I’ve never seen as many stars as I can see right now…
Fine Prince, one of my favorite Seattle bands (because they’re just so idiosyncratic, lovely, and weird), released a new two-song EP a few weeks ago! It’s called Drive Slow // Television Eyes and the two songs on it are called “Drive Slow” and “Television Eyes.”
Anyhoo, to celebrate, please watch/listen and be pleasured by this official music video for “Nostalgia,” from their previous EP, Lookout. In it an elderly couple escapes from a hospital(??) and goes about pranking the various members of the band in lovingly-filmed slow motion. It’s very nice:
I really like the double-synth/guitar/harmony pop that Fine Prince just excels at. Here is their new EP if you’d like to keep listening (and you should):
Tomorrow is Halloween! Celebrate with this great ghostly song by Open Mike Eagle. Partake and enjoy this 1980s-tastic music video, directed by Mike himself:
I really miss Brite Futures (originally called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head). There’s something about their over-the-top, cheesy, synthpop sound that has stuck with me in a powerful way even though they broke up and haven’t released any music since 2011.
I equate Brite Futures to synthpop as I do Tenacious D to rock or Jonathan Coulton to folk/soft rock (or even Trevor Peach to emo): although lyrically hilarious and ofttimes inappropriate, they all transcend mere parody of their various genres and move right on through homage to become honest-to-goodness good. Tenacious D is not just good parody of rock, it is good rock. So too Brite Futures was good synthpop.
Here is “Too Young to Kill” from their second album Dark Past, one of only two official music videos the group ever made over the course of their two albums. It is not only a kickass synthpop song, but it lyrically deconstructs the whole concept of what it takes to make popular music. It also features some absolutely phenomenal and subtle special effects. Partake and be pleasured:
If you’d like to dive down the rabbit hole of Brite Futures/NPSH, I highly encourage it. Here’s their only other music video, “Sophisticated Side Ponytail” from their first album Glistening Pleasure. This video really leans into the whole 1980s aesthetic that permeates so much of Brite Future’s look and sound. Partake and be even more pleasured:
You have now been pleasured. I hope you have a brite future.
You might think it’s okay to pick and choose what you turn away from…
At long last, Warren Dunes (feat. Julia Massey) has released a new music video! An outcast-type character named “Ropey” is stalked by two shady-looking fellows (credited as “Detectives” in the video description).
There is a fantastic gag where one of the detectives flips up his dark glasses only to be wearing more dark glasses beneath them. This video also contains the greatest-ever twelve seconds of footage of any music video in the history of ever. Watch and be pleasured:
That’s right, one of the kids at the end of the video is my very own daughter! My daughter is a music video star! Huge shout-out to Julia et al., who have been so generous with my li’l girl. How many of you all have had a band write a song about your kid and also feature them in a music video??
Hey, I’m back from my month-long hiatus! I actually planned to come back last Wednesday with this post, but I completely forgot because I am a BIG BRAIN.
Anyhoo, be pleasured by this lovely, lovely bit of absolute magic:
I say “By Estelle” in the subject, but really this song is also of course by Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe and director of Steven Universe: The Movie, the soundtrack of which this song is from. Also, this song was co-written by none other than Chance the Rapper. Yes, the Chance the Rapper! Quite a pedigree this song’s got, eh? Eh?
You have once again been pleasured. And if you haven’t seen Steven Universe: The Movie yet, you really, really should. IMMEDIATELY!
HAIM is here to give us a lovely, groovy, saxy summer vibe with an hilarious video (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson no less) during which the members of the band are constantly removing their tops. So many tops:
Which one will you let take you to Love Land? Paul? It’s Paul, isn’t it?
A recent gathering of friends stumbled upon the topic of Karaoke, and one friend said that their go-to Karaoke song was “Float On.” Another friend chimed in, asking clarification of whether it was the song by Modest Mouse or The Floaters.
“‘Float On’ by The Floaters?” I asked.
She then proceeded to introduce me to this song, which I am ashamed I didn’t know about because it was a smash hit the year I was born. In it, each of the four members of The Floaters take turns introducing themselves with the following information:
Their astrological sign (yes, before their name)
Their name
What they like in a woman
Any woman who matches the description is then invited to take the singer’s hand allow him to take her to “Love Land.” Take a listen and be pleasured:
In reality, this savvy song combines a couple of things that were in a massive surge of popularity when it was recorded: Astrology and Video/Phone Dating Profiles. It’s no wonder it became a smash hit. There’s also an extended, 11+ minute version of the song that you’re welcome to look up on your own.
Whatever happened to singing groups like this? Howcome everybody is a solo performer now? Is it the Boy Bands of 1999/2000? They killed it, didn’t they? We need another Wu-Tang is all I’m sayin’…
