Violens Premiere New Track And Video Right In Time For Halloween

Violens

If you’re working out your post Halloween Party playlists, or if you’re that fancy, creepy video playlists to project on the large white walls in your loft for your equally creepily-costumed friends, look no further. New York trio Violens have prepared and released a little present for you. In preparation for the release of their debut album Amoral on November 9th via Static Recital/Friendly Fire, the band has released the first video from the album, for the song “Violent Sensation Descends”.

Directed by Alejandro Cardenas, the video features the band in priest costumes and crucifix masks, zombie drummers, bloody keyboard players and flashy images of blood tainted skulls. Along with the horror movie-inspired keyboard riffs, you should everything set up for the perfect atmosphere (or at least 2:16 minutes of your party).

Watch the video below:

And listen to the song here:

And if you want to find out whether Violens can translate that same eeriness live, they will be playing a few dates in the US and Canada in November so check the dates below and go see for yourself!

Here are their upcoming tour dates:
11/05 Chicago, IL – Schubas
11/06 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
11/07- Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel
11/08 – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo
11/09- Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs

Matt Pond PA “Starting”

Tonight I am going to see one of my favorite bands, Matt Pond PA. Here’s my little secret. For some reason I have NEVER seen MPPA live. This is beyond wierd isn’t it? I’m not exactly sure how this has happened, being I live in New York, as does the band, but we have unfortunate incidents, that every time for the past 5 years, when MPPA took the stage I either already had tickets to another show or I was on vacation. It seemed to be working against me. Good grief Charlie Brown.

I still remember the first time I discovered Matt Pond PA. It was 2005 and I was interning at big record label in Manhattan. Someone got fired, and as the intern I was, I got to clean out their cd collection, and keep what I wanted to, and put the rest in the trash. Nothing caught my eye but this mix someone had made the person oddly titled “Sunsetting.” Looking at the tracklist, I saw the good Matt Pond PA name on there, noticed it being familar, and took it. The song that was on there was “The Butcher,” and in my ever mess of a room, I didn’t listen to the mix for almost two weeks. It wasn’t until Sunday night two weeks later when I was watching Subteranean on MTV2, that they showed the MPPA video for “Closest (Look Out).” I’ve been hooked ever since.

Well tonight is the night that I get to experience first hand, MPPA at the Bowery Ballroom. With the recent release of The Dark Leaves (Polyvinyl), and some of the strongest songs Pond has ever written, it is sure to be an amazing night. Plus I am going to experience it with someone who I love dearly. I think it was all meant to happen at once.

Recently MPPA released the first video for the record, “Starting,” which features the new-ish lineup featuring the lovely Miss Leslie Sisson of the Wooden Birds (which she plays with Pond and Andrew Kenny formerly of American Analog Set), running away from a slow swerving car with glowing orbs. It MPPA fashion, it’s beautiful.

Matt Pond PA “Starting”

The Morning Benders Release New Video for “Promises”


The Morning Benders are back at it again with the second video off their new record Big Echo (Plus One/Roughtrade), with the song “Promises.” This is the first music video by the band that doesn’t feature themselves, it’s also their most theatrical.

The video chronicles two young Bonnie and Clyde like characters…and by young we mean about eight to ten years old. They get into abnormal trouble for children their age and somehow get involved with drinking, smoking, triple x shows, bank robbery (under the name Morning Benders), cat throwing, gun toting, hostages, and ultimate death and suicide. It’s a bit heavy for video by The Morning Benders, but it is also hands down, their best yet. Who knew they had it in them?

Also if you’re in the New York City area, be sure to catch The Morning Benders at the end of their tour. The band will be playing tomorrow (Saturday) night at The Music Hall of Williamsburg and again this coming Wednesday to a Sold Out crowd at Mercury Lounge.

Secondhand Sunday

We’re starting something called ‘Secondhand Sunday’ around here. To give you a brief overview, basically we are digging back in the vaults of indie music videos from years ago. These can be as old as say, a Sloan video from 1992 or as recent as an Of Montreal video from 2005. Its all about remembering those great songs that some of us have forgotten. A blast from the past if you will.

To start off our first Secondhand Sunday, we are posting a video of Phantom Planet’s ‘California’.  Lately I personally have been on a PP kick,going back listening to their older stuff as well as getting into Jason Schwartzman’s most recent project as Coconut Records. When I first saw the video for ‘California’ I remember it was right when our Cable company started giving MTV2 out for free. This is also a time when MTV2 actually played nothing but music videos. The tune was in heavy rotation at the time and I couldn’t get enough of it. It is one of the defining songs of my college years.

Regina Spektor to Release New Album

It has been quite sometime since we’ve heard from songstress Regina Spektor. About to release her new album titled ‘Far’ out June 23rd on Sire Records, Spektor has already reached the number 20 spot on itunes within the first day of preorder. I remember the first time I saw or even heard her play. She opened for The Strokes on their tour for ‘Room on Fire’ at the theater at Madison Square Garden. Then she was just a girl with a keyboard, a snare drum and a voice. Most memorably, she performed a song called ‘Reading Time with Pickle’. It is completely amazing how much she has grown since then.  ‘Far’  like all Regina Spektor albums, is worth picking up.

You can catch Regina Spektor on tour starting in NYC on June 17th. From there she is off to Europe.

‘Far’  Tracklisting

01. The Calculation
02. Eet
03. Blue Lips
04. Folding Chair
05. Machine
06. Laughing With
07. Human Of The Year
08. Two Birds
09. Dance Anthem Of The 80’s
10. Genius Next Door
11. Wallet
12. One More Time With Feeling
13. Man Of A Thousand Faces

Tour Dates for Regina Spektor:

06/17 – New York City – Beacon Theatre
06/26 – UK – Glastonbury Festival
06/29 – London – Serpentine Sessions
07/01 – Paris, France – Le Batacian
07/02 – Cologne, France – Gloria
07/04 – Belgium – Werchter Festival
07/06 – Hamburg – Grunspan
07/07 – Berlin, Germany – Postbahnhof
07/09 – Sweden – Hultsfred Festival
07/11 – Ireland – Oxegen Festival
07/12 – Scotland – T in the Park Festival
07/14 – Amsterdam – Paradiso
07/15 – Milan, Italy – Villa Arconati
07/17 – UK – Latitude Festival

Watch Regina’s Video for ‘Dance Anthem of the 80’s’

Check out Regina Spektor on Myspace