Video: Ljósið - Ólafur Arnalds

Ólafur Arnalds - Ljósið (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.

BlackPlastic first discovered the rather beautiful music of Ólafur Arnalds earlier this year and, being a sucker for contemplative Icelandic music, it had us hooked.

If it wasn't for Kitsune Noir however there is a good chance we'd have missed out on this staggeringly beautiful music video for 'Ljósið', taken from Arnalds' latest album Found Songs. The video was created by Esteban Diácono off of his own back but Arnalds liked it so much it is now the official video. The track is great but seriously, this video takes it to a whole new level - the motion is so smooth and captivating.

Enjoy

BP x

Single Review / Download: Gave It Up - Pollyn

BlackPlastic has spent much of the last week digging on this slice of melancholic pop from Pollyn. 'Lost It All' sounds like the by-product of Annie and Robyn trying to out-do each other in the 'sad song' stakes whilst hanging out in a smokey little karaoke bar and in BlackPlastic's book that can only be a good thing. The slightly jangly backing track is just the right side of La Roux and the track drips with just enough sassy desperation that you can't figure out whether whether the singer is a basket case or not.

Check out the live studio performance:

Things get even better on Peter Visti's mix, which sees the whole tracked turned into a cosmic disco stormer... Sharp percussion and a muted guitar giving the whole track a moody, lost-on-the-dancefloor vibe and the break five minutes in, complete with discordant synths, really makes the whole thing a little epic.

Download 'Gave It Up' - Pollyn [right click, save as]

Download 'Gave It Up (Peter Visti Remix)' - Pollyn [right click, save as]

Head over to Pollyn's official site for more.

MP3: Under The Influence Of Jaffa Cakes - Joker's Daughter

Danger Mouse's work continues to get more diverse and interesting... In a year that has already seen him sneak out his Dark Night of the Soul project in collaboration with Sparklehorse and David Lynch(quite literally, it not being available to buy officially) Danger Mouse has also released an entire album, The Last Laugh, in collaboration with folk singer / multi-instrumentalist Helena Costas.

Listening to the fruits of their effort it's clear why they partnered - Costas' wonderfully sultry vocals go perfectly with Danger Mouse's production here but what is surprising is just how much Danger Mouse is able to change his approach to suit the artist.

On the track 'Under The Influence Of Jaffa Cakes' there are hints of left-field - the horns for example - but on the whole this is a simply executed, yet enjoyable, folk pop track. It reminiscent of Metric and even the Cardigans, but with just a hint of psychedelia in those swirling guitars.

Download 'Under The Influence Of Jaffa Cakes on MP3 [right click, save as].

Joker's Daughter's next single, 'Lucid', is out on 7 September and is also worth checking out - watch the video (directed by award winning animation artist Hayley Morris):

The debut album by Joker's Daughter, The Last Laugh, is out on Double Six now.

BP x

Video: Pins Down - KNIIFE PRRTY

One of our favourite tracks from KNIIFE PRRTY's eponymous debut album when we reviewed it earlier this year was definitely 'Pins Down'.  The stop-start rhythm and haunting vocals without doubt formed one of the highlights of the album.

The band have now made a video for the song. It is directed by Steve Pahl and, like the music itself, it is a slightly spooky, ghosted mix of technology gone wrong but in a good way. Check it out.

Head over to the band's website for more of the lowdown on KNIIFE PRRTY.

BP x

News: John Hughes dies

In a bizarre twist of fate BlackPlastic just found this video the other day and was about to share it anyway (despite the fact it has been around for a few months) when the news broke that John Hughes has died.  The writer of all of those great 80s teen movies - the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink - his greatness cannot be disputed.

In tribute check out this beautiful mashup of scenes from a few of the 80s brat pack movies and Phoenix's 'Lisztomania' - it's lush.  The movies included are The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Footloose and Mannequin, of which the first two are Hughes' work.

If all this leaves you wanting to recapture more of Hughe's spirit through music might BlackPlastic recommend M83's lovely, lovely album Saturdays = Youth.