Panda Bear - Boys Latin

Ah, Panda Bear. The Animal Collective front-man and Daft Punk collaborator's fifth album, "Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper", is slated for release early next year. The video for the album's second single "Boys Latin" is just as bizarre, trippy and tranquil as Panda Bear's distorted echoing lyricism.

Boys Latin chronicles the story of a young woman out for a hike along a coastal tide pool. Her encounter with a sea anemone triggers a phantasmagorical reaction. She meets a man who seems to be in a similar predicament, and together they start a family of sorts.

Lady on a mission.

The psychedelic coloring and involuntary violent nature of their transformations almost bring to mind comparisons to the 1980 sci-fi thriller Altered States. The gorgeous 2.5-D graphics look positively out of this world.San-Francisco production house Encyclopedia Pictura did a phenomenal job on this video.

Monarchy - The Beautiful Ones

Monarchy's beautifully abstract video for their single The Beautiful Ones ostensibly tells the story of two lovers who, in an attempt to escape the persecution of the "real" world, escape into a dreamlike universe illustrating the strength of their passion through embrace of different other couples. The video deftly combines sharp graphic design and beautiful watercolor overlays, as well as double exposure photography to create a gorgeous surrealistic testament to romantic love.

Director Thomas Blanchard sent us over this video awhile back and we only *just* got around to posting it. Our bad, Blanchard! Looking forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

Tourist - Illuminate feat. Years and Years

The year is 1992, a man receives a series of love letters written in Korean. Since Google Translate doesn't exist yet, he's left confused. What could this mean? Nicolas Ménard's music video for Illuminate answers this question with a cascade of minimalist pop abstraction and a flush of hypnotic game-boy inspired graphics. In a world that has not yet been mediated by the ubiquity of technology, can love hope to transcend language and culture?

Check the video's equally beautiful tumblr page here. And make sure to drop by Ménard's vimeo page and website if you dig what he's dishing out.

Plaid - Wallet

For those in need of a Friday morning chill session plug in your headphones, full screen this video and relax to the newest single by Plaid. With an overwhelming sense of soothing nostalgia, Wallet holds a similar feeling that many of the tracks Boards of Canada produces while still maintaining it's own sound. Plaid, like many Warp Record artists, does an excellent job at pushing the boundaries of their sound, continuously changing style and evolving electronic music in all the right ways.

If you get a chance and dig the tunes, I suggest giving the entire album Reachy Prints a go. It holds the same feeling of nostalgia as Wallet, it's pretty damn radical!

Au Revoir Simone - "Somebody Who"

Set in a bright, part modern, part rustic mansion of sorts, Brooklyn-based electro dream pop band Au Revoir Simone's track to their single Somebody Who is stylish and chill.  Feeling reminscient of an 80's high fashion video, the moody is blase, and the feel is dreamlike, thanks to filters. While the main draw to the video is primarily the style appeal (as opposed to effects or a story), the track itself is what stood out the most to me, with it's sense of serenity and calm.

The Naked and Famous - "Hearts Like Ours"

New Zealand based post-punk bank The Naked & Famous along with director Campbell Hooper have released the music video to the track Hearts Like Ours.  The series of imagery are on the surreal side, with a sense of tranquility, and a few interweaving moments of various hardships.  Full of emotion, and the occasional bursts of energy, it has a lot going on with being over the top.

It Is Not Meant To Be

Created by UK-based Ben Pearce, It Is Not Meant To Be is a wonderfully bright animated short set to Tame Impala's song of the same name.  Beginning at ocean abyss, the camera continually pans upward, giving us a glimpse of a stylized, almost whimsical look at the natural world.  The use of light is exceptionally lovely, from the first ray of light shone through the dark water all the way until the end.  I have to say, on top of the cool animation, Pearce picked a really nice and chill track to go along with it. This is the kind of thing I could have on loop in the background.

Little People - Offal Waffle

Last year I was lucky enough to stumble upon Little People's music video Aldgate Patterns where I was quickly mesmerized by the incredible use of VFX and chill electronic ambiance. This year, Little People contacted me with his newest music video Offal Waffle, which continues the pleasant trend of chill synth beats. Unlike Aldgate Patterns, Offal Waffles avoids all post production VFX using in camera effects.

The video's director, Emmett Feldman states, "Offal Waffle is both ominous and playful. A rotational beauty. Something a kin to a diy tribal futuristic version, of the old metal and wood music boxes from the past . A prismatic loop of light and darkness. This video is about the relationship between music as tangible form, its ability to blossom life and the inevitable slowing down to silence. Everything was shot stop motion. All effects were in camera. The main structure was built with a laser cutter and controlled by a light pulley rig and a lazy susan."

The video really pulls off the chill atmosphere that Offal Waffle sets while showcasing some great visuals along the way. If you're in need of some relaxation, this is sure to provide.

Roman - Aftermaths

Bullion Productions with Federico Urdaneta helped create an insanely bizarre promo for budding electronica artist 'Roman'. It was done as a series of 5 consecutive vignettes, told as Monday through Friday.

Apparently known for his 'decadent' lifestyle, Urdaneta said he wanted to show the end of a typical debauched night, i.e. the aftermath. Certainly an interesting approach to take when promoting a new artist, but I really dig it for it's uniquely bizarre, gritty appeal. Also for the mysterious nature of this new artist. Promo = Successful.

James Blake - Retrogade

   

There are very few songs I can confidently say I wish were longer due to overall quality of composition, James Blake's newest single Retrogade is one of them. Honestly, I can't quite recall any other music I've listened to over the past week since the single's release, it's just far too mesmerizing. James Blake's distinct "post-dubstep" style vibrates your very existence with each and ever pulsating beat while accompanied by some of the most unique and hauntingly beautiful vocals in current-day music. Retrogade is a song that definitely digs it's way into your ear canal and refuses to leave, pushing you to listen to it "just one more time".

Accompanied by this newly released music video by director, Martin de Thurah, which follows a wandering biker/astronaut through a surreal backwoods "dance", this is definitely a single you don't want to miss.

Crowd Control Time Lapse

With over 5,000 attendees, strict crowd control measures obviously have to be taken at Comiket, held twice a year in Tokyo.  And because we have a thing for time lapse videos, we couldn't pass up posting this awesome video, taken between 1:30am and 2:30pm, at 5 second intervals.  We enjoyed the super chill music as we watched the mega crowd corralled into an orderly fashion, looking more like ants than people.  It's a reminder of just how many people there are out there in this big world, and how insignificant we can be on a large scale.

Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm - a2

Sleepy time music is the best kind of music. Upbeat music is great and all, but there's something special about songs such as a2 by Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm that ends a day on a high note. Accompanied by an incredibly soothing music video, a2 is the perfect track for a chill day at home or even in the office.

Diplo Ft. Jahan Lennon - About That Life

If you're familiar with Diplo's typical body of work, you might find yourself a little confused by this track, which is rather uncharacteristic of what we've come to expect from the jack of all trades DJ/Producer/rapper. However, it's somewhat of a breath of fresh air at the same time, offering a much more downtempo, strumm-y psych-rock sound created in collaboration with Jahan Lennon (Po Po). Prepare yourself for lots of hazy, at times kaleidoscopic visuals.

Kingdom Crumbs - Evoking Spirits

Chill beat? Check. Awesome hip-hop? Check. Amazing Animation? Double Check. I'm always on the lookout for new artists, and when I find one from my own backyard I'm always excited. This newest video for the experimental Seattle hip-hop group Kingdom Crumbs is damn awesome and really emphasizes on the groups style. Mix in some mighty chill beats and an awesome MC, and you've got one hell of a product. Seriously, If equalizers were more like this I'd lose all my free time.

Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

A night never goes by where Flying Lotus isn't the perfect soundtrack, no matter what mood you're in the music fits. In this newest track Until The Quiet Comes once again proves that the experimental producer is always ahead of the game with his music. Accompanied by a phenomenal short film by Kahlil Joseph, this track is sure to get you in the right mood, I really dig the the use of 35mm.

OPPOSOM - Blue Meanies

I admit, as soon as this music video started I reached for my 3D-glasses only to be sorely disappointed. Lack of 3D aside, this music video for OPPOSOM's Blue Meanies is a fantastic blend of 70's-esque cinema and amazing animation accompanied by a chill Summer track. I always feel like there's a lack of this filming style and I'm always happy to see it used. If you want more OPPOSOM music, check out their bandcamp here, they've got some really chill and awesome music.

Roscoe - Lowlands

Lowlands tells the story of an adolescent boy who's involved in illegal street fighting at the behest of his father, in order to earn money. Seeing as it's a music video, by the Belgian band Roscoe, we don't ever really get super involved with the story so we're not sure why they boy needs to street fight. Questions aside, it's a sad video about a boy who has to do what he's told, though he knows it's wrong, but ultimately makes an act of rebellion. I actually found myself paying more attention to the video rather than the song, but that could be due in part to how chill of a song it is. It's the perfect background music.