He is Legend boogie down, Orville Peck ponies up, Scattered Clouds grapple, Fiona Grey goes B&W and more in today’s Roundup. I don’t know about you, but Friday night can’t come fast enough for me.
1 You’ve heard of the boogie man. You’ve heard of a boogie van. You’ve even heard John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillen. But North Carolina rockers He is Legend are here to introduce to Boogiewoman, a darkly hefty slab of southern-fried groove-rock riffage from their June 28 album White Bat. And yes, it does boogie — but in the heaviest and creepiest way possible. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “[Director] Myles Erfurth and I have been trying to team up for a while now,” singer Schuyler Croom said about the video, which he co-directed. “It was a pleasure making this as we are both horror fanatics. We knew we had something special when one of our actors walked off set because the vibe was a little too dark for her.” Print the legend:
2 Masked marvel and anachronistic country crooner Orville Peck unveiled the stylish silhouette video for Hope to Die, the latest single from his recently released and deservedly acclaimed album Pony. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Yeehaw! Orville Peck’s epic new video for Hope To Die shows us a side to the enigmatic Country star we haven’t seen before. A starlit collection of dusty memory’s. Fractures of Orville’s past, present, and future. Tender moments, dark endings and a barnyard dance-break. The video was directed by Blake Mawson.” Cross your heart:
3 I know what you’re wondering: When is a Francophone electro-pop duo going to make a wrestling video that serves as a metaphor for contemporary politics? Well, wait not no longer. Scattered Clouds, the heroes of Hull, Que., have unleashed the hard-hitting clip for La politique, concours pseudo-érotique, a track from their June 27 release Take Away Your Summer. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “La politique, concours pseudo-érotique is about the current political climate, how there’s a growing sense of powerlessness in democracy and how world politics seem to play out like a theatre show,” says the band. “The video is a metaphorical exploration of amateur wrestling entertainment and how it is analogous to the satirical and barbaric presentation of the modern day political stage.” Get in the ring:
4 It’s an ambitious black-and-white music video. It’s a stylized homage to Old Hollywood glamour. It’s a tribute to decadent foreign films. And it’s an episode of The Bachelor gone violently haywire. It’s the striking video for Saviour, the latest sultry single from L.A. pop singer Fiona Grey. Feast your eyes. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “There is a lot about living in a pop culture centered world that we deem as ‘normal behavior’. I hope that the music can remind the listener that this follower-centric, alternate persona universe we live in is all temporary happiness,” reveals the songstress who is known for her dynamic glittery performances.” Imagine what she can do in full colour:
5 Looking for an upbeat, lighthearted video to put a smile on your face and entertain you today? Do not under any circumstances watch the cinematic clip for singer-songwriter Ben Rogers’ Wildfire album track A Changed Man — it’s a harrowing, uncompromising tale about the endless cycle and tragic consequences of domestic abuse that will most likely depress the hell out of you. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a powerful illustration of a moving song, well, you’re come to the right place. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “I knew by creating a cinematic retelling of this story I was running the risk of cheapening the narrative but as soon as I started talking ideas over with director Stefan Berrill I knew I was in good hands and that it was going to work,” says Rogers. “I initially wanted it to be a one-shot music video but thankfully Stefan talked me out of it and had better ideas. Working with him and his crew was a continuation of the synergistic experience making the record. It just clicked.” You have been warned:
6 We all had that one friend who wanted to be a filmmaker. He got a camcorder for his birthday and recruited everyone in the neighbourhood to be in his movies. Whatever happened to all that footage? Well, if you live in Ottawa and grew up hanging out with the dudes in the band New Swears, you might want to take a gander at the video for Bells Corners, the buoyantly nostalgic single from their brand-new album Night Mirror. If not, well, sit back and enjoy the hijinks. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Bells Corners is a magical little place where we all grew up and met each other. The song is a nostalgic look back into the simpler times of skateboarding, bonfires, making movies, music and not giving a fuck. This video was created with over a decades’ worth of footage we had from filming ourselves as we grew up, all shot in Bells Corners.” On with the show:
https://youtu.be/ZD4WUNz9eDs
7 A funny thing happened while I was watching the video for up-and-coming Nashville popster Brit Daniels’ smouldering track Deja Vu: I had the strange sensation that I’d already seen it. Sorry, couldn’t resist. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Deja vu is defined as the feeling of having already experienced the present situation and in Daniels’ Deja Vu music video that tedious familiarity is brought to life through reversing and repeating shots of the same things happening over and over again. It’s minimalistic yet powerful, bringing the mesmeric pop song to life.” Get stuck in:
8 Some artists live up to their names. Peterborough singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle would seem to be one of them, based on the soothingly beautiful roots-pop and earthy, Stevie Nicks-style vocals of Sundays, the first single from her self-titled, Jim Bryson-produced album (which comes out Sept. 13). SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The track’s swirling synths give way to a pulsating bass that opens for Gentle’s haunting and hopeful vibrato to soar above. The song’s lyrics are confessionary by nature and provide a glimpse into the deepest feelings about love, compassion, and insecurity.” Today’s the day:
9 British new wave revivalist Marika Hackman says The One was the first song she wrote for her Aug. 9 album Any Human Friend. That seems fitting. So why is it the second preview single from the album? Answer me that. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Layered synthesizers make this the album’s most unexpected musical turn, alongside Marika’s signature new wave guitar fretwork and Blondie style delivery, she’s never sounded as widescreen. The first song written for Any Human Friend, The One is “probably the poppiest song I’ve ever written” she says. “ I loved the idea of inhabiting this ridiculous arrogant rock star character who has totally fucked their career by writing too many sad songs.” To that end, it features a riot grrrl Greek chorus hurling such insults at her as “You’re such an attention whore!” That’s one perspective:
10 Birmingham glam-rock revivalists Tremendous introduced themselves here back in February with the video for their single Open for Closing. Well, if you’re open to it, they’d like to remake your acquaintance with the anthemic and heavy followup Bag of Nails, the latest preview of their upcoming album Relentless. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It’s recorded by Gavin Monaghan (Kings Of Leon/Robert Plant/Grace Jones etc) and is one of the heavier tracks taken off the album.” Heavy as a sack of hammers, one might even say:
