Category Archives: Shorties

Shorties

New Black Lips video: Crystal Night

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Video: Black Lips – “Crystal Night”

From Satan’s graffiti or God’s art? out now on Vice Records. Produced by Sean Lennon.

Weird. It’s a dopey 50s love song pastiche, and also…it’s set during the event that kicked off the Holocaust, Kristallnacht. In the video, our protagonist gets kicked out of the prom by security (in brown shirts, of course) for spiking the punch. Ultimately, he’s thrown in the trunk of a BMW and driven away. If this is a reference to the historical “Night of Broken Glass” in 1938 when thousands of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues were ransacked and destroyed by nazis, it’s pretty tasteless. Tens of thousands of Jews were arrested within 24 hours and the Black Lips are joking about emptying your flask into the punch bowl?

We never said goodbye
Now you’re sent to die
On crystal night

It’d be pretty easy to argue that the Lips are trivializing the horrific pogrom against Jews for the sake of a goofy little ditty. And I’m guessing they might suggest that it’s only rock and roll and we should all lighten up. Part of what I love about this band is their snottiness and general DGAF attitude, so this is not necessarily “off brand” for them. (I suppose they did something similar with Hurricane Katrina ten years ago.) But this is pretty fucking odd.

Black Lips: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Video: Black Lips – “O Katrina!”

From Good Bad Not Evil, on Vice Records, 2007.

Shorties

New Sheryl Crow video: Roller Skate

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Video: Sheryl Crow – “Roller Skate”

From Be Myself, out now on Warner Bros.

It’s cool to see Sheryl Crow skating around the da Vinci Horse (by sculptor Nina Akamu) at Meijer Gardens in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In fact, all the scenes in the video where Crow is wearing the black “Grateful” tanktop were shot at Meijer Gardens where she played a sold-out show in July.

I haven’t paid much attention to Sheryl Crow for a long time, but this song sounds pretty good. Certainly can’t argue with the message.

I don’t want competition
So put your phone away
Let’s roller skate

Of course if you’re going to sing about roller skating, it’s hard not to think about Melanie’s “Brand New Key.”

Update: Looks like the video has been yanked from YouTube, possibly because it may have used unlicensed footage from “The Funk Phenomena.” Boo.

Update #2: Video’s back online. Must’ve figured out whatever needed to be figured out. 9/28/2017.

Via @pauljendrasiak.

Sheryl Crow: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

* * *

Video: The Dollyrots – “Brand New Key”

Shorties

New Beck video: Up All Night

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Video: Beck – “Up All Night”

From Colors, out October 13 on Capitol Records.

Speaking of Beck, hooray, he’s fun again!

This is the third song released from Colors (after “Dear Life” and “Wow”) and all three have been upbeat. While I love some melancholy Beck — my all-time favorite Beck album is One Foot in the Grave — I think he can pull off the dancey jams more convincingly these days than the Gordon Lightfoot numbers. His voice and personality are more suited to bangers than bummers.

“Up All Night” is a grown man’s plea to get back to the good life, shaking booty, making sweet love all the night. “See the colors and all the kids going home / Night is crawling up to the day” but Beck just wants to “stay up all night with you.” The video’s great, too, with a teenaged superhero/transformer rescuing a boy from the worst (or best?) party ever.

Beck: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Continue reading New Beck video: Up All Night →

Shorties

New Diet Cig video: Harvard

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Video: Diet Cig – “Harvard”

From the 2015 Over Easy EP on Father/Daughter Records. Available on vinyl for the first time now.

I love this video in which a couple of conspiratorial tweens rebel against their pushy soccer moms who try to make them care about sports. The fact that the sport in question is roller derby makes it even funnier.

And the lyrics are awesome:

You never wanted to date a college girl
Well, I hope you got something out of that deal
Or made your parents proud
I bet she’s not as loud
[…]
Fuck your Ivy League sweater
You know I was better

Alex Luciano told Pigeons and Planes about the origin of the song:

It sounds like he dumped me for a college girl, but I dumped him and then he went on to date a Harvard girl and was trying to be like “Oh, well I’m really cool” about it and I was like “You know what? Fuck you, I bet she’s boring.” He was really boring and I was like “Nobody is surprised that you’re dating a girl at an ivy league school. Isn’t that just great.” I don’t know, it was just me being pissed off that he thought he was doing better.

Perfect. I love this band.

Diet Cig: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Shorties

New Iron and Wine video: Thomas County Law

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Video: Iron & Wine – “Thomas County Law”

From Beast Epic, out now on Sub Pop

Boy, Sam Beam is taking full advantage of his impressive beard in the latest Iron & Wine video, portraying a old-timey Southern preacher setting up for a funeral. He was born to play this role.

But this is a really good song. Some great lines like “The church bell isn’t kidding when it cries for you” and “There’s nowhere safe to bury all the time I’ve killed.” Classic Iron & Wine.

Iron and Wine: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Shorties

New St. Vincent video: New York

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Video: St. Vincent – “New York”

From MASSEDUCTION, due October 13 on Loma Vista/Concord.

People seem to love this but on first listen it sounds way too much like Jack Antonoff and you miss Annie Clark’s guitar. Jack’onoff is the guy from Fun who’s been working with Taylor Swift and Lorde lately. Can’t you hear Fun doing this song? I can.

Oh well, it’s pretty at least, and the video’s cool. I like the line, “you’re the only motherfucker in the city who can handle me.” And I can certainly appreciate the loneliness of living somewhere after your old crew has left town, but the idea of anybody choosing to move to Los Angeles grosses me out.

Repeated listens reveal more of its charms, but I’m hoping there are more guitars and less Jack Antonoff on the rest of the album.

St. Vincent: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Continue reading New St. Vincent video: New York →

Shorties

New Luna video: Fire in Cairo starring Rose McGowan

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Video: Luna – “Fire in Cairo”

From A Sentimental Education, due September 22 on PledgeMusic/Double Features Records.

My favorite era of the Cure is the Three Imaginary Boys period before they incorporated synths. They were just scrappy young punks with a clever sense of melody. Their gloomy stuff is great too, of course, but I drove around for an entire year of high school with a tape of Boys Don’t Cry stuck in the cassette deck of my Cutlass Supreme (with Love and Rockets’ Earth•Sun•Moon on the flip) and never got tired of it. While never showcased as a single, “Fire in Cairo” is a highlight of that era.

Luna is the band that Dean Wareham started after leaving Galaxie 500. They’re a 90s band, but they got back together a couple years ago to tour and record an album of covers. Their take on “Fire in Cairo” sticks pretty close to the original arrangement but the tone of the guitars and Wareham’s vocals make it sound like classic Luna.

The video follows Rose McGowan around as she goes about her day, hanging with friends, admiring fan art drawings, taking in a rock show at Gold Diggers, doing interviews, etc. It seems to suggest a commentary on the loneliness of aging, but that might just be me projecting my own feelings onto it.

Luna: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Via Slicing Up Eyeballs.

Continue reading New Luna video: Fire in Cairo starring Rose McGowan →

Shorties

New Danzig video: Last Ride

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Video: Danzig – “Last Ride”

From Black Laden Crown, out now on Nuclear Blast. Directed by Glenn Danzig.

Oh Glenn. It’s easy to laugh at Danzig. He takes himself so seriously. And he’s lonely! He could definitely use a hug.

But I am so happy he’s still around, doing what he does. And seeing the Misfits play Riot Fest last year was a hightlight of my life, even if his lungs were out of shape.

This song sounds better than that first song off this new album we heard back in April, but that’s a low bar. Danzig would benefit from using an outside producer who could help bring out what he does best. This is not that.

Danzig is playing Danzig III: How the Gods Kill at Riot Fest on Saturday, September 16, at 5:20 PM.

Danzig: web, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Shorties

New Liars video: Cred Woes

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Video: Liars – “Cred Woes”

From TFCF, out now on Mute.

Reminds me of weird, early Beck. Remember when he used to sing about washing dishes and blowing leaves and stuff? Good times. Now we’ve got Liars singing about his “minimum wage routine” and sampling a bit of “My Sharona.” What year is this? Is Carl Stephenson involved?

I like the taste of cola on ice
In the employee lounge
Kick back in comfort, fearless

Regardless, this song is pretty cool. Especially if you like Mellow Gold-era b-sides and deep cuts.

Liars are playing Riot Fest at 2:15 PM on Friday, September 15.

Liars: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.