of Montreal: "Wintered Debts"

For me, these guys have been more miss than hit over the last five years, but I keep coming back to this one, mainly because it departs from the sex-funk deal and harks back to various elements of psych music- which is what oM does well. There are multiple movements here, but each transition makes sense and doesn't take away from the section which preceded. I especially enjoy the meandering ambient stretch which comes in around 2/3 of the way through.

Check out "Wintered Debts," the first single off Paralytic Stalks which is out in early February.

of Montreal Made a Noise EP?

Check out this preview for the new oM EP out later this spring...And then behold the awesome cover art. Since when did these guys stop making sexxx jamz?

Spike Jonze: "I'm Here"

This is great. Today I stumbled upon Spike Jonze's new short, I'm Here, which premiered at Sundance this year. It's fantastic. According to the film's blog: I’m Here is a 30-minute love story about the relationship between two robots living in L.A...which is exactly what it is. I've always had a soft spot for stories that use inhuman characters and pair those characters with very human emotions (yes, that does sound like some subversive fetish, but I truly feel it's a powerful device...and it's weird).

Bonus points go to Spike here for sprinkling Of Montreal, Girls, Animal Collective and Nick Zinner among others into the soundtrack. L.A. based sound artist Aska Matsumiya as well as Sam Spiegel contribute original music.

You can view I'm Here online (limited to 12,000 views a day). Watch it HERE.