Kevin Bronson on September 10th, 2010

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Back in April, we told you about “Shapes and Variations,” the covers EP by L.A.’s Robotanists that takes material by the likes of Joe Jackson, the Black Keys and Lykke Li and treats it like silly putty. Included there was “Exiled State of Mind” – a rather shapely variation of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” – and the track has also found its way onto “Current,” the band’s first 12-inch vinyl release. This new video for the song is the work of Byron Turk and Jessy Plume. The tune itself is a welcome respite from the spate of straight-ahead covers; re-conceptualized, it’s more of a response than a cover.

||| Live: Robotanists play at the 5 Star Bar downtown tonight as part of Spirit Vine’s residency, and on Saturday they celebrate their vinyl release with an in-store at Origami Vinyl at 7 p.m.