LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: DRUNK GIRLS
Spike Jonze directs the new LCD Soundsystem video for “Drunk Girls”, throwing LCD band mates into a frat bear college haze, with pandas gone wild, frontman James Murphy being forced into drag, the band stripped down, fire -extinguished, egged, duct taped and covered in booze. Ahhh, college.
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS:YOUR HANDS (TOGETHER)
The New Pornographers’s video for previously-sampled single “Your Hands (Together)” was directed by Pornographer Blaine Thurier and features Vancouver’s Hybrid Movement group providing the ninja inspired choreography. “It’s 100 percent real,” insists Thurier. “There’s no camera trickery. They are doing Capoeira. It’s this Brazilian mix of martial arts and dance. It was developed by slaves and because they had their hands shackled, they could only kick and use their legs.” Check out the video below.
TAME IMPALA: SOLITUDE IS BLISS
Discosalt video of the week 5/10/10: This weeks vid of the week comes from Aussie rockers Tame Impala for their new track “Solitude is Bliss” off Innerspeaker, which drops June 8th. A post apocalyptic themed vid directed by Megaforce for anyone who has ever felt like the world was going to end and wanted everyone else to just disappear. Sort of like Saturday night’s in New York or commuting to work on a Monday minus punching a dog, paired with the trio’s warm psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rock.
NATIF NATAL:BENEFIT SHOW FOR HAITI
On February 25th, Partners in Health, in collaboration with Svedka Vodka and Discosalt are throwing a benefit show to raise money for Haiti at Grasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. We are really excited to participate in this event which will feature art on auction from Discosalt Artists and performances by Annie and the BeeKeepers, Apollo Run, Kenji Urada, Lost Coves and Social Hero.
8:30pm – Lost Coves http://www.myspace.com/lostcoves
9:15 – Kenji Urada http://www.myspace.com/kenjiuradatheband
10pm – Social Hero http://www.myspace.com/socialhero
10:45pm – Apollo Run http://www.myspace.com/apollorun
11:30pm – Annie and the Beekeepers www.myspace.com/annielynch
DJ Miles Michael Morris in between sets and late night Emcee Jay stone
Doors 8pm, 21+
Load-in for bands 6pm
If you cannot attend the show, pease learn more and help us reach our goal by making a contribution at: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/haitiearthquake/brooklyn4haiti Thank you!
It’s for a really great cause so we hope you come out and show love the Brooklyn way. See you all there!
VISIONS OF “THE UNCANNY”
Some eerie images from a recent noir inspired photo project titled “The Uncanny” created by Discosalt artist Joe Vele.
MOPEDS, MO PROBLEMS
Wrap your legs ’round these velvet rims and strap your hands across my engines…Bryan Derballa from Wired put together a striking photo essay capturing some rowdy images of a growing trend in Brooklyn: Moped Gangs.
The Orphans are Greenpoint’s “fearsome” two-stroke contingent (super easy) riders, and they’re obsessed with abandoned retro pedal-start bikes. While this 12 member low speed gang, certainly stir up an outlawish individualism vibe that we think is pretty sweet, at 30 mph from an engine displacement of 49 cc, don’t expect the Stones to hire these guys for crowd control anytime soon. These gangs are more like a social club, where rivalry with other bike gangs, like Bushwick’s Mission 23, is all in good sported fun.
The camaraderie of these gangs is more about bringing old bikes back to life, a task which requires constant tinkering and riding together as a social outlet. And aside from looking pretty sick, these retro bikes are also growing in popularity in part because they don’t require a special motorcycle license or insurance like riding a motorcycle or Vespa. But, just tell that to the cops, who according to riders don’t seem to know what a moped is or what the law is on riding them. Can’t swing a break out there from the Fuzz! Seems the “scene” just can’t seem to get any good press lately either. Wired’s unflattering tongue in cheek article “Rebels Without a Hog” has made the “gangs” an easy target at websites like DieHipster.com….Mo peds, Mo problems.
You can check out the Orphanage Moped Shop, a moped emporium on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint or peep some more of the photo essay HERE.
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GIRL TALK: LIVE AT THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT
Yesterday 8/23 was by far the most hyped JellyNYC Pool Party on the Williamsburg waterfront of the year, most likely the biggest turnout and probably the most entertaining one this summer. Hell, Senator Chuck Schumer was even out on the green flying his freak flag. Fo’ reals. The man playing with the lap top is none other than Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk, effortlessly producing dozens of hip-hop, pop and rock mashup-style remixes, using dozens of unauthorized samples from different songs to create new songs. The New York Times Magazine has called his music “a lawsuit waiting to happen”. But, if anything, the show proved he is a one man party waiting to happen and he can draw a huge crowd. By 2pm there was already an entry line 4 blocks long and by the time he hit the stage, people were climbing fences to get in. When the crowd was welcomed on stage to dance, they broke it. First time I’ve seen a stage break while watching a DJ. Amazing. Music went down and everyone took a breather before the show was up and running again in full force. Completely rowdy. The crowd was so tight, hot and bouncy..wait what were we talking about again? Oh yeah the show…The show was a steamy mess and when it started raining mid show, it was a welcome relief. Girl Talk himself was on point and while the novelty is really just one bearded dude in front of his computer playing songs that you’ve heard before, the mashes create totally original songs that are both familiar and foreign at the same time sometimes even taking on new meanings…and of course its all danceable. Big ups to the party-starter.
Thanks toBrooklyn Vegan and Driven By Boredom for the pics. Click on the links to check out more pics from the show.
JUDITH SUPINE: ABOVE THE CITY IN A SUMMER NIGHT DREAM
Brooklyn Artist Judith Supine’s latest creation “Above the City in a Summer Night Dream” On Top Of The Williamsburg Bridge. Supine continues to impress us with his surreal combination of old engraving art mixed with hand-drawn and painted image wheat pastes in, around, and now on top of the city.
THE ANTLERS: HOSPICE
Recently, Ive been really getting into Brooklyn band The Antlers. The new album Hospice tells the story of a man who is slowly losing the love of his life to bone cancer as he watches over her in the hospital ward. Sound heartbreaking?, well it is. but the album is more about overcoming things than sinking into helplessness. And the video for “Two” is anything from dreary. Bright, vivid, 2-D version of the band playing alone in an apartment where the music fills up the empty space. Eventually, the music overcomes everything and the band members limbs, heads and bodies slowly float off in different directions.
THE WALKMEN:YOU & ME
Nir Ben Jacob directs Kentucky bred The Walkmen’s latest video for “On The Water” off their latest album “You & Me”. Using some really visually engaging animation, Jacobs weaves a simple tale of two rabbits frolicking under a dark brooding blue sky. The atmosphere is looming and the Walkmen groove for “On The Water” is slightly menacing. There must be some rule that animated woodland creatures can’t live in peace together and eventually trouble is where Jacobs takes us. Enter the farmer with his confetti gun and dog and the rabbits fate is sealed. Silly rabbits…
ROOFTOP FILMS: END OF THE LINE
What: Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund present THE END OF THE LINE
Where: The Beach at Governor’s Island
On the beach along the water on Governor’s Island, just to the West of the Ferry landing
Directions: The Water Taxi’s will leave every 15 minutes from the Battery Maritime Building Slip 7 on the Southern Tip of Manhattan
When: SATURDAY AUGUST 22
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records
9:00PM: Film
Damage: Tickets: $12 at the door or online at
http://newyork.going.com/event-624772;Rooftop_Films_The_End_of_the_Line_on_Gov_Isle#
The world’s first major documentary about the devastating effect of overfishing premiered at Sundance Film Festival and you can catch it this Saturday at what better a venue than on the Beach. The Film asks you to imagine an ocean without fish, your meals without seafood and the global consequences. Where are all the fish going? Come find out this weekend.
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES: SEPTEMBER 2009
September 1:
The Black Crowes: Before the Frost…
The Black Crowes: …Until the Freeze
Datarock: Red
September 8:
Vivian Girls: Everything Goes Wrong
Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson: Break Up
September 14:
Muse: The Resistance
September 20:
Pearl Jam: Backspacer
September 22:
The Pains of being Pure at Heart: Higher Than the Stars
Why?: Eskimo Snow
September 29:
la Roux: La Roux
The Melvins: Chicken Switch
The Swell Season: Strict Joy
DAN DEACON HITS THE ROAD ON THE COOL BUS
Dan Deacon. The Deac. Drinkin’ out of cups… Whether or not you like the hyper-pop maestro’s “music”, Dan Deacon knows how to party. If there is one thing he does well, its making sure that those who want to dance with him are having a good time. If there’s a second things he does well, its making you question whether he is handicapped. After watching a couple live clips, he also makes you understand why people hate hipsters…
But recently a friend at Backseatsandbar began subtly persuading me that I might really love me some Deacon…deep down, in places I don’t talk about at parties….and he may be onto something. After a failed attempt to see Deacon live on the rained out, moved indoors, Jelly NYC show in Williamsburg, I started downloading some albums… is it even possible he has this many albums? I bought some over-sized Sally Jessy glasses, duct-taped a casio and gave the Deac another chance. Its safe to say, I still think the music sucks, but now…slightly less than I had originally thought. Baby steps. I now at least appreciate that the man makes a decent case for breaking a sweat, whether its for the audience to work out some white suburban angst, or to help himself work off some vegan donuts. Ive also heard he hangs out after shows, sells his own merch, and is incredibly grateful to his fans, so I tip my cap Mr. Deacon and I’m getting on board the cool bus. Thanks Cory.
If you have ever wondered how and where the guru lives, its on “the cool bus”. Where else? Take a tour of Deacon’s overstuffed, vegetable oil-fueled school bus courtesy of the man himself in this seven-minute, documentary-style special above.
Need some more Deacon? Check out his appearance on NBC Morning.
ABSTRACT POLAROIDS
Grant Hamilton is fighting to keep a dying medium alive. He has created a series of polaroid photographs capturing simple geometric lines of color and is working on a documentary film called “Time Zero” that documents the last days of Polaroid. Here is what Grant had to say about his new project in Daily Tonic:
“Through my photos, I strive to find beauty in the mundane. It is hard to describe to passers-by why, exactly, I am photographing the side of a bus or standing on a ladder on the side of a road, trying to reach a sign. Most of the time, however, people will see the beauty that I am seeing and will smile. Often they will remark that they never noticed that before.”
YO LA TENGO: POPULAR SONGS
Hoboken based indie band veterans Yo La Tengo have just released a new video for “Here to Fall,” off their upcoming LP, Popular Songs, which hits stores September 8th. The video which is the first in a series of 5, features director John McSwain’s mesmerizing slow motion kaliedescopic airshow footage set to Ira Caplan’s honest lyrics about taking the plunge. “I know you’re worried/ I’m worried too, But if you’re ready/ I’m here to fall with you.”Ira sings about devotion and the leap of faith thats love filled with soaring strings and spacey electronic instrumentals.
The video is like a more poetic re-imagined version of Van Halens Top Gun inspired video for “Dreams” peppered with footage from Ang Lees Hulk. The first time I watched this, I kept waiting for a plane to crash but thankfully Yo La Tengo is not quite as cynical when it comes to love…and maybe we could all be a little less. No planes crash and something very simple just becomes very hypnotic and beautiful to watch. If you are interested how the next 4 videos play out, check back with Discosalt in the coming months to find them all here.
