head”
John Newman’s Tribute is out now. His next single off his debut album will be “Out Of My Head” on April 7th. The video for it is shot in black and white and sets John in a room filled with items that have burned or otherwise been destroyed. There’s smoke billowing in front of a projector. The song is about being left alone in a broken home. It’s also about feeling lonely and trying to get out of one’s head. It’s a little depressing with lyrics like “why would you wanna love somebody when love hurts in the end?” Slowly the room goes back to order as we see the footage of items breaking in reverse. We also get a visual of John’s projected on the smoke. It’s kind of like being in his head and actually seeing how he feels. There is order though the mood is still somber come the end of the video. But that’s what processing is like. You don’t necessarily feel happy that a relationship ended. You’ve just put the broken pieces back together and gotten some order out of the whole mess. Now you can start over.
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Teen Men “René”
Teen Men’s latest video for their single “René” plays out like a self help program you can order at home. Only, the guru comes to you himself. That’s right, this man who can make your life better shows up at your door and trains you in all the necessary skills a man needs. There’s yoga, surviving the woods in your underwear with only a machete and compass, laundry, catching a chicken, running with a tree on your shoulders, and staring a not ferocious in the least bit dog in the face until he licks you. Whatever the case, it certainly seems that life does get better for our info ad caller. I mean, he does catch the chicken in the end. That would make Micky proud, just ask Rocky Balboa.
Sweet Rocky reference there at the end.
I love Public Service Broadcasting, thank you for introducing them to me. If you know a similar artist please let me know. Public Service Broadcasting. PSB, like Pet Shop Boys? Coincidence? – a nice one. British synth pop at its best. I saw them support the rolling stones at hyde park – PSB were better.