There is nothing in Houston going on like Hearts of Animals (real name Mlee). I’ve been a huge fan of her otherworldly folk / shoegaze / sadcore / disco / noise / bedroom pop recordings and hypnotic live show for several years now (if you’re into comedy, check out this very clumsy 2007 writeup I did for the Press under one of my many pseudonyms). She’s kept a low profile this past year, performing sporadically and releasing a limited-run cassette that sold out instantly last Spring.

This was one of the most fun out of all these clips I’ve put together, and came about more ass-backwardsly than most. I came home one day to find Mlee watering a trash can with a garden hose. She told me she wanted to do one of those videos I did. She’d been living in the apartment above me for over a year now but I’d never been able to coax her into playing songs for my camera.

“That’d be great,” I said. “I’m free later on this evening. You can use my amps if you need. What songs do you want to do?”

”Remember that idea I had about lip synching to ‘Wuthering Heights?’ That song by Kate Bush?”

“Kind of.”

”I think I’m going to just do that, and that’ll be my video.”

Needless to say, I was really stoked. While the end result detoured slightly from the original vision, I’d have to call it a success.

Hearts of Animals is one of the most unique, compelling voices in Houston music right now; Kate Bush is all well and good, but “Jesus is a Drug” has been stuck in my head ever since we shot this. And I’m not saying that because she lives above me – far from it, she’s a terrible neighbor and to hell with sucking up.

MLEE IF YOU ARE READING THIS: I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU STEAL MY FUCKING NEWSPAPER AGAIN I AM GOING TO POISON EVERY LAST ONE OF YOUR GODDAMN CARRIER PIGEONS >:(