Orenda Fink premieres dream-like music video; Lincoln prepares for outdoor Skrillex show

Fall into Orenda Fink’s video for “Ace of Cups,” a meandering and euphoric series of images.

“Ace of Cups” is the first single from Fink’s Blue Dream, out Aug. 19 on Saddle Creek.

The video premiered yesterday on Elle. It marries natural imagery — a babbling brook, evocatively blooming flowers, otherworldly spacescapes — with stills and video of Fink, Pearl Boyd and Christine Fink (who both sang back-up on the album) and a few other Omaha faces.

Nik Fackler (Icky Blossoms and InDreama) and Aaron Gum directed the video. Like a good dream, the imagery is vaguely disorienting, balancing delicately in a hypnagogic state. It wants to wrap the viewer in a thick, honeyed tranquilizer. They might not even notice, certainly won’t care, that something is slightly bizarre about this reality.

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UO x HN’s First Thursday returns tonight with Lars & Mal and Manic Pixie Dream Girls.

The first Thursday of every month, Hear Nebraska and Urban Outfitters team up for a free show at Urban Outfitters’ downtown Omaha location. Tonight’s show features graphic design art Jessica Smolinski, hair braiding by Kontempo, clothing from Declared Clothing, nail art from Just Imagine Nails and free beer and pizza (while they last). The show starts at 6 p.m.

Lars and Mal at The Petshop.

photo of Lars & Mal by Randy Edwards

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Skrillex, one of the biggest electronic musicians in the world, is coming to Lincoln in October with GTA and Alesia. Hosted by Rad Kadillac Productions and The Bourbon, the dubstep star will play downtown at 13th and N streets. The electronic artist released his first full-length in March after six EPs over the last four years. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 14.

In 2011, Skrillex was nominated for five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist. He won three: Best Dance/Electronica Album, Best Dance Recording and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.

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 The Good Life began a brief California tour last night in San Francisco. They’ll play three more dates between now and Saturday with Saddle Creek’s Big Harp in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Diego.

Fronted by Tim Kasher, The Good Life has released four albums since 2000, most recently 2007’s Help Wanted Nights. By comparison to Cursive, Kasher explores more acoustically driven music in The Good Life. Stefanie Drootin-Senseny plays in both Big Harp and the Good Life.

Last year, Kasher released Adult Film, a solo record that realized a concentrated dose of his promise as a songwriter and solo musician.

Listen to our On the Record podcast about Kasher, Conor Oberst and The Faint’s mid-career high-points they’ve reached in the last year.

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Finally, tonight marks the penultimate Stransky Park show of the summer. The Bottle Tops will perform at the park 17th and Harrison streets in Lincoln. Stransky is a free concert series presented by KZUM. RSVP to The Bottle Tops’ show here. Josh Hoyer and the Shadowboxers close the series next week.