There's a haunting in this old farmhouse that becomes clearer and creepier with every enigmatic (yet clearly creepy) lyrical turn from the mighty Mark Lanegan. --> watch "The Gravedigger's Song"
Although this clever Perfume Genius video stars a hardcore gay porn star Arpad Miklos (safe link, btw), it's about as tender a music video as you could imagine, even if the visuals do add a whiff of parody to lyrics that are mired in sad self-loathing.
The notion of four distinct personalities for a rock quartet goes all the way back to The Beatles — although special props to Led Zeppelin who created special symbols for each band member, a move later one-upped by having individual narrative arcs (including one for their manager and road manager) inserted into their Song Remains The Same concert flick — but director Robert Hales uses a modern trick to let each Red Hot Chili Pepper have a room of ones own.
One clear predecessor for Blink-182's newest video is The Breakfast Club, but set in a adolescent psych ward rather than a suburban high school's detention hall. Director Isaac Rentz has worked with Blink before (perhaps they are his Molly Ringwald?) and he definitely captures the bittersweet, reflective vibe of the band with practiced skill. It almost seems like Blink has entered that 'Aerosmith/Alicia Silverstone' stage of their career where they leave the storyline action to a younger crew (who certainly resemble Carey Mulligan and Joe-Gordon Levitt).
