Author: Jennifer

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July Video Challenge: Gackt, Arittake No Ai De [With All My Love] / Redemption

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This time I picked two videos by the same artist because I genuinely just couldn’t choose only one to share. They are both from the same record, The 11th Day Single Collection, but that is about the only thing they have in common. The first one Arittake No Ai De [With All My Love], is a sweet pop song for “the one that got away”; Redemption is a hard-rock howl of rage and loss.

I picked the first one because it looks predictable and uncomplicated, at first, and then all of sudden there is BLOODY VIOLENCE and then Gackt comes in and literally hits rewind and redirects / fixes the narrative arc:

 

GACKT「ありったけの愛で」

 

The second one I selected because it was used as the theme song for Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerebus and so has Final Fantasy-themed costumes and also Deeply Symbolic Birds of Prey all over everywhere:

 

GACKT「REDEMPTION」

 

As some context for all of this, Gackt was formerly the lead singer for Malice Mizer, a visual kei band, whose look and sound was essentially goth crossed with glam, punk, metal, and French romanticism and turned up to 11. Ten years ago he went solo, and in addition to his musical accomplishments he’s also appeared in several films and stage productions and lent his voice to a number of different projects.

Also, the YouTube channel for the label he’s on, Nippon Crown, is full of fascinating material and well worth checking out.

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July Video Challenge: Mariachi El Bronx, Cell Mates

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The Bronx , though named for one of the boroughs of New York City, are actually from Los Angeles. There have two wildly different incarnations: as The Bronx, they are a punk/hardcore band; as Mariachi El Bronx, they are a mariachi band. This video is for one of their mariachi songs. To quote the YouTube description, “Light-up suits ahoy!”

http://youtu.be/S1uihI8UOM4

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July Video Challenge: Na Na Na, My Chemical Romance

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This is My Chemical Romance, broadcasting from a post-apocalyptic California, in 2019. There’s lots of geeky details, fancy driving and things blowing up in a very satisfying manner. Every time this one comes up on shuffle I almost wish I had a car just so I could plug my iPod into the speakers and crank this one up while driving very fast. It’s also  the first video in a series, and served as a visual introduction to the concept and the world of their latest record, Danger Days: The True Life of the Fabulous Killjoys.

 

My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na" (Official Music Video)

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July Video Challenge: Phantom Planet, Do the Panic

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You may recognize Phantom Planet, or at least singer Alex Greenwald’s voice, from The OC, as they sang the theme song for the show. (You might recognize his face from Donnie Darko.) This song is from Raise The Dead, their last record, released in 2008. The video should get some sort of prize for creepy, horror-movie inspired effects.

Phantom Planet: Do The Panic [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

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July Video Challenge: Jail Weddings, The Spell Has Lifted

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Jail Weddings, of Los Angeles, are in the process of an ambitious project: making a video for every single song on their new record Love is Lawless. This one, for The Spell is Lifted, is directed by Lauren Everett, and intersperses performance shots with vintage pictures of Los Angeles. Some of them evoke the glamor of Old Hollywood; others of them depict the far uglier and twisted flip side of that coin. It is a visual meditation on the lure of Tinseltown, and the way that lure can be dangerous.

 

Jail Weddings "The Spell Has Lifted"

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July Video Challenge, Miss Derringer, Click Click (Bang Bang)

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Here, fusing the genres of country, goth, and rockabilly, is Miss Derringer, with Click Click (Bang Bang) from Winter Hill. There’s a cake-fight in the first minute and a half or so, and it only gets better from there. Also notable: Liz McGrath’s epically fabulous hat.

Miss Derringer - "Click Click (Bang Bang)" Triple X Records / Nickel & Dime Records

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Let the Wrong Light In: Kasey Anderson and the Honkies, Heart of a Dog

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Kasey Anderson and the Honkies are from both Seattle and Portland, and are Kasey Anderson on vocals, guitar, percussion, Andrew KcKeag (Presidents of the United States of America) on guitar, vocals, Eric Corson (The Long Winters) on bass, and Mike Musburger (The Posies, The Supersuckers) on drums.

Heart of a Dog is the result of Anderson’s desire to move beyond being a solo artist and “just make a rock n’ roll record” and, dear readers: he, the band, and their all-star guest stars (Jenny Comlee of the Decemberists and Dave Harding of Richmond Fontaine, among others) have most definitely succeeded.

I’ve been carrying the songs around with me for a while now, and listening to them in all kinds of situations: while studying for exams, while on the train, and now, poolside, and they always improve both my mood and my day, whether I apply them directly or they float up on shuffle.

I can’t really isolate one or two favorites for you – the whole record is strong – but I can say that the slow dirty burn of Let The Wrong Light In was an especially fantastic contrast to the anodyne confines of law school. I’m also fond of My Baby’s a Wrecking Ball and Kasey Anderson’s Dream.

Here’s Let The Wrong Light In in video form so you can listen for yourself. Be sure to turn it up:

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July Video Challenge: The Dollyrots, Brand New Key (The Rollerskate Song)

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The Dollyrots, of Los Angeles, are also signed to Blackheart Records. They started out in Florida in 2000 and later moved to Los Angeles; Brand New Key (The Rollerskate Song) started out as a folk song in the early ’70s – it was originally sung by Melanie – and here is a pop-punk gem.

 

The Dollyrots - Brand New Key

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July Video Challenge, Guns n’ Roses, Welcome to the Jungle

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And now, on the other end of the glam metal / hard rock spectrum, here is Guns n’ Roses with Welcome to the Jungle. My favorite part of this one is the quick-cut between “Axel Rose, country boy getting off the bus chewing on an actual hayseed” (I never noticed this absurdity before) and “Axl Rose, teased-hair, leather-trousers-clad ROCK STAR”:

Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle