If you don't know the Icelandic language or Morse code, you won't know what's being said in Sigur Rós'
Varúð video. Fear not, because I also don't know the first thing about Icelandic or Morse code and I still
liked this video plenty. There may not be much to it -- what you see in the still is pretty much what you get --
but if you're a fan of Sigur Rós or of subtlety, I think you'll find the experience enjoyable. It's probably not the smartest idea to post something that requires patience to view on a Monday, but patience is a virtue and I hear those are good to have.
Side notes:
The opposite of the word virtue is vice, which makes one wonder why the second most powerful man in the country (kinda) is named the "opposite of virtue" President.
This song reminds me a lot of 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins and as The Smashing Pumpkins is one of my very favorite bands, that's high praise. Yeah, this song has been used in an iTunes commercial and on Glee and I could be a douche and tell you how I've had the album since last fall, but there's no place for Grouphate on this blog -- only Grouplove. Enjoy.
Note #1: Don't try to pull off the skeleton earring like the one Hannah Hooper wears in the video. Pretty sure you have to be in a rock band for that to fly. In fact, it's probably wise to stay away from any kind of cadaver jewelry.
Note #2: This video shows why it's never a good idea to eat brownies at a party... the carbs blur your vision, impair your judgment, and make everything go in reverse. Stick to meats and cheeses.
Music doesn't always have to be important like Pitchfork leads you to believe. Family Force 5 is proof of that. I was a pretty big fan of their debut album Business Up Front/Party in the Back and though I may have outgrown them on some levels, they're still good at making you wanna dance. So here's the latest video from the ATL's own Na Daddy, Chap Stique, Crouton, Fatty, and Soul Glow Activatur (yes, with a U) in all their crunk rock glory:
I'm pretty sure Wobble will never win any awards for songwriting or musical arrangement -- or even "best song about wobbling" -- but you have to respect FF5's enthusiasm and shamelessness. I like the part where the black guy sees all the white people dancing in the elevator and shakes his head in disapproval. That happens to me on the basketball court every time I go up for a lay up instead of dunking (which is always).
I love Best Coast. I'm a sucker for good female rock vocals and I dig the lazy 60s lo-fi beach vibe, so I don't need a great video to supplement my Best Coast listening experience. I got one anyway. The video (below) for Our Deal is a ten-minute-long mini-movie in the tradition of West Side Story and The Outsiders, complete with a medley of Best Coast tunes and a bevy of young celebrities. Gotta love having Hit-Girl, Teen Wolf, Maebe Funke, Childish Gambino, iCarly, and Shailene Woodley all in the same video -- especially when they're all decked out in retro-chic, gang-emblazoned jean jackets. Sure, it's a little disconcerting that then 14-year-old Chloë Moretz is in both a gang and an adult relationship, but growing up fast is kind of her thing. Anyway, if you've got ten minutes to spare and like good music and good acting, give this video a shot. If you don't like good music or good acting, but are easily entertained by bright colors, maybe Nicki Minaj's Starships video is for you. Oh Nicki Nick, you are one strange, scary Trinidadian-American woman.
If you like what you heard, Best Coast's new album The Only Place came out last week. If you're planning on buying it at your local record store, tell them David from TKAA sent you for a 0% discount.
This week's installment examines the douchiness of Maroon 5 and explores the joys of summertime in New Zealand:
Maroon 5 - Payphone
Payphones still exist? Hmm. Well, that still doesn't explain why Adam Levine doesn't use his cell phone. We could argue all day that it's broken or the battery's dead, but I'm not buying it. Levine seems like the kind of guy who has a spare just in case something happens to the first one and he needs to send an emergency tweet or call his tattoo artist to touch-up that gnarly tiger tat on his bicep. Yes, I'm implying that Adam Levine is kind of a douche. This assessment is due in part to his haircut, but mostly because he was mean to a friend of mine whose band once opened for Maroon 5. Apparently Levine used some vulgar language when my friend complemented his song writing, but I secretly think the lash out was a direct result of my friend's insistence that Burgundy 5 is a more fitting name for a rock/pop band.
The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
Since we're on the brink of Summer 2012, I thought I'd offer up one of my favorite songs from Summer 2011. It's an indisputable fact that summertime is the best time of the year and this Young Blood video really captures the carefree spirit of the season. Good to see that running, jumping, and smashing things is a tenet of summer even in the band's native New Zealand. I feel bad for the Kiwis though -- summer in the US means winter down there. Perhaps the Naked and Famous can create an equally good winter song for their countrymen to enjoy. Lord knows they need it -- it's gotta be torture being that close to Australia without having any marsupials of your own to enjoy.
This week's installment of Music Video Monday includes a first look at "adult" Bieber and a trip to Iceland:
Justin Bieber - Boyfriend
I'm not one to wanna hate on The Biebs, but the kid has gotta meet me halfway. The gold shoes, the earrings, the Jimmy Neutron haircut; you look like giant tool, Justin... and not a cool tool like a chainsaw... like a plunger. The song itself is okay I guess, though I wouldn't suggest likening oneself to Buzz Lightyear as a way to impress the ladies. I dunno, maybe that line has an implied Woody innuendo that I'm just not smart enough to get. Could be, because Mr. Bieber does seem to be following in the footsteps of another Justin, Mr. Timberlake, who said Bye Bye Bye to *NSYNC and his boy band image to don a more adult persona. Of course, Bieber is [Buzz] light years away from being taken seriously as an adult artist and that trend will continue until he can release a song that doesn't contain the word swaggy.
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
Finally, an Icelandic band with a name that's not hard to spell. (I'm looking at you, Quarashi.) Little Talkshas been out for a few months now, but I just recently saw the video. Fantastic. Or as they say in Iceland: Björk. I love the animation style, which reminds me a little bit of Smashing Pumpkins' eminent Tonight, Tonight video. So, is this what Iceland is like? I had written it off as evil after seeing D2: The Mighty Ducks as a youngster, but now I'm thinking there's more to the country than Gunner Stahl and Wolf "The Dentist" Stansson. Now I doubt I'll be making any trips to Iceland because I'm not a fan of cold weather, but if Of Monsters and Men ever teams up with fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós for a concert around these parts, I'm there.
The week's installment of Music Video Monday features a song that's very high on the charts and another that's just very high:
Fun. - We Are Young
While it's unclear exactly what sent the nightclub into a frenzy in this video (my money is on the lead singer's poor choice in shoes), one thing is very apparent: slow motion is cool. Slow motion can make even the most boring video (see: Fun. - We Are Young) bearable. I guess when dealing with such a ubiquitous (SAT word alert!) song, a bearable video is all you need. We Are Young is one of those tunes you feel like you've heard before, even during the first listen. It's like the chorus was ingrained into your brain way back when and Fun. just happened to be able to market it. Sidebar: the name of the band is Fun.. That's F-U-N-Period. The period is part of the name. This is extremely annoying when trying to deal with grammar and punctuation. Not very Fun. at all. Anyway, what we have here is an okay video for a pretty decent song. That makes two respectable songs in a row to reach #1 on the charts. Enjoy them while you can before Top 40 radio runs them so far into the ground you'll need a shovel to dig them up hit the radio DJs with.
Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa - Young, Wild, and Free
Suck it Fun.... Snoop and Wiz see your young and raise you wild and free! But please, somebody get these two a sandwich or something. For guys who love weed, they sure don't look like they ever get the munchies. I guess they're too busy to eat. I mean, coming up with genius ideas like naming the high school in the video "N. Hale High" doesn't leave much time for lunch. These two don't care about lunch though, they're living young, wild, and free... well, sorta. Snoop Dogg is 40 years old, so he mostly lives just wild and free and Wiz Khalifa just got busted for drug possession, so he's just living young and wild these days. Still, it's a pretty good video if you really, really, really, really, really like watching other people smoke pot.
Welcome to a new segment here on TKAA called Music Video Monday. The premise is simple: every Monday I'll post a couple of popular music videos and discuss them with all the seriousness and integrity you've come to expect in a TKAA post. I'm thinking I'll do the #1 video on the Billboard Hot 100 and another one of my choosing each week, but we'll see how it goes. First up, this week's number one song on the charts:
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
This song is everywhere right now. I have six pre-sets on my car radio and it's almost always on at least one of them... even the 90s station. Maybe it's like a slot machine and one fateful day when Gotye is on all six at once, quarters will start spewing out of my cd player or something. Anyway, I liked the song at first, but it's wearing out its welcome as of late. Alas, the video breathes new life into the song as I am a sucker for male nudity. (Just kidding.) The video opens with the camera panning upward, dangerously close to Gotye's... little Gotye. It's a close call, but still nowhere near D'Angelo's Untitled video territory. It's a cool little video, despite Gotye's freakishly big mouth. The whole blending in with the wall thing is always fun and I like how the design reminds me of Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest cover and how the girl bears a slight resemblance to TKAA favorite, Katy Perry.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
I'm always supportive of artists who are paler than me and Carly Rae Jepsen is certainly that. Maybe pale is making a comeback. On average, there seems to be one sugary pop song a month that inexplicably strikes my fancy and Call Me Maybe is this month's offering. It just sounds like happy. The video proves what I've long suspected: chicks dig lawnmowers. Why save up for a Corvette when you can garner better results with a Snapper? Of course, the dude's wise choice to go lawnmower is instantly negated when he takes off his shirt, revealing a truly awful chest tattoo. "The sky is the limit" huh? I can only assume he lost a bet. Anyway, if you like videos with surprise endings, this one is fabulous. Take special note of the superb acting in the video's final seconds.
