Director Patrick Daughters is the current king of performance videos, an underrated genre of music video that is impossible for most to master. When Daughters does his best work, he transforms the artists he works with into indie music icons. Although Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes already has an avid and worthy fan base, "Hot Knives" is the video that should propel his band onto the playlists of mainstream video channels where, not coincidentally, Daughters' "1234" video for Feist is beginning to heat up. And where "1234" is playful, "Hot Knives," like many of Daughters' other great videos, is cinematic and supremely confident. Backlit by a swirl of psychedelic projections, Oberst's excellent songwriting and performance skills are seen in a new light; one that is masterly and mature. (review by Kevin Holy) --> watch "Hot Knives" in Quicktime
Bright Eyes "Hot Knives" (Polydor UK/Saddle Creek)
Patrick Daughters, director | Janice Biggs, producer | The Directors Bureau, production co | Jill Kaplan/Skyway Productions, commissioner | Shawn Kim, DP | Akiko Iwakawa, editor
