Category: video

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Video: Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu – Q.U.E.E.N.

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This video for Q.U.E.E.N., the first single from The Electric Lady, Janelle Monáe’s second record, emerged in late April, and somehow, I totally missed it until now.

And I am sorry about that, because it is awesome. This is a funky roar of defiance accompanied by fabulous dance moves.

The record, which continues Monáe’s general science fiction/android themes – this is the explanation for the cover art – includes appearances by Prince, Miguel and Esperanza Spalding, is set to come out September 10, and I’m excited to hear it.

 

Janelle Monáe - Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah Badu [Official Video]

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Video: That Fucking Tank, Making a Meal for Beethoven

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And now, back to the 21st century, with That Fucking Tank, which is Andy Abbott playing a baritone guitar through both guitar and bass amplifiers and James Islip on a minimal drum kit. They are from Leeds, England, they have been a band for ten years, and one of the things they have done to celebrate their milestone is make a seriously bizarre video.

There are old men, some in plough horse collars, some not, making comically grotesque faces (England: is this a thing?); the occasional bit of live concert / rehearsal footage; and also a series of images of people with their eyes bugged out in alarming ways.

It’s very strange, and also great.
 

That Fucking Tank - Making a Meal for Beethoven

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Video: Beastie Boys, No Sleep Till Brooklyn

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Okay. I promise I’m not going to get mired down in the ’80s, here, but I just had to post one more old one, because MTV is using this song to promote the VMAs and every time I have to sit through one of the ads – i.e. every week during Teen Wolf – I want to yell “I HOPE YOU PAID THROUGH THE NOSE FOR THE RIGHTS, YOU HYPOCRITICAL JACKALS” at the television.

So anyway, here is the video for No Sleep Till Brooklyn, from 1987. Watching it now, I have the following reactions:

1) This is it: this is where popular culture as we knew it underwent a radical, drastic sea change. They politely knock on the door; at about the same time, RUN-DMC was provoking Steven Tyler into punching a hole in the wall between rock and rap.

2) The massive, pure-metal-aggression-fueled riff Kerry King (Slayer) is playing is my favorite part of the song.

3) Oh my god, they are so young. Babies. If I didn’t know they were the Beastie Boys I’d think they were some high school punks clowning on the pretentions of the music industry.

4) . . . on second thought, punks clowning on the pretentions of music industry is exactly what they were. They didn’t know what they would become; they were just mouthy upstarts taking aim at The Man.

5) And the thing is, for all that they became elder statesmen, they never became The Man.

6) This song is never more true than when you are singing the chorus to yourself at 2 AM on the R train platform while waiting to get home to Bay Ridge.

 

The Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn

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Video: Cyndi Lauper, Girls Just Want To Have Fun

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While we’re on the subject of Cyndi Lauper (kind of), here is one of the many reasons she is awesome: the video for Girls Just Want To Have Fun, from 1983.

It includes some of the first ever computer-generated images, as well as an appearance by wrestler Lou Albano and one scene that is a homage to the Marx Brothers movie A Night At The Opera.
 

Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Official Video)

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Video: Talking Heads, Wild Wild Life

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And now, from deep in the vault, an ’80s classic: Wild Wild Life, by the Talking Heads, which actually won a VMA for Best Group Video in 1987. Though this video can be watched and understood on its own, it is not self-contained; it’s part of a larger work, a movie called True Stories, that was written and directed by David Byrne.

There are a couple of celebrity cameos (John Goodman! Sam Kinison! Someone whom I’m pretty sure is Spalding Grey!) and a couple of parodies of celebrity cameos (Prince, Billy Idol, The Karate Kid, someone who is supposed to represent Cyndi Lauper and/or Madonna); really it is a gently biting commentary on the state of pop culture at the time it was made.

 

Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life

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Video: Alex Greenwald and Phriends, Balisong (She Told Me So)

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It has been well over a year since this song surfaced as a teaser for Alex Greenwald‘s solo record and I must confess, I was beginning to wonder if the project had been abandoned.

But lo, a video has appeared! Hopefully this means the record will emerge soon too.

Without further chatter, here is Mr. Greenwald (looking very professorial) along with Darren Robinson and Jeff Conrad from Phantom Planet and Stuart Zender from Jamiroquai (?!) with a live version of the song performed at a live variety show put on by The Kennedy Administration in Echo Park, in Los Angeles.
 

Alex Greenwald & Phriends (Members of Phantom Planet) perform Balisong at The Kennedy Administration

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Video: Arch Woodmann, Fangs

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Arch Woodmann is: Antoine Pasqualini (voice/drums/guitar), Benoît Guivarch (guitar), Lucie Marsaud (guitar, keyboards) and Thomas Pirot (bass). They are from Paris, France, via Bordeaux, and this is their video for Fangs, from their self-titled third record.

It was filmed at the Mus̩e des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, by What Comes Around Goes Around, who from what I can gather РI have a feeling a good deal got lost in the Google translation Рspecialize in flash mob-style concerts Рthe flash mob being the bands Рhappen in a wide variety of public places.

In this case, the cool reserve of the art gallery throws the aggressive grit of the song into high relief. Also, the one dude who popped up only long enough to look super annoyed to be having an unexpected cultural experience which he must dutifully record on his cell phone totally made me laugh.
 

ARCH WOODMANN : Incruste aux Embellies de Rennes

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Video: SAFIA, Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues

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Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues by SAFIA is one of the many songs included in Marshmellow Pavement, Vol. 1, a new all-indie, all-Australian compilation from the A&R Department.

I like it because it starts out as a meditative soul-infused electronic ballad and then about halfway through, in an audacious but charming move, they switch gears and straight up drop the bass and it becomes a meditative soul-infused dub-step jam.

I realize that sounds like a contradiction in terms and possibly a disaster. I promise it is truly a delight.

I also like the video for the song. The cool blues and shimmering silvers simultaneously underscore the soul and make the jump to dub-step feel like nothing more than taking a particularly deep breath on the dance floor.
 

SAFIA - Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues (Official Video)

 
If you like it, and happen to be reading this from Sydney, you can go and hear SAFIA (and several other bands) live at the compilation launch party on August 8th, 2013.

If you don’t like it: There are 21 songs other songs available for you to choose from, so go find some that tickle your fancy.

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Video: Chris Clarke, Constantly Always/More Than Just

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Chris Clarke is an emcee/producer from Los Angeles. This video, directed by Muttjob, is a two for one deal: it showcases two songs, Constantly Always (prod. Great.Jsn) and More Than Just (prod by Chris Clarke), both from Clarke’s newest release, the handpicked.

the handpicked could also have easily been called the overstuffed, because it is full to bursting with guest stars, including: Blu, Thundercat (Suicidal Tendencies), Sleepy Brown (Outkast), Smooth Bee (Nice & Smooth), Double K (People Under The Stairs), Computer Jay, P.U.D.G.E., Sum, Ali Abnormal, J Thorn, Ronald Bruner Jr, Big Sin, Kamasi Washington, Taylor Graves, BLVME, Voy, Lil Miss, JTowers, Ahmad Rashad Jr. and Bei Ru.

The vast quantity of cooks have not spoiled the stew, though. the handpicked is diverse but cohesive, sometimes smooth, sometimes spicy, sometimes a bit like wandering through a party and listening while conversations wind through pauses in familiar and well loved tunes.

I am particularly fond of this video because, you know some people talk with their hands, and it’s at least 50% of the conversation? Chris Clarke raps with his hands, and it is at least 50% of the song. Also the last frame is an interesting pause/jolt sort of moment.
 
http://youtu.be/O2d71-9tLgY

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Video: Fiona Apple, Hot Knife

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This video for Hot Knife, from Fiona Apple‘s most recent record, The Idler Wheel . . . , is the product of a collaboration between Apple and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.

Hot Knife is one of my favorite songs on The Idler Wheel . . . , mainly because it has multitudes of interlocking layers and an insistent, urgent heart. Here, Anderson and Apple have made a video for it that illustrates and illuminates both the layers and the urgency, and showcases Apple’s magnificent voice.

 

Fiona Apple - "Hot Knife" Official Music Video)