When they released their new video for "Jerk" three days ago, New Jersey based Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians made a pact with the Devil that if it hit 3,000 views they would buy him a bottle of champaign. They are now less than 1k hits away from committing a mortal sin (since - as you certainly know - "Thy shall not buy the Devil a bottle of French wine" is the 11th "lost" commandment). But you can't blame this entirely on the Prince of Darkness' appreciation for bubbly goodness. Inspired by the (super-awesome) show Mad Men, and directed by the expert hand of David Dutton (who did "Internet Killed the Video Star" by The Limousines) this is a great video for a great pop-rock song. Also, Stephie - who likes to flirt with nerdiness in her press pictures - showcases here a more aggressive side, and a series of hairstyles and slightly provocative outfits which will surely trigger a certain amount of impure thoughts among the non affiliated to the Tea Party movement. The band's CD release show is going to be on 1/21/12 at Rockwood Music Hall, and we are already wondering what dress Stephie will wear for the occasion.
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
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