Scotch Howard - "Hit the Wall" Music Video

The long awaited, much anticipated debut music video for Scotch Howard's single "Hit the Wall" has hit the airwaves. We discussed the tantalizing elements of Scotch Howard's  psychedelic electro-rock release some time ago here, and even still the album hasn't lost its je ne sais quoi. Shot in Los Angeles and directed by Scotch Howard himself, the video takes you on a psychedelic journey into the depths of a... rambunctious backyard dance party. The video is a winner -- not only capturing the trippy, hand-clappin' drive of the "Hit the Wall" song, but the feel-good tone of the entire album as well. Have a look and listen...

Them Jeans (Remixes) - The xx and Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Turning some of my favorite indie music into danceable jams is mind-blowing enough to get me to do what I tend to hate doing most, which is, well, dance. Still buzzed from a year of fantastic electro-dream pop releases and still reeling from this week's Leonid Meteor Shower, I was reminded of Jason Stewart, better known as Them Jeans, who is a Los Angeles-based DJ/Producer with whom I'm pretty much obsessed. Last winter he did a 6-month DJ residency at L.A.'s Natural History Museum playing "First Fridays," an institution we also have at some of NYC's cooler museums, where the first Friday of every month they transform the space into all-out dance floors so that hot paleontologists can talk nerdy to their music-loving friends while getting their swerve on next to dinosaur fossils. I wish Them Jeans would bring his magic to the East Coast to resuscitate the now defunct Starry Nights Jazz and turn the AMNH into one uber-romantic, uber-stellar cosmic dance party kissed ever so gently by the shimmery intergalactic lighting from the planets in the Hayden Planetarium. Not only is his great taste in music varied, but he also manages to remix lots of indie songs in upbeat ways so you can actually not feel weird playing them during appetizers for non-indie music loving guests at your indie rock dream wedding or during your house party in hopes the music will create the type of ambiance that will get your guests groovin' and movin' about the place... except, in a chill, loungey, downtempo "let's make out in the dark corner against the wall" sort of way, and not a coked out, riotous, Girl Talk "let's do some blow in the bathroom" kind of way. Either way could be fine, but I guess it really just depends on the mood.

In his reportoire, he's reimagined songs for the likes of Beach House, Yeasayer, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Ratatat, and even Snoop Dogg. But the following two remixes are absolutely stunning interpretations and, of course, totally danceable versions of songs I already love. These should help get your party started right... and quickly, at that.

The xx - "Shelter" (Them Jeans Drum Edit) - [original]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Soft Shock" (Them Jeans Acoustic Remix) - [original, acoustic]

Your Youth - "Diamond"

In case you were wondering what the QuickCritMusic holiday party was going to be like this year...

Your Youth's "Diamond" (mp3) makes for a solid party jam, with lyrics about girls in the summer, a fun upbeat rhythm, and just enough buzz for the beach. Actually the entire Aloha EP is worth checking out if you like your fuzzy pop spiked with the occasional punk riff.

OK Go - Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky (2010)

OK Go have made a house-hold name for themselves by recording high school cheer choreographed, single-shot videos that go viral seconds after posting and then are followed up by scores of impersonations and blogosphere commentary. It all started with "A Million Ways" followed up by "Here It Goes Again"  and, now, most recently, "This Too Shall Pass." Lost amidst all this YouTube hype for the general public is the fact that OK Go actually makes music in addition to those tracks featured in their widely watched, low-budget videos. It is undeniable that the aforementioned trio of songs are excellent; "This Too Shall Pass" being what I consider to be the most catchy, and lovable of all the songs off Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky, but it also should be noted that with this album the OK Go have matured in their songwriting and musical diversity. OK Go's singles have been appealing from the get go, but this is perhaps the first album of theirs that I have truly enjoyed from beginning to end. Songs like the electro, fist-pump inducing, bass-thumping "White Knuckles" (below), the jerky, 'tude filled "WTF?" or the TV On The Radio-esque "Needing/Getting" all show that OK Go have decided to stop being something cliché (I know that sounds harsh, but I like when bands differentiate themselves) and to embrace a very broad spectrum that cannot be classified or, at times, even identified in one short review... although I'm not sure what to make of "Before The Earth Was Round" (Thoughts? Comments?). I wouldn't say that this album brings anything groundbreaking to the table, but it is a solid on each track and covers the gamut of styles & influences that won't leave you bored. Since you've likely already seen the new video, enjoy this one for a fresh new beat. "Back From Kathmandu" and "In The Glass" are also quite good.

White Knuckles - OK Go

Los Hot Boxers - Uno (2009)

Los Hot Boxers are a San Jose ska band that I checked out randomly at my local venue and was thoroughly impressed. I bought their EP and have been playing it a ton. They have a very similar sound to Santa Cruz's own The Expendables, another band I like a lot, but these guys have a more jazzy feel with Latin undertones. At the show I felt like they are the kind of background music played at a party you had no intention of attending, and ended up meeting a bunch of stand up folks and having a blast. To put it more in real life context, say you had hard week at work, and all you want to do is drink a stiff one and watch the game, but you feel guilty cause you told your coworker you would show to his party, and you go begrudgingly, and it ends up being the highlight of your month.

My favorite jams are "Hold You Close" and "How's It Gonna Be". The only thing that disappoints me is that I am only finding out about them now, during the winter and rain, and they are a total summertime BBQs, beer pong, and Tecate 30 packs type of groove. The singer has some awesome lyrics that I personally can identify with, like when he talks about hesitant phone calls and their negative repercussions in "How's it Gonna Be". Solid band, and a solid find, definitely would recommend picking up the album and seeing them live.