Portland's Parenthetical Girls' fine new album, Entanglements, plays like a cross between the nervous energy of Xiu Xiu and the orchestration of Van Dyke Parks, and this video for the band's standout single "A Song For Ellie Greenwich" capitalizes on both of those characteristics: it mixes tension and awkwardness (the band members all look like they just saw something horrible) with a traditional looking music video (it looks like it could have been on a wacky version of American Bandstand).
Entanglements is out now via Tomlab. [Pitchfork]
Nice video. Zac Pennington seems like a great frontman, although I've yet to see the Girls play live.
Good video. The staring towards the middle/end was uncomfortable.
He's a *fantastic* frontman. I was a bit in love.
Rachel, I think you and I like EXACTLY the same people we've photographed. I was totally a little bit in love. Especially when he gives you shots like THIS: http://www.prefixmag.com/photos/evangelicals-muggabears-parenthetical-girls-cake-s/15/
niiiice
I think it's the cheekbones: http://www.prefixmag.com/photos/parenthetical-girls-los-campesinos-troubadour/6/
But, you know what, it's a lot *more* than the cheekbones... I'm going to have to work on a way to adequately express what it is. But for now I'm going to go and shoot Murs. Gallery soon ;)