First Aid Kit
“Emmylou”
Directed by Maximilla Lakacs

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Director Maximilla Lukacs chose The Joshua Tree National Park to shoot the video for Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit’s song “Emmylou”. The track is a tribute to Emmylou Harris and band favorite Gram Parsons.

As a fixture in Parsons life – it was where he died and was buried – Joshua Tree was the ideal location to capture the group’s haunting and evocative ode. It became so important to pay homage to Parson’s that the shoot was executed on his birthday.

“Joshua Tree was a sacred place for Gram Parsons as it has been for me,” said the director. “To be able to film this in the park on his birthday was such an honor. The video itself is an act of magic, a ceremony, a connection with the ghosts of the past.

“Driving into that park at daybreak with the beautifully haunting sound of Johanna and Klara singing a Gram song a cappella in the car still gives me goosebumps to think about. I hope that Gram was smiling. I think he was.”

Official | YouTube

A Great Big Pile of Leaves
Boom!
Top Shelf Records (2011)
Album Review By Contributor Katryn Macko

For a band whose first tour ever was with Motion City Soundtrack and Say Anything, A Great Big Pile Of Leaves have had large shoes to fill, but their new EP Boom! illustrates the range of their talents as they move towards a more rustic sound while maintaining the indie flair we all love. This Brooklyn quartet with heavenly vocals and smooth blending guitar riffs displays to the world their softer, more acoustic side in this EP of recreated old favorites and a new gem.

Revamped tracks such as “This Is A Country Song” and “Drought of Snow” off their first album The Fiery Works leave the listener lingering on every word, and every twangy note on the dueling acoustic guitars. Boom! even contains an acoustic spinoff of “Alligator Bop”, the single from their break through album, Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex? It is everything any fan of theirs would dream of, plus it is chock full of tambourines and slide guitars. The foursome brings it down with the fresh song “Learning Curves”, a ballad of physical longing in a library where maracas and a soft glockenspiel complement sensuous vocals.

With this bold divergence from their signature style, Boom! unveils the true capabilities of this endowed group of musicians.




TRACK LISTING:
01. This Is A Country Song
02. Drought Of Snow
03. Alligator Bop (Acoustic)
04. Learning Curves


Bandcamp | Top Shelf Records | MySpace

Darren Hayman
“I Taught You How Dance”
Directed by James Sharpe

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Directed by James Sharpe for ex-Hefner frontman Darren Hayman, “I Taught You How To Dance” is a sweet and evocative piece based on the simplest of premises.
“The idea was to try to tell a story using only feet, which was a bit of a challenge,” said Sharpe.

Using only natural light and no crew the video is a thoughtful serenade to the love affair that unfolds in every dance we share. We are a tough lot here at What’s On The Hi-Fi but I think a tendril of salt might have transversed the cheek after this one.

Official | Vimeo

Flødeklinikken
"Jeg Vil Se Dig Græde"
Directed by Ian Isak Ploug Ochoa

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Hell these Danish kids got flow. It’s true! Oh yeah, it’s the cold cinematic Dane version of the thug life: serial killer. This is the second video by Ian Isak Ploug Ochoa for Flødeklinikken. Unlike most of the 80’s style run and gun, low-budgety stuff out there in the international alternative scene, this music video employs skillful shot composition, wordless narrative structure and creepy but spot on casting.

Check out the equally hook-filled and oddly sweet/creepy former video from Flødeklinikken here. Although, I think they can write off having groupies after this one.