AA Loves: Anni Rossi

Whimsical Indie pop puts a smile on my face like no other, which is why I’m having a bit of a love affair with Anni Rossi.

This Minnesota native is a classically trained violaist and uses that talent to great effect seamlessly blending pop, electronic beats, and even a touch of experimental rock. Of particular note is her interesting use of the viola as she fingerpick guitar-like melodies.

To borrow some words, “Her newest album, Heavy Meadow, sounds a little bit like you're scanning through the radio, although it's slightly warped and playfully dark, much like those early karaoke tapes of her singing over the top of the pops countdown.”

Her second album is out on 3 Syllable Records now, so be sure to check it out.

Listen to a few favorites below.

Be sure to check out “Hatchet,” which playfully experiments with different time signatures.

ANNI ROSSI - Land Majestic by 3 Syllables Records

ANNI ROSSI - Hatchet by 3 Syllables Records

ANNI ROSSI - Crushing Limbs by 3 Syllables Records

Uhh…holy crap!

It’s been a while since my heart has raced and my knuckles turned white as I gripped the sides of my chair while watching a video, so I more than welcomed this absurdly intense video of a camera strapped to the helmet of a mountain bike racer tearing down the streets of Chile.

Watch as the biker dives out of the way of stray dogs, avoids rubble, flies 15 feet in the air, and clears staircase after staircase in an all-out race through Chile’s windy streets.

Of course like a true bad ass, the biker is impeccably clad in a full suit.

This was even more exhilarating than watching Claude Lelouch’s 1976 short which features a Ferrari tearing through the crowded streets of Paris at 140 MPH without closing the streets or letting anyone know.

Alex Turner – Piledriver Waltz

I just got my hands on Alex Turner’s Submarine EP, which features songs he composed for the movie Submarine.

It sounds a lot like his acoustic work on “Cornerstone”, so it’s really not a radical departure from his work with Arctic Monkeys. But regardless it’s still worth a listen.

Check out “Piledriver Waltz,” which features grainy footage of the young couple from the movie.

A few photos for your day

Nothing much to say today, other than a few particularly arresting photos that I came across.

Enjoy.

Morning Benders Japan Echo EP --> DONATE NOW

In light of the tragic events in Japan, The Morning Benders have just released a special EP of unreleased songs in support of Red Cross relief efforts.

The EP is available for free after donating and the band promises that 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross Japan Earthquake Relief fund, and besides why would we have any reason to distrust such a genuine band like the Morning Benders.

In a heartfelt note, on the band’s website Chris Chu writes that they were originally scheduled to play their first show in Tokyo last week. But owing to what happened their Japanese tour was cancelled. It also turns out that Chris was originally born in Japan and spent his early years there.

What a win-win situation. Donate to the Red Cross and get a free Morning Benders EP. The only unfortunate thing is that it took a massive earthquake and tsunami to get this.

Head over to the band’s website now and donate.

To be perfectly honest, I already donated to Japan, did it again just to get a free Morning Benders EP. Damn those crafty kids.

Japan Echo EP (日本・エコー) Tracklisting:

1. Cold War (Star Slinger Remix)
2. Better In Blue
3. Hand Me Downs (Wild Nothing Remix)
4. Excuses (RAC Remix)
5. Mason Jar (Twin Sister Remix)
6. Wet Cement (Aislyn Remix)
7. Little Riot
8. Promises (Star Slinger Remix)

The Videos of Everynone

If you haven’t seen the work of Everynone yet, then be sure to hop over to their site to check out their amazing video productions.

In all their videos, they masterfully dissect common phenomenon like sitting on a porch, the concept of a moment, or listening to your heartbeat. Similar to The Practice of Everyday Life, their videos delve deeper into seemingly mundane things to reveal the underlying excitement, joy, and opportunities that these relatively common moments actually have.

In particular check out their video “words.” It’s incredibly playful in that they explore the various definitions of words through a series of short video clips. The transitions are really quite clever and it’s a fun little exploration of the interactions between language, the vernacular, and the phenomenon that surround us in our everyday lives. It’s impressive in that it’s so well organized that you can literally read the progression of the words and meanings without that word actually being uttered.

Run by Will Hoffman, Daniel Mercadante, and Julius Metoyer III they are based in New York and LA.

Words


WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.


Stoop Sitting


Everyone Forever Now - "Stoop Sitting" from Everynone on Vimeo.


Shooting a Gun


Everyone Forever Now - "Shooting a Gun" from Everynone on Vimeo.


Moments


Moments from Everynone on Vimeo.

AA Loves: Fenech Soler

I’ve been digging through the archives over at fuckingdance, my favorite blog until it went dark, and just came across Fenech Soler and boy am I pissed that I didn’t hear about these guys sooner.

Hopefully, this isn’t old news for you, so bear with me if everyone else has been gushing about them for the past year, but my life could always use some insanely catchy electro dance pop, and Fenech Soler certainly provides it in ample droves.

I think fuckingdance summed it most succinctly, saying they sound like“Prince meets Soft Cell.” I would venture to throw in a bit of Daft Punk in that simile as well.

Their debut self-titled LP dropped last September.

Check out “Lies” and “Stop and Stare” below.