Freeloader Friday: Disco Doom, Art Decade, Thee Oh Sees, Tweens, VV Brown, Tony Molina, Hollow & Akimbo, Denney and the Jets, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, The Glitch Mob, Cisco Adler and Blank Realm

We’re feeling particularly generous today. Not only is it Friday, but it’s Valentine’s Day. So to celebrate all the love (or lack thereof) that’s in the air, we’ve got loads of different music to throw your way.

We’re not one to follow clichés. Instead of adhering to the romantic norm today, how about starting off by streaming Disco Doom’s new album, one full of jammy (at times noisy) Rock. These Swiss guys don’t get too down and dirty on the riffs, but keep up a good balance of Fuzzy Pop and Indie Street-Rock. But if you’re looking for something more Anthemic, then try out Art Decade. Their self-titled album (available to stream in full) is a masterwork of Orchestral Pop, full of explosive melodies and poetic lyrics. Of the two albums, see which one better fits your V-day mood.

Once you’ve shuffled through those, have a listen to Thee Oh Sees’ riotously psychedelic Rock tune off their upcoming album, supposedly recorded in a greenhouse — intriguing, right? Following in a similar genre, try Tweens’ latest track premiere, chock-full of girly-Punk Grittiness. Next up, take on VV Brown’s latest single, mesmerizing and golden with its consistent Electro-Beat.

Now check out a Punk-Shredder from Tony Molina’s upcoming reissue. It’s short, sweet, and…gnarly. When those 50 seconds are up, catch Hollow & Akimbo’s vivacious head-bopping diddy. For a more way-down-south Rock ‘n’ Roller, listen to what Denney and the Jets are offering. But if you’re trying to “set the mood” in a Classical sort of way, might we suggest tuning into the newest track from A Winged Victory for the Sullen, complete with string instrumentals atop Drone Electronica.

To wrap things up this week, we’re dishing out 3 pretty fantastic videos to help you with your weekend inspiration (not that we’re saying you need any). The Glitch Mob’s sophomore album (out this week) has already been hugely successful, so it’s no wonder their video for “Can’t Kill Us” is just as visually tantalizing. Add some color flurry to your computer screen with Cisco Adler’s feel-good selection. But be warned: you’ll DEFINITELY want to hit the seaside after seeing this. And finally, get to dancing with Blank Realm. Not only do they have a Song of the Day on KEXP for “Back To The Flood,” but they’ve also got this trippy vid, decked out with a Cleopatra-clad gal pal and clay-talking phone. WHOA.

With that, Happy Valentine’s Day — or Happy Weekend, whichever works for you.

Disco Doom: Full album stream via The Fly
Numerals out now on Exploding in Sound

Art Decade: Full album stream via Soundcheck WNYC
Art Decade out February 18 on Art Decade

Thee Oh Sees: “Penetrating Eye” track premiere via Pitchfork
Drop out April 19 on Castle Face Records

Tweens: “Forever” track premiere via Pitchfork
Tweens out April 7 on Frenchkiss Records

VV Brown: “Faith” (feat. Kele Okereke)” track premiere via NME
Samson & Delilah out now on YOY Records

Tony Molina: “Nowhere To Go” track premiere via SPIN
Dissed and Dismissed reissue out March 25 on Slumberland Records

Hollow & Akimbo: “The One That Has to Carry You Home” track download via HillyDilly
Hollow & Akimbo out now on Quite Scientific Records

Denney and the Jets: “Bye Bye Queenie” track premiere via Brooklyn Vegan
Mexican Coke out April 8 on Limited Fanfare Records & Burger Records

A Winged Victory for the Sullen: “Atomos VII” track premiere via Pitchfork
Atomos VII EP out April 28 on kranky

The Glitch Mob: “Can’t Kill Us” music video via Billboard
Love Death Immortality out now on Shoot To Kill Music

Cisco Adler: “Shangri La” music video premiere via Good Music All Day
Mahalo EP out now on Bananabeat Records

Blank Realm: “Reach You on the Phone” music video premiere via SPIN
Grassed In out now on Fire Records

Solving YouTube Writer’s Block

Content is king… unless you don’t have any. This fact is vital for YouTubers. Viewers need to have fresh, creative content on a regular basis, or they’ll go somewhere else to find it. Even for channels that consistently upload new videos, a missed week or two could be difficult to recover from.

But what do you do when you’re fresh out of new video ideas? The first step is avoiding creator’s block in the first place. Here are some good habits to stick to:

1. Plan ahead: Try to produce and plan 2 videos in advance
2. Think in categories: Week 1 — New Episode; Week 2 — Music Video; Week 3 — Q&A; Week 4 — Behind the Scenes. Repeat.
3. Watch your metrics: Keep an eye on trends and adjust your content accordingly

If you’re already past the “be prepared” phase, try these next quick ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

Best of…

Fans know best. Check out your video comments and watch time trends in analytics. Is there an overwhelmingly positive response on a certain type of video you’ve posted? If so, maybe you can find more of that and recycle it into a new, improved video. Compile as much of that content as you can and make a concentrated “Best of” piece. Since you already know fans enjoy this type of content, your video will already have some traction and it can buy you some time until the next post (see above to avoid getting in another bind!).

Off the Cuff

Sometimes creators get too bogged down with the details. Constantly thinking about production quality, camera angles, graphics and scripts can completely strangle the creative process. If you’re stuck, step away from the details for a minute and get honest with your viewers. Doing something out of the ordinary could be a refreshing change from the norm. How about giving your viewers personal insight into your creative process? Take them through a casual walkthrough of your songwriting or storyboarding process — something from your regular routine. There’s a lot that goes into being an artist. Show your fans! You might be surprised how intrigued they will be.

Get Your Viewers Involved

A great way to create something fresh and engaging is to crowd source from your fans. Getting viewers involved allows them to be a part of the action while also giving you some vital feedback on their interests. Read your viewer comments. Is anybody asking for videos or topics you haven’t covered yet? Use this as your “idea box.” How about asking them directly? Use Hangouts on Air to have a live, face-to-face chat with your fans. This will serve as both your new video for the week and potential ideas for future videos. You can have a simple Q&A or talk about the new project you’re working on.

Having creative content on a regular basis is crucial, but never sacrifice quality for consistency. If you post a crappy video just to post one, your fans will see right through it and might not come back. If you are truly out of fresh ideas, take time to gather your thoughts and develop a collection of new videos for your next round (get it together and plan ahead!). Try to chain these videos together. A really good Q&A video could lead to a “Best of…” which could lead to new original content, which could lead to a new Q&A and so on. Keep that creativity flowing!

Stuck on music content? Check out more ideas for music channels in our blog post here.

Nothing Is Forever, So Enjoy The Shrine’s New Single Right Now

Coming off of a hard-rocking debut album Primitive Blast released just last summer, the guys from The Shrine are back with a new single premiering on Vice’s Noisey titled “Nothing Forever.” With a determination to get in the face of all who listen, The Shrine has developed a Skater-Rock attitude, mixed with a 70′s Garage Rock sound that hits hard and doesn’t let up for a second.

Hailing from LA, The Shrine takes influences from Black Sabbath, which explains their Psychedelic, riff-heavy Rock. Named one of LA Weekly’s ”Top Los Angeles Metal Albums of 2012,” The Shrine is out to dominate the world this time with their new album Bless Off, released on Tee Pee Records on March 11th.

In the first single off of the album, “Nothing Forever” starts with heavy Black Sabbath/The Sword sounding riffs that rip open the beginning, allowing drummer Jeff Murray to build his drum fills until the song takes off into post-punk skaterdom. Noisey captured their sound perfectly, saying that “Nothing Forever” feels “just like the soundtrack to dropping into an empty pool.” Check it out for yourself and be sure to blast this one all the way to 11.

Welcome, Ari!

Introducing Ari Cohen, Coordinator, Entertainment Acquisitions

Hi everyone. I’m based out of our Los Angeles office and have joined The Orchard as the Entertainment Acquisitions Coordinator in the Video/Film department. I began working here part time shortly after graduating from UCLA.

I lived in Santa Barbara prior to moving to Los Angeles. I’m an avid tennis player and runner. I also write screenplays and go to stand-up comedy shows during my free time. I’m a fan of The Office and Breaking Bad and my favorite movie from 2013 was Gravity.

Looking forward to the year ahead!

Freeloader Friday: The Glitch Mob, Sam Roberts Band, Fanfarlo, Naomi Pilgrim, Neil Davidge, The Shrine, Damaged Bug, Within Temptation and Drowners

Oh my god. Do we love you, or what? You know we do, so let’s get your Friday Freeloader Funday on with these marvelous bundles of joy.

If you’re recovering from last night’s Thirsty Thursday specials, The Glitch Mob’s pulsating new album Love Death Immortality will get you right back on your feet. The sophomore Electro-Metal album can now be streamed in full on iTunes Radio in the U.S. (sorry international folks!) in advance of the release next week. Next up, stream Sam Roberts Band’s newest album in full. Roberts said the album’s theme is meant to make you “dance but also try to say something about the life we are living.” See if you agree.

Make sure you’re keeping up, there’s more. Fanfarlo’s streaming their upcoming album in its entirety, and you do NOT want to miss the scores of Disco Dance infusions with 80s sax lines and Talking Heads-esque vocals. Once you’ve finished bopping around in your chair, tone it down with Naomi Pilgrim’s lush album, available for full streaming (along with an interview well worth the read).

Enough with all the albums! On to the track releases. Let’s begin with Neil Davidge’s darkly danceable “Gallant Foxes” track (featuring the vocally delectable Cate Le Bon). When you’re ready for a more Hardcore Shredder, look no further than The Shrine’s headbanger, “Nothing Forever.” After you’ve blown off your head with that one, go for the mellowed Space-synthed Electro track, “Photograph,” from Damaged Bug, a.k.a. John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees.

Now for some amped-up imagery. Watch Within Temptation and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum belt out “Whole World is Watching” from the rooftops, with a side story of redemption and rising from the fall. If that one starts causing you vertigo, switch over to Drowners’ much more subdued “A Button on Your Blouse” video — quite a cutesy, 90s nonchalant house party vibe.

And that’s a wrap. Download, stream, watch — whatever it takes. But make sure you enjoy all this free Friday goodness!

The Glitch Mob: Full album stream via iTunes Radio
Love Death Immortality out February 11 on Glass Air Records

Sam Roberts Band: Full album stream via Paste
Lo-Fantasy out February 11 on Paper Bag Records

Fanfarlo: Full album stream via KCRW
Let’s Go Extinct out February 11 on Blue Horizon

Naomi Pilgrim: Full album stream via Noisey
Naomi Pilgrim EP out now on Cosmos

Neil Davidge: “Gallant Foxes (feat. Cate LeBon)” track stream via The Guardian
Slo Light out February 25 (US) / March 2 (UK + RoW) on 7Hz Productions

The Shrine: “Nothing Forever” track stream via Noisey
Bless Off out March 11 via Tee Pee Records

Damaged Bug: “Photograph” track stream via Pitchfork
Hubba Bubba out February 25 on Castle Face Records

Within Temptation: “Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner)” music video premiere via VEVO
Hydra out now on Nuclear Blast

Drowners: “A Button On Your Blouse” music video premiere via Noisey
Drowners out now on Frenchkiss Records