An intro of applause becomes rhythmic before becoming rasterized, which is when this masterpiece starts to take shape. Polygons and other digital detritus start to skitter and take shape, eventually hitting a climax and creating something of pure beauty. But technology is never satisfied with perfection, so we march past the human and back into the modern haze.
Content note: The video has nudity. It's been labeled NSFW elsewhere on the web, but that phrase is so associated with shit merely meant to titillate or shock that I don't think it has any business being used to describe this work of art. Also, why are you watching videos at work and worrying about boobs? Don't you have faxes to send?
Director Elliott Sellers delivers a nicely shot and constructed performance video for "Modern Jesus" — which perhaps works as a nice match to the previous video for the song directed by AG Rojas, which was highly conceptural (and amazing). The setting instanly signifies Church, but there's also something about the video/song which brings to mind "Wonderwall" (maybe it's the glasses?) who were bigger than The Beatles and in turn bigger than Jesus. (I kid, of course)
Patrick Wolf is an underground Jesus who seems to be preaching a gospel of sexual freedom. But that reading gets a bit complicated when the darkly intriguing video reaches its bloody coda.
I was watching director Robby Starbuck's new Akon "So Blue" video and my first thought upon seeing the Park Plaza Hotel Los Angeles location was, "Oh, shit," or rather, "Oh, Sherrie."
Yes, that famed staircase and gate were enshrined forever in Journey singer Steve Perry's solo debut, "Oh, Sherrie."
And, in a ludicrous factoid: The girl in that video is also named Sherrie — Sherrie Swafford — and was Perry's girlfriend at the time. Alas, she never became Sherrie Perry.
Because sometimes a great performance is defined by the audience reaction and not what happens on-stage...
from MoMa.org PopRally, which premiered the video with a lengthy interview with director Sofia Coppola:
Q: Your brother Roman has directed a number of music videos for Phoenix, for which your husband Thomas Mars is the lead singer. Why are you now directing the video for the new song “Chloroform”?
Sofia Coppola: I’ve always loved Phoenix, and the videos Roman did for them. I love the song “Chloroform,” and I had an idea based on a photo, and since I haven’t done many videos, I like trying things that are unfamiliar. The idea came from a photo by Joseph Sterling in his book The Age of Adolescence. Thomas’s sister’s boyfriend, Mateo, who works at the Book Marc store, gave me the book last X-mas.
The crossover playbook is in full effect here: Machine Gun Kelly is definitely a rapper, but looks like a rocker, and the song has Sleeping With Sirens emo screamer Kellin Quinn helping push the 2005 hit Rise Against ballad "Swing Life Away" into a nü-metal territory. The video itself is a crossroads story — with a screenplay by MGK himself — thinking back on his life and what should come next.
The legendary Martin Scorsese goes shortform for Dolce&Gabbana's The One fragrance with Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson along for the ride.
Now, we all know that music videos don't pay like commercials for smelly water, but being that Scorsese clearly has music on his mind lately — most of his work in the Oughts has been music related from a concert film for the Rolling Stones, and documentaries on Bob Dylan and George Harrison — perhaps somebody could lure The Master back to our world...
What starts as a straight-up performance piece becomes something else when the FX kick in, turning Young The Giant into wisps of smoke and overlaying each band member with shots of the natural world.
You think starting a family has toned down Lily Allen's snarkiness? Judging by this commentary about sexism in the music industry... she's just getting started again, picking up where "Stupid Girls" left off. The lyrics obviously make this NSFW, but that's to be expected. Welcome back, Ms. Rose Cooper.
Ed. Note: The only thing that's unclear is whether the blatant product placement here is meant to be ironic. Me thinks not.
Anyone following Stephen Malkmus since Slanted And Enchanted shouldn't be surprised that this lyric video off his new Jicks album is more obscuring that illuminating. Which isn't to say it isn't great — it is — but you won't come away knowing the lyrics unless you parlez-vous français.
Stranded astronauts in a dire situation on a beautiful red planet. Taken off new Shearwater album Fellow Travelers, filled with covers of songs by previous tour mates (this track is originally by Xiu Xiu).
Has Bing created the Music Video Search of your dreams?
The Miscrosoft search site unveiled a new Music Video optimized search interface that pulls in data from all the likely suspects — YouTube, Vimeo, VEVO, MTV, MySpace and more — but also displays the results in video thumbnails that you can preview on the same page, plus various discovery features that let you dig in deeper or get pulled in other directions.
Read more at the Bing Blog, or just go to Bing and search for a song or artist (and then hit the "video" option in the top menu).
"It's going to be a beautiful mess, or a disaster" - Spike Jonze
Join Spike Jonze, Chris Milk, Jason Schwartzman, Reggie Watts and the other creatives as they put together the YouTube Music Awards in this revealing (and fantastic) Making-Of...
2 Chainz might have culinary cred — see his Mealtime cookbook with the deluxe version of new album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time — but he's not cooking up food in this new "Fork" video.
