In Depth

IN DEPTH: Death Cab For Cutie "I Will Possess..."

The weariness of the world traveler is often underestimated, especially when it comes to a touring band. City after city, country after country, hotel after hotel, interview after interview… You get the idea. And if you need to see the alienation and mind-numbing haze that of that nomadic lifestyle, go see director Grant Gee's Radiohead doc, Meeting People Is Easy. With that in mind, it's easy to see why Death Cab For Cutie stayed stationary for this first video off the new album, Narrow Stairs.

IN DEPTH: 30 Seconds To Mars "A Beautiful Lie"

Jared Leto and director Elliott Lester have seemingly figured out how to transform music videos into event for Leto's band 30 Seconds To Mars. Their 2006 clip "From Yesterday" was a big-budget extravaganza shot on-location at The Forbidden City in China. That feat gets one-upped with the band's new video "A Beautiful Lie," shot in the Arctic in order to directly show his fans the effects of global warming. Co-director Elliott Lester shares the adventure in this In Depth...

IN DEPTH: The Willowz "Evil Son"

Life for most rock n' roll bands is not much more than a series of dull moments. And like in The Shining, that boredom and isolation can easily lead to insanity. So, instead of just sitting around, The Willowz start sorting M&Ms, trashing rooms, building sugarcube castles, clapping on, clapping off, burning matches, lifting latches, etc, etc. Director Ace Norton explains the inspiration and how this video is really a quest to find the majesty in the mundane.

IN DEPTH: Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders "Louise"

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins may stay behind the kit for his side project Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders, but it's his musical vision and vocals that drive this tale about the mysterious "Louise." Video director Alma Har'el handles the visuals, delivering a story about the unreliability of memories. Old Super 8 films are used and recreated with Hawkins and "Louise" — played by his real life wife — to show the jumble inside his head. And, in a very smart idea, Har'el utilized Hawkin's impeccable timekeeping by having him control the edit of some background projections through MIDI triggers on his drums.

IN DEPTH: Michael Leviton "Summer's The Worst"

Anybody who has heard my story about playing on the same bill as Tiny Tim the night he had a heart attack on stage, knows I have a soft spot for all things ukulele. Enter Michael Leviton, a NYC singer/songwriter who falls on the sea shanty side of the uke spectrum, thus providing a perfect backdrop for this old timey mermaid love story. Directors Nick & Ben don't answer what has always been the most vexing mermaid question — Where is a mermaid's genitalia?