Judah Warsky // Painkillers & Alcohol

Unabashed devotees of the retro collage videos of Jamie Harley as we are, we couldn't let this 12 minute plus mini-epic pass by without a post. Particularly seeing as it's set to the two teaser tracks available to hear from Judah Warsky's new 'Painkillers & Alcohol' record, which feature looping French house beats, prog guitars and Wayne Coyne-esque vocals to produce a hypnotic, at once mechanic and heartfelt opening to what sounds like a remarkable record, due to be released in March.


Judah Warsky : "Painkillers & Alcohol" / "Asleep in the train" from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

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Koudlam // Sunny Day

The combination of self-titled French Symphonic Composer Koudlam and video maestro Jamie Harley is just too good a proposition. The expansive, looping electronica and broken yelps of "just a sunny fucking day" are perfectly offset by Harley's filmic collage.

I can't stop listening to this track, or the below Vondelpark remix of Koudlam's See You All.

Koudlam - 'Sunny Day' from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

Koudlam: See You All (Vondelpark Rework)

Twin Shadow // Scala

Twin Shadow were pop perfection at Scala last week. Here's what I thought in so many words for The Fugitive Motel, followed by more Jamie Harley magic.

Twin Shadow w/ Chad Valley
Scala, London
May 11 2011

The 80s synth-pop revival path is in serious need of a break. The saturation of copyists and bandwagon limpets, filling our ears with ‘new’ music run through an Instagrammatic filter, is beginning to grow mind-numbingly tiresome. Twin Shadow, however, the project of the New York via Dominican Republic raised George Lewis Jr, is defying this trend. Their 2010 debut Forget, a work George describes as “a future lived in past tense”, managed to be both referential and ambitious and led to the band deservedly selling out the Lexington back in January and Scala tonight.

From the punk funk get-go of opener Shooting Holes, it’s clear why the band have quickly built a fervent following, as their live show is immeasurably more raucous than the record. Through the slow burning Tyrant Destroyer into the love-blushed, Orange Juice-d riffs of When We’re Dancing, George lets his inner rock icon loose with stadium sized shreds reminiscent of Prince in their intricate grandeur. Such comparisons are not loosely made: while there’s value in the boisterously macho front man of your Gallagher, the introverted mystery of your Smith, or the sinewy arrogance of Morrison or Gillespie, there’s something even more absorbing in the elegantly composed and sartorially refined presence of a front man at home on stage, and there’s no doubting George is that man tonight.

What’s perhaps most impressive is, far from hiding his vocal under swathes of feedback and reverb, it’s way up in the mix throughout tonight, with new song Circus Is Gone and the R&B touched album highlight Castles in the Snow showcasing George’s David Byrne-like range. After drawing a choral backing out of the crowd on Slow and describing Scala as sounding like it’s full of Americans (“that’s a compliment”, he says), the band sign off with mini-epic album closer Forget, before being hounded back on (George having swapped his blazer for rock mode denim jacket) for a blistering version of At My Heels, the single even Phoenix couldn’t match for pop infectiousness. All in all it’s a pristine return to London, sending me off to book festival tickets based solely on whether Twin Shadow will be there. I suggest you do the same.

Twin Shadow - Castles In The Snow Directed by Jamie Harley from Twin Shadow on Vimeo.

Two Bicycles // Moon Colors

Two Bicycles : 'Moon Colors' from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

When Teen Daze isn't being Teen Daze he's being Two Bicycles and making angelic, evocative concept albums about a night spent at sea, the approach of darkness and the loneliness and fear it brings.

Recorded in his bedroom in Chilliwack, British Columbia, you can listen to and download the full record here. In the meantime, above is Moon Colors, beautifully accented by Jamie Harley's vivid collage video.

When Teen Daze is being Teen Daze, he's producing dreamy yet propulsive chillwave gems like this new track, The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen, below.


MP3 (Bandcamp): Teen Daze - The Bluest Water I’d Ever Seen

Teen Daze - The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen from teen daze on Vimeo.