How Feist made dancers disappear...

While sprucing up my blog, I clicked on the Feist video for 1234 and am still in love with both the song and the seemingly improvised, endearingly kooky (intentionally graceless) choreography (gives me hope that I could appear in a music video). I love that it's one amazing continuous single shot. I love how flawless the timing is, and I still wondered how they did the trick at the end where all the dancers disappear (and I always imagined a director with a megaphone shouting "Purples! Go! Now reds and yellows! Go! Now everyone! Fall down!"). After a little searching, I found this making-of video. Scoot the slider to about 2:10 and you'll get to see the whole thing:


via videosift.com

Now that it's not playing on every channel...

Okay, ignore the last two seconds of this video (the part where it turns into a Converse commercial). I think this video is awesome. I love the pop-up/ flip book technology turned into a music video. I even like the song. curse you nike corporation for buying converse! curse you n.e.r.d. for being so catchy!!

To Celebrate Favorite Musician's New Album

Andrew Bird has a new album Noble Beast that I desperately need to purchase, but this short documentary was released with his 2003 album Weather Systems.



And here's a lovely performance of "Sectionate City" (or "section 8 city," I'm not sure which version this is)from a program called From the Basement. You get to see how amazing his layering looping...aaah I can't explain it. I'm just in love.

A New Favorite: The Take Away Show

In doodling around YouTube, I've discovered this wonderful series of performances on La Blogotheque that includes The Shins and Andrew Bird singing their way through Paris (different episodes), Jose Gonzales in Marfa, TX (check out "Storms"), and REM in Athens.

Here another of my fave musicians, Beirut, appears to happen across a band that's playing his song as he's singing it.

Andrew Bird

Very few videos get at how cool he is live and otherwise. This one's pretty good. He's usually much more dapper than the second one, but his loops and playbacks and virtuoso violin/guitar/whistling is really inexplicable and amazing!

"Fiery Crash"


His signature song "Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left"

A French Girl Teaches Me to Play Tegan & Sara

All Time Favorite Band: Psapp

Another accidental discovery a couple of years ago. They were touring with Jose Gonzales and Juana Molina. I love their low-tech aesthetic. Carim and Galia collect toys that make noises (wind up, string pull, etc.). Touring across the U.S. they said they bought toys at gas stations. and incorporate them into their music. They are amazing live, with tons of musicians squeezing little stuffed cats and bears and owls and what-not. Galia is also nearly as obsessed with cats as I am. What's not to like?

Here's "About Fun" with all kinds of kittie noises incorporated. Dedicated to Mimi Jo who could have written the lyrics:

I need a slice of your pie
We don't have very long
Let's make a day that's perfect
Where nothing can go wrong

And to Mini and Zips who squeak exactly like this:




And "On Site" that's all about beauty and fragility of life.

Favorite Guy (uncategorizable musician)

How can you not love a skinny, musician who gives concerts in suits and ties and kicks off his shoes on stage before he begins?

I can't believe, among my other favorites, I haven't blogged about my great love of Andrew Bird before now. We discovered him entirely by accident when he opened for Ani DiFranco at a concert in Indianapolis years ago. He plays violin like a mandolin, like a bass, like an electric guitar (and also, well, like a violin). Oh, and he plays electric guitar too. And xylophone. And he whistles. (Yes, I am aware how odd this sounds. You'll have to trust me and check it out).

He plays back loops of his astonishing strummings and pluckings, and layers additional loops on top of that. Then sings on top of that. And whistles.

Favorite New Discovery: Patrick Daughters

Departing from my focus on foodiness, I have to write about music video director Patrick Daughters (who was born the same year as me.. what have I been doing with my life?!), who I had to look up after linking to Feist's video for 1 2 3 4 (see side bar). It's so cool that this one dude has directed videos for several of my current favorite songs by several of my favorite singers like "Maps" by the amazing Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Feist's "My Moon My Man" and "Mushaboom":


(Flying Toast!!) It's so magical and cinematic. I can see influences by Michel Gondry whose credits include not only my favorite film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but virtually every one of my favorite songs from Bjork to Kylie Minogue, from the White Stripes to the Chemical Brothers, and Spike Jonze (especially Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet"). And then it seems like Daughters may have been influenced by Ok Go's wonderful video for "Here it Goes Again" (my favorite is the guy with the navy blazer. At one point he adjusts the blazer with a dramatic flourish). It's not a far leap from treadmill choreography to airport moving sidewalk choreography.

In any case, I love it all, and I had to share it.