"The Knower" Is Elderly Arsonist in New Youth Lagoon Music Video

In what has become a growing string of ocularly stimulating and thematically fascinating visual companions for Youth Lagoon’s recent Savage Hills Ballroom LP, Trevor Powers has now followed up "Highway Patrol Stun Gun" with a new, Lucas Navarro-directed video for “The Knower."

The video follows a mystifying old woman wandering about what looks to be an animated nursing home filled with vibrant adornment that serve as purposeful symbolism or deliberate misdirect.

The video scans various parts of nursing home life– a bingo hall, a solarium walkway, someone’s hand sliding off of a cane – that eventually leads to the illumination of the building’s name as the “Savage Hills Retirement Home.” Could this video provide context to the origin Trevor Powers’ choice of album title?

More setting passes and then we’re met with the tired eyes of an elderly woman, meandering across a swimming pool deck, in total and complete solitude. Another shot of the cockatoo and then a match igniting into flame, and all of a sudden, the Savage Hills Retirement Home ballroom is set ablaze as the elderly woman turned arsonist watches in quiet tranquility.

The silent, lifeless shots seen at the beginning of the video are now disrupted with fits of flame and frenzy, when all the while, our favorite elderly arsonist ambles out of the ballroom with only the slightest sense of urgency. Amidst the tumult of the inferno, the cockatoo breaks out of its cage, perhaps symbolizing Powers’ coming to grips with the death of a friend, or maybe even utilizing the allegorical connection of a cockatoo being a sign of spiritual providence. Who knows?

Our favorite elderly arsonist is last seen dancing amongst the flames of the Savage Hills Retirement Home ballroom, with the cockatoo flying past in escape. “The Knower” certainly offers up some powerful imagery in its visual counterpart, but Powers’ true intention behind the video is shrouded I the same stimulating imagery, which makes the experience all the more lush.

Savage HIlls Ballroom is out now via Fat Possum Records

Athens Post-Punk Band Gláss Announce New Album 'Accent,' Share First Single

Athens, GA post-punk group Gláss have shared the first single, “Glass(-accent)”, from their debut LP Accent due out via Post-Echo early next year. The track features dark, monotone vocals brought to life by skittering guitar and rapid-fire percussion and anchored by driving bass.

“And I’ll go where I’m not so cold,” speak-sings Aaron Burke, while chilly reverb bounces around beneath the mix, as if the song were being performed inside a metal box. Burke told Transverso,

“The song is a feeling of being exposed. Being in an environment where you can’t control but act unnaturally. A place that is definitely more temperate than you are used to, and you had been so used to a place that is so much more comfortably chilling, and you had become so accustomed to getting used to it, that it I felt so naked not having to wrap up in warm clothing, that I just refused to. To the point where I was wearing tight jeans and a duffle coat in 100 degree weather. That was America to me. No friends, no local knowledge to back me up. No stories or experience to refer to. I felt transplanted from everything I knew when I moved to the states. I can’t help but write about that—my immediate emotions of living in the states. That pretty much sums up the topic of the record.”

While Gláss have not set a date for the LP release, they will be playing a few dates in the Southeast over the next couple of months. Check out said dates and the track below.

10/22 - Greenville, SC @ Soundbox Tavern
11/14 - Athens, GA @ Flicker Theatre and Bar
12/17 - Athens GA @ Flicker Theatre and Bar

Gláss "Glass(-accent)" "Accent" - out 2/5/2016 http://Post-Echo.com Find Gláss on Facebook- http://on.fb.me/1QHk02U Bandcamp- http://bit.ly/1FtcRmo

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Austinn Is Calling On "Answer Your Phone"

“Answer Your Phone” is Luxembourg pop-rock two piece Austinn’s newest single, following their debut track "Galaxy," produced by Matt Squire (One Direction, All Time Low, Ariana Grande) and directed by Cedric Letsch.

The duo of Jameses, Jimmy Braun and Jim Scheck, explained the backstory behind their curious name to Transverso, saying,

“Jimmy bought a leather jacket on Ebay and it came [all the way to Luxembourg] from Austin, Texas. The guy who sold the jacket wrote his address on the package as well, [but] he wrote Austin with two nn’s, [which] makes Austinn. Nobody knows how you can make such a mistake in spelling Austin, but Jimmy had a laugh while reading it and thought it looked pretty cool.”

This shiny new music video, reminiscent of The Virgins at their poppiest, comes hot off the heels of multiple sold out European tours and gives a modern take on the classic drama recounted by Blondie back in the day: getting left Hanging On the Telephone. Check it out below:

Hear Five New Arcade Fire Songs on 'Reflektor''s Deluxe Reissue

Immediately following the abstract documentary The Reflektor Tapes that chronicled Arcade Fire's time spent creating and performing their 4th LP Reflektor, the Montreal-based indie darlings have released five previously unheard songs as part of a deluxe version of the record out today.

“Apocrypha," “Women of a Certain Age," “Soft Power," “Get Right," and “Crucified Again,” as well as a remix of album track "Flashbulb Eyes" by reggae artist Dennis Bovell. "Get Right" and "Crucified Again," which were played in the film, are available as a 7" starting today, with all six tracks being released under the name The Reflektor Tapes in the (appropriate) medium of tape cassette October 16.

"Get Right" / "Crucified Again"

You can hear the new tunes below on Spotify now. Watch The Reflektor Tapes trailer here.

Broken Bells Are Back With "It's That Talk Again"

The Shins' James Mercer and the ever-prolific Danger Mouse have already released two moving LPs as part of their Broken Bells collaboration, and today we get a small taste of something new with one-off space disco single "It's That Talk Again." 

The groovy track adorned with Mercer's searching vocals comes ahead of the concert film Broken Bells: Live At The Orpheum being premiered at Palladia on Saturday. Immerse yourself in it below:

Get Your Big Grams Fix With “Goldmine Junkie”

It’s a testament to the powerful chemistry at work in Big Grams that their partnership is still taking on new and interesting forms. While “Fell in the Sun” highlighted Big Boi’s verses and “Lights On” put Phantogram front and center, new single “Goldmine Junkie” is the most collaborative effort we’ve heard from their forthcoming Big Grams EP so far.

The song’s lyrics detail an unhealthy love affair over plaintive piano chords and soaring strings, and while the hook isn’t the strongest in either artist’s catalog, the interplay between Big Boi and Phantogram singer Sarah Barthel brings both vocalists out of their respective comfort zones. Big Boi’s verses boast a melodic dexterity that we rarely hear from him, while Barthel drops an impressive rap interlude that sounds unlike any performance she’s delivered in the past. When the two trade lines on the song’s interlude, it’s a genuinely thrilling moment that feels like the purest realization of Big Grams’ potential.

Big Grams EP is out September 25th via Epic/Republic.

Hear Father John Misty's The Velvet Underground-Inspired Cover of Ryan Adams' The Smiths-Inspired Cover of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift releases her final “country” (a generous description) album, Red, in 2012, spends two years time doing whatever precocious twenty-something mega stars do, and then releases her pop magnum opus, 1989, in October of 2014.

Less than a year following 1989's release, Ryan Adams confirms in early August 2015 that he planned to record covers of Swift’s entire 1989 album in the style of The Smiths. He promptly releases the record on September 21, 2015.

A mere four hours later, the madcap troubadour, Father John Misty, releases his own homage to Adams’ homage, in the style of The Velvet Underground, as hinted by the famous Andy Warhol The Velvet Underground & Nico cover art released with the two singles.

Misty described the cover of “Blank Space” as his "interpretation from the classic Ryan Adams album '1989,'" and released an additional cover of “Welcome to New York” shortly after.

What can only be assumed as yet another undertaking in Father John Misty’s continued quest to skirt the line of entertainment satire and pure lunacy, as well as perplex the masses actually works as a serviceable fusion of Swift’s lyrics, Adams’ idea, Lou Reed melodies, and of course, Misty’s trenchant panache.

My reinterpretation of the classic Ryan Adams album "1989"

My ongoing tribute to the classic Ryan Adams album "1989"

UPDATE: The tracks have been taken down following some sort of dreamstate epiphany from FJM himself:

I had a very strange dream that I abruptly woke up from around 3am early this morning. I was crab-walking around a...

Posted by Father John Misty on Tuesday, September 22, 2015

"Are You Alone?" Then Listen to Majical Cloudz's New Title-Track

Following "Silver Car Crash," the atmospheric beauty of a first look at Majical Cloudz's forthcoming sophomore record Are You Alone?, we are now graced with the second single and title-track. According to their site,

“‘Are You Alone?’ is a song about life! People doing things and feeling things and falling all over the place! Lots of emotions! Just trying to keep going! Sometimes it’s easy! Sometimes it’s hard! It’s a song about caring what happens! To other people!”

"What's the point of a sad, sad song / Do you hear what I'm saying / Or not at all?" Welsh ponders over a bed of synths and muted clicking percussion. We're listening, Welsh, and we're ready for more.

Are You Alone? is out October 16 via Matador. Watch the music video for first single "Silver Car Crash" here.

Big Grams Keep The "Lights On" in Second Single

In any partnership, it’s important to know when to take a backseat. And while Atlanta rapper Big Boi is arguably a bigger name than New York electro-pop duo Phantogram, his co-conspirators in the new collaborative project Big Grams, his experience as half of legendary rap duo Outkast has clearly taught him to know when to cede the spotlight. “Lights On,” the second single from the upcoming Big Grams EP, further proves Big Boi’s skill for elevating those around him.

While first single “Fell in the Sun” relegated Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter to hook and beat duty, respectively, “Lights On” is undoubtedly Phantogram’s show. And the duo makes the most of it, delivering a wistful track that captures the intangible longing for companionship that only seems to come around when you’re alone at 3 AM.

Although Big Boi features less prominently in “Lights On” than his partners, he makes the most of his time with a spry verse that touches on subjects ranging from loss to materialism to the adverse effects of Adderall. (Although his pronunciation of “Savannah, Georgia” is the undisputed highlight of the track.) What’s truly impressive is Big Boi’s ability to elevate the track without betraying its emotional impact. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the expert collaborators in Big Grams have written a song about finding someone who completes you.

Big Grams EP is out September 25th via Epic/Republic.

Watch Father John Misty Share His Enduring Love for Josh Tillman in New Music Video

The ever esoteric, but endlessly engaging Father John Misty has released the music video for “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.” off his sophomoric (and sardonic) effort I Love You, Honeybear.

The video opens with two iterations of Josh Tillman in a bar - one charming and debonair, the other detached and unencumbered. As the video progresses, the two Joshes partake in a variety of vacuous hipster rom-com tropes - pool swimming, drug sharing, and three part “Silent Night” harmonies - leading up to the most irreverent of narcissistic embraces.

Witness the unholy coupling for yourself below:

I Love You, Honeybear is out now on Sub Pop.