Video: Gorillaz - "DoYaThing"

Here is the much hyped new video "DoYaThing" by the Gorillaz, starring James Murphy & Andre 3000.  It carries on in the usual Gorillaz style, using the artwork of Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl) this time in 3D.

To be honest, the video is actually kind of boring and the song isn't really integrated into it that well.  That is fine because the song is pretty boring as well.  The 3 sets of musicians attached to this song have been out of the main stage for a bit and it kind of feels like a quicky attempt to jump back in.  I prefer the 2D design and look that Hewlett and the Gorillaz had established but do like the attempt to try something new and envision it in a 3D realistic world.
  

Listen: Haim – “Better Off”

Haim are an LA based group comprised of three sisters Danielle, Alana and Este that play indie pop with a twist. They have a 3-track EP out, which you can grab for free over at their website. Take a listen to a very catchy “Better Off” below…

Video – A look at Usugrow

The video below offers a peek into the mind of Japanese artist Usugrow. Focusing on Usugrow’s punk rock beginnings and influences in skateboarding, graffiti and tattoo’s, the skilled painter reveals where his love of skulls as a subject matter stems from and shares with us some great footage of his characteristic letter painting and graffiti work. Directed by Louis and Alexander Mitchell.

USUGROW from Louis Mitchell on Vimeo.

Video: Gregory Crewdson – “Brief Encounters” Preview

American photgrapher Gregory Crwedson is easily one of my all time favorite photographers. Known primarily for his elaborately staged scenes of American homes and neighborhoods, his photography often has a X-Files like feeling to it.

In the making for ten plus years now, Brief Encounters, a documentary by Ben Shapiro, captures the master at work building sets, scouting locations and shooting his subjects in their disturbing imperfect worlds. The film further reveals the life-story behind the work.

“Through frank reflections on his life and career, including the formative influences of his psychologist father and his childhood fascination with the work of Diane Arbus. Childhood fears and ideals, adult anxieties and desires, the influences of pop-culture all combine to form who we are, and for Crewdson, motivate his work.”

The film begins screening in March at SXSW before inevitably hitting other theaters across America, more info HERE.

Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters Trailer from Benjamin Shapiro on Vimeo.

Video: Girls – “My Ma”

San Francisco band Girls dropped the third and latest video from their fantastic 2011 LP, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Stand out tune “My Ma” was directed and edited by Aaron Brown and shot by Grant Singer and Brown. The clip has the feel of a documentary, playing out like a-day-in-the-life-of a middle-aged woman who reflects on her former career as an actor, her story told through the pages of scrapbooks.

Video: Cover Art Shoot For Santigold's Master of My Make-Believe

Here at Onomatopoeia we like to mix things up a bit, a little bit of art, a little bit of music and more, so when some of these things can come together for a story it’s always exciting.

Santigold has offered a look at the cover of her forthcoming album, Master of My Make-Believe, out May 1 on Downtown/Atlantic.  Via The New York Times' T Style blog, the cover, shot by photographer Jason Schmidt, pictures four versions of Santi White. Santi appears in the center of the photograph as a Mafia boss, which she described to the Times as "some sort of ruler in my own reality." At the character's sides, she appears twice as twin guards, wearing gold bodysuits designed specifically for the shoot by Alexander Wang. And hovering above, Santi #4 is a painting by one our favorite painters out there, Kehinde Wiley, inspired by 18th century artist Joshua Reynolds' "Portrait of an Officer". Check out a behind-the-scenes clip documenting the process of the shoot below…

Listen: Action Bronson – “Nothing To Worry About”

Photo By: Terry Richardson 

Another new cut from the ever productive Action Bronson this time the Queens rapper jumps on Peter Bjorn & John’s “Nothing To Worry About.” Produced by Party Supplies.

Video: Summer Camp - "Losing My Mind"

Retro pop act Summer Camp are back with the latest video from their fantastic 2011 Welcome To Condale LP. The appropriately nostalgia-heavy video for single, “Losing My Mind” should bring back memories for anyone who has ever had to take a class picture behind one of those cheesy, smoky backdrops. Check the visuals for this super fun and catchy tune below…

Video: Death Grips – “Get Got”

Experimental hip hop act Death Grips just signed to Epic records and as we recently reported the group plans to release two albums with the label this year acting as a follow up to last year's mixtape, Exmilitary. We have a little more information for you today on the albums and a new video for single “Get Got" that along side previously heard single “Blackjack,” will appear on the first of the two LP’s, The Money Store, out on April 24. The second album's called No Love and is scheduled for a fall release.

Video: Bon Iver - "Towers"

Bon Iver dropped the latest video from his 2011 Grammy winning self titled album. “Towers” was directed by Nabil Elderkin who also worked with Justin for the "Holocene" video and continues with the theme of nature. Nabil had this to say of the process…

“When Justin sent me a breakdown of what certain parts/lines of the song meant to him I did my best to decode it and curate into something simple, and hopefully the viewer can take from it their own feeling of what the towers represent. It was shot up in Washington state, mostly on Indian-preserved land, and our actor’s name was Mystic. He seemed to be very tuned into the land, and when he said he was also willing to fall into the freezing cold ocean up there (seems a bit sharky too), I knew he was my guy.”

Bon Iver - Towers (Official Music Video) from Bon Iver on Vimeo.

Go Buy These: Penis Peralta and Santa Crude

Legendary Skate illustrators Vernon Courtland Johnson and Jim Phillips have been given a humorous remix treatment in the form of their hugely recognizable Ripper and Screaming Hand graphics. Available as a print, tee, or hoodie HERE.

Listen: Prefuse 73 – “Ms. Red Whine Mix”

Prefuse 73 shared a new 43 minute long mix he put together for the folks at Self-Titled Mag. Featuring tunes from some of Onomatopoeia’s favorite artists including Clams Casino and Shlohmo it’s a great way to start out your Saturday. Listen and download below…

Track list:
Ayshay: Jemsheed (intro)
Clams Casino: Waterfalls
LiL B(Clams Casino inst.): Motivation
Two Inch Punch: Love You Up
Modeselektor: Berlin feat. Miss Platinum
MachineDrum_SeeSea (rough version) Vapor City demos
P73#pause
Lapalux: Gutter Glitter
Teebs: Red Curbs Loop (stuff I dream about)
Ifan Dafydd: Treehouse
Lapalux: Moments (feat. PY)
Balam Acab: Dream Out
Shlohmo: Couch
Forest Swords: Hit the Ground (Superman) Remix
Dimlite: And Your Shoes Are Too Clean
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Deep (inst.)
Force Publique Congo: The Butcher of Congo
Oneohtrix Point Never: Sleep Dealer
Apparat: Goodbye (with Soap and Skin)
Tim Hecker: Sketch 6

Listen: Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold - "Olivia, In a Separate Bed"

Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold posted a new solo track on his band's Facebook. The demo entitled "Olivia, In a Separate Bed" was written in a "sadsack mode," Pecknold notes, adding that it "will probably change." Enjoy the tune below...

Video: Yusek - "Off the Wall"

Mirror, mirror on the wall... who has the most interesting video of them all? Well for today at least.  French-producer Yusek just released a new video for song "Off the Wall".  The video has a simple concept I'm surprised hasn't been done before, but its done pretty successfully here.  The track will appear on his new Living on the Edge of Time album which has been out in limited release.

Directed by Romain Segaud 

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.

Video: The Shins – “Simple Song”

As previously reported the Shins have a new LP coming out on March 20^th  entitled  Port of Morrow .We shared a stream of a cut called “Simple Song” and now we have the visuals for it.

The DANIELS-directed video is a journey into the fictional future of frontman James Mercer. Beginning with Mercer's death, the clip chronicles his relationship with his three children (played by the other members of the band) as they tear through their house in search of the deed.

Video: "Raiding the Lost Ark" filmumentary

Jamie Benning has been creating what he calls "filmumentaries" which is kind of like a visual directors commentary that runs along a film while the movie is playing.  He splices in notes, deleted scenes, b-roll footage, audio clips (from interviews/radio), photos, mock-up art, basically anything to give the ultimate behind the-scenes experience.  His films are not "official" or sanctioned by the creators but have gotten such as buzz that they have almost been given a pass.  He previously had his films posted in parts on Youtube in parts but they kept getting pulled and due to their popularity he has been able to host them on Vimeo in their full HD glory.

Benning spent years completing filmumentaries for the Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars Begins, Building an Empire, & Returning to Jedi) and recently completed Raiding the Lost Ark, a film looking into the first Indiana Jones movie.  All of his films are quite long, usually over 2 hours but well worth the watch if you are true fans.

Currently he is working on Behind Jaws, which is pretty self explanatory but be sure to check out his site to see more on his process and updates on his films.

 

Video: Beirut - "Vagabond"

Beirut has released the new video for "Vagabond", from their 2011 LP The Rip Tide. The clip was directed by Sunset Television and has the feel of a low-budget 1940s war film.

The video, shot at the Greenpoint, Brooklyn hall Warsaw" the directors said. It was inspired by the aesthetic of Milos Forman films from the 1960s. The directors added, "With all the smoking, drinking, and advanced pregnancy, the video will probably be banned from MTV, so we hope lots of people enjoy it on the internet."

Go Buy This: Tomokazu Matsuyama’s Snow Globes

“Tomokazu Matsuyama’s work is both wild and controlled, figurative, yet abstract, steeped in Japanese iconography – both ancient and contemporary – but also specifically American, cowboys and indians, bucking broncos, and Jackson Pollock. We saw this and thought … let’s make snow globes together. And thus it was born, a unique edition of 30, 8” tall glass and wood snow globes, handmade with acrylics submerged in water, the uniquely Western souvenir as seen through the Japanese born, California bred, New York based, former snowboard professional turned painter and sculptor, Matsuyama.”

Each globe base is signed and numbered by the artist. They go on sale tomorrow (Thursday 2.23.12) at The Standard Shop at The Standard, New York accompanied by a new original painting installed through March 30th. You can also buy one now at ShopTheStandard.com.

Snow Globes by Tomokazu Matsuyama from The Standard Hotel on Vimeo.

Video: The Boneyard Project – Return Flight

The Boneyard project see’s contemporary artists with leanings towards graffiti and street art applying their aesthetic to abandoned airplanes,  thereby giving them a new function and meaning.   Carlo McCormick brings together such artists as Faile, Eric Firestone, Bast, Andrew Schoultz and more to transform the retired vessels into something the community can get excited about. Watch the short video below to get a peek into the process and hear some firsthand accounts on some of the issues in trying to paint a whole aircraft and how the project came to

Video: Crystal Castles – “Suffocation”

Crystal Castles are still dropping videos from their very excellent self titled sophomore LP that came out in 2010. The duo are currently working on their latest full length which is due out sometimes in the summer of 2012. I for one have absolutely no problem still getting some treats from yesteryear as this record was one of my favorites two years ago and still gets lots of play time. Check out the visuals for “Suffocation” directed by Crystal Castles Ethan Kath HERE.

Video: Xiu Xiu - "Beauty Towne"

 “Beauty Towne” Is the latest video from Xiu Xiu’s soon to be released LP Always. The strange and unique animated video was created by Jonathan Berger, Jean Y. Kim and Dasha Shishkin. The band also has a new digital rarities comp called RARE, available next month from Xiu Xiu’s web site.

Video: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All - "Rella"

Here's the first taste from Odd Future's group album OF Tape Vol. 2 (out March 20 through Odd Future Records), a video for a new song called "Rella" by Tyler, the Creator, Domo Genesis, and Hodgy Beats, featuring production by Left Brain.

The video was directed by Tyler under his Wolf Haley alias and is not ideally fit for work, this is what he had to say about it all...

"Hopefully This Gets Me Closer To Being Metioned With Spike Jonze One Day And Hype And Not These Other Rappers I Hate That Shit."

Video: Strange Thunder - Evolution of Howlin' Rain

SF-band, Howlin' Rain just released its 5th full length studio album, Russian Wilds (American Recordings) on Valentine's Day.  Since its last album the band guitar monster Isiah Mitchell and began working with Rick Rubin.  Filmmaker Pamela Littky created a short film entitled Strange Thunder which interviews band front man Ethan Miller and looks into how the bands collaboration with Rubin and new album fit into its long history.

Howlin' Rain has always been a lot tamer then some of the members other bands (Earthless, Comets on Fire, etc.) and with album definitely feels more polished and moving toward a very 70's classic rock-Americana sound.  Not 100% on board as I miss the noisey goodness of old, but can't judge until I see the band in its new formation live.  To listen to the new album, check it out here.

Listen: Santigold -"Disparate Youth"

Santigold dropped a tune off her forthcoming sophomore album Master of My Make-Believe today in the form of "Disparate Youth." The song will be available on iTunes tomorrow in the U.S., and will be available in the UK on April 8 on an EP that will include remixes from Switch, the 2 Bears and Amateur Best. Check out the fun animated clip below for this super catchy tune.

Sunday Matinée - Celebrating Sunday's With A Live Clip: Sleigh Bells on SNL

Sleigh Bells spent the weekend back home in New York City playing to a sold out Terminal 5 crowed on Friday and making their first appearance on national television as the musical guests on SNL the following night. All this in a heavy week of promotion for the duo before the Tuesday release of their sophomore LP, Reign Of Terror, hit’s the street.  Check out the bands performance of lead single “Come Back Kid”  and “End Of The Line” below for this week’s edition of Sunday Matinée.

BONUS:
Here is a clip from Friday's Terminal 5 show performing my all time favorite tune from the due "Kids"

Video: Visualtraveling, "Holy Cow"

Visualtraveling is an interesting twist on a travel show.  Instead of just bringing cameras and spewing local factoids, Visualtraveling bring along skateboards in which they rip up local spots most of the time leaving locals confused and intruiged.  "Holy Cow" brings the team of 4 skaters (Kenny Reed, Walker Ryan, Laurence Keefe & Michael Mackrodt) to South East Asia, filming through India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka.

It is a nice little 10-min skate video created by Patrik Wallner which blends beautiful cinematography with



Sweet video.  Looking forward to seeing more from this group.

Video: Jam City - "The Courts"

Jam City (a.k.a. Jack Latham) is one of the youngest members of the Night Slugs crew but that hasn’t stopped the London-based producer from making some of the biggest sounds in bass-music. If single “Jam City” is any indication of what  Lathman's full length (due this May) will sound like, you can count me in. You can pick up a double-A-sided 12", The Courts, on February 27. The title track will also be featured on the LP, as will the single's flipside, "The Nite Life". Check out the super sleek video by Daniel Swan below…

Jam City - The Courts from night slugs on Vimeo.

Video: Bon Iver 4AD/Jagjaguwar Sessions

Record labels 4AD and Jagjaguwar  recently released a 25-minute Bon Iver performance, starring Justin Vernon and bandmate Sean Carey.  The session took place in London's AIR studio and consist of songs from Bon Iver's 2011 self-titled album as well as 2009's Blood Bank EP release.  What makes this special is that they are extremely simplified versions of the original tracks, using only 2 microphones & 2 baby grand pianos.  I know some believed that Bon Iver was somewhat overproduced (auto-tuning, Beth/Rest sax insanity) so this is a welcome treat.

0:01   - Hinnom, TX
3:09   - Wash.
8:10   - I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover)
12:40 - Babys
18:32 - Beth/Rest

Video: Chromatics - "Lady"

Portland’s Chromatics are back with their third single from their forthcoming LP Kill For Love. “Lady” plays nicely into what we have heard of the LP so far, further exploring the hazy disco sound reminiscent of a dirtier time in nightlife. The video plays right into the sound looking like some sort of footage from Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Filming took place at Silver City in 2011 during a prom of all places, and features photography by Rhys Balmer and Alberto Rossini who also in turn edited the footage.

Video: Eric Elms – “Wish You Were Here”

Here is mini-documentary that follows Vans OTW Advocate Eric Elms through Tokyo for his "Wish You Were Here" exhibition at Common Gallery last fall. The show was based around J.J. Kilroy’s legendary signature “Kilroy Was Here” that originated back in World War II and can still be seen all over the planet today. Elms also speaks about his interest in the zine format, Japanese culture and more. Filmed and edited by Peter Sutherland.

OTW - Eric Elms - Wish You Were Here from Off The Wall TV on Vimeo.

Happy Friday with Ghetto Hikes

"I’m 28. I have a full time job leading urban kids (of all races) on nature hikes. I simply write down shit they say."

http://ghettohikes.tumblr.com/

Throwback Thursday's: Beastie's Paul's Boutique Record release party, 1989

In 1989, The Beastie Boys released the epic Paul's Boutique album on Capitol Records.  The album achieved critical acclaim, went double platinum and today continues to be mentioned amongst numerous Top 100 albums of all time lists (Time, Rolling Stone, Spin, etc.).  For the albums release, a party took place on the rooftop of Capitol Records and here it is in its entirety.

Its long,.. about an hour and most of the time your finger will be on the fast forward button but its worth a look to see Mike D in all his cartoonish glory, the Boys awkwardly mingling with execs and just being overall stoned and mostly incoherent.



This was originally posted by Porkys1982, who has been uploading a number of classic vintage footage of the Beastie Boys.

Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal to Guest Star on The Simpsons

On March 4, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal will guest star on the 23rd Season of the iconic television series, The Simpsons in an episode titled, “Exit Though The Kwik-E-Mart.” In order to get back at his dad, Bart goes undercover as a graffiti street artist and plasters Homer’s unflattering image all over Springfield. But one night, Bart and Milhouse get caught in the act by the established street artists and to Bart’s surprise, they invite him to exhibit his satirical artwork in his very own gallery show.

“Part of being on ‘The Simpsons,’ is you’re being honored as a reference point in culture,” Fairey says. “But you also can’t be too sensitive about that part of culture being made fun of…There’s irony that comes with something outsider becoming insider. And they do a great job of examining that.”-Shepard

It's kind of weird, Shepard is easily the most recognizable of the above artists in mainstream culture but his character doesn't look as spot on as the others in my opinion.

Watch: Making of the Gorillaz x Andre 3000 x James Murphy music video for 'DoYaThing'

We were all extremely excited when it was announced that the next "Three Artists. One Song" project for Converse would involve the Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and James Murphy.  This trio follows the success of the previous such project which brought together Vampire Weekend, Kid Cudi and Best Coast. The collaborative track is called "Do Ya Thing" and you can listen to a large chunk of it below as well as watch the making of the music video.  

Gorillaz are also designing a collection of kicks for Converse with four variations on the classic Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker.

Video: "Outside In: The Story Of Art In The Streets”

The Art in the Streets exhibition has long come to a close but a new documentary has popped up by Alex Stapleton entitled Outside In: The Story Of Art In The Streets.  The 30 minute short features interviews with a huge portion of the artists who took part in the show including Mode 2, Risk, Revok, Ben Eine, Swoon, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Ed Templeton, Espo, Invader, Neck Face, Saber, Martha Cooper, RETNA and more. There are a lot of choice quotes buried throughout so if you are a fan of any of the above-mentioned names this is pretty much the definitive video I’ve seen on the show, and I’ve seen a whole lot of them.

OUTSIDE IN: The Story of Art in the Streets from Patrick Simpson on Vimeo.

Video: The Rapture - "In the Grace of Your Love"

The Rapture are back with the latest video from their 2011 LP “In The Grace of Your Love”. This time the clip is for the title track with Melissa Jones taking on directing duties. Check it out below...