Music videos, in my humble opinion, usually suck nowadays. Now that people aren’t gathering around the tube and enjoying these with their friends ala Beavis and Butthead, it seems like most bands just churn out one of three crappy types of videos. I’ve included a few recent examples:
- The staged performance shot from twenty different angles (which at least has some artistic value), or sometimes they’ll get fancy and do something with a vague narrative spliced in it. This stuff is cool for gear geeks and people who like to watch the band up close and personal. I can dig it, but it’s not the most thought-provoking way to spend time.
- The stitched together footage of live performances. AKA life on the road. Fans walking in the venue. Footage of crates of gear. Fans raising their arms – and now phones (barf) – in the air. Band members warming up or being silly goofballs with their instruments. Sometimes you get that cool sped up footage of a highway somewhere. Maybe some roadies. I like to see this stuff when… I’m actually at a show.
Or the worst offender of all…
- The lyric video (ugh, those words just make me cringe) with Windows Media Player-esque visualizations and cool fonts? I seriously can’t think of anything redeeming about watching these videos. What, are you going to wow your friends by knowing the lyrics to a song from an upcoming album? I’m sure they’re impressed.
With all of the above examples, I think my time is simply better spent just listening to the song. I get nothing out of them. So when a band does something interesting like they did in the heyday of the format, I get giddy. I love to be entertained. I have nostalgia for storytelling. It’s like getting free guacamole. So do yourself a solid and dig in on this video from the Georgian post-hardcore Cinemechanica for their track “Hang Up the Spurs.” Filmmaker/band friend Travis Betz put together an intense and bizarre video the band’s equally bizarre and intense sound. I won’t spoil anything for you, but be assured that this gruesome construction paper puppetry is probably second only to that Radiohead cartoon video that everyone gets all sappy about. Except this probably won’t make you think so hard…
If you like what you heard, the band is releasing their first album in ten years(!!!) via Arrowhawk Records. Mixed by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, it’s a safe bet that the band’s erratic vision is in good hands. Preorder here.
Via NPR.
