Friday Five: New videos from Atmosphere, Mike Mictlan, Stacy K, and more
August 07, 2015
Happy Friday! The Pizza Luce Block Party and Square Lake Festival are just around the corner, as are plenty of other opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy some sun-soaked tunes this weekend. To get you up to speed on the latest in local music, here are five just-released videos from the Land of Sky Blue Waters:
Atmosphere lighten up
"Sunshine" has been a favorite song for many Atmosphere songs since its release on the Sad Clown Bad Summer EP back in 2007, but it took eight years for the duo to create an official video for the song. So what convinced them to make a "Sunshine" video in 2015? The company SunPort and their game-changing solar power adapters, which allowed Atmosphere to run a 100% solar-powered shoot. For more on how it all came together, check out the behind-the-scenes video.
Mike Mictlan rails against violence
In this graphic, jarring video, Mike Mictlan raps passionately about the harsh realities of violence in his community and ends the song with some eye-opening statistics: There have already been 28,837 gun-related incidents in the U.S. in the first half of 2015, including 2,542 officer-involved shootings and 186 mass shootings. The track, "CLAPP'D," which he dedicates to the late rapper Free-One, a.k.a. Abdulle Elmi, appears on last year's excellent HELLA FRREAL. Catch Mike tomorrow night at the Pizza Luce Block Party with his Doomtree crewmate Sims.
Stacy K heads to the beach
There is something entrancing about Stacy K, who layers her voice over itself on this sparse track to create a sound that is both vulnerable and mesmerizing. Her Hotel Colfax EP is out this week, and she'll be celebrating its release on Tuesday night, August 11, at Icehouse with opening act the Fontanelles.
George Hadfield records a summer jam
Technicolor artwork from Ryan Peltier and art direction and animation by Adam J. Dunn accentuate this '80s synth jam from George Hadfield, which he released just in time for the dog days of summer.
Narco States build it up
Easily one of the most overlooked albums of 2014 is Narco States' psychedelic and swirling LP Wicked Sun. If you slept on it when it first came out, this video provides a good excuse to dive back in; you can even stream it on Bandcamp. Ya dig?
