Assemblog: July 12, 2013
Published on July 12th, 2013 in: Assemblog, Feminism, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Music, Over the Gadfly's Nest, Trailers, Video |
The Heat
New this week on Popshifter: Paul has some surprising but apt suggestions in his two-part series on Horror Movies For Kids; Melissa loves bands with tuba players and as a result, raves about That’s It! from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Jeff will crack you up with his review of the probably unnecessary Thank You from Duran Duran; Chelsea enjoyed the “irresistible prose” and vast wealth of stories in Curtis Harrington’s memoir Nice Guys Don’t Work In Hollywood; I strongly recommend Desperation, the latest album from the Oblivians and share my thoughts (and a couple of photos) from last week’s IO Echo/CSS show at The Mod Club.
New Video: David Bowie, “The Next Day”
Published on May 23rd, 2013 in: Current Faves, Music, Video |
I have no idea how this didn’t make it onto my radar until last week. The second single from David Bowie‘s fine new album The Next Day—and the third video—is the title track.
With lines like “they whip him through the streets and alleys” and “they know God exists for the Devil told them so,” it’s not a stretch to imagine that said video might feature some religious iconography and controversy. With Bowie the boundary pusher, you’re guaranteed excesses of both.
Not having seen videos like “Boys Keep Swinging” and “D.J.” until the early ’80s on MTV, I can’t say firsthand what kind of stir they caused in the late ’70s, but they certainly caused a stirring within me.
Floria Sigismondi, who directed “The Stars (Come Out Tonight),” also helmed “The Next Day” video and it’s not dissimilar to a Caravaggio painting come to life, with a bit of Ken Russell for good measure.
I’d also argue that Sigismondi got more than a little inspiration from the 1970 Czech film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, which I’ve not been lucky enough to see, but which I’ve certainly enjoyed through numerous images online.
In “The Next Day” we have Gary Oldman as a lusty priest with a ducktail haircut and Marion Cotillard as a quasi-Mary Magdalene character in a bustier. One might consider Bowie and his linen smock and glittery scarf to be Jesus. From Pontius Pilate to Jesus: what a career!
The nightclub in which this takes place is The Decameron, either a reference to Boccaccio’s medieval allegory, the 1971 Pasolini film based on the allegory, or both. St. Lucy makes an appearance and so does Joan of Arc.
It’s gory, gorgeous, and decidedly not safe for work. Enjoy.
New Short Film: Wrecked by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Published on April 22nd, 2013 in: Movies, Video |
Image courtesy of Twitchfilm
If you recall my raves about Resolution from Toronto After Dark Film Festival last year, then you’re already familiar with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. And if you’ve seen Resolution, you know that theire defining style is “expect the unexpected.”
But first, let’s provide some context. Tribeca Enterprises has announced a collaboration with Maker Studios, a media company formed in 2009 to “to provide the best environment for artists to create, distribute, and monetize their original content on YouTube.” The two groups have recently launched Picture Show, a YouTube channel which will host short films for “comedy nerds and movie lovers.”
Benson and Moorhead’s Wrecked is the first film from Picture Show and you can watch it online. Like Resolution, the less said about the plot or genre of the film, the better. Just enjoy the ride.
For more on Picture Show, check out the YouTube channel.
New Video: Redd Kross, “Uglier”
Published on March 21st, 2013 in: Current Faves, Music, New Video, Video |
Photo © Arlie Carstens/Incase
Redd Kross has never followed fashion (that’d be a joke). Instead, they’ve always existed in some parallel, alternate universe, doing their own thang.
For proof of this phenomenon, check out this new video of them looking natty and rocking in Room 205, performing “Uglier” from their incandescent 2012 release, Researching The Blues (review).
For more Redd Kross, check out their website and go see them on tour! If you missed out on your chance to get Researching The Blues on vinyl, it’s back for a limited time from Merge Records.
Tour Dates:
Apr 3: The Earl; Atlanta GA
Apr 4: Kings Barcade; Raleigh NC
Apr 5: Black Cat; Washington DC
Apr 6: Santo’s Party House (early show) ; New York NY
Apr 7: Kung Fu Necktie; Philadelphia PA
Apr 10: Il Motore; Montreal QC
Apr 11: Horseshoe Tavern; Toronto ON
Apr 12: Lager House; Detroit, MI on sale March 20
Apr 13: Empty Bottle; Chicago IL
Apr 14: Cactus Club; Milwaukee WI
New Song/Video From Purling Hiss: “Mercury Retrograde”
Published on March 8th, 2013 in: Music, New Single, New Video, Video |Check out this meta-retro video from Purling Hiss, from their upcoming album Water On Mars (out on March 19 from Drag City). It manages to reference the ’90s referencing MTV Classic referencing actual videos from the 1970s.
For more of Purling Hiss (without the green-screened background) check them out on their upcoming tour.
Tour Dates:
4/4/13 – 285 Kent; Brooklyn, NY w/ Spacin’, AXIS:SOVA
4/5/13 – Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA w/ Spacin’, AXIS:SOVA
4/6/13 – Metro Gallery; Baltimore, MD w/ Spacin’, AXIS:SOVA
4/7/13 – Maxwell’s; Hoboken, NJ w/ AXIS:SOVA
4/9/13 – O’Briens Pub; Allston, MA w/ AXIS:SOVA
4/10/13 – BAR Nightclub; New Haven, CT
4/12/13 – Brillobox; Pittsburgh, PA w/ AXIS:SOVA
4/14/13 – The Garden Bowl; Detroit, MI w/ AXIS:SOVA
4/15/13 – Empty Bottle; Chicago, IL w/ Tee Pee, AXIS:SOVA
4/16/13 – 7th Street Entry; Minneapolis, MN
4/18/13 – Linnemans Riverwest Inn; Milwaukee, WI
4/19/13 – University of Wisconsin Madison; Madison, WI
4/20/13 – Mike N’ Molly’s; Champaign, IL
5/5/13 – Fluc; Vienna, Austria
5/6/13 – Culture Factory Club; Zagreb, Croatia
5/9/13 – Nuits Sonores Festival, Le Sonic; Lyon, France
5/11/13 – El Perro Club; Madrid, Spain
5/12/13 – Taina Fest; Porto, Portugal
5/13/13 – Bukowski; Donostia, Spain
5/15/13 – Nouveau Casino; Paris, France w/ Mikal Cronin
5/16/13 – Tufnell Park Dome; London, United Kingdom w/ White Fence, Mikal Cronin
5/20/13 – Undertone; Cardiff, United Kingdom
5/21/13 – The Green Door Store; Brighton, United Kingdom
5/22/13 – Madame Moustache Brussels, Belgium
5/23/13 – De Effenar; Eindhoven, Netherlands
5/24/13 – Muk; Giessen, Germany
5/25/13 – Die Friese; Bremen, Germany
5/26/13 – KB18; Copenhagen, Denmark
5/27/13 – Kuudes Linja; Helsinki, Finland
5/28/13 – Debaser Slussen; Stockholm, Sweden
5/30/13 – Marie-Antoinette; Berlin, Germany
New David Bowie Single/Video: “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
Published on February 27th, 2013 in: Music, New Single, New Video, Video |
As if working on a new album for two years in secret wasn’t enough of a coup, now David Bowie has a new video for the song “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” featuring Tilda Swinton and models Andrej Pejic and Saskia de Brauw.
For fans of both Bowie and Swinton, this is fairly amazing, as their remarkably similar, androgynous looks have been the subject of endless Internet memes as well as the Tumblr blog Tilda Stardust, which seeks to prove that the two are the same person.
For those who follow fashion, the appearance of both Pejic and de Brauw is nearly as fascinating as the two are perhaps the biggest Bowie androgynes after Swinton herself.
Although Bowie has been declining various public appearances over the years (The Victoria & Albert Museum retrospective, the London Olympics Closing Ceremony), he’s clearly not been ignoring pop culture in his “increasingly reclusive” life. Not only does he include Swinton, Pejic, and de Brauw in the video, it’s directed by Floria Sigismondi, who is responsible for the decidedly Bowie- and Velvet Goldmine-influenced film The Runaways. (It’s all so meta!)
Intriguingly, Swinton doesn’t play Bowie in the video (that would be too easy), but Bowie’s wife. As they go grocery shopping together, she praises their “nice life” after he remarks that the people on the cover of a tabloid are “more exciting than anything we’ve got around here.” (For more self-referential material, check out the photo in the upper right corner of the fake tabloid.) The song’s commentary on celebrity, stars, and transformation is made manifest visually through some brilliant editing and costumes.
One can even imagine Bowie laughing at that Daily Mail article from last fall and that this video is his response. Clearly he’s pulled off the biggest transformation of his career and bested us all, yet again.
The Next Day comes out on March 12.
New Remixes, Videos From Parenthetical Girls
Published on February 26th, 2013 in: Music, New Video, Video |
It’s been just a week since the release of Parenthetical Girls‘ Privilege* album (review), but we want more! Luckily, there are two remixes and a video performance to help the greedy ones.
Los Campesinos! have transformed “Sympathy For Spastics” by adding a sprightly synth beat while amplifying and repeating the song’s original, already haunting piano track.
“Young Throats” has been tackled by YACHT, who have replaced the opening wave of keyboards—and most of the vocals and other instruments—with a sparse, robotic drumbeat and synths, while keeping the spine of the track intact.
The band also recorded a live performance of “Curtains” in this video on a decrepit, long-retired riverboat in the first of a four-part documentary video series.
Parenthetical Girls will begin their North American tour on March 6 at Holocene in Portland, OR. For more visit the new Privilege Abridged website or the Parenthetical Girls website.
New Single/Video: Suede, “It Starts And Ends With You”
Published on February 14th, 2013 in: Music, New Single, New Video, Upcoming Releases, Video |
It was only last month that Suede released a track from their upcoming album Bloodsports and now the official single and video are out.
It’s Suede, all right. Monochromatic, smoky, everyone looking dour. No longer the pretty young things (except for Richard Oakes, perhaps), but that’s not only fine, it’s preferable. We always loved the music the most, anyway. The song is also very much a Suede single, and actually improves towards the end when they sort of let loose. I’m looking forward to analyzing the lyrics to this and “Barriers” when the album is released.
Now who’s going to make an animated GIF of Brett Anderson’s slow clap? Because I need that in my life. Bloodsports is out on March 18.
Watch Iceage’s New Video, Pre-Order Their EP: “Ecstasy”
Published on January 29th, 2013 in: Music, New Music Tuesday, Video |
Photo © Anton Rothstein
A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to “Coalition,” the first single from Iceage’s upcoming album You’re Nothing (out 2/19 on Matador).
Now they’ve released another new track—”Ecstasy”—and this one has a proper video.
The song actually gives me goosebumps. It also reminds me of my mortality; as much as I’d love to see this band on their upcoming tour, I’d also probably be crushed to death.
“Ecstasy,” “Coalition,” and an exclusive B-side “A Rifle,” will feature on an Escho 7″, released on February 5 and available via import through Matador in a limited quantity.
New Single/Video, Upcoming Album: Adam Ant, “Cool Zombie”
Published on January 17th, 2013 in: Music, New Single, New Video, Video |
In case you hadn’t heard, Adam Ant has been touring the UK and the US throughout the last couple of years. He’s also got a new album ready to drop on January 21 in the UK. The first single, “Cool Zombie,” was released November 21 along with the accompanying video.
If you’re an Adam Ant fan, you probably know this already. Inevitably, though, there has been and will be a lot of chatter along the lines of, “Adam Ant is still around? I thought he was crazy and/or dead.”
It would be impossible to try and sum up all that’s transpired over the past decade or so regarding Adam’s musical career—not to mention his mental, emotional, and legal struggles&mdsh;in a few paragraphs. The man has been to hell and back and to brush it off as merely a rough patch would be incredibly disrespectful.
If you’ve not seen or heard Adam in a while, you might cringe at this song and video. But get over it (and yourself) because it’s actually a good song. I didn’t think it was that catchy when I first heard it, but when I found it stuck in my head for a few days, I changed my mind.
No, he doesn’t look the same as he did 20 years ago. Yes, he’s gone bald and gained some weight. Check out some of the YouTube clips of his recent live performances, though, and you’ll quickly figure out that he’s the same fantastic performer he’s always been, albeit a little older and wiser.
The new, long-anticipated and much-delayed album, Adam Ant is The BlueBlack Hussar In Marrying The Gunners Daughter, will be out next Monday. You can pre-order it on Amazon.co.uk. You can also order the single on iTunes. Check out Adam’s Facebook page for links to articles, videos, and other goodies.