Discovering the joy of music videos all over again
I might have to make the argument that the best thing to come out of the Internet, other than perhaps all the free goat porn, is the ability to watch loads of music videos again. Remember when MTV used to play music videos? Me neither, but it doesn’t matter now that there are an endless number of places that showcase music videos and just as many artists who are willing to put them together. It’s a fun and easy way to discover new music, and in the last month it has become the biggest way I spend my time online, although a close second would be Googling CLIVE OWEN NUDE.
This week I’ll be highlighting some of the videos I have found from British artists, starting with this animated one from Eugene McGuinness for his single “Monsters Under the Bed.” I don’t recommend you watch this with your kids around because there is a small scene featuring teddy bear carnage. Have them go in the other room and play with knives.
This next one is “The Magic Position” by Patrick Wolf. Several people recommended Patrick’s music to me, and I’m glad they did because if you were to take a look at my collection of music you’d see just how much I’m drawn to tall, lanky British boys who barely move their mouths when they sing. This is an incredibly catchy tune, so don’t say I didn’t warn you when tomorrow you accidentally start singing it out loud in a meeting.
Next is a video for Bloc Party’s “So Here We Are.” This song is off their album Silent Alarm, released in 2005, and I have been listening to the whole thing on repeat for several weeks now. This song in particular is one of my favorites because its sound is reminiscent of the British music I listened to in the very early nineties when I was in college, and there are certain chords in this song that make me feel like I’ve got a calculus exam tomorrow.
Speaking of the music I listened to in college, here’s the video for “Pearl” by Chapterhouse. Although the video is not nearly as cool as the song, I forgive them because when was this? 1991? They were working on computers with less hard drive space than an iPod Shuffle.
Finally, the video for “I Believe” by Simian Mobile Disco. This sound will take you straight back to the mid-eighties when we all thought cassette tapes were the pinnacle of technological innovation. It’s heavily littered with beats, yes, but it’s the melody paired with those beats that makes this song a stand out. I’m thinking that this will end up being one of my favorite songs of the year.
