April 5, 2011 - 2:09pm
They don't make them like they used to: music videos in 2009
BY DAVID RIVA
Fact: Music videos aren’t what they used to be. This is neither negative nor positive — it’s simply a reality of the current music industry. Gone are the days when MTV airtime was a key ingredient in a band’s recipe for success. In the wake of the post-music-video-promotion era, however, something unexpected has happened. Instead of abandoning the process of shooting a mini-movie for a single, a number of artists have decided to roll film purely to create something visually stunning to compliment a song.
Here are my personal favorites from a year that ditched the conventional band-in-concert and girls-grinding-on-rapper formulas. Each offers something a bit more innovative and adventurous:
Charlotte Gainsbourg — “Heaven Can Wait”
It’s all here: a gorilla-masked figure in the bathtub, a chubby shirtless boy prancing around his living room, a poolside Beck strumming his six-string and multiple pancake sightings. What more could you want? The apparent randomness of images is tamed by slow-motion camerawork and meticulous attention to detail. The controlled chaos might be viewed as too over-the-top but the steady-paced rhythm and effortless vocals reinforce a feeling of making sense out of an untamed world.
Kanye West — “We Were Once a Fairytale”
What does it all mean? Partnering with director Spike Jonze, Kanye took a compelling risk by making an 11-minute experimental short film, with a particularly cryptic meaning. An inebriated Mr. West can’t make any friends at a nightclub while his song “See You In My Nightmares” plays on the dance floor. The scene goes in and out of focus, followed by a trip to the bathroom and shards of tissue paper spewing from his mouth. After cutting open his stomach with a sword, West rips the most adorable creature ever out of his chest. Is he delusional? Is it a dream? Could it be a metaphor for his career? Only Kanye knows.
The Dead Weather — “Treat Me Like Your Mother”
The year of 2009 confirmed a previously-considered suspicion: Jack White does not sleep. Not only is he billed under three bands, he added director and record store owner to his résumé. This offering, however, didn’t find White behind the lens of a camera, but rather with his finger on the trigger of an AK-47. The beauty and horror of the video comes in the mock-western setting with houses in place of mountains. It’s an old-fashioned standoff between White and leadsinger Alison Mosshart as they battle to the death … and then some.
Lily Allen — “The Fear”
How can a bona fide material girl be singing about the flaws of excess and self-centeredness? As expected, “The Fear” has a snarky video to accompany the witty lyrics of one of the year’s most perfect pop tunes. The most ironic part, however, is the fact that the Brit-pop heiress — notorious for criticizing public figures — uses her own life as the punchline this time around. Whether or not you take her portrayal of a whimsical diva at face value or not, the soft pastels, choreographed butlers, appendage-bearing balloon clusters and larger-than-life scenery are tough not to enjoy.
Handsome Furs — “I’m Confused”
In a year where vampires reigned supreme, two Canadians trumped the rest. Their names are Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, collectively known as Handsome Furs. From the sepia stills at the beginning to the saliva-swapping climax, the frenetic excellence of the drone-heavy “I’m Confused” is framed in a romantically tragic narrative.
*Note: Obvious omissions include the “best video of all time” and those mind-boggling fashion shows by our generation’s Madonna.
