HAIM - If I Could Change Your Mind

 

Just when I thought HAIM couldn't get any more perfect, they go and do this.  Directed by Warren Fu and choreographed by Fatima Robinson, the music video for "If I Could Change Your Mind" is one the best things I've witnessed in recent memory.  The Haim sisters actually perform dance sequences in front of a giant illuminated sign that reads "HAIM".  It's like a seventies variety show hosted by your favorite nineties girl group.

Days Are Gone is out now on Columbia and you can grab a copy here.

Small Black - Lines Of Latitude (Feat. Frankie Rose)

Small Black have a new EP on the way.  Real People is the follow up to last year's Limits Of Desire, an album that completely took me by surprise and swept me off my feet.  Seriously, if you still haven't heard their last record then I highly suggest you take a moment and let it soak in.  Back on the topic of Real People, the lead single from this new EP is called "Lines Of Latitude" and it features Frankie Rose.  "Lines Of Latitude" continues the dreamy mellow "drifting into bliss" vibe that Limits Of Desire toted.



Real People is out April 1, via Jagjaguwar.  You can pre-order the EP here and check out Small Black's tour dates here.

Betty Who - Heartbreak Dream

If by any chance the pop scene faced the threat of becoming stale, Betty Who would be our saving grace.  Sweeping down from the skies above, she would serenade the land with radio-ready, yet emotionally intelligent, dance pop jams.  So basically, anyone who's into that type of music should be super excited for her new song, "Heartbreak Dream".  It's the lead single off of her upcoming Slow Dancing EP, which is due out this spring.  Once again, Betty has teamed up with her frequent collaborator and production partner Peter Thomas for this track.  It's pretty magical.

"Heartbreak Dream" is out tomorrow and Betty Who is getting ready for the US "Slow Dancing Tour", which starts next month.  You can see a full list of tour dates here and download her previous EP here.

Mr. Dream - Making Muscles

Details surrounding Mr. Dream's upcoming record are still somewhat vague.  We know that it's called The Ultimate In Luxury and the fact that it'll be out sometime this year.  We've also heard a decent amount of post-Fatherland material from the band, last year's "Loud Tools" being a solid example.  With the release of their new track "Making Muscles", I feel like we're closing in on something big.  The single's accompanying video is a mash-up of vintage bodybuilding footage, although it's been glitched out quite a bit, and the end result is this bizarre overload of retro masculinity.  Pair that scenery with a smashing haywire track, which actually clocks in at over five minutes, and you have a perfect match.

The Ultimate In Luxury is due later this year on GODMODE.

St. Vincent Performs New Music At Fashion Week

Here's something I never thought I'd be writing: St. Vincent debuted multiple new songs at Diane von Furstenberg's show during New York Fashion Week.  The event was sponsored by American Express and streamed live online.  Annie Clark and company performed four songs total, including the singles "Digital Witness" and "Birth In Reverse".   The two previously unheard songs are called "Rattlesnake" and "Regret".  Before that set, she also served as the music during the actual runway show where she played yet another new song "Every Tear Disappears", along with "Prince Johnny", and "Digital Witness".

I'll just go ahead and say it; the entire set was completely amazing.  Everything about it, from the stage choreography to the guitar work, St. Vincent has perfected her live performances.  Skip to around the 46:30 mark for the runway portion and the 1:15:00 mark in the video to see the performance set.

You can pre-order St. Vincent's upcoming eponymous album here.

Chelsea Wolfe - Feral Love

 

Chelsea Wolfe's Pain Is Beauty was one of last year's more sinister records.  The opening track "Feral Love" stands out of the bunch simply for those ringing notes that bookend the song.  She's teamed up with Mark Pellington for not only the "Feral Love" music video, but also a full-length feature inspired by Chelsea's music.  Titled Lone, the film's dialogue will consist only of lyrics from Pain Is Beauty.  Watch the Mark Pellington directed "Feral Love", which is also an excerpt from Lone, below.  It sort of looks like it could've been one of Marilyn Manson's creations back in 1996.

Pain Is Beauty is out now on Sargent House and you can buy a copy of the record here.

Trust - Capitol

On March 4, the world will be blessed with the sounds of Trust's upcoming album Joyland.  We've already heard the lead single "Rescue, Mister", and now Gorilla Vs. Bear has premiered another new track.  I know the words gothic, dark, and eerie are practically the staple terms that journalists use when it comes to describing Trust's music, so I'll try to avoid that rut.  But actually, "Capitol" is pretty cathartic.  It's somewhat soaring, instead of the common impending doom vibe that was featured on 2012's TRST.  On a side note, Robert Alfons' hair has been looking super wicked lately.

You can stream "Capitol" over at Gorilla Vs. Bear and then pre-order Joyland, via Arts & Crafts.

Annie - Russian Kiss (Feat. Bjarne Melgaard)

Norwegian electronic artist Annie has released a collaboration with Bjarne Melgaard, a visual artist based in New York.  "Russian Kiss" is their reply to Vladimir Putin's anti-LGBT laws and the effects they have on the Sochi Olympics, along with everyday life in Russia.  I feel like there's no need to write a long piece about this short film because Annie and Bjarne said it all in their statement, which you can read below.

The Winter Olympics are not just skating styles, waxing techniques and jump lengths. The Winter Olympics are also deep emotions: interpersonal, national, and global. Millions of TV-viewers are witness to these emotions. Usually, they find their expression in embraces and kisses. You can observe this at the finishing area and during the medal ceremony — teammates embracing each other, winners kissing their partners.

This may be difficult when the Olympic Games take place in Sochi in February. As we know, Vladimir Putin has introduced laws prohibiting gays and lesbians to show their love in public in Russia. Furthermore, it is prohibited to talk positively about homosexuality in public. This is the reason why an increasing number of leaders worldwide have decided to boycott this year’s Olympics. In Norway, the political leadership has rejected calls to remain at home. As a great power in winter sports Norway is in a unique position to flex its muscles in a situation like this. This could have been an occasion for Norway to stand up for the fundamental right to express your feelings towards the one you love.

In Norway, many gays and lesbians — and not only gays and lesbians — have reacted against this. One of them is one of Norway’s best-known elite artists: The New York-based artist Bjarne Melgaard (http://stabfrenzy.com/). Therefore, at the beginning of December, together with the Norwegian songwriter and performer Annie (http://anniemelody.com/), he took the initiative to Russian Kiss: a short movie about the right to kiss one’s beloved — regardless of sexual orientation — wherever one likes.

Melgaard invited the photographer and director Richard Kern – http://www.richardkern.com/ – to direct the movie; famous for his collaborations with Marilyn Manson, Sonic Youth, Indochine and Is Tropical. On short notice Kern and his team joined forces with Annie and Melgaard.

The result is “Russian Kiss” – a critical cry from Norwegian and American elite performers — albeit not from the Olympic disciplines.

Partial proceeds from iTunes sales of "Russian Kiss" will be donated to All Out.  You can buy the song here and read all about the project here.

Icona Pop - Just Another Night (Remixes)

 

 

After the massive success of "I Love It", it seems like Icona Pop decided to give almost every track off of their album the single treatment.  I hear the occasional radio spin of "All Night", but every other single's chart life has mostly been limited to the clubs.  Next up on the promo circuit is "Just Another Night".  It's the closest thing they have to a straight up ballad and I'm reminded of ABBA every time I hear it, but this set of remixes changes everything.  New remixes from big names like Morgan Page are featured alongside some frantic mixes by the likes of Faustix and Imanos.

You can stream the full set of remixes below and download them on Beatport.  Head this way to grab a copy of Icona Pop's This Is..., which features the original version of "Just Another Night".