The xx | Together

Following Lana Del Rey and Florence, The xx also have a haunting new song out from the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s new adaptation of The Great Gatsby. If nothing else, this film is going to have one mighty epic OST. 

Also check out the fabulous new tracks from Florence and Lana.

Source: SoundCloud / Interscope Records

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2012 was a great year for music I felt. Maybe just because I was more tuned in than ever, posting almost a new video per day on my blog, I had an even harder time than last year in narrowing down my top picks from the last 12 months. I’m only one person with a specific taste in music (though my tastes are quite varied) so these upcoming “Best of” lists are simply what I enjoyed the most. 

When I sat down to decide my favorite albums, I made my selections based on what I enjoyed the most this past year. What did I find myself putting on repeat the most and continuously adding back to my playlists? Some of my selections will line right up with the big music critic’s lists, but then a lot of mine probably won’t even make a blip on their radars. So this list is most certainly biased by my own tastes (and not influenced by what others say), and that’s why these are my 25 favorite albums of 2012.

NOTICE: Due to traveling from now until after the new year and being very busy up until now, I won’t be able to give my top albums their proper due until I return. So for now I wanted to post the list, and sometime early January I will update and re-post with my detailed write-ups on each of my favorite albums. 

25. (Tie) Lana Del Rey - Born to Die Paradise Edition AND Marina and the Diamonds - Electra Heart

24. DIIV - Oshin

23. Sigur Ros - Valtari

22. The xx - Coexist

21. How To Dress Well - Total Loss

20. Trust - Trst

19. Hot Chip - In Our Heads

18. Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

17. Dan Deacon - America

16. Beach House - Bloom

15. Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

14. Santigold - Maste of My Make-Believe

13. Grizzly Bear - Shields

12. The Weeknd - Trilogy 

11. Passion Pit - Gossamer

10. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

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9. Anais Mitchell - Young Man In America

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8. Chairlift - Something

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7. Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream

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6. School of Seven Bells - Ghostory

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5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

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4. Niki And The Dove - Instinct

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3. Twin Shadow - Confess

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2. Purity Ring - Shrines

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1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock

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2012 was a great year for music I felt. Maybe just because I was more tuned in than ever, posting almost a new video per day on my blog, I had an even harder time than last year in narrowing down my top picks from the last 12 months. I’m only one person with a specific taste in music (though my tastes are quite varied) so these upcoming “Best of” lists are simply what I enjoyed the most. 

So let’s start it off with what I felt were the most outstanding music videos made in 2012, divided up into categories.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Laura Marling - I was Just A Card The dancing in this is just fantastic

Aluna George - Your Drums, Your Love Hands down some of the best choreography in a video this year. So good I wasn’t sure if I was watching special effects at work

Pink - Try I really loved the dance in this, like something ripped from Fox’s reality show SYTYCD

COOLEST CONCEPTS

Chairlift - Met Before An incredibly neat choose-your-own-adventure music video that can play out many different ways. I probably watched this 6 different times or more and still don’t think I saw all the possible storylines

Dan Deacon - True Thrush I love, love, loved this concept and must have watched it a dozen times and think it would be a ton of fun to make something similar with friends.

Tanlines - Brothers A very simple video—the band members sitting around jamming—but made unique with the ability for the viewer to choose where they look in the room at any point throughout the song

Alphabeat - Love Sea Everything about Alphabeat is a lot of fun

Lushlife - Magnolia Maybe the simplest yet coolest idea for a video this year

MOST EPIC

M83 - Reunion M83’s take on super powered children that spanned 3 videos was most definitely one of the most epic of the year.

Woodkid - Run Boy Run Though this one gives M83 a run for their money in the epic category

Get Well Soon - Roland I feel You A crazy, fun sci-fi/western that I’d love to see expanded into a longer film

Frank Ocean - Pyramids The sprawling “Pyramids” is a work of genius, and the video only helps elevate it just that much further

WhoMadeWho - Runnning Man & The Sun An ambitious short film more than just a video clip

The Shins - It’s Only Life If Miyazaki did a zombie film

MOST BEAUTIFUL

Astronauts, etc - You Can Yell A beautifully animated clip that remains one of my favorites of the year

Porter Robinson - Language  The biggest example this past year of video I loved, song I only kind-of-liked. But boy is the clip pretty

Lana Del Rey - Ride Long and a little pretentious, this LDR video isn’t going to win over her haters. But I kind of love her, and I loved elongated version of her single “Ride” and the imagery that went with it

Lavender Diamond - Everybody’s Heart’s Breaking Now A mesmerizingly beautiful clip that broke my heart a little the first time I saw it

Explosions in the Sky - Postcard From 1952 An incredibly poignant and beautifully shot video that makes the musical journey through EITS’s music that much more vivid and affecting

Niki & The Dove - The Fox The song and video that made Niki & The Dove one of my favorite new finds of the year

Lost Lander - Cold Feet A great use of existing footage to compliment the song’s message

MOST FUN

Miles Fisher - New Romance Cheesy, 80s homage to Saved by the Bell

Flight of the Conchords - Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That) I mean it’s Flight of The Conchords (and friends) and kids. Just brilliant

Moullinex - Take My Pain Away Hey, hey, 24 hours a day…I probably had this song/video on repeat after I first saw it

Hot Chip - Don’t Deny Your Heart Hot Chip plays video games and a bunch of pixelated soccer players make out

THE REST 

I’m not sure where to stick these even though they’re all pretty great

Gotye - Easy Way Out <3

Scissor Sisters - Baby Come Home A fast and frantic ride with one of the most faaabulous bands out there

IAMEVE - Throw Me A Line An awesomely confusing mini sci-fi flick

Antony and the Johnsons - Cut The World Willem Dafoe stars alongside a bunch of crazy dames

Miguel - Adorn Everything about Miguel oozes sexy, from his voice to his lyrics, and watching him in motion…well I’m not convinced one can’t get knocked up from simply watching and listening to this

The Valtari Mystery Film Experiment

2012 for me was dominated by the videos of the gorgeous Icelandic ambient-rockers Sigur rós (whom I had the immense pleasure of seeing live this year). They started the Mystery Film Experiment early in 2012 and continued it ‘til the end. They handed over their music to 16 different creative teams to create unique videos to go along with the songs from their latest album, Valtari. All year long I found myself looking forward to watching the next video. It was a gift that kept on giving. Almost every video was something special, but a few did stand out above the rest. I think the results of the entire year-long project are worth checking out, but if you don’t time, these were just a handful of my favorites:

film #14: valtari //

film #15: varúð //

film #6: varúð //

film #3: fjögur píanó //

Lana Del Rey | Ride

Why do I love her as much as I do? While Born to Die was an ultimately disappointing album, I find myself so very drawn to all of LDR’s videos. Ride is actually one of the best things she has recorded, but this video, this 10 minute long mini-film that is half devoted to watched Del Rey cycle through every last emotion she knows how to portray while breathily reading what sound like excerpts from her diary…it’s just beautiful. So say what you will about the big lipped gangster Nancy Sinatra, she knows how to make pretty things sometimes, and this is one of her best. 

Lana Del Rey | Ride

Oh man, THIS is the kind of stuff Lana Del Rey blows out of the park. “Ride” is a new song (1 of 8) off the upcoming Paradise Edition of her album Born to Die. And “Ride” takes her back to “Video Games” territory, where she rightly earned all her buzz to begin with. 

You can preview more of the new material in this short YouTube clip where Del Rey will gaze upon you with that sultry, half-dead thing she does so well.

And apparently her pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola. 

Lana Del Rey | National Anthem

Oops, I totally forgot to share this last week! There was some buzz about this video in the past month or so, regarding Del Rey’s decision to play the part of Jackie O and A$AP ROCKY the part of JFK. 

Say what you will about this girl, but she’s got swag. 

Lana Del Rey | National Anthem (BURNS’ SFTCR remix)

So Lana Del Rey’s album came with lots of buzz burning up around its release, both good and bad, and then it went, buried beneath mostly lukewarm-to-terrible reviews that seemed to attest to hype being > the reality. Her SNL debut didn’t seem to help matters much either. But I was always kind of on her side, enjoying the music and her persona for what it was, whether legit or not. I didn’t feel wounded or lied to. I just found the music catchy and the videos appealing. 

But I’ll admit, her album slipped in and out of my playlist rotation pretty quickly. There were some pretty good tracks on Born to Die but as a cohesive whole it was indeed kind of forgettable. I still like Lana though, and lately I’ve glimpsed a future for her in her collaborations in the indie hip-hop scene with artists like Smiler and A$AP Rocky. Her sound really works here, maybe more so than in the pure pop scene. So while her album may not have rocket-starred her to fame and probably put many off her trail for good, I still think she could have a bright future in the music scene. 

Oh yeah and here’s a pretty sweet remix of National Anthem.

Happy Weekend!

Smiler | Spender (Feat Lana Del Rey)

I think I’ve decided Del Rey’s best stuff is put out through collaborations with others. Her “gangster Nancy Sinatra” persona really shines in these kind of tracks. 

Oh and you can get Smiler’s entire mixtape (including this song) for free over here: http://smilermusic.com/ 

Lana Del Rey | Blue Jeans

Are those crocodiles in the pool or just the scorned indie music media nipping for some flesh?

Del Rey’s album came and went and, though I still like her, the album was forgettable save for a few standouts. But I judged it on the music, not the pre-album controversy and backlash. And I still think this is a good song, and she looks good in this video (fake lips and all). 

  • 5,599 Plays
  • RadioLana Del Rey

I don’t care about her or the controversy. I like her freakin’ music.

mayormarwan:

Jammer from the forthcoming Born to Die. Ever since seeing LDR bomb on SNL, I’ve both been a bit down on her as well as feel bad for her. It was NOT the worst performance I’d seen. She was just not ready. Anywho, enjoy.

Radio - Lana Del Rey

Now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a fuckin’ dream I’m livin’ in. Baby love me ‘cause I’m playin’ on the Radio. How do you like me now? Pick me up and take me like a vitamin, ‘cause my body’s sweet like sugar venom, oh yeah. 

Source: goosetavo

Best Videos of 2011 // SUPER DELUXE EDITION

I posted a lot of videos this past year on my Tumblr, and while I liked every single one I posted for different reasons, I’ve gone back and selected the 25 I liked best of all. And here they are all in one, convenient place.

The Sound of Arrows – Wonders These guys put a polished, cinematic sheen on all their videos, making them all feel so grand.

Lykke Li – Sadness is a Blessing Lykke Li singing about sadness in a restaurant. 

Handsome Furs – Serve the People

Holy Ghost – Hold My Breath A live tour clip show video done well, timed perfectly to the frantic beat of the song.

Destroyer – Kaputt  From a geeky ladies man to a desert full of shrouded singers, this clip is both funny and strange.

Future Islands - Balance This one inspired all sorts of urges to go on an aimless road trip in me. 

Katy Perry – T.G.I.F. It has Rebecca Black, who gets an honorary mention for her insta-hit, Friday. 

Robyn – Call your Girlfriend I love her crazy, “I don’t give a shit” dance style, and this is an entire video of the girl just letting loose. 

Lonely Island – Jack Sparrow Michael Bolton as Jack Sparrow…need I say more?

Arcade Fire – Scenes from the Suburbs This half hour short film/music video, directed by Spike Jonze, is a wonder.

Hooray for Earth – True Lovers Something about this just transfixed me and it’s tells a cool story, as far as 3 minute music videos go.

Wye Oak – Fish The use of movement and color in this gorgeous video are what make it so great.

Kimbra – Settle Down Creepy, and yet I’d settle down with her in a heartbeat.

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die There’s a big, stylish gap between this and Videogames, the low key clip show song and video that put Del Rey on the map this past year. But something about it and her manufactured pouty lips just gets me.

Will Young – Come On Verges on sappy, but I liked the concept. And I like dogs.

Los Campesinos! – By Your Hand Everything about this song and video are just fun.

The Weeknd – The Morning The Weeknd sings enough about drugs and sex, but now see what they can do to you. And it’s not all fun and games.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Body Sweeps you up with an emotion of nostalgia and things lost that the song did well enough on its own, but the clip enhances.

Fleet Foxes -  The Shrine/An Argument Holy crap is this beautifully animated and holy crap is it a downer.

Mates of State – Sway Prom meets Alice in Wonderland.

Biting Elbows - The Stampede A typical day at the office turns into a fists-flying brawl to escape the office in a sequence straight out of the video game Mirrors Edge. 

M83 – Midnight City If this song wasn’t good enough on it’s own, the video punches this into a whole new world of good. It’s M83 and superheroes. I mean, it’s like they make music just for me. 

Gotye – Bronte I’m gonna come right out and admit, I cried when I watched this video. It’s pretty to look at for sure, but it’s the story and the powerful emotions of nostalgia behind it that really hit hard. 

Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math A brutal look at the moments after a terrible car crash, slipping in and out of the past and present, with a truck that goes spinning in suspended time, like that van from Inception. 

Battles - My Machines I’ve always had a fear of escalators (perhaps ever since seeing footage of a woman being sucked under one) and this video takes that fear and works it. And the action just keeps on escalating from there, along with the song.

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