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Music Video(s) of the Week, part 31: Heaven can Drive Transparent Thoughts on the Interstate
Hello again and welcome to another episode of Music Video(s) of the Week! This time around, I am going to take into account the fact that this is Thanksgiving weekend, and thus do something completely unrelated to Thanksgiving—you know, because you have probably already overdosed on holiday cheer by now. Either way, I hope you enjoy this selection of music from Los Angeles, New York, the UK and Paris.
Our first music is by New York duo Asobi Seksu, who covers a genre of music we haven’t yet seen on MVOTW or the 8th: shoegaze rock. Although it hasn’t been very popular since the early 90’s, I still find shoegaze awesome for those times when you want to simply sit back and watch the world pass by. Asobi Sesku’s video for “Transparence” captures this feeling perfectly, with a distorted guitar and the rolling voice of Yuki Chikudate backing up the saturated colors of and blurred light of late fall. It may not break any new ground, but for a band whose name means “playful sex” in Japanese, it offers surprising depth and precision. I hope you enjoy it!
Next up we have probably the most well put together so-called “random” music videos I have ever seen from French/British singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. Do you like shotguns? How about breakdancing? How about skateboards resting on stacked hamburgers, tennis matches played in a Greek garden, and nukes labled “Nachos”? Yes, this video for “Heaven Can Wait” features all of these and then some, but is made in a fashion that doesn’t make them too disparate or eclectic. Although the music is a bit too folky for my taste, Keith Schofield has directed one of the most amazingly awesome videos I have seen all year. Kudos.
Next in line is a crazy animated video by Los Angeles DJ collective N.A.S.A. Now although I honestly do not care much for rap (and I hated this song when it first aired on the radio), I thoroughly enjoyed this video by Fluorescent Hill. Not only is the animation smooth, modern and extremely well colored (looks like water color, although I’m not sure), it works awesomely with the music it’s paired with and forced me to slightly change my initial opinion (I don’t love the song but I no longer hate it). Enjoy this video for “Spacious Thoughts.”
Last up is a video by up-and-coming indie band The Automatic (known as The Automatic Automatic in the US due to some legal skirmish or other) that probably had the best brainstorming session known to man. “Hey guys, what’s awesome? Of course—fast food, cars and chicks! High fives all around!” That’s basically what this music video is—although slightly disguised by their indie-factor and dispersed by some footage of the band playing. Nice try guys, I’m on to you. Anyway, enjoy “Interstate.”
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