Artists sure can crank music out these days. Every week there's another Ty Segall album, another Four Tet remix, more food-related shenanigans from Action Bronson. This can be a great thing, but it can also make them seem more like artisans than artists. Sure, their discographies are extensive, but each individual work seems a little less important as a result.
Washington, D.C.-based duo GEMS are refreshingly stingy in this respect. Since appearing in late 2012, they've only released a handful of tracks, which have steadily improved from good to great. Last year's Medusa EP is their longest release so far, and it's four tracks add up to only fifteen minutes. Now they've released a music video for "Sinking Stone," a song that came out over a year ago. For a young band, GEMS are moving at a snail's pace, and I love them for it.
The video for "Sinking Stone" incorporates all the prominent aspects of GEMS' music; romance, style, and a heart-on-their-sleeves sincerity that's getting to be pretty rare in pop music. In the video, two lovers go head-to-head with some thugs, the music ending just as the climactic scene begins.
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