Comprised of Michael Schuman (vocals, drums, guitar), best known for his bass work in Queens of the Stone Age, Zach Dawes (bass, drums) and Tyler Parkford (vocals and keyboards), the Los Angeles, CA-based trio of Mini Mansions was founded back in 2009, while Schuman’s primary project, Queens of the Stone Age was on a hiatus after the release of Era Vulgaris. Signed by the legendary T Bone Burnett, the trio’s sound has been compared to the likes of The Beatles, Elliott Smith, and Fountains of Wayne. 

Their soon-to-be released sophomore effort, The Great Pretenders has been gaining attention as it has the trio collaborating with Brian Wilson (yes, the legendary and reclusive Brian Wilson) and Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner – and as a result, Mini Mansions have been receiving quite a bit of attention across both the blogosphere and major publications.  They’ll be touring with Royal Blood during the spring, so I can guarantee you’ll be hearing about them quite a bit over the next few months. But let’s get to the immediate business at hand, right?

“Any Emotions” featuring Brian Wilson is a song comprised of looped, shimmering guitar sample, syrupy drum programming, electronic bloops and bleeps paired with Wilson’s dreamily distracted vocals. Although it sounds as though it’d be perfect for daydreaming on a sunny summer day, this ethereal song ironically possesses a brooding and ominous nature at its core; in fact, when you hear Wilson sing “you can be so happy,” it sounds deeply wrong – as though it’s a command from someone who’s deeply passive aggressive. 

The official video, directed by Mike Harris has a pretty simple treatment as it features a man who quickly goes from deep contemplation to uproarious laughter, from heart aching grief to pure rage and ends with him calmly fixing his air as though nothing happened. It’s a profoundly surreal and affecting video.