Jenn Vix has your number, Natalie Shay hearts the ’80s, (Sandy) Alex G gets animated, Omni play the angles and more in today’s Roundup. What do you want? Information? You won’t get it.
1 I am not a number. I am a free man. But I’m also a man who enjoys a good Prisoner homage — which is precisely what electro-rocker Jenn Vix programs in the video for her paranoid single Rover, taken from her fittingly titled recent EP 6. If none of this means rings any bells, you have some serious catching up to do. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Being a massive fan of the 1967 TV show The Prisoner featuring the late Patrick McGoohan, Jenn made this video as a tribute, recreating its scenery and style. “The clothing, umbrellas, and ocean scenery were easy to come across; I have family members who live in Newport, RI, so I stayed with them while filming, and I used the location for all of the outdoor shots,” says Jenn about the filming of the video. “The interior set was a bit more difficult, but I managed to somewhat recreate Number 2’s lair to the best of my ability with the budget I had available. I purchased some telephone handsets that were the exact shape of the ones used in the series, and I spray painted them to match its look almost identically.” Be seeing you:
2 Like anybody else who came of age in the ’80s, I am eternally grateful that smart phones and social media weren’t around to preserve all my dumbassery for posterity. But I’m perfectly fine with London pop singer Natalie Shay combining the sound of the era with some thoughtful lyrics about contemporary technology in her latest single People Like Me — and adding plenty of era-appropriate visuals to the kitschy video that goes with. No wonder people like her. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The infectious ’80s-inspired indie-pop track details the challenges that artists face and how social media can act as a mask, bringing a rose-tinted perception of what someone is really going through.” What is not to like?
3 Pennsylvania indie singer-songwriter (Sandy) Alex G has always been a hard guy to pigeonhole. Even alphabetically — I never know whether to list him under S, G or even A. He can often be no easier to pin down creatively — as the eccentric black-and-white animated video for his latest dreamy single Southern Sky makes clear. If the rest of his Sept. 13 album House of Sugar is like this, things could get interesting. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The animated clip comes courtesy of longtime (Sandy) Alex G collaborator Elliot Bech, and the track features vocals by Emily Yacina.” Don’t forget to paint your igloo:
4 Omni know the angles. And the Atlanta indie outfit put plenty of them into quirky compositions like Sincerely Yours, the latest missive from their Nov. 1 album Networker. Well, at least they’re polite about it. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sincerely Yours delivers a tight groove accompanied by smart leads — Elements that have become a definitive part of Omni’s immediately recognizable sound. However, there is a new sonic brilliance to this recording. Elaborating on the inspiration behind Sincerely Yours, Philip Frobos shares that “The last couple of years marked a lot of friends making the 9 to 5 career change. While I’m aware that there are many advantages to that lifestyle, the song is written from an outsider’s perspective while remaining close to their struggles.” Works for me:
5 Had enough of summer sun and fun? Miss the chilly, snow-laden streets of winter? Want to hunker down in the kitchen and cook celebratory spaghetti to serve to a giant owl? Well, Winnipeg indie-pop singer-songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith — aka JayWood — has just the thing for you: A homemade video that’s every bit as charming as the song it illustrates. Get out your sparklers and enjoy Moon Cats (which includes neither the moon nor any cats; discuss among yourselves). SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “What started out as sad, bedroom jangle-pop songs about how miserable I was slowly began to evolve – both style/direction wise – over time into the more psych-funk sound that you hear today. The inspiration behind my new single, Moon Cats, came from taking a leap of faith. I went through so many lyrical drafts to fill in the song; however, I soon realized that its instrumentation says more than any phrase ever could.” I think I can see my house from here:
6 Loyalty isn’t complicated. In fact, it’s pretty simple. London-born Quebec singer-songwriter Borza knows this — and gets that message across without any fuss or fanfare in his sweet single and video True To You. Would I lie? Well, OK, I would. But not this time. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Borza’s songs and music are about enlightenments he’s had that’s helped him with different situations in life, and he likes to share these moments with people, just like he does with his friends and family.” True story:
7 Everybody needs somebody to love. And to love them. Devon Welsh might be able to help. The former frontman of critically acclaimed Montreal art-pop duo Majical Cloudz will be dropping his sophomore solo album True Love on Oct. 11 — and if that doesn’t tell you how he feels, he drops another casual hint with his new single and video: Somebody Loves You. Aw, garsh. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “As you get older, love becomes so much stranger than the childhood fantasy versions of yearning and desire,” Welsh says. “Romance can be such a scary thing because there’s so much trust involved – sitting with uncertainties and reservations, taking a longer look at emotions, trying to understand them. But there’s a deepening of love, which is the energy that holds people together.” Feel the love:
8 When I think of Las Vegas, I think about the same things as everybody else: Gambling, buffets, cheap booze, wedding chapels, Cirque du Soleil, Elvis impersonators. I don’t think about lush, seductive soul-pop tastefully decorated with peripheral electronics. But that’s exactly what you get in Nevada, the latest single from Toronto singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist River Tiber — real name: Tommy Paxton-Beesley. Take the gamble: You can’t lose. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Nevada (is) a song about “embracing the unknown, leaning into the feeling of being lost, finding love in the most unlikely of places,” says River Tiber. “The chords and melody came to me suddenly. I was listening to a lot of Marvin Gaye like always.” Better than an Elvis impersonator:
