Our next video comes from Italy based trio Der Noir. It was released last year as well as their debut album. Their is a very dark tone preset in their music which is visualized in the artistic b&w music video which was recorded by by Simone Mogliè & Fernanda Veron. The song also features an unusual combination and mix of German and Italian singing vocals.
We could easy go on with ten videos from Bjork, but let's see who else Gondry worked with and whose ideas he managed to visualize in a music video. We will stick to the 90's in this next one and it is Beck from his tropical side. Gondry directed two videos for Beck, "Cellphone's Dead" and "Deadweight" and we have decided to feature the second one, which has also appeared as a soundtrack to the movie 'A Life Less Ordinary'. The video features scene from the movie and Beck in paradoxical world where the video and movie are in dialogue with each other, a rather different take on a movie soundtrack.
Minuit Machine have already been introduced to our blog during the last month. Hailing from France to some they might be new comers and to the other already a familiar name in Darkwave waters. We decided to catch up with the girls and find out something more about their sound machine. As already mentioned, the duo took shape in 2013 when they released their debut EP. This is a big year for them as they have released their debut album 'Live and Destroy' and they are currently touring an promoting it. Let's see what Hélène and Amandine have to say about Minuit Machine, past, present and future following the link below.
Thirty years ago Belaboris released their final tune and said good bye to the music world in this format. This was a cover version of the Finish singer Carola who released this song in the late 60's. The band managed to release their one and final album during the same year. Their recording material was recently picked up by Dark Entries Records and released on a compilation entitled 'Once Upon a Time'.
This year has recently have been a great come back year for Eyeless in Gaza. They have released a brand new studio album 'Mania Sour' in August and the original album collection has been reissued on Cherry Red during the same month. This new release is entitled 'Mythic Language/Egg Box Mask' an eclectic mix of early Eyeless In Gaza recordings – experimental, plus studio recordings 1981-82, mostly which are aural documents reflecting the variety of settings and conditions under which they were recorded. This does not necessarily display the usual high quality audio standards of Ambivalent Scale who will release this compilation in late November.
The reissue of the last four albums by Siuxsie and the Banshees has been quite a topic with this month finally giving it an official release announcment. This package include the final four albums (1987′s 'Through the Looking Glass' 1988′s 'Peepshow', 1991′s 'Superstition' and 1995′s 'The Rapture'). All four releases come with remastered audio from the original master tapes, rare bonus and unreleased tracks plus extensive sleeve notes. And just a reminder that in April their debut single "Hong Kong Garden" was reissued on double seven-inch vinyl.
X priest X is musical project of vocalist Madeline Priest and producers Chandler Strang and David Kazyk from Florida. The group was formed in 2013 when they revealed their first song "Dark Sun" as a demo. Eraly spring of 2014 then saw the release of their debut EP 'Samurai' on emotion Records. There is a certain enigma and mystery about a band name that certainly attract attention. Samurai songs reveal prefectrly structured pop songs where Madeline's innocent vocals flow on dreamy synth lines. The band was featured this year on 'When the Gramophone Rings'' 51 bands of 2014 and on NME's Radar Report. We hope to see more of them even in 2015.
Corners is a four piece band from Los Angeles consisting of Tracey Bryant, Billy Changer, Rick Mabery and Jeff Eretitti. Influenced by Velvet Underground and Joy Division, the band of engineers simply called Corners play California styled surf postpunk combined with garage. They have released their second album 'Maxed out on Distractions' and to promote it, the band is currently touring. Check their social pages to find them in a place near you.
As you all know Michael Gondry is the famous French film director. Those who prefer music over the movies might know him as an excellent music video director whose videos were an instant part of the daily music televisions' airplay in the last two centuries.
Not sure where your Gondry story starts, my kicks off certainly with Bjork's "Human Behavior". It was probably played during 'Awake on the Wild Side' or some other VJ show during the golden era of MTV Europe in the early 90's. Gondry's big breakthrough starts with Bjork and she must have remained his muse for quite a long time as his aesthetics found the best use in her music videos. The places you never imagined, unrealistic dimensions, the surreal world you only might have occur in your deepest dream are just few aspects of it.
Important to say that Gondry also directed videos for many other artist including The White Stripes, Beck, Sinead O'Connor and many more.
Dimension Gondry is our very special feature where we will feature ten essential music videos directed by Michel Gondry which were instant part of growing up and our musical video evolution.
Björk- Human Behaviour
The song was written by Nellee Cooper and Björk and it dates back to 1988 when Bjork was still with the Sugarcubes. A video for "Human Behavior" was the first collaboration between Michel Gondry and Bjork. It tells a story about a relation between humans and animals, taking animals' perspective in a role play of a predator and a prey. Bjork's emotional woodlands meet with Gondry's surreal playground in a master piece. The video received six nominations for the MTV video music awards in 1994 and won one. It was also nominated for the Grammy awards. It also has several elements that are present in Gondry's first feature film 'Human Nature'.
