Indie rock and arts and crafts have one vital thing in common: the DIY ethos. So it makes sense that some of our favorite acts are incorporating Etsy-like aesthetics into their music videos. With the help of shadow puppets, steampunk sculptures, construction paper backgrounds, and more, bands such as Bright Eyes, of Montreal, and Bat For Lashes are letting their craft flag fly with innovative clips that are just as mesmerizing as the music they accompany. Join us as we round up some of our favorite artsy videos.
A ghost descends on to the stage. He is a singing ghost, his warble rivaling the cries of a wounded hound-dog. Standing next to the ghost, strumming acoustic guitars are Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. The two are wearing matching outfits: black pants, white button-down, black-vest, neatly combed hair. They are gentlemanly grave-diggers, humoring the sensitive ghost (a man under a white sheet) before he exits the stage and returns to the grave. For clarification, the Ryan standing next to the ghost is Ryan “OMG he’s so hot. He starred in The Notebook.” Gosling. He and his band, Dead Man’s Bones, are playing New York’s Le Poisson Rouge. But this Ryan Gosling is not here to break your heart, as he did during his film days; this time, he’s come for your soul. Read More »
Exciting news: Your latest Flavorpill Mixtape has arrived. Your ears are salivating. Your fingers are ready to click ctrl + left click and ‘save as.’ Ten essential downloads from this past week in music after the jump — all free for the taking! Take a listen, and then leave us a comment with what you think. Read More »
So we didn’t know this before, but Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, The United States of Leland) has a band with fellow actor Zach Shields called Dead Man’s Bones; they just signed to Anti- and will release a self-titled album on October 6th. While the PR team for the band describes the sound of their debut as “a striking collection of doo-wop songs about werewolves, haunting melodies telling tales of zombies with broken hearts, and children singing the joys and pains of being alive or being dead,” we’re going to give Ryan the benefit of the doubt because the video is weird and because of this.
