Check out this LACMA-commissioned mini biopic of John Baldessari – an “epic life of a world-class artist, jammed into six minutes.” The short film was narrated by Tom Waits, a lifelong friend with an unmistakable voice. John Baldessari was both artist and sage, “art is about communication through teaching,” he would say. “What interests me [...]

Downtempo introspection may not often come to mind when searching for descriptors for a Major Lazer single. On the other hand, you couldn’t possibly expect Diplo and Switch to rest on their laurels. The ever-evolving producers used spacey arpeggios and the angelic octave ascents of Amber Coffman to create this truly eclectic cut. Accompanied by [...]

The inimitable Later… with Jools Holland had a pretty epic night, bringing some North American sonic exports to the Brits. The episode featured legends-in-the-making Jack White and Norah Jones, along with up-and-comers Grimes and the Alabama Shakes – all WILD favorites.

We’re all familiar with the ubiquitous screen print turned graphic design of Andre the Giant, the logo of Shepard Fairey and his brand Obey. How the icon became a staple of our pop culture catalog is somewhat less well-known. To date, the history of Fairey’s work comes mostly from a handful interviews with the street [...]

Not exactly a new video, or story for that matter, but definitely always worth a watch. In 1977 the Voyager 1 space probe was launched, and it has been up there in the cosmos for the last 33 years. It’s taken trips to the far reaches of the solar system including flyby’s through the lunar [...]

Dive into this self-directed low-fi clip for “Passenger” by Emily Wells. The collage of images were taken by the talented multi-instrumentalist while on tour in support of her new album Mama, which drops today. An additional side project with Dan the Automator, Pillowfight, will be released later this year. The Texas born, New York City [...]

Yesterday marked the 18th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. For this Good Friday edition of From the Live Vault, let’s take a look at this haunting interpretation of “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam.” In his introduction, Cobain explains that the tune is “a rendition of an old Christian song, I think. But we [...]

The Beatles are unmatched in their depth and diversity of style. One of their greatest influences, both sonically and philosophically, was the group’s introduction to Eastern thought. This included transcendental mediation and classical Indian music. As the legend goes, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds introduced George Harrison to the music of sitar guru Ravi Shankar [...]

WILD favorites Lily and the Parlour tricks have had a fit of March madness. Just after releasing their clip for “The Poison Song,” these city kids hit the road down to Austin for the music pilgrimage that is SXSW. The band’s return to the Big Apple begins next month with a gig in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. If [...]

What could we say about Cody Critcheloe that we haven’t said already in this blog? From his colorful show at MoMa’s PS1 to his head-bopping and glitter-poaring album “Bent” (the third as art-funk one-man show SSION) and his collaborations with other fellow musicians, this thunder of a man and WILD regular never ceases to bedazzle [...]

When the question was posed, “What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?” Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson replies with a brilliant existential perspective on our place among the stars. If one were to put the subjects of science in a sort of hierarchy with biology near the top; [...]

We’re only 3 months into the year and 2012 already seems to be an exciting time for music. Santigold, the electro-reggae queen with monster beats, a killer voice and quirky but conscious lyrics, returns with her second solo album, Master of My Make-Believe. The album is set to release on May 1st. What a wonderful [...]

Music has an incredible power to engender empathy for those on the other side of the planet. As central Africa has suddenly become a part of western social discourse, let’s take a look at a local group of musicians making beautiful music in an ugly setting. We’ve previously explored the contemporary collaborations of Damon Albarn’s [...]

Check out the new video from the electro pop musician, Yuksek. Based out of Reims, France, Pierre-Alexandre Busson recently released this kaleidoscope clip for the single ‘Off the Wall.’ To avoid complacency with blasé club-hopping, Yuksek decided to explore pop melodies in his sophomore album. Living on the Edge of Time was inspired by “the [...]

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody. Here’s a visual and sonic treat for you. Jesse Ware teams up with Sampha for this downtempo, emotionally heavy track shot in black and white. The two are label mates at Young Turks records, and were both heavily featured on SBTRKT’s breakout debut album. We hope to see more to come [...]

Music videos are meant to be artistic and fashionable; an eye-catchy illustration of what the director and the artist have in mind with a specific song. But every now and then a clip comes along with a message that can’t be dismissed in the midst of high-tech production. Its approach might come up as subtle [...]

If you like your beats served with a slice of controversy then look no further than After The Smoke‘s track OIAM (One In A Million). A dispute over the production rights to the song – involving a previously unreleased, leaked track with Yelawolf and collaborators rapping over the original beat – ultimately led to OIAM [...]

If there’s an artist whose work is always awaited by a long-standing audience is Kate Bush. The beloved and always mysterious British chanteuse might have sacrificed most of her pop stardom in favor of a healthy life for her family, but when it comes to her artistry, she could never let her fanbase down.  Last [...]

Like most of her peers, Katie Stelmanis enjoyed a pretty good year in 2011. After achieving considerable experience as a solo artist, she finally presented her undeniably unique talent to a wider audience with the May release of “Feel It Break”, her first album as the lead singer of Austra, with Maya Postepski on drums [...]

Dinners are a sober affair, but it really depends on how you look at things. It could be either ordinary, chewing loudly and sitting in front of the TV set, or a fancy schmancy date filled with drinks, laughter and an overall good time. It could also be surrounded by a cold atmosphere of just [...]

In just a few hours, 2011 will end its course and lead the way to another period of time, one in which the possibilities of change and evolution are more vibrant than ever before. We’re approaching 2012, the ‘year of decision’, with renewed spirits and a sense of direction, guided by the strong, loud voices [...]

February 13, 2011 was one of those landmark dates when the mainstream and the alternative merged and made history. That was the day when Arcade Fire became the first indie act to receive a Grammy for Album of the Year, the evening’s most coveted award, for The Suburbs. Their powerful and showstopping performance turned people [...]

Thank God for animated music videos. Seriously, they bring such an interesting complexion on things, presenting not just colorful landscapes but a comprehensive story that serve well as a companion piece to a particular song. If we ever want to dig into the importance of this kind of technique, we’d have to go all the [...]

People wonder whatever happened to The Killers and where did they go after all these years of rock amazedness. Sure, their last album together was three years ago, all the members went solo, did some sporadic live shows and even played for Obama and Harry Reid but somehow, people really missed them, or at least, [...]

Julie Budet is truly unique. Ever since she emerged in the international pop scene in 2008, the French songstress has managed to prove she was not a flash in the pan and that, instead, she and fellow bandmates GrandMarnier and Tepr comprise one of the most interesting acts on the other side of the Atlantic. [...]

When pop stars tackle a sensitive issue like religion in their songs and/or videos, it’s a move that’s bound to receive mixed views from fans and strangers alike. One team would definitely praise the boldness and respect in which the matter is addressed, while another would evaluate the piece in its entirety, only to discover [...]

There’s something fishy going on the camp of Cansei de Ser Sexy. A few days ago, it was revealed that band founder and main songwriter/producer Adriano Cintra had quit the Brazilian ensemble and that he didn’t give the group permission to use his backing tracks on upcoming shows. Adriano’s farewell message on his facebook page [...]

With all the trials and tribulations of today’s world, it’s easy to recall a place and time in our lives where everything was just plain easy like Sunday morning. Where all the cares in the world were reduced to play with toys, watch cool stuff on TV and wander around the household looking for distraction. [...]

If there’s one thing we learned from three seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is that it’s OK for a man to dress up as a woman and create some sort of illusion, with the occasional bitchiness that goes along with it and the totally inspired “lipsynch-for-your-life” performance that will make him a champion among his [...]

Armand Van Helden and A-Trak are a pair of dirty, reckless dudes but honestly, we wouldn’t want them any other way. The last time we saw them in a video was when they gathered all their A-list music friends to sing and dance along one of 2010′s biggest club hits (“Barbra Streisand”) and just when [...]

When Barbados dreamboat Rihanna wrapped production for the first video off her sixth studio album “Talk That Talk”, she took to Twitter promising the best piece she has ever done and by far, her most powerful. Luckily for RiRi and her ‘Navy’ fans, she kept her word and it shows on the clip directed by [...]

It’s been only a month since the untimely passing of DJ Mehdi and so far it is one of the worst low points of the year. At just 34, the man has touched hearts and souls with the deep message within his hard-hitting and energetic beats. Indeed, he is very much remembered by his friends [...]

Guess who’s running the world in these conflicted days of ours? Of course, it’s girls, and Beyoncé Knowles is holding the flag up high. Despite having built an empire of her own with a career that spans 14 years and four studio albums, this mother-to-be is showing no signs of ending her fierce reign, and [...]

Loving music videos depends on what mood you’re in: if you care for simplicity, professional and directorial achievement, animated madness or bombastic DIY visual effects, there’s at least one vid for you to digest. In this occasion, we chose the latter for a first installment of another new feature in the blog, the ‘Video of [...]