Music Blog

Fleet Foxes are at the stop motion again. Following last year's similarly-composed effort for "White Winter Hymnal," the band has just released this video for their Sun Giant EP's "Mykonos." This, after choosing the same for one of the two songs they performed last month on Saturday Night Live. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only thing that might have made their self-titled debut better is the inclusion of two or three songs from Sun Giant, of which this is one. Enjoy.

Also new out from a 2008 release is this video for The Walkmen's "Four Provinces," taken from the album You & Me. It stars not the band, but the Himalayas and a 100% unjaded kid who is apparently hearing rock & roll for the first time. God, to feel like that again. I love this kid, born trailblazer that he is, but I don't want to ruin the ending for you. Watch...

 

It's a surgically-themed effort for Pete & the Pirates latest, the terribly catchy "Jennifer." Yes, surgery+love= all very ripe for heavy-handed symbolism, and granted, sweet Jenny does eventually cut the poor chap's heart out and put it in her pocket-- but it's the unexpected stuff in the video that makes it the fun it deserves (the song, not the surgery).

 

News out of the always entertaining camp of San Francisco-based musician John Vanderslice is that he's jumping ship-- or at least jumping from one ship to another ship-- for his upcoming release. Romanian Names is due out in May and after almost a decade and six releases on the Seattle-based Barsuk, the latest will find him on Dead Oceans. In other words, he's trading in labelmates like The Long Winters, Viva Voce, and Ra Ra Riot for labelmates like Bishop Allen, Bowerbirds, and Akron/Family-- essentially a draw, though John Roderick might be able to talk us out of that. Anyway, JV premiered some of the new material last month at the 10 year anniversary celebration for his Tiny Telephone Studios, and he was joined on stage by the Magik*Magik Orchestra for this version of "Too Much Time" (which, by the way, we got first last fall, stripped down and stunning).

 

Finally, speaking of Dead Oceans, it's a real live one here has Matthew Houck's Phosphorescent (along with Dirty Projectors' Angel Deradoorian) takes Willie Nelson's "It Ain't Supposed to Be That Way," to the most logical place we can think of for it-- the bar. The song is, of course, one of many Nelson-penned numbers from the just released tribute of sorts from Phosphorescent, To Willie. Goes well with beer I hear.

Tagged: video