Video: HEALTH – “Stonefist”

HEALTH have released a video for a radio edit of "Stonefist" off their new album Death Magic. I already shared the audio stream multiple times so you know how I feel about the song and band but just in case you missed it, or still need some convincing, maybe this clip will push you over the edge. Directed by NAKED FACES, “Stonefist” sees the band undergoing plastic surgery to both humorous and disastrous effect.

Listen: HEALTH – “DEATH MAGIC” LP

I’ve been praising HEALTH for years and come next week when the LA band releases their new LP, Death Magic, I’m fairly certain many others will finally take notice. Death Magic follows in stride with the direction the band has been moving towards for the better part of the last five years. The collection of songs is infinitely more poppy and the electronics are more prominent then on Get Color. This version of HEALTH probably has most in common with “USA Boys” or “Tears” and for better or worse tones down on the noise elements found on earlier works. I’ve heard the record a whole lot in the last five days and love it but my personal tastes wish a little bit more of the noise was retained or even sustained in the songs that do go down that road and from past recordings. The record is well sequenced with songs, not directly flowing into the next per say, but more so rhythmically or sonically. If you don’t like what you hear in the first four songs then this record isn’t for as it’s a killer lead-in as far as these things go and offers a good blend of poppy HEALTH vs. noisy HEALTH.

Studio engineering comes from the Haxan Cloak, Mars Volta engineer Lars Stalfors, and longtime Kanye West engineer Andrew Dawson which only adds list of things that will make the record more high profile then anything the band has done before. It’s well deserved, the record is great and they are always amazing live so do yourself a favor, if you like what you hear, make sure to catch them next time they are in your town.

On a final note I hope the band continue with their tradition of releasing a remix album for this record as well, they always have really interesting people tinkering with their songs, often to great results and possibly even acting as inspiration or a stepping stone for where the band sonically finds themselves today. DEATH MAGIC is out August 7th.

DEATH MAGIC Tracklist: 01. VICTIM 02. STONEFIST 03. MEN TODAY 04. FLESH WORLD (UK) 05. COURTSHIP II 06. DARK ENOUGH 07. LIFE 08. SALIVA 09. NEW COKE 11. L.A. LOOKS 11. HURT YOURSELF 12. DRUGS EXIST
 

Listen: HEALTH - "Stonefist"

Back in April I mentioned that HEALTH would be releasing a new LP on August 7th titled Death Magic. First single, “New Coke,” pushed forward with the LA noise group’s more dance oriented sound, but that should come as no surprise as they’ve been aggressively going that direction for quite some time now. “Stonefist” follows in those same footsteps with its immediately catchy pulsating rhythms and sharp sterile stabs that really has become something that defines the band’s sound. Whatever the case it’s another awesome tune from the group who I’ll be checking out again this Thursday when they roll into town to preview the new material live.

As a reminder Death Magic will see some studio engineering from the Haxan Cloak, Mars Volta engineer Lars Stalfors, and longtime Kanye West engineer Andrew Dawson and is coming out via Loma Vista.

Video: HEALTH - “New Coke”

Fuck yeah! I love me some HEALTH and the L.A. band have finally announced Death Magic, their first studio album since 2009's Get Color. The record will be released on August 7 via Loma Vista and with the announcement comes a new song and video for "New Coke.” As with most things HEALTH the experience can be a tense one, the clip was directed by the bands own John Famiglietti and the song checks off all those boxes that make HEALTH one of my favorite bands, ghostly vocals, interesting rhythms, thoughtful breakdowns and more. 

Death Magic will see some studio engineering from the Haxan Cloak, Mars Volta engineer Lars Stalfors, and longtime Kanye West engineer Andrew Dawson, I’ve started counting down the days till this drops already.

Video: HEALTH Breaks Down Their Score For Max Payne 3

For those of you who have been paying attention I praise the LA noise band HEALTH often, their song “Tears” will be on my best of the year list, which we promise will be posted by the end of week. “Tears” was part of the Max Payne III score which came out this past May via Rockstar Games and the Creators Project just dropped a short documentary about the collaborative process of building the score.  

“Though the story of the game moves linearly, the player has some freedom within its framework, a style of gameplay that demanded accompanying music that could ebb and flow with the various moods and settings. HEALTH’s soundtrack amplifies the intensity of every possible moment within the game. Using their signature style of melodic yet heavy noise, the band created a series of “stems” for every level of the game, each a set of related tracks that flow in and out of one another depending on the action ensuing onscreen while keeping with the dark, raw and emotional aspect that players have come to identify the lead character and series with.”

 In the video below members of the band and of Rockstar Games discus the process in more detail…

Video: HEALTH – “Tears”

Is there anything HEALTH doesn’t do perfectly? Continuing with their streak of excellence the LA band have a new video for the Max Payne OST song, and one of my top tunes of the year, “Tears". David Altobelli & Jeff Desom in conjunction with the Creators Project directed the video and it is a cinematic feast for the eyes featuring zombie children, incredible. 

Listen: HEALTH - "Tears"

Man oh man have I been waiting for this to drop ever since it was announced some months back. Los Angles noise band HEALTH created the score for Rockstar Games latest blockbuster franchise release, Max Payne 3, which drops today. If you have seen the onslaught of commercials for the game on TV and are a HEALTH fan like me than it goes without saying that the 2 minutes of “Tears” have been a very big tease and left you wanting more. Available today via iTunes, you can download the single tune for a dollar, or for the gamers out there, as part of the special edition packaging of the game which includes the score in its entirety. It’s a pretty breathtaking tune in my opinion and having not heard the full album yet makes we want more.  For those who don’t want to shell out a full $100 just to get the score (maybe you aren’t a gamer) have no fear as it will be available in its entirety on May 23rd via iTunes and in the future as a physical vinyl release. Unfortunately I don’t know the details of the vinyl drop yet or even how long the score clocks in at but you can be sure I will feverishly continue to track down the info and share it with our readers. For now enjoy all 4 plus minutes of lead song “Tears” below….

Listen: Crystal Castles - "Suffocation" (HEALTH Remix)

On Tuesday we shared the video for Crystal Castles’ “Suffocation” off of their stellar 2010 self titled sophomore LP .Today we got more good stuff coming your way with a remix of the track from the mighty LA noise band, HEALTH. Both these groups have released some of my favorite albums in the last decade, often working and touring together; let’s hope the collaborations keep coming.

Download: HEALTH Cover Pictureplane's "Goth Star"

YES! Something you should know about me, I absolutely love the LA noise band HEALTH so it was with great pleasure to get this cover of Pictureplane’s “Goth Star”.  Those familiar with both bands might recall that production duties for Pictureplanes latest LP Thee Physical was done by Jupiter Keyes who  along with the rest of the band have taken the Fleetwood Mac-sampling beat-jam also used in the original and made it into a drum-driven piece of their own.

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BONUS:
Here is a great pro shot video of the band covering the song live.