The Video Album

While I realize it's not something entirely new, 2011 seemed like the year for video albums. Musicians weren't releasing albums in video format only, but there were a few prominent artists releasing videos for every song on their releases. The three that really seemed to herald this trend were TV on the Radio, PJ Harvey and Bon Iver.

TV on the Radio

TVotR released their video album back in April as a single You-Tube video. The movie starts with some somewhat random musings from people (not the band) on life, love and almost everything in between. These interviews continue in between some of the music videos. The music videos themselves run the gambit from animated to live-action, emotional to humorous and low-budget (in feel, the entire thing was low-budget) to glossy. The video is one of the last appearances of the band's former bassist Gerard Smith, who had passed away earlier that month.

If you watched until the end, he band is still together, the scene in the coffee shop was purely hypothetical.

PJ Harvey

Polly Jean completed her video project for Let England Shake in May, resulting in 12 videos, one for each song on the album. Most of the videos were simple in concept, showing shots shot around PJ's native England or a group of performers singing the song. A DVD of all the videos (directed by Seamus Murphy) was released about two weeks ago.

1. Let England Shake
2. The Last Living Rose
3. The Glorious Land
4. The Words That Maketh Murder
5. All & Everyone
6. On Battleship Hill
7. England
8. In the Dark Places
9. Bitter Branches
10. Hanging in the Wire
11. Written on the Forehead
12. The Colour of the Earth

Bon Iver

Bon Iver released his video album as a deluxe version of this year's Bon Iver in November. He included videos for each of the ten tracks from the album. Most of the videos centered around nature and our manipulation of it. The videos for "Calgary" and "Holocene" were in addition to official music videos released earlier this year.

1. Perth
2. Minnesota, WI
3. Holocene
4. Towers
5. Michicant
6. Hinnom, TX
7. Wash.
8. Calgary
9. Lisbon, OH
10. Beth/Rest

New Music Tuesday - 12/13/2011

Anthony Hamilton - Back to Love

Mr. Hamilton was at his best with Comin' from Where I'm From in 2003, but has struggled a bit to recapture the magic of "Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens" and the album's title track, getting a little too sappy on 2008's The Point of it All. This album promises to be a return to form, pulling in more of the dirty south, gospel and sexy slow jam influence present on his earlier work.
"Back to Love"

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Stage Whisper

She released an EP, Terrible Angels, just a few short months ago, but apparently that wasn't enough for her. Rather than just release a live album or a full-length studio album, she's releasing both. The live half features songs from both her studio albums (well, those released as an adult) and her last EP. The studio half is a collection of new songs, anchored by the title track of the EP. She has been incredibly prolific this year, having given birth, put out multiple releases and starred in a movie, Melancholia (which she was brilliant in)!
"Terrible Angels"

James Blake - Love What Happened Here

Dubstep is apparently so big that we're already in a post-dubstep world, with James Blake at the helm. Post-dubstep takes certain stylistic elements of dubstep, but mixes it with other genres, usually creating a sound that's more slowed down and atmospheric. This is his third release this year (fourth, if you count the "Order"/"Pan" single), so he seems to be trying to compete with Miss Gainsbourg up there! Post-dubstep isn't for everyone, even people who profess a love for dubstep, but James was definitely one of my favorite new artists this year!
"At Birth"

The Sax is having its moment

Maybe it's just me, but the saxophone seems to have become nearly ubiquitous in indie music this past year. There have been a number of bands in recent years who have used band and orchestra instruments to great effect, including Ra Ra Riot and Beirut, but the saxophone has never been chief among them. The saxophone's use has even run the gambit from fairly standard Kenny G-like solos to more experimental usage.

Some examples:

Destroyer - "Chinatown"


Patrick Wolf - "The City"


Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest"


M83 - "Midnight City"