Danny Elfman deals with some pests, Space Chaser make the most of technology, Kavanagh try to keep up with the Joneses, Slamdanistas are just a bunch of old slackers, Jack Silverman takes a spin down noir alley — and if I had to use one word to sum up some of the top videos in your Tuesday Roundup, it would be cinematic. Pop some corn and fire up the home theatre for these feature presentations:
1 | Danny Elfman | Insects
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Danny Elfman has just shared Insects — a reworked version of an old Oingo Boingo song — as the final preview of his new double album Big Mess, out on June 11. “In the beginning of 2020 I was preparing a live show for Coachella. I’d been looking for old Boingo songs that connected to the dystopian nightmare I found myself immersed in at that moment in time living in America,” Elfman explains. “As I played around with different songs it occurred to me that Insects made sense. Who were the Insects, the blood suckers of today? It was obvious to me — they all hived together in Washington and seemed to thrive on sucking the rational sense of reality out of our brains.”
2 | Space Chaser | Remnants Of Technology
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On July 16, Berlin’s Space Chaser will release their new album Give Us Life. But first, check out the epic sci-fi movie video for the single Remnants of Technology. They say: “We wanted to make the best music video we could possibly make. And with a lot of hard work and even more luck, we got something far greater than we could have ever dreamed of. We had this idea for a video lying around for years, but never were able to put it to film. Until now. We had a crew of 60 people working for us. Somehow word got around in the Berlin film scene, and almost everyone was on fire, and wanted to be a part of it. Fifty Costumes, four make-up artists, 30 extras, a team of directors, camera operators, professional lightning — you name it, we had it … The result looks like a Michael Jackson video. If he was a thrasher. From Berlin. Watch The Skies.”
3 | Kavanagh | Come And Meet The Jones’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The second single from the fast-rising Brighton-based band finds Kavanagh in take-no-prisoners mood as they deliver an ensnaring alternative rock epic and a damning indictment of small-town rural mentalities. After the bright cosmic burst of previous single Citizen 202, Come And Meet The Jones’ is a track of a more slow-burning, but no less explosive nature. Subverting the traits that have become so synonymous with English country life, Come And Meet The Jones’ up-ends their values with razor sharp critique and sardonic social commentary. But exactly who are The Joneses? David Emmons explains: “The Jones’ are the other people living in the world. It’s a play on the typical ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ and it explores English life, specifically that of the English middle class living in the countryside … It explores class difference, microcosms of English society, and the alienation of village life.”
4 | Slamdanistas | Cut Me Some Slack
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slamdanistas slam you madly with their second single Cut Me Some Slack. True to who they are, these raw, in-your-face, street rock ’n’ rollers testify their love for all things Faces and Stones. Gabriel Johns’ sanctifying vocal delivery rides right alongside Mike Gavigan’s rolling blues slide and Loren Molinare’s slinky rhythms. Brian Irving and Paul ILL keep it grooving along with real drum and bass ± both hypnotic and downright glorious. Slamdinistas’ influences range from ’70s pub rock to punk & classic rock, especially the British scene from the glory days of rock ’n’ roll. Each band member has made claim to his own piece of music history — as they say, “guilty by association!”
5 | Jack Silverman | Searchlight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sitting down to record demos for his newest EP Now What, Jack Silverman heard a faint and distant voice calling through his amp. This was no hallucination but, rather, a literal preacher transmitting nearby, resulting in radio interference. Never one to miss out on a happy accident, Silverman hit record and captured that evangelizing in its full mysterious form, which you can still hear throughout the final version of lead single Mixed Signals. That feeling of a haunting presence runs throughout the EP. Searchlight embraces a winding saxophone solo (courtesy of Josh Smith) set against a noir backdrop before unfurling into a sinister guitar landscape; an aural spotlight forever circling.”
6 | Andrew Rinehard | Zoë
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andrew Rinehart shares the video for his latest single Zoë. Directed by Cory Nixon, it is a loose homage to the 1995 black comedy The Doom Generation. The song is taken from the forthcoming EP Have Fun Idiot, which will also feature a duet with Bonnie Prince Billy on a cover of The Grateful Dead’s Friend of the Devil as well as a cover of The Neccessaries, a band that included Arthur Russell in the early ’80s. Rinehart says: “I was hiking around Madonna Mountain one day and the melody for Zoë came to me out of the blue. It was a ridiculously positive and happy sounding melody, which was the absolute opposite of the way the world was going at that time, so it got me thinking about the hypothetical moment in the future when all the Covid stuff would end … The lyrics portray some romantic squabbling, but at the end of the day it’s really just a celebration of life kind of song, a song that sounds and feels like joy and relief and difficult times coming to an end.”
7 | Palko!Muski | Walhalla
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The GypsyPolkaDiscoMadness band from Switzerland have done it again! With Walhalla, Palko!Muski have released a song that won’t make a leg stand still! A Fender Rhodes rattles and echoes in a fragile rhythm almost aloof. The beat is uncompromising, accompanied by a stoic, hammering metallic bass. Welcome to Walhalla: the mythical hall of the fallen warriors, reminiscing and getting drunk at the table of heroic deeds. Male phantasies and a male-constructed world view that is latently about violence and oblivious to the fact that vulnerability is not a weakness. “Lost souls and bodies filled with fear,” states singer Beleffi at the end of the first verse, suggesting that fear is the fertile ground for potential (male) violence.”
8 | The Grasshopper Lies Heavy | The Act Of Buying Groceries
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “San Antonio hardcore trio The Grasshopper Lies Heavy will release their album A Cult That Worships A God Of Death on July 16. It weaves post-hardcore, noise rock, and metal with a heroic dose of dark post-rock into a distinctly singular sonic tapestry. Boasting eight tracks, the record comes across like a two-headed beast — its first half a scorching, riff-filled goliath that stomps and chugs with the fury of a cornered bull, while side-B bares the more prone side of the animal, with longer, more intricate, and introverted songwriting that allows its ideas to ruminate and evolve. Recorded during the 2020 lockdown, it’s a record that captures the chaos and tribulations of a year gone bad. “2020 sucked for everyone,” comments guitarist/vocalist James Woodard. “I had just bought a house before the lockdown, so I decided to build out a room in the garage so I could track my own music and take my time recording.”
9 | Joker’s Hand | War Profiteer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Torrance, CA., Joker’s Hand founding members Kevin Kawano and Matthew Lau met while attending film school. After writing dozens of demos and carving a name for themselves on the L.A. club circuit, the band met with producers Steve Ornest and Wyn Davis at Total Access Recording Studios (Sublime, No Doubt, Guns N’ Roses). They began working on what would become their debut self-titled EP, which was released in 2020. Best described as retro-rock with a punk edge, Joker’s Hand songs are timeless, and their commercial accessibility reaches across the generations.”
10 | Devora | Body Bag
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A desperado of modern culture, Devora bridges outlaw country melodies with dark pop hooks drawing you into her surrealist western world. Entitled Body Bag, her latest song swells from a wild west twang into a gritty and unapologetic confrontation with one’s own rage. She says: “Have you ever been so frustrated with someone that you just wanted to tie them up in a burlap sack, dump them in a 6-foot dirt grave in the middle of the Mojave desert and then drive off at full speed into the sunset without looking back? Body Bag is an ode to outlaws everywhere. Sometimes you gotta get a little wild and reckless to get things done.”
11 | Julia Bhatt | 1:30
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I think that living via social media is taking somewhat of a toll on me even though that’s where most of my following lies,” says 19-year-old genre-jumping Miami artist Julia Bhatt while discussing her newest track 1:30 (titled for the track’s time stamp). The accompanying animated video features a shadowed entity that personifies Bhatt’s feelings of “seeing social media figures literally everywhere,” which serve as a constant reminder about “watching from the outside when you feel you could be doing more.” The single showcases her witty personality, fast-paced wordsmithing, and disgust for social media’s impact within the industry. She adds, “I think it’s a pretty talked-about subject, but people are getting record deals and opportunities simply because they get incredibly famous on social media, most times not even for singing.”
12 | AFI | Tied To A Tree
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “AFI have shared Tied To A Tree, the latest track from their new album Bodies (due June 11). “This is not only my favorite song on the record, but an exemplification of the evolution of the band,” guitarist Jade Puget says. AFI are leaders, not followers. A collective in a perpetual state of creative evolution as fluid as the evocative figures contorting on the cover of Bodies, their newest collection of songs. The record is a snapshot of unrelenting artists in motion, unconcerned with compromise or outside demands. Bodies is further demonstration of AFI’s unwavering commitment to artistic exploration, a dark conjuration of an uncapturable muse.”
13 | Capstan | Shades Of Us
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Florida post-hardcore rockers Capstan will drop their second full-length Separate on July 23. Shades Of Us gives a taste of the upcoming record, teetering between vulnerable vocals, neck-snapping riffs, trap hi-hats, and unforgettable grooves, culminating in a magnetically massive hook offset by a deluge of distortion. Capstan draw inspiration from acts all across the genre-sphere to craft their own high-energy and unique mix of post-hardcore, prog rock, and metalcore. Written during the world’s 2020 lockdown, Separate is a special and definitive statement inspired by guitarist Mabry’s recent divorce. The record came from the depression and reflection he experienced during the pandemic.”
14 | Lil Lotus | Romantic Disaster (ft. Chrissy Costanza)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lil Lotus has announced his forthcoming debut album Errør Bøy comes out Aug. 20. Today, Lotus shares the infectious alternative duet Romantic Disaster, featuring charismatic vocalist Chrissy Costanza (Against The Current). “Me and Feldy [producer John Feldmann] were almost finished with the album and we had this one song that we felt was special but something was missing,” recalls Lotus. Per the suggestion of longtime collaborator Lil Aaron, they decided to have Costanza come to the studio. “We just work great together,” notes Lotus on their chemistry. “I didn’t realize the song could sound as wild as it does now until I heard Chrissy’s voice on it.”
15 | Paragon Cause | Think I’m Going Crazy Over You (Jupiter Mix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a nod to their varied and eclectic influences, Ottawa’s passionate providers of ethereal, atmospheric electro-rock, Paragon Cause, continue their assault on the conventionality of pop music with their latest single Think I’m Going Crazy Over You (Jupiter Mix). It is the next musical masterwork to come from the duo of Jay Bonaparte and Michelle Opthof, working in collaboration with two veteran European hit makers / producers / songwriters — Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps / FKA Twiggs / Lana Del Ray) — on their forthcoming album Autopilot. “The idea was to take the lyrics and melody for Think I’m Going Crazy Over You and create different music to accompany it, changing the meaning of the song each time. We wanted to experiment with the power of music and sound, so we recorded three different versions of the same song,” said Bonaparte. Added Opthof: “We wanted to show how an individual can view one single situation from a different point of view, depending on the day, their feelings, their point of view.”
16 | John Carroll Kirby | Sensing Not Seeing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pianist and composer John Carroll Kirby is releasing his first ensemble album Septet on June 25, and here is a new selection from it. For Sensing Not Seeing, Kirby explains, “I imagined running through a forest in the dark. The drums have a frantic energy and the melody is ominous. In the middle section where there would traditionally be an improvised solo, the rhythm section backs a silent instrumentalist, as if wandering through the dark with nothing to guide them.”
17 | Haze Da Martian | Eulogy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising up from Bradford’s notorious Holme Wood estate, Haze Da Martian crashes into the U.K. rap scene as an innately talented, disruptive force. Eulogy emerges as a pensive, cerebral catharsis of the street life Haze has lived in Bradford all his life, conjuring easy comparisons to the marginalised raps of Pa Salieu — however his deeply philosophical takes on the trials and tribulations of the life place him in a thrillingly new space all his own. Hitting hard over a floating, icy instrumental, it’s a marker of the precocious artist’s talent levels at this early stage. Haze’s influences from a young age have always been beyond his estate window — an early appreciation of David Bowie and the outsider grunge of Nirvana gives Haze’s sound a thrillingly varied potential.”
18 | Guacáyo | Lemonade
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Guacáyo captivate with big bass, charming arrangements, and female vocals intoning provocative texts that address feminism, social injustices or the environmental cause. This German quartet, much appreciated by the public outside the Rhine, take you into a world of their own. By mixing all these musical genres, by abolishing borders and by being unclassifiable, Guacáyo defend tolerance, self-esteem and the authenticity of everyone.”
