I was a bit late to finally check this out but I’m glad I did. This video for Kalle Mattson’s Water Falls is totally mesmerizing. Zooming in and out and about California as if it were a dream, I was remembering all the places I’d been and all the places I hope to return to. Of the concept, director Kevin Parry says this -

“I wanted to capture the slow-pulsing and escalating feel of the song.  For years, I’ve had the idea of animating a camera through and around a city, so I challenged myself to capture the emotion and pace of the song with wherever this technique would take me.  I chose the ‘hypnosis’ visuals to thematically tie the video together and layered that over top of the non-narrative exploration of San Francisco.“

NWO from matt wignall on Vimeo.

Loving this new video from Deep Sea Diver for “NWO”, neat black and white, silhouette, nineties vibe. Their latest record is fantastic. Didya know you can listen to it here?

It’s a rare thing for me to check my FWBA inbox – this is perhaps the busiest season of my life. But I skimmed through the hundreds (woops!) of emails to see if any caught my eye. I came across one from Wild Leaves and I really loved their jams. They’re 5 friends who moved to Brooklyn from the Midwest and in the spirit of nostalgia, wrote these beautiful, simple folk songs. Listen, below and download the two tracks for free, here.

I’m a huge podcast fan – WTF is one of my favourites, like most listeners, I feel like I know Marc Maron and all of his personal insecurities, intimately. It’s something I really appreciate about the show – his ability to be vulnerable with his guests, which allows them to unravel in front of him – revealing personal demons, struggles and generally coming out of their shells. He’s so good at it, because he doesn’t try. He’s just a curious dude.

I’m also a huge fan of Fiona Apple and I think her latest record is brilliant, it’s so unique to her and her unconventional, artistic human experience. She’s never trying to emulate anyone, and the result is a sound that is entirely her own. Likewise, she’s quite publicly vulnerable herself, completely oblivious to her own fame, or maybe just a rejection of it.

I highly recommend you listen to this episode, it’s something special.

I haven’t been this excited by a track in a while – this is Endless Shore from French singer –  Melody’s Echo Chamber – her first 7″ is out July 31st via Fat Possum. With some help from Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, and a cover by Unknown Mortal Orchestra it sounds like she’s in good company. Listen, and swoon away.

Melody’s Echo Chamber – Endless Shore by FatPossum

I dedicate this post to my pal, Kohwi – because I owe him a hang (or two), I missed his show this week in Brooklyn but I heard it was so good. I highly recommend you check out this compilation put together by GRLMTN – an Ann Arbor-based collective of musicians that do rad stuff together. This one features Kohwi, Chrome Sparks, and more. You can download it for free over at their bandcamp.

Shaking Through: Ava Luna from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

The latest Shaking Through session featuring Ava Luna, and curated by Twin Sister is simply, fantastic. It’s been quite a hiatus from blogging for me the last few weeks – mixing in a trip up north to the backwoods of Canada, to a long week in Brooklyn, it’s so satisfying to dig into music like this to realize that the community is still doing incredible things while my mind is elsewhere. Really loving this session. Check out more here.

Shaking Through: Ava Luna – Water Duct Live from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

What is up with all this great music lately? Taken By Trees comes back!? My heart can’t take all of this. Love this song “Dreams” it’s got a bit of an 80s beachy vibe.

Taken By Trees – Dreams

Oh hells yes! Sun Airway is back with a new single called “Close” off their upcoming record “Soft Fall” out this October via Dead Oceans. I love this band – their debut LP Nocturne of the Exploded Crystal Chandelier was quite literally the soundtrack to my life in San Diego and Oh Naoko is probably one of my most cherished songs as it relates to my brothers Alex and Kenny down there. It still gets me misty! Not only do I love their music, but Jon (and his lady!) are some of the sweetest people I’ve met so this makes everything extra exciting. There’s a strange sense of delight that I feel when I can hear an artist progressing with each album so I’m highly anticipating the rest of this record! Jam away, below.

Sun Airway – “Close” by Dead Oceans