February 9, 2011
Thought all of you might want to check out the pretty amazing “Moves” video put out by the New Pornographers. While I never doubted the musical quality of the band or the strength of the New Pornographers’ core fans, I frankly didn’t think they had as such pull to get “A”-listers like Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Scott Adsit… okay I guess those are more like “B”-listers. But still impressive, no?
Check it out below.
November 21, 2010
Spike Jonze has directed the just-released video for the title-track off of Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs”. It’s a really polished and beautiful film that is sure to remind viewers who grew up in the suburbs of their childhood. Well at least some of the video does – I certainly have clearer memories of endless bike riding than I do of paramilitary night raids…
Hint: switch to 720P and full-screen to experience the HD version of the video and better audio quality
November 14, 2010
I must admit, I wasn’t fully on the Chromeo bandwagon until seeing them live at Lollapalooza this year. But their show made a believer of me, and now, like Depeche Mode, I just can’t get enough.
Their latest video might be a heartwarming tribute to those who serve and protect… but is more likely just an opportunity to show hot women barely clad in uniform.
G.O.B.: These guys are real dancers. You know, they’ve never done any “hot” policing.
October 19, 2010
I never would have classified myself as a fan of the spoken word genre, and to be honest am not particularly familiar with Gil Scott-Heron beyond hearing samples of some of his older work from the 70s-80s (i.e. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”), but I recently came across “Your Soul and Mine” and loved it immediately. It’s amazingly dark, dramatic, and moving – and when it’s put into video along with “Me and the Devil”, it’s pretty mind-blowing. One of the YouTube comments described it as “badass”, and I guess that’s as accurate of a description as you’re going to get (especially given that the average YouTube commenter has reached the educational development and maturity of an 8-year old).
Both “Me and the Devil” and “Your Soul and Mine” are off of 2010’s “I’m New Here”, his first studio album in 16 years (and only his second in the last 28). His voice is dark, soulful, and a bit grizzled – he come across as a man of experience and wisdom, which isn’t a surprise given that he’s over 60-years old. But what is surprising, or a least amazing, is that he manages to retain the power, tension, and emotion that made his spoken word style in the 70s and 80s such a force.
[mp3] Gil Scott-Heron – Me and the Devil
[mp3] Gil Scott-Heron – Your Soul and Mine
October 9, 2010
Today, for your enjoyment, a very cool video by a band that isn’t OK Go. And for some bonus points, the song is pretty catchy, and the band (Hollerado) is from small town Ontario (Manotick to be exact). Favourite parts are the Pong match and Space Invaders (you’ll see).
September 7, 2010
When you first hear Rai Knight, you could be excused for thinking that she’s already a widely-accepted media/pop darling – her sound comes across as very polished and radio-ready despite not yet having a full album release to her name. She lists Gwen Stefani as an influence, and it’s hard not to see the similarities between the two artists, especially on “New New”, with its absolutely infectious feel-good melody, and a singing style that straddles the line between singing and rapping, often quickly flipping between melodic verses and flowing prose. Needless to say, it’s a super-fun song that should come with a warning: “May cause involuntary toe-tapping or strut-dancing.”
[mp3] Rai Knight – New New
September 4, 2010
So, this is apparently my 100th post here on Mister Manager’s Marvelous Music Mblog. Yeah, I know. I’m as surprised as you are.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m going to post a video by my favourite band, of my favourite song, at one of my favourite concerts.
P.S. I’m well aware that I’ve posted a multitude of Arcade Fire videos lately, but it’s my postiversary, so I can do what I want.
P.P.S. For those who still haven’t seen the awesome uber-cool interactive-y video for “We Used To Wait”, check it out here.
August 25, 2010
One thing the consulting industry is often criticized for (and sometimes rightly so, I can say as a former consultant) is the tendency to apply a “one size fits all” solution to clients. Which leads me to wonder – are Yeasayer and MGMT using music video consultants? I mean, within a week of each other, each releases a music video chronicling the last hours of a weird, creepy, animal/monster hybrid as its main focus.
It’s as if there is some music video consultant out there saying, “You know what’s hot right now? Disgusting fleshy quasi-animals dying. Trust me on this one – I’ll make you a star.” If my theory holds, LCD Soundsystem and Ra Ra Riot both release music videos within the next month featuring the unholy love child of an emu and Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Wait for it…
August 22, 2010
Arcade Fire recently released a video for Suburbs’ single “Ready to Start” featuring live black and white footage of the band. For those who haven’t been to an Arcade Fire show, the vid is a pretty good capture of what goes on and what the band feels like live – for those who have been, expect a flood of memories from your last show. You’ve got the intense crowd participation, an impossibly high number of musicians playing a wide variety of instruments, some “Wake Up”-esque drum beating, and even some implied guitar smashing from Win.
While the video may not generate heaps of buzz for originality (like the super weird new Yeasayer video for “Madder Red“), it remains a faithful representation of the band and manages to come off as distinctly Arcade Fire.
M: Manager. We-we just say, uh...
GM: I know, but you...
M: Doesn’t matter who.
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