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: ***

Robyn - Indestructible

Robyn 'Indestructible' Official Video

Robyn | Myspace Music Videos

Warning, you have entered the Rant Zone: Why can't this be what we hear on our radios and what we value in a pop star??? Robyn is a god in my books. She shows without fail how pop tunes can deal with all the typical pop themes of love, jealousy, partying... and still be catchy, fun and sexy without exploiting anyone. There is no pandering here, no need to exploit herself or the people in her video, yet it is still undeniably cool and sexy. It's awesome that it is basically just her expressing a real emotion in a pop context all the while still giving us the normal pop elements like cool outfits, hip style, sex, love... and not resorting to having any of those elements demean anyone. She's not sexy cuz she is flaunting her skin or playing the role of a male fantasy, she's just being herself and all the lovin' going on stays clear away from falling into the tired gender trappings of pop videos. No one is being sexualized of defined by sex, instead it's the scene itself that is being sexy, opposed to most female pop stars who get trapped into needing to represent themselves as sex. Unfortunately this is influenced by what men have defined as what a female should look like as sex incarnate. And that's just not good for anyone. Anyway, enjoy.

Rating: *****

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) - Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass

Wow! Chk Chk Chk get the full music video treatment here, reminds me of the Golden Age of music videos from the 90's. Despite all the chaos, narrative, and camera trickery - the song is never lost. It really screams massive time and effort, and penises. Whoops, I meant flowers. But really, the flowers are supposed to be penises. If I had one complaint it would be that there are perhaps too many flower penises. It kinda never lets up, first it's just a playful innuendo, then it's definitely just a penis, then the flowers themselves have penises, then it's just a break down into misogynistic money shots. But everything else is great! Enjoy.

Rating: *****