Monday Morning Music Videos
Monday, September 26, 2005
First up is the new one from Sleater-Kinney, for “Jumpers,” (.mov) one of the best tracks from The Woods. The theme of avian escape from corporate ennui is very cute, but of course the best part about any S/K video is seeing the band members themselves, all of whom are hot. This one features not one but two Bob Pollard-esque leg kicks by Carrie Brownstein. You’ll understand what the performance setting backdrop is about 3/4 through the video.
Next is “This is the Dream of Win and Reg” (.mov) from Final Fantasy’s magnificent debut Has a Good Home. A nice use of animation to tap into the imagination of the young girl, who, like the boy in “Jumpers,” is probably breaking some kind of federal labor regulation. For you film geeks out there, there’s a nice split from non-diegetic to diegetic sound toward the end of the video that really caps it off. As far as marathonpacks is concerned, it’s one of the best singles of the year, even the redone version featured in the video.
Giant Drag’s video for “Kevin is Gay” (.mov) takes some Carnivale-esque liberties with its costuming, before what looks like Animal Collective’s roadies take over and finish the video.
Finally, the coolest video of the day, from CocoRosie, whose new record has inspired quite a bit of debate as to whether it’s an innovative mash-up of urban and antique or just a load of horse apples. Personally, I like how Roisin Murphy does it better, but that’s not to say I don’t appreciate these ladies. The clip for “Noah’s Ark” (.mov) harmonizes with the music, contrasting basketball goals and swingsets with purple watercolor clouds and galloping unicorns in a colorfully psychedelic pastiche. Like the music or not, it’s hard to deny that the video perfecty illustrates the unique sound.