Video: Her Vanished Grace – Across The Universe

I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I last posted a video feature. It’s time to redress that failing. I was recently sent a new video link by Her Vanished Grace who have been releasing quality shoegaze-driven pop albums for almost two decades now. However, it takes some confidence to cover a Beatles track as they do here.

Overall, I think they carry it off. ‘Across The Universe’ is one of my favourite Beatles songs as it sounded like a primitve form of dreampop twenty years before the term was first coined. However, HVG deliver what most good cover versions do: being respectful to the original but adding their own identity to it to make the exercise worthwhile. The beauty of music and free speech is that not everyone will agree of course!

Web Site:
Her Vanished Grace Official Site

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Video Feature: OfeliaDorme – Naked Evil

Earlier this year I wrote about ‘All Harm Ends Here’, the very promising first album from OfeliaDorme, an Italian alternative rock act (read the review here). Here’s their latest promo for the album track ‘Naked Evil’:

For this DIY video, they’ve spliced together some vintage erotica clips, which I think I’m right in saying is a first on this blog! The song, meanwhile, is a masterpiece of subtlety.

Web Sites:
OfeliaDorme Official Site
OfeliaDorme MySpace

Video Feature: Roommate – Snow Globe

Back in January I reviewed the Roommate album ‘Guilty Rainbow’ (see the review here). At the time, it sounded like a contender for one of the albums of the year. The only problem was that it wasn’t released until several months after I reviewed it, so I think I owe it to the band and the readers of this blog, to alert you again of its greatness, courtesy of the promo for ‘Snow Globe’.

This charming promo (made by Roommate’s frontman Kent Lambert), cleverly uses vintage arcade game footage to accompany Lambert’s appealing yearning. Then the pay-off arrives courtesy of a euphoric chorus to soundtrack young romantics. Although it’s the most anthemic offering here, there are lots more delights on offer on ‘Guilty Rainbow’ which – for the record – is still one of my favourite albums of the year!

Web Sites:
Roommate Official Site
Roommate MySpace

Video Feature: Lidwine – In The Half-Light (Acoustic)

As readers of this site will be aware, video features are quite rare occurences. Rarer still are artists who make more than one appearance but Lidwine is a rare and special talent. This is an acoustic version of ‘In The Half-Light’ from Lidwine’s ‘LW’ EP ((see the review here and the original video here)).

The video was made in Saint Jean Bosco church and featured recently in French webzine Le Cargo. What a lovely sound the harmonium and the human voice can make!

Web Sites:
Lidwine Official Site
Lidwine Facebook
Le Cargo

Video Feature: Unofficial Video for Nicolas Jaar’s ‘Keep Me There’

I’ve got something a little different for you, for the latest in my irregular video features.

This one is an unofficial video for Nicolas Jaar’s ‘Keep Me There’, sent to me by Lucas Duchemin. The promo was made for just 220 Euros  by a team of amateur film makers, with an average age of 20. I love those promos which tell a story and this one successfully evokes the loneliness and darkness of the song and makes for compelling viewing.

Web Sites:
Nicolas Jaar Official Site
Nicolas Jaar MySpace

Video Feature: Pandit – Artichoke

We’ve barely started 2011 but I’ve already heard some great new records this year. Picking up where Deerhunter’s latest album left off, Pandit’s new long player (see the review here) employs smilar methods of haunted pop music but adds extra layers of dreaminess. Here is the video for the first single from the album, which is called ‘Artichoke’:

Web Sites:
Pandit MySpace
Waaga Records

Video Feature: Lidwine – In The Half-Light

Although it doesn’t qualify as an album, Lidwine’s ‘LW’ (see the review here) represented one of the musical highlights of last year. It reminded me of the greatness of Björk’s early career but Lidwine carves out her own style with a penchant for original key changes and classical accompaniment.

This example of her idosyncratic methods reveals Lidwine’s key strengths: a superbly melodic voice, unusual instrumentation and now accompanied by this slightly eerie, yet dreamlike video.

I hope to hear more from her this year.

Web Sites:
Lidwine Official Site
Lidwine MySpace

Video Feature: AM – Christmas Time Is Here

I wouldn’t normally succumb to the lure of the Christmas promo but this new single from AM really is special and I had to make an exception.

Some of the more experienced readers may recognise this as a tune featured on Charlie Brown and this is actually a cover of a song penned by Vince Guaraldi for the animated TV series. It’s an incredibly sweet song with a wistful undercurrent.

Enjoy the Christmas holidays everyone!

Web Sites:
AM MySpace

Video Feature: Rose Elinor Dougall – Hanging Around

It’s that time of year when I start thinking about which albums will feature on my best of year list. A definite inclusion will be Rose Elinor Dougall’s ‘Without Why’ and here is a preview of a track entitled ‘Hanging Around’, which is due to appear on her next album.

As demonstrated on her album, Dougall and her trusty bandmates are certainly fond of guitar heavy songs when they feel the need but the singer always manages to sound dominant and triumphant above the wonderful noise.

Cheers

Jon

Video Feature: Elika – Let Down

Admittedly the formula of striking female vs electronic boffin was done to death in the 1990s. Take time for Elika though, Evagelia Marvelias’s vocals remind me of Madonna in her 1980’s pomp whilst her songwriting partner Brian Wenckebach throws up all kind of grungy, electronic shapes.

‘Let Down’ is the duo at their most commercially viable with a killer chorus which provides a neat counterpoint to the haunting verses. Elika have recently released a new EP ‘There Was No Summer’, which reveals their more experimental side.

Web Sites:
Elika Official Site
Elika MySpace