Over 20 different NYC female keyboardists playing Tubular Bells (natch) on vintage (and new) keyboards at Joe McGinty’s Carousel Studio in Brooklyn, NY. What’s not to love about this?
Filmed and Directed by Amy Hobby. Edited by Tony Zajkowski.
 
Featuring:
Kaia Wong (Mixel Pixel)
Kelly Rae Kerwin (Private Income)
Natasha Bartolf
Joanna Choy (Spray Paint Star)
Amy Merril (Mia Riddle)
Greta Gertler (The Universal Thump)
Supercute!
Anna Copa Cabanna
Rolyn Hu (True Primes)
Sondra Sun-Odeon (Silver Summit)
Michi Turner (Crash Diet Crew)
Katia Floreska (The Tall Pines)
Natalie Weiss (Unicornicopia, Camp Wanatachi)
Wendy Ip
Alice Cohen
Yvette Perez
Kelly Vaughn-Kauffman (Winstron Troy)
Yvette Perez (H*E*R)
Hula Hoop Harlot Melissa-Anne
Alix Brown (Golden Triangle)
Leah Cary (Girl Crisis)
Caitlin Jemison (Queen Of Sibyls)

Instruments featured:
Hammond M3 Organ
Fender Rhodes
Oberheim Xpander
Dave Smith Instruments Poly Evolver Keyboard
Steinway Upright Grand Piano
RMI Keyboard Computer
Jenco Celeste
Baldwin Electric Harpsichord
Bebot
Magical Musical Thing
Thingamagoop
Hohner Clavinet D6
Casio CZ-101
Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Conn Electric Band
ARP 2600
ARP Omni
Suzuki Omnichord
Yamaha CS-01
Yamaha TX802
Vox Continental
Fender Starmaster
Farfisa Combo Compact
Buzzing Bee
Optigan
Stylophone
Toy Piano
360 Systems Digital Keyboard
Hammond Synthesizer
Gibson Clavioline
Moog Little Phatty
MiniMoog
Mellotron
Mass-Rowe Vibrachime
 

 
With thanks to Kristian Hoffman !

 
British Sea Power have been plying their trade on the UK alt-rock scene for nigh on a decade now, building a solid fan base and proving impervious to trends in fashion, press hype, and, unfortunately, mainstream success. Maybe they’re just too genuinely odd to enter the popular consciousness, or perhaps their not willing to play certain corporate games, but either way they don’t seem to care much and continue to plow their own eccentric furrow.

This Spring the band embark on their first tour of America in 3 years, in support of their new album Valhalla Dancehall, and if you can catch one of their shows I’d recommend it. I first saw them eight years ago when they decked the tiny stage with stuffed animals, bits of plants and trees, and had a look somewhere between an army of bird watchers and a deranged scout troupe. It was a great show. Times have changed (the animals and plants have gone, replaced with a kind of bizarre wrestling chic) but the music remains as rousing as ever, especially in a live setting. Arcade Fire have copped a lot from this band.

In support of the tour BSP have made a video for the Valhalla Dancehall track “Who’s In Control?”, and in keeping with the anti-authoritarian theme of the song, the video features young people fighting, demonstrating, partying, and getting naked. It’s actually better than that sounds, it’s a great video, but it’s not safe for work:
 
British Sea Power - “Who’s In Control?” (NSFW)
 

 
Valhalla Dancehall is available to buy here.

After the jump, British Sea Power’s North American tour schedule for March/April…

(via Cherry Bombed)

 
Calling all disco fans! Are you partial to a bit of Patrick Cowley? Like the synthetic soundscapes of Claudio Simonetti? Been digging those clips I posted of Rockets? Then Den Haan are the band for YOU.

Sharing the twin obsessions of space/sci-fi and vintage synths, Den Haan produce some of the best electronic-disco-pop around at the moment. After a string of successful releases on cult European labels like Dissident, Optimo Music and Supersoul, today sees the of release their debut long player Gods From Outer Space on their own Courier Of Death label. The duo are quickly gaining a reputation as a hot live act, and some of their music has even been featured in Desperate Housewives, bizarrely enough.

Synths explode like lazer blasts from a space cannon, rolling toms and sleazy vocals bring the drama while arpeggios build to warp speed, sending the listener zooming into the outer reaches of the stratosphere. OK, so they may not doing anything particularly new, but boy do they do it well. This really does sound like vintage-era Cowley (think the Megatron Man album) with the riffs and hooks to match, and unlike the vast majority of their contemporaries on the electro/techno scenes, Den Haan aren’t afraid to have a bit of fun. For proof they have put together this campy trailer for their album:

Den Haan’s Gods From Outer Space Theatrical Trailer:
 

Den Haan’s Gods From Outer Space is available to buy on vinyl and download now from Boomkat. Here’s some more of what’s on offer:
 
Den Haan - “Release The Beast”
 

 
Den Haan - “Night Shift”
 

 
Den Haan - “Russian Boat Commander”
 

 
Den Haan are also offering the up track “Universal Energy” as a free download - you can get it here.

 
The new video for “It Was Never Gonna Turn Out Too Good” from Gang Of Four’s recently released album Content.

I’m a big fan of the band, but this moody song with its vocoderized spoken-word vocal is over before it begins. To hell with poetry! Where the funk at? Lift off aborted.

I’m wondering why Gang Of Four’s new stuff feels so restrained. Where’s the fire? Where’s the groove? Is the absence of original Gang members drummer Hugh Burnham and bassist Dave Allen the reason that this seems so listless?
 

 
Jeff Krulik and John Heyn’s Heavy Metal Parking Lot documents a tailgating party prior to a Judas Priest concert in the parking lot outside of the (now gone) Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, on May 31, 1986. It is one of the most beloved and legendary relics of the 80s & 90s VHS trading scene, of which I myself was a participant. It is a low-fi masterpiece, a work of demented genius and one of the funnies things you’ll ever see.

Twenty-years after the film was made, the music rights were sorted out and Heavy Metal Parking Lot was released legitimately for the first time in 2006.

Now, hilariously, one of the most underground things you could possibly get your hands on back in the day, a true holy grail for people who had heard of it, but who had no way of seeing it, unless they knew the right person, has been licensed by the American Express corporation as part of their SnagFilms website. Of all the things to find a corporate sponsor…  I guess it shows how far pop culture has come.

In any case, this is one of the best, cleanest versions of the film that I’ve yet seen. Brought to you by American Express, it’s Heavy Metal Parking Lot:
 

 
The Prequel: Heavy Metal Picnic!

 
Yes I often promote the products of the label I call er, home: Hometapes. But that’s because they do truly amazing things ! Just look at the art work and packaging for the brand new album Harbors by Wisconsin’s own All Tiny Creatures whilst checking out their pulsating maximalist sound.  Lead Creature Thomas Wincek also does creative time in Volcano Choir with Wisconsin’s favorite son Justin Vernon, he of Bon Iver greatness.  And indeed Vernon is the guest vocalist on An Iris. Ryan Olcott of the late, great Minneapolis band 12 Rods is the guest vocalist on current Pitchfork featured song Glass Bubbles.
 

 

 
Glass Bubbles

 

 
An Iris

 

 
Pre-order Harbors by All Tiny Creatures here

 
Beautiful black and white cinematography and dreamlike J-horror imagery converge to stunning effect in this video for Deerhoof’s “The Merry Barracks” from their album Deerhoof Vs. Evil.

Directed and edited by Akiko McQuerrey & Jason Drakeford.

Inspired by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s Hausu?

 
Via Timothy Buckwalter

 
In my post about Rockets the other day, I mentioned the Italian TV program Stryx. Here’s some more bizarro music performance clips from the show, in its own particular late 70s batshit/fierce style. They really don’t make ‘em like this anymore! According to Wikipedia:

Stryx thematically referred to Hell, devils and underworld. The scenography featured elements resembling Middle Ages-like gloomy castles and caves… The show caused many controversies in more conservative societies, mainly because of its devilish theme and referring to underworld as well as exposing nudity. Due to numerous protests the show was taken off the broadcast and the production of following episodes was cancelled.

So in these videos, all of which are worth watching, we get two huge gay disco icons in the one clip (Amanda Lear & Grace Jones), Patty Pravo giving Gaga a run for her Illuminati wage packet, Mia Martini getting burnt at the stake in a fabulous glittery dress, and some more of those amazing Rockets. My favourite clip is Gal Costa performing “Relance” - it’s quite subdued for Stryx (apart from the dozen or so extras who are lying still at the front of the stage) but is carried by Costa’s no bullshit performance and the incredible gypsy funk of the track itself. But first let’s start with Grace and Amanda:
 
Grace Jones (introduced by Amanda Lear) - Fame
 

 
After the jump, more Grace Jones, Amanda Lear, Patty Pravo, Gal Costa, Mia Martini and Rockets…

 
This guy is good, real good, but there are moments in this Hendrix tribute by Randy Hansen that had me staring at my monitor with a mixture of admiration, queasiness and an intense desire to reach for the dental floss. The sight of the moose knuckle in his slacks and monolithic teeth, which as they descend upon the fretboard resemble the Manhattan skyline with guitar in foreground as animated by Jan Svankmajer and refracted through the fish-eye perspective of a Paregoric junkie, sent small acidic streams of zinfandel spinning through my glottis like liquid dust devils.

Born December 8, 1954 in Seattle, Washington Randy is a U.S. guitarist, best known for his emulation of Jimi Hendrix. He clearly has a bit of physical resemblance to Hendrix in his facial features, and carries that resemblance further by emulating such signatures of Hendrix’s style as playing a guitar with his teeth or behind his back.

This is from German TV circa 1994. And, as I said, it is good and I know I’ll be struck down by lightening for being so insensitive but….