PRIMA VISTA's Braille Music Scores for the Blind

Hearing with touch. It's such a lovely and liberating concept.

Links:
Braille Music Scores for the Blind (Guardian) SOURCE
Prima Vista Braille Music Services
Royal College of Music

STEVE REICH's "Clapping Music"

Peter Van Der Ham created this brilliant realisation of Steve Reich's Clapping Music from a concept by George Manak. An original rendition is below.

Links:
Steve Reich
Steve Reich (Wiki)
Peter Van Der Ham (YouTube)

WATARU ARAKAWA's Fireball Charming

I've only just discovered this in an announcement of a second season of this collection of shorts. The new season comprises 13 two-minute episodes from writer/director Wataru Arakawa with music from Usui Yoshiyuki and animation from Jinni's Animation Studios.

The story centres around a female robot duchess named Drosel von Flügel and her guardian servant robot Gedächtnis.

The videos below contain the trailer for the upcoming season as well as a compilation of the freshman outing. Unfortunately, it's dialogue heavy and in original Japanese without translation. That said, the Chris Cunningham-influenced designs are fun and I like Usui Yoshiyuki's music.

Links:
Fireball Charming
Fireball (Wiki)
Fireball Charming (YouTube)
Jinni's Animation Studios
Usui Yoshiyuki(Grooveshark)

1st AVENUE MACHINE's "Sixes Last"

"Sixes Last" for musician Alias' track from his album Muted was created by 1st Avenue Machine in 2005. Directed my Arvind Palep and produced by Serge Patzak, it's beautifully strange.

1stAveMachine-Sixes Last from MotiongraphicLAB on Vimeo.

"It is about how artificiality is creeping into the modern day world," said director Arvind Palep. "We were looking at a merge between synthetic biology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and what could spawn from them."

-CG Society, 22nd September 2005

Links:
Sixes Last (CG Society)
1st Avenue Machine

HOMELESS MUSTARD

A song cover isn't a cover unless you make it your own. Enjoy these tunes from Homeless Mustard of Greenwich Village.

Links:
Homeless Mustard
Homeless Mustard (Facebook)
Homeless Mustard (MySpace)
Homeless Mustard (LastFM)

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS

From the grassroots goodness of Home to the epic short film for Kisses Over Babylon, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros demand attention.

Links:
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (MySpace)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (YouTube)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Wiki)

Thanks, Penny.

DANGER MOUSE & SPARKLE HORSE's "Dark Night of the Soul" with DAVID LYNCH

Written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul features the talents of James Mercer of The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, David Lynch, and Scott Spillane of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Gerbils.

Mark Linkous, lead of Sparklehorse never lived to see the release of the album. He committed suicide in Knoxville, Tennessee on March 6, 2010.

Despite this and the title of the album, I found it a strangely soothing and uplifting narrative. Here's a taste.

Links:
Dark Night of the Soul
Sparklehorse
Danger Mouse
David Lynch
Sparklehorse Wiki
Sparklehorse(MySpace)

The Strange Case of HOT CHIP

Having discovered the video for Hot Chip's "I Feel Better" at Ticklebooth, I rummaged through their back catalogue and found a clever little collection of videos. I Feel Better is a real sucker punch that gets stranger and stranger. See it HERE.

Also, check out the videos for Ready for the Floor, Over and Over, Arrest Yourself, One Life Stand, and One Pure Thought. They remind me of our friend Bobby Conn.

Links:
Hot Chip
Hot Chip (MySpace)

Hot Chip (LastFM)

MASSIVE ATTACK: Saturday Come Slow

This short film featuring Massive Attack's "Saturday Come Slow" with Damon Albarn packs quite a punch. The track is from their album Helgioland and the video is directed by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin of Chopped Liver.

Links:
ZeroDB (Music Against Torture)
Massive Attack
Chopped Liver
Damon Albarn Wiki

CRYSTAL FIGHTERS

On of my favourite discoveries this year, Crystal Fighters' sound is fresh, diverse, and ornate. Their debut album is due for release in September 2010 and I can't wait to hear what else they've got up their sleeves.

Here are a few samples:

Links:
Crystal Fighters (Official Site)
Crystal Fighters (MySpace)
Crystal Fighters (Facebook)
Crystal Fighters (YouTube)

NUJABES - Luv (Sic)

This video for Nujabes' Luv(sic) off the album Metaphorical Music is simple yet incredibly endearing. Watch it.

Links:
Hydeout Productions
Nujabes (MySpace)
Nujabes (Facebook)
Nujabes (LastFM)
Nujabes - Love(sic) (YouTube)
Nujabes Wiki

COMPAGNIE TRANSE EXPRESS

The creation of Brigitte Burdin and Gilles Rhode in 1992, the Company Transe Express perform in unusual public spaces. My favourite is their Celestial Art or theatre in the sky favouring gigantic mobile constructions. Similar to La Machine and Royal de Luxe, their Gilliam-esque shows are wonderous and uplifting in their scope and execution.

« Celestial Art »… A Baroque or naïve expression ? A bazaar of accessories? Of too-heavy Angels hissed by groaning pulleys, blue golden skies, cotton clouds stuck to Columbus of escaped voices from the Sistine Chapel. Celestial fireworks? Machinery invented to overcome the Peasants? Plumes of nacre or the first wings of articulated wood… A genius deployed to rule the surrounding space does not escape the burlesque. Could this be a dare for space shuttles or sputniks?

- Sylvie Meunier,
Extract of book L’Art Céleste, théâtre au-dessus de la ville

Links:
Compagnie Transe Express (EN)
Transe Express (LeFourneau)
Transe Express (Flickr)

Featurette: TIM MINCHIN

Imagine an Australian combination of Woody Allen, Frank Zappa and Eddie Izzard and you might get something close to the brilliance of Tim Minchin.

Links:
Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin YouTube
Tim Minchin Wiki
Tim Minchin MySpace

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS "Electric Car"

From our friend Dek at NoFatClips!, this charming offering from Tiny Inventions and They Might Be Giants is worth a look. Also, have a look at the "making of".

Links:
Electric Car Feature (NoFatClips!)
Electric Car Making of (NoFatClips!)
Tiny Inventions
Electric Car (YouTube)
They Might Be Giants

SEAN PECKNOLD's video for GRIZZLY BEAR's "While You Wait for the Others"

The parts weave nicely in this video from Sean Pecknold(Grandchildren) for Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait for the Others."

Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others
Director - Sean Pecknold
DP - Michael Ragen
AD - Tristan Seniuk
Illustrations - Toby Liebowitz
Animators - Sean Pecknold & Britta Johnson
Producer - Joy Saez
4 faced mask - Jack Strain
Record label - Warp
Special thanks - Robin, Lisa, Greg, and Aja Pecknold,
Jennifer Popochock, Toby Liebowitz
Center Valley Animal Shelter

Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Links:
ByGrandchildren.com
Grizzly Bear
Toby Liebowitz
While You Wait for the Others (HD-YouTube)

ARCTIC MONKEYS - Diamonds are Forever

I love this performance from the Arctic Monkeys. Happy Wednesday.

Links:
Arctic Monkeys
Diamonds are Forever (YouTube)

PJ HARVEY & JOHN PARISH: Black Hearted Love

This song takes me places.

Links:
PJ Harvey
John Parish
PJ Harvey (Island Records)
PJ Harvey & John Parish (Guardian)
PJ Harvey Wiki
John Parish Wiki
PJ Harvey & John Parish (YouTube)

SOY TU AIRE

Visit THIS enjoyable interactive music video for Labuat's Soy Tu Aire; a relaxing diversion.

Links:
Soy Tu Aire
Labuat
Motionographer (source)

Introducing TOM VEK

Eclectic, raw, unassuming, intelligent, chaotic and fun, Tom Vek should be on your radar. Having released his debut album We Have Sound in 2005 while completing a graphic design degree at Central St. Martins, London, he is now working on a follow up with Island Records.

Tom Vek - Nothing But Green Lights
Uploaded by Tom-Vek - Watch more music videos, in HD!

TOM VEK C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)


TOM VEK I Aint Saying My Goodbyes

Links:
Tom Vek
Tom Vek (MySpace)
Tom Vek (LastFM)
Tom Vek Wiki

More of DAMON ALBARN & JAMIE HEWLETT's MONKEY: Journey to the West

Since posting back in May 2007, Monkey: Journey to the West has continued the opera and released the accompanying album as well as the videos embedded below. It's about as close as a person can get to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in real life.

"After a phenomenally successful run wowing audiences and critics in Manchester, Paris, Charleston and the Royal Opera House Monkey now finds a new home in London as the production roars its way to the 02 for its’ next incredible outing.

Take a trip down the Thames and immerse yourself in Monkey’s World, a brand new event space situated in the Meridian Gardens next to the O2 centre where a bespoke theatre has been created especially by the Monkey team to host this kaleidoscope of incredible animation, spectacular visual effects, acrobatics and martial arts."

Links:
Monkey: Journey to the West
Monkey: Journey to the West (SiouxWIRE)
Monkey: Journey to the West (Wiki)
BBC Imagine features