Videos

On “Everybody Knows Shit’s Fucked” synth-pop artist Stephen Paul Taylor cuts through the bullshit like a hot knife through butter, astutely calling out the state of the world in which we’re presently living in. A talent with musical imagination and commonsense, he brings the song to life in an official music video directed by Alex Forge which we’re pleased to world premiere.

“The song and video were inspired by the crazy, messed-up state of the world,” he tells Big Shot. “The aesthetics of the video were inspired by ’80s movies, VHS tapes and disco.”

SPT will issue his five-track Single and Seventeen EP via Shitkatapult this summer, which includes “Everybody Knows Shit’s Fucked.” Here’s his breakdown of the four additional cuts on the EP:

“Graveyard Eyes” is about the dissolution of a long relationship using the graveyard as metaphor.

“Yes” is about being open and spontaneous to new experiences. It is also about parenthood. It is largely inspired by the Neue Deutsch Welle and dubstep.

“Single and Seventeen” is a boppy song about the innocence of youth and the pressures of adulthood.”

“Life is Life” is a cover of the classic song by Opus. I added a rap/talk verse about how life is actually quite important and it is also the opposite of death.”

Stephen Paul Taylor’s Single and Seventeen EP is out August 1, 2015 on SPT Records/Shitkatapult.

As the cult of personality dominates pop culture, anonymous musician ArchiveX prefers to let his (or her?) music do the talking. An artist of integrity who is uninterested with the pomp and circumstance of fame, even the act of wearing a mask comes off too much like a shtick (no offense, Daft Punk and Claptone) for this artist. Far removed from the glare of the spotlight, ArchiveX explores the soulful musical terrain of gospel that’s often ignored by contemporary artists.

In March ArchiveX will release Some Godly Hour, an album featuring collaborations with Holy Strays, Igloo, Gabbay and JD Mayer. We’re thrilled to world premiere the gorgeous video for “Hymmmn” animated by Pirate Vereker, Joe Mcclune & 5DN and directed by Pirate Vereker and ArchiveX.

“‘Hymmmn’ is intended as a sort of prayer to the humbling awe and mystery of life — a moment of recognition that we are tiny finite creatures in an infinite and ultimately unfathomable universe,” ArchiveX says of the song. “We muddle along as best we can, we get the crap kicked out of us left and right, and we never quite know what the heck we’re supposed to be all about, but from time to time we have a fleeting sense of connection to a bigger picture – something vast, terrifying and beautiful.

“The video tries to capture something of that sense. It is also a bit of a creation fable: In the beginning there was nothing but water, inert earth and sun, but then through some mysterious voodoo the spark of life leapt forth from those basic ingredients. Four billion years of indefatigable DNA replication later, here we stand in a teeming garden of spectacularly variety — every creature, flower, leaf and root ultimately tracing a shared ancestry back to that first spark. We are all one and the same.”

Amen to that.

ArchiveX’s Some Godly Hour is released in March. Some Ungodly Remixes will be released in April.