Video jams: of Montreal, Bear Hands, Twin Sister, No Joy, Lower Dens, The Greenhornes, Wye Oak

I have a list of posts that I've been meaning to write and it's been growing quickly as of late, so I thought I'd share a slew of videos all at once. Most of these are quite new, and they're all from within the last few months (except for The Greenhornes one, which is a couple years old). Enjoy!

of Montreal / "Coquet Coquette" / False Priest [Polyvinyl] (2010)
One of the standout singles from this year's album, and it sounds like it could have easily been on an older album, like Satanic Panic In The Attic, instead of amongst all of the neo-Prince funk/rock of False Priest. I ain't complaining though; it's a rockin' little number chock full of Kevin Barnes' odd yet witty lyrics and a correspondingly bizarre video that seems like the visual interpretation of a short story that could have been written by a hybrid of Robert Louis Stevenson and George Orwell and George Romero, on Ecstasy. You'll see what I mean. I think.

Director: Jason Miller

of Montreal / "Famine Affair" / False Priest [Polyvinyl] (2010)
Another great song from this album and an interesting concept for the video: what if you were the only guy at an all-girl party? Sounds fun, right guys? Not if that party is life and you're an outcast, nobody feeding you strawberries, the door shut in your face when the "adults are playing", no one will dance with you, everyone wants you out and punches you in the face, and yet when you try to run away, they just chase you down and bring you back. Crazy. And never mind that whole thing with the yellow cup . . .

Directors: Nina Barnes & Jason Miller

Bear Hands / "Crime Pays" / Burning Bush Supper Club [Cantora] (2010)
I've been a Bear Hands fan since seeing them live back in February 2010. "What A Drag" is a great single, and their debut album finally came out in October and it's solid. This is the opening track and really captures their sound stylings. The video itself is a slowish-motion montage of various criminal acts, of sorts, kinda artsy and such but it's fun to watch. Plus, keep your eye out for a quick shot of Mike Tyson (WTF!?) and the album title on a soon-to-be-smashed window.


Twin Sister / "All Around And Away We Go" / Color Your Life EP [Infinite Best] (2010)
This band made a pretty big splash on the blogosphere this year and have a bunch of cred to their name considering they've only officially released a couple of EPs. They're both solid, though, and all the buzz is deserved, I say. They also put a bunch of demos and unreleased versions on their website, including a series of ringtones. This video is pretty cheeky, with cheesy dance moves and animation and swirling, colored lights and a camera panning across the band members with totally serious looks on their faces just barely hiding outright laughter at their own silliness.

Director: ?

Twin Sister / "Daniel"
Here's the band playing a live version of an unreleased (I think) track for the LaundroMatinee series. Look at how young (and attractive) they are!

Twin Sister - Daniel from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

Twin Sister / "Ginger" / Vampires With Dreaming Kids [Infinite Best] (2008)
Okay, last one from them, I swear :-) I just like this song and I only came across this video because it was made and posted by Pitchfork Reviews Reviews, one of the funniest and most interesting music blogs out there. I can't seem to find the link anywhere, but I remember reading somewhere that he was thinking of how this song reminds you of when you've been away from New York City (or whatever your home town/city is) for a while and then you're coming back and you're driving in and you see the skyline again and it reminds you of all of your memories there. Yeah, that's a nice thought.

No Joy / "Hawaii" / Ghost Blonde [Mexican Summer] (2010)
Ah the good old days, when we used to hop in the back of our friend's pickup truck, drive out to the woods, make out with each other, smear berry goop and dirt all over our naked bodies, and . . . wait, you didn't do that? Hmm, me neither. Must be some hazy drug memory that we're vicariously experiencing through this video. It's hard to imagine anything else happening during this skittery, fuzzy, psychedelic, thumping and guitar-heavy track, though, yeah? And can you feel the whole trip melting away at the end when they bathe in the river and the guitars fade out? Pretty cool.

No Joy - Hawaii from Mexican Summer on Vimeo.

Director: SALAZAR
(Note at 2:20 mark: if only my teeth could stay that white while I roll around in the mud!)

The Greenhornes [feat. Holly Golightly] / "There Is An End" / Dual Mono [Telstar] (2002)
I'm glad I found this band on eMusic earlier this year, because I've played this album so often on my walk to and from campus that I've probably worn out the mp3 files. (You'll notice that the playlist I posted last week has 2 songs from them, too, including this one.) There's not too much going on in this video, aside from the outstanding song and some slow-moving, colored lines and shapes and faded images, but it really fits, somehow. One of the top comments on YouTube for this video is "one of the greatest songs to get pissed to". Yes sir, yes it is. (Pissed = drunk, ICYDK.)


Lower Dens / "Batman" / "Batman" b/w "Dear Betty Baby" 7" single [Gnomonsong] (2011)
This song doesn't appear on Lower Dens' outstanding debut album Twin Hand Movement, but it did appear on a demo CD they sold on their tour this past spring and it will be out on a 7" single b/w "" in a month or so (order that here from Gnomonsong). It's a live show staple, though, and this is a lovely version put together in the studio for Yours Truly in San Francisco. Jana's voice is sweet as always, and Will's guitar work is super tight. This band is so good please love them now thank you very much.

Yours Truly Presents: Lower Dens "Batman" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

(Thanks to Baltimore Musically Informed for the link.)

Wye Oak / "My Neighbor" / My Neighbor, My Creator EP [Merge] (2010)
This one is from much earlier this year, but I just found it myself, so I had to share. It's fascinating to watch Andy Stack's simultaneous drumming/keyboarding, and this is one of the better tracks from this year's EP. It's got a wonderfully rough, jagged sound to it here, compared to the album version, too. This band is so good please love them now thank you very much.

Wye Oak - My Neighbor - Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Concert review: Bear Hands, Aaron Jentzen, Ready Room

Bear Hands, Aaron Jentzen, Ready Room
Wednesday February 17, Brillobox
with Lisa, Spencer

The Brillobox was uncharacteristically empty on this Wednesday night. Perhaps it was the pub quiz going on downstairs, or perhaps it was the Tortoise show at Mr. Small's going on at the same time. Whatever the reason, a lot of people missed out on a great performance by Bear Hands. I arrived a little late to the show, since I had an IM basketball game until 9:30 and then took the bus. We caught two songs by Ready Room, and it was mostly instrumental guitar rock. The drummer was really loud and fast, and he walked off the stage drenched in sweat afterwards. They sounded fine, but it wasn't the style of music that worked in a big room with only 12 people in it (which was the situation there). Oh well. They seem to have an entire set from the Lava Lounge posted on YouTube: check out this one and the subsequent videos.

Next up was Aaron Jentzen. I had picked up a copy of the City Paper by the bus stop on Craig Street so that I could do the crossword on the bus (which I did) and the cover article was about St. Vincent (who are playing at Diesel on Sunday Februrary 21) by some guy named Aaron Jentzen. The name sounded familiar at the time, and I realized why when we got to the show and I saw a poster. I wasn't sure it was the same guy, but when I was walking past the bar at some point I heard somebody say that the singer is the music editor for the City Paper. So that was neat. The music was fine, lots of vocals (and I had trouble making out lyrics) with some twangy guitar work and muted drums. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but it seemed more appropriate given the size of the crowd. It also prompted a discussion with Spencer about how Pittsburghers seem to like a serving of country with their rock & roll meals. I postulated that it might be a sheer consequence of geography, since I feel this corner of Pennsylvania is situated perfectly between Southern-fried country music and Northeastern classic rock. That was as deep as my theory was. I'd be interested to hear other ideas, as well.
I couldn't find any videos, but he has a few live recordings from Howler's posted on his website here. Also, in case you're interested, here is a listing of his articles from the City Paper.

Finally, Bear Hands took the stage. Their music was quite different from the previous acts, and it also felt like it would work really well in a more crowded club, but it didn't seem like they particularly cared. They went through a series of upbeat, loud and rocking songs and seemed to be really playing their hearts out and having fun the whole time. This also might be because they just embarked on a tour, and this was (I believe) only the second stop. Despite the small crowd, everyone seemed to be enjoying it and bopping around (you know, the usual hipstery dancing-but-not-really kinda thing). I can't really think of much to say about their music except that it was wholly enjoyable and uplifting. If you have an opportunity to see them live, definitely take advantage of it. I feel like they'll be popular in the near future, and for good reason. After the show, I made Spencer buy me their single on white vinyl (since I paid for his ticket) and the singer informed that their debut album is fully recorded and in the mixing process, so I'm looking forward to that. Here are some videos of them playing live, and here's a song from their EP. Also, their website has the single "What A Drag" available for free download: check it out. Also, check out their MySpace page for tour dates.