Dear Photographer and Music Video Cinematographer Casper Balslev,
I am obsessed with your cool photographs of Los Angeles and your totally amazing music videos that I could just eat with a spoon. I discovered you when I watched the music video for “This Boys In Love” by the Presets. Upon further investigation I found out you not only shot videos for Marina and the Diamonds and a bunch of other fun bands (videos at the end of this post), you also take beautiful photographs. Please enjoy:
And for the music videos, beginning with the one that started it all:
This morning I woke up with grandiose plans of cleaning my whole apartment, making three pieces of artwork, finishing that boring New Yorker article about Keynesian economics (I’m sorry, sometimes economics makes my eyes glaze over), and going to the gym for 7 hours. But then I came across your cover of Where Is My Mind by the Pixies and I couldn’t stop listening to your songs. So now here I am, stuck inside on this gorgeous, clear Autumn day in Los Angeles. Listening to the most beautiful music in the world. It’s the perfect combination of high-brow, dramatic piano and mid-brow pop music. Hearing the piano version made me love all these songs even more, including Beyonce’s Crazy In Love, which I must admit I didn’t even like before. Here are a delightful collection of songs, some of which have delightful vintage music videos.
The Pixies “Where Is My Mind”
Justice “D.A.N.C.E.”
Arcade Fire “No Cars Go”
Beyonce “Crazy In Love”
Foster The People “Pumped Up Kicks”
Nirvana “Lithium”
You can hear more music at Maxence Cyrin’s Youtube and Myspace pages. (Sidenote: every time I am reminded Myspace still exists my brain explodes. Which kind of makes me wish it would just go out of business. Because having your brain explode repeatedly is rather annoying).
I have so many regrets in my life, but what I regret most is not hearing your music until yesterday. It’s so good it makes me want to jump on a trampoline whilst wearing an Austra tee-shirt, Austra cut-off jeans, and Austra face paint. I especially love the music video for “Lose It,” which is completely ridiculous and reminds me of a typical Saturday night in the life of Orlando Soria.
Anyway, keep up the good work! I can’t wait to find you and trap you in a cage and force you to sing for me at all hours of the day.
Dear The Hidden Cameras,
I recently discovered your video for “Underage” and I like it. Even though it kind of reminds me of that scene in “Mean Girls” where the art freaks put meat on their faces and make funny noises. The song is super fun though, and I’m into the face paint. Yay!
Thanks for this fun Arcade Fire remix. As you know, I’m a total fan of fun remixes and this one makes me want to buy a time machine, get into it, go to 1992, attend a rave, and dance and wiggle until dawn. Awesome!
Emily and I came by the other day to buy bargain books to fill a bookshelf and I also scored and found a Bonnie Raitt “Nick of Time” cassette tape that I played all the way to Big Bear last weekend. My parents had this CD when I was little and I remember listening to it in our first generation Ford Explorer as I was driven to the orthodontist and and into “town” to buy stuff. I feel like Bonnie Raitt is totally underrated and awesome. I haven’t listened to any of her new stuff but I love this song from “Nick of Time”:
A fun fact about Bonnie that not many people know is that she went to Harvard. Brains and big hair?!? What’s not to like? YAY!
