Kevin Bronson on June 5th, 2009

0

Leave it to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros to have big ambitions for the visual accompaniment to their forthcoming album, “Up From Below” (due July 14). This video for the L.A. ensemble’s “Desert Song,” directed by Benjamin Kutsko and Cory Marrero, is billed the first of 12 parts of a “feature-length movie musical.” That is frontman Alex Ebert’s father chanting in Monument Valley in the opening sequence. Heady stuff, and heady times for the band, which just signed a deal with Chrysalis and seems to have been everywhere lately. I liked their in-studio session last week at KCRW-FM. Upcoming: a show at the Hammer Museum’s “Also I Like to Rock” on July 23, and a date at the Manimal Vinyl Festival in Joshua Tree on Oct.”  3.

Speaking of the Manimal folks, L.A. duo the Polyamorous Affair has their second album, “Bolshevik Disco,” coming on that imprint. If you ignore the costumes and the schtick (which is hard to do these days, right?), the music being made by Eddie Chacon and Sissy St. Marie is simply icy-cool electro-pop, the likes of which you’ve probably heard before but wouldn’t mind hearing again. Here’s the fun video for “Babayaga,” directed by Keith Musil. The Polyamorous Affair will also be doing the Manimal Festival, but before that: June 28 at the Echoplex.