PREMIERE: Upstairs Downstairs - "Parkas Indoors"

Kicking of this fine week, Mixtape Muse has the honor of premiering the video for Upstairs Downstairs' single "Parkas Indoors," off their new, self-titled sophomore album. Animator Ric Carrasquillo's stop-motion work provides a clever, pensive visual treatment for this charmingly melancholic and melodic track that sounds like the sun sneaking glances through the clouds. With nothing more than some tape and imagination, Carrasquillo creates life out of seemingly mundane things to evoke a sense of lost time, regret, and longing for something more. It's a strong complement to the San Francisco quintet's dreamy indie folk pop song. As a pair, they produce something rather thought-provoking, with the implication that sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Watch the magic below.



"Parkas Indoors" is from Upstairs Downstairs new self-titled sophomore album, out tomorrow on 20 Sided Records.

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VIDEO PREMIERE: powerdove - "Sickly City"

Annie Lewandowski (aka powerdove) epitomizes the word "haunting" with such sparse instrumentation on powerdove's debut album, Be Mine. Over a patchwork of twinkling chimes and bells, sustained woodwind notes, swells and scratches of cymbals, and more, Lewandoski gently plucks her acoustic guitar as her voice soars and melts into the heart and mind. It's the simplicity of the music that emphasizes the impact of her enchanting, intimate delivery. The music is inescapable; Lewandoski sounds as though she's playing directly at your ear. It can be beautiful or eerie and everything in between.

Today, Mixtape Muse is proud to have the privilege and opportunity to premiere the new video for Be Mine's "Sickly City." It's a track that toys with, in an indirect way, the contrast between (re)birth and destruction, perfectly illustrated by the video's use of public domain footage documenting the demolition of New York's Star Theater. The way the music and visuals complement one another makes this video a must-see.

BUY: Be Mine is out February 15th through Circle Into Square. Purchase it at Amazon or Amazon MP3.