no-fi | Heartbreaking Bravery

June 15, 2014

Lemuria – Brilliant Dancer (Music Video)

Lemuria’s Brilliant Dancer was featured way back when as one of 25 Best Demo’s, EP’s, 7″ Singles, and Compilations of 2013. Now, the song that the 7″ took its name from has a delightfully engaging, low-budget video to accompany it. Directed by Phillip Freedenberg, the clip combines DIY-friendly art, no-frills special effects, basic visual tricks, and some lovingly shot live footage into something strange and memorable. “Brilliant Dancer” is an overwhelmingly simplistic clip that comes laced with the effect of an old home video, triggering a strange nostalgia that gives it a surprising amount of emotional impact. By the time the collage-heavy presentation wraps itself up, the video winds up approaching becoming both a distinctively unique entry and a timeless piece of multimedia. All in all, it’s one of the better surprises of the past few months.

Watch “Brilliant Dancer” below and make a music video this month.
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May 14, 2014

White Lung – Face Down (Music Video)

It may be just over a month away but Deep Fantasy, White Lung’s Domino debut, just keeps sounding better. While “Drown With the Monster” and “Snake Jaw” were both bits of shrapnel intent on finding impact, “Face Down” takes things a step further. There’s just something about it that’s difficult to pinpoint; whether it’s the arrangement or the presentation or something else entirely, it’s one of the band’s most refined outings to date and it absolutely slays. Easily one of their best songs, it was given a no-fi video not all that dissimilar from the Dead Stars one that was featured here earlier today. Not much more than the band in a car and engaging in random shenanigans, it’s vibe’s closer to that of throwaway clips for skate parts than an official music video, giving it a feel that fits White Lung’s damage just right.

Watch “Face Down” below and try not to get arrested this year.

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May 14, 2014

Dead Stars – Someone Else (Music Video)

Old Flame Records continue to build themselves one hell of a catalog. Next month the label will be releasing what looks to be the umpteenth great record in the past few years that they can lay claim to; this time around it’s Dead Stars’ Slumber. They’d already teased Slumber with “Crawl”, an undeniably great basement pop song that owed a debt to the late 80’s/early 90’s SST scene as much as what was happening at that time over in New York. A little scuzz and a lot of melody is a happy meeting point to arrive at and it’s where Dead Stars find themselves once again with “Someone Else”. This time around, they’ve paired that song with a decidedly lo-fi video that winks at a long list of their influences. Micah Weisberg and Bill Dvorak directed the clip, which looks like it was shot on Super 8, and features the band miming the song in locations that range from a basketball court to a gas station to a food truck. Improbably, it comes off as more charming than tired, and suits the song nicely. Aspiring DIY directors, look to this clip for proof that you don’t need to worry about a budget. Potential listeners, start paying attention to Dead Stars.

Watch “Someone Else” below and get in a game of pick-up basketball before the sun disappears.