MMS Sunday Video Spotlight - "Go Cozy" by Paperhaus

Local art rockers Paperhaus, scions of the area's famed DIY scene and progenitors of its digitally savvy DIT generation, have come out with a politically conscious new album and a couple of breathtaking accompanying videos.

Are These The Questions That We Need To Ask?, unbelievably only the band's second full-length album, is their first for Philly indie label Misra. The album is as proggy and post-punk as ever, with "Go Cozy" clocking in at an even 7 minutes, but that band's sound has unfurled, mellowed, and even matured a bit. Citing influences as diverse as D'Angelo and Talking Heads, I also hear hints of gauzy California rockers Local Natives and The Dodos on ATTQTWNTA?.

The video for "Go Cozy" is a revelation, mashing up the band's love for psychedelic, post-industrial imagery and color with stunning split- and multi-screen candid shots of the members and their friends. It calls to mind Michel Gondry's famed late 90s work with The Chemical Brothers and Cibo Matto, the juxtaposition of narrative and performance in Semisonic's "Closing Time", and the muted, lo-fi cinematography in Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer.

The band is deep into an East Coast tour supporting the album, with their official DC release show at The Black Cat on October 27. Don't miss it.