MUSIC

Blood Cultures Release Magnetic Video "Broadcasting"

The mysterious New Jersey indie-electronica outfit pairs a vibrant and arresting music video with a cut from their latest album, Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs.

Pouty Cowboy

In the wake of their 2019 LP Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, the New Jersey psych-pop group Blood Cultures has released their new video for "Broadcasting."

"Broadcasting" sounds massive in its electronic scope, melding distorted industrial indie-pop with the band's anxious lyrics. "When this ends the way you know it will / with a bang, will you be laughing still?" Blood Cultures asks in a far away falsetto, crafting a vibrant yet troubled sonic narrative to challenge the listener. The video, directed by Saleem Barbados, embraces that same kind of high-strung juxtaposition, featuring Bharatanatyam dancer Anjali Mehta as her evocative choreography plays out against the harsh squat buildings and corrugated metal of Brooklyn.

"I was raised in New Jersey, after my parents immigrated from Pakistan," Blood Cultures says of the track. "Growing up with one culture inside your home, and another one at school, in your community, and in media is a hard thing to navigate in terms of understanding who you are and where you belong, if anywhere. The struggle for identity is almost a guarantee for any first-generation-American, but when we present those struggles with pride, it becomes a lot easier to see that we're not alone in facing them; that these feelings are universal." Mehta's embodiment of the explorations in "Broadcasting" feels beautifully vital, deepening the song's questions of belonging and isolation in a magnetic visual dialogue.

Follow Blood Cultures online at Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

L.A. psych-pop band Amo Amo has a new music video out, called "Closer To You."

"Closer To You" is the second single from Amo Amo's soon-to-drop debut album, produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket. Although a new project, the band is already creating a buzz, especially after sharing the stage with Os Mutantes, Hailu Mergia, and Jonathan Wilson, and has more shows scheduled post-Christmas, including two at the Independent in San Francisco. We decided to reach out to the group to learn a little bit more about the new project.

Amo Amo - "Closer to You" OFFICIAL VIDEOyoutu.be

How would you describe yourself?

We are nectar in your flowers, prisms in your crystals, and notes in your coffee.

What is the most trouble you've ever gotten into?

Pursuing music as a profession.

What's your favorite song to belt out in the car or the shower?

A song that we wrote together and will never be released for obvious reasons. The chorus is "living it up na na naaa na na naaa."

Who is your favorite music artist?

Any living artist that is sharing and embodying a message of peace.

What musicians influenced you the most?

Bowie, Marley, Freddie, Bjork, Piaf, Heart, Wonder,Clinton (as in George).

What's the story behind the band's name - Amo Amo?

Our old name "The Mother Tongues" was under trademark so Jim James and the band sat in a kitchen for 3 weeks with no cellphone service or wi-fi watching Stranger Things and eating dark chocolate peanut butter cups till the name Amo Amo was birthed. In our free time we made an album.

Who makes up the band and what instrument do they play?

Everyone sings backing vocals in the band. Love is lead vocals with a little guitar, Omar is also lead vocals with lead guitar, Alex is keys, Shane is bass, and our heartbeat, Justin (lil juicy box), on drums.

How did you hook up with lead singer Love Femme?

Love showed up to a session one day with a huge white tiger head backpack and a real ball python in hir pocket, sang some words into a microphone and that was that.

Your music video for "Closer To You" is wonderful. What was the inspiration for the song?

"Closer To You" is a song about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation, whether it be between lovers, nature, a dream. Letting go of the hurt and embracing truth, understanding, maturity.

The video for "Closer To You" presents visuals reminiscent of the '60s hippie movement. Where did the idea come from?

The video was inspired by naturists, not hippies. It's a duet between "humans" and the earth and ends with a joyful return to an organic identity as vast as the ocean.

Most artists like to believe their music is evolving. Is yours? If so, in what way?

Amo means love and we mean it. The sound evolves on an unspoken, instinctual/psychic soul level, melodically, and the lyrics evolve according to our awareness, experiences and the work we do.

What's next for you musically? An EP, an album, or more singles?

An EP will be released early next year.

Will you be doing any touring?

We have some good tour dates in the U.S. lined up for next year.

Follow Amo Amo Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.


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