Two breezy stoner girls give us their sixties pop flavored takes on boyfriends. One is a picnic scene with a yearning atmosphere, the other has singing decapitated heads nailed to the wall. Cool cool. Enjoy.

Rating: ****

You Sat Party - Lonely's Lunch

In grade 10 we had to create a Chase Scene video that demonstrated our skills with "shot sequencing", had I had better than a crappy JVC hand held camera (whose tape cartridge needed to be duct taped shut), my very own locations scout, weird beak costumes, a travel budget to India and a partner who didn't insist on using a Linkin Park soundtrack... I think it would have turned out just like this.

Also, this video wreaks of exotic. Foreign lands, foriegn species, intrigue, sexy characters, spy micro chips, betrayal, yikes! Enjoy.

Rating: ***

Weekend - Monday Morning/Monogah,WV

Weekend make the suburbs feel scary as shit! Enjoy.

Rating: ****

Live Music Videos

Two very excellent and most triumphant versions of the "live" music video by The National and The Flaming Lips. I was a little skeptical of the National video when I first heard it was to be live footage from various tour stops. "Terrible Love" is an incredible song, it's complex and subtle and to me seemed more fitting if accompanied by an intimate setting. Yet this whirl wind tour montage somehow fits perfectly with the song and transformed the way I now hear "Terrible Love". Definitely one of the better "camera on the road" type music videos (Robyn also had a good one this year with "Hang With Me", not that it altered the song or revolutionized anything, but basically it made something you've seen a thousand times look fresh and interesting. Check it out.)

The Flaming Lips take a more straight forward approach with "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine", which is your basic "live performance" music video. With striking primary colors and exposed bright lights they tear through the song and keep things interesting despite a tune based on one groove and repeated lyrics. I could watch the entire album recorded like this. Upon first hearing "Embryonic" I was blown away, but despite all the assaulting noise and percussion I still wasn't sure how the songs would look/sound live, this video answers that and then some. There is a short doc on the web about the Flips making "Embryonic", it also has some great live performance footage and for me elevated the way I heard the songs even more so once I revisited the album. Check it out. Enjoy.

Rating: *****

Wolf Parade - Yulia

Eventually it all ends up in space. From Tom Hanks to the Leprechaun horror franchise to Jason from another horror franchise. While the Leprechaun fellow and Jason's cosmic voyages were the death rattle of franchises long past their expire date, Wolf Parade's Yulia aligns closer to the Tom Hanks or "classier" variety of space travel. Astronaut (or more accurately, Cosmonaut) and lover have been separated by some rather significant physical distance and both seem to regret the trip. It seems that they were perhaps playing the ultimate game of "Lovers Chicken", where after an argument the antes started to drastically up:
"Yeah, well maybe I will just go to space so you won't have to deal with me anymore!"
"Fine, do that"
"I will"
"Good!"
"Really I will, I'm going now to the rocket station"
"If that's what you want to do"
"It is what I want, I'm putting space stuff on right now in fact"
"You look stupid in space stuff"
"Well then you will be happy because you won't have to see how stupid I look because I will be in outer space!"
"So go!"
"I'm in a rocket now"
"I don't care"
"Okay now I'm in the stratosphere"
"Good for you, I hope you meet someone nice there"
"Okay now I am really in outer space! I'm so sorry, oh god why did I do this, I love you so much!!!"
"I love you so much, why did I let you go to outer space, noooooooooo!"

Enjoy.

Rating: ***