This time, on music videos.
Music videos are ways to express the song visually, as well as promoting the artist and song. Some MV's express the mood of the song. Some tell a story, whether related or not to the actual song. And some artistically present the ideas conveyed in it. It can also serve as a little visual reminder of the song. Music videos can act like a song's make-up sometimes. When the music video is good, all of a sudden, the song sounds better than it was before you saw the music video.
Now, I've started to like making lists, so here's another one.
Everyone has their choice of music videos and this here is MY top 10 list of music videos. The only rule is that only one entry per artist. If you feel the need to share some videos or even your own top 10, go ahead and do leave a comment.
Saa, hajimemashou.
#10. "Coffee & TV" by Blur
Okay, we're starting with this on the list. Something for the easy listeners. If you've ever come across this music video, you'll remember the little white milk carton. He/it is the protagonist of the video that goes on a journey to the city to find a missing guy (played by the vocalist of the band) and reunite him with his family. Now if I remember right, this song was written by the vocalist about his alcohol abstinence and how he was coping with it. In a deeper, symbolic way, now that I think about it, the milk carton's story somehow DOES tell the real story. To avoid things from getting too dark, well...I guess that's why they decided to animate something on a breakfast table and make it go on an adventure. I came across this song years ago, and that milk carton is still as memorable as ever. So, first impressions DO last, after all.
Spoiler: The milk carton dies :(
#9. "Without Me" by Eminem
To be fair, I've been a fan of Eminem since I was young. Mainly because his raps are humorous and entertaining. And this one is the embodiment of both, with just a little touch of nostalgia. In this comic-themed parody party of a music video, Eminem is called to prevent a kid from buying and listening to his album without parental consent. For an Eminem song, a shallow plot conflict with an exaggerated setting was pretty much what was expected. The parodies are what makes this video so funny: celebrity parodies, cheesy movie effects, and Eminem wearing Robin's suit. With "Robin" as the main hero, not the sidekick. OK, so maybe this video (barely) has a story, but it's more of the idea-preaching kind. As the song says, "We need a little controversy, 'cause it feels so empty without me." The silly chaos that is the music video, the parodies everywhere...it all points out to the man at the center of it all, and how everything would just be plain and boring without Eminem around.
This thumbnail is an insult to your manhood and you can't do anything about it.
#8. "In Too Deep" by Sum 41
Punk in the early 2000s. Now we're getting heavier. And you know how punk bands do their music videos: kickass. Sometimes with a dash of funny. I wonder how they thought of the concept for this video. They took the title literally and shot a music video of thought of a ridiculous idea like a diving competition. And someone just agreed and said "That's a great idea! Let's do that!" Well, not a bad move, to be honest. The band members are having a humorous diving competition against some swimming dudes. Long story short, their drummer becomes their saving grace, wins, and everyone parties hard. Anyway, this video expresses the mood of the song while at the same time also literally expressing the lyrics' analogy. I like this music video because it has a fun aura to it and it takes place in a pool. It makes me wanna go swimming and do flips. Because it's always hot in the daytime.
Just look at that cool, blue water.
#7. "Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz
You most likely know this one already. Or maybe you know how the chorus goes but you never really knew the title. The band's first single and the one that shot them to the mainstream ears, "Clint Eastwood" is the band's claim to fame, along with "Feel Good, Inc." and "Tomorrow Comes Today". Now, the band itself is a virtual band, a concept that made them stand out among the rest in their years of fame. This music video is them playing in an empty field, and shows that their drummer is possessed by a rapper, and then BAM! A gorilla cemetery come sprouting out of the ground. And then zombies came out of the graves, which are beaten up by the band. Awesome stuff, right? Well, I liked it because the MV shed some light on the band's fictional universe. It really helped them establish their identity as a cartoon band. Who knew that a virtual band of 4 animated characters who fought zombie apes would actually be one of the most famous bands to be known?
Oh yeah, did I mention that the undead apes can dance?
#6. "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park
From their forget-about-the-trademark-LP-sound-and-try-out-new-things album, "Minutes to Midnight", we have this short goody. The music video is a reversed all-out bar fight with Linkin Park unaffected at the center stage, not caring about it one bit. The camera is on a continuous shot, shooting every corner of the bar, the band is playing forward in the whole video while everyone else is fighting backwards. And by "everyone else", I meant less or more than 10 actors who plays a different role in a different spot in the bar. Describing it is one thing, but seeing it is amazing. The combination of different camera effects and techniques together made a really awesome-looking end product. And it's catchy, too.
Turntablist/Sampler/Director Joseph Hahn really upped the ante with this one.
#5. "Scream as Hard as You Can" by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas
For something more recent. Actually, in terms of release date, this is the most recent in the list. I think most of you haven't heard of them, and even if you have, I doubt that you've seen them on TV. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas is a Japanese electronicore band; a genre that fuses the heaviness of rock and metal with the digital sounds of electronic music, such as samples and keyboards. They are fairly new to the scene, having their debut only 5 years ago. One of their vocalists uses autotune to complete their hardcore digital sound, so if you're not into that sort of thing, you have been warned. While they have their other similar music videos (I almost chose "Ley-Line", but went with this one anyway), I chose this one because with this song, you can clearly hear the separation where the heaviness end and the electronica begins, and that is emphasized by the colorful visuals the band so often utilizes. I liked this because of those flashing colorful visuals at the middle of the video and onwards. Those looking for eye candy in MVs, this is your pack of Skittles.
Seizuriffic!
#4. "Freak on a Leash" by Korn
One of Korn's older songs, this song is pretty nostalgic. Technically, the first Korn song I can remember listening to was "Here to Stay". The music video's pretty badass too; the kind that makes you wanna headbang along, but Freak on a Leash's music video is more fun to watch. Using both styles of a cartoon-style animation along with digital animation (It may be worth mentioning that Todd McFarlane was the one who directed this video), you are left to watch the journey of a bullet fired from the cartoonish world of a poster, heading out into the real world dead straight, damaging everything in its path without slowing down, and back where it came from. A lot of close calls here and there, but all in all, no casualties. The band is also shown performing inside their own poster. Like "Bleed It Out", this is a video where the directors go crazy with their stuff and portrays more cool effects than the band performance. Which is a good thing, most of the time.
If all bullets were like this one, no one NOTHING should be alive.
#3. "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami" by Dir En Grey
Yes, I typed that. No copy-paste. No looking. Which implies that I memorized it.
"Hageshisa to..." (I'm not typing that shit whole again) is a song by Japanese metal band, Dir En Grey from their 2011 album "Dum Spiro Spero". Now if you've seen some Dir En Grey music videos, you should know by now that they use strong imagery with their songs, to the point where it can be a bit disturbing. Now (un)fortunately for you, I rather like their disturbing imagery. It gives the songs additional impact, so to speak. This song is also featured as a soundtrack for the horror/thriller film Saw 3D, and it seemed to inspire the music video. There are also two versions of the music video: one, in addition to the band, features the clips of the movie, and the other is just the band playing. However, I prefer the latter since the former would kind of be advertising, and I'm not sure I want to advertise the movie. In both versions however, the band is shown to be performing but with parts of their bodies decaying, and swarmed by insects. Hell, their vocalist had his left arm and left eye rotten off. And it's really well done. It's this kind of shock value that makes this video stand out from the rest of the list.
If you're the kind who is uncomfortable with creepy crawlies, you probably should stop eating before clicking.
#2. "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Coming in at second place are the 4 funky dudes of RHCP with their love of using "California" in their lyrics. Will we ever see the day they stop singing about it? Probably not.
The music video has absolutely nothing to do with the song at all, yet it does tell a story. The story about a genre's birth, growth, and evolution. This video is a quick rundown on rock history, shown by the band by dressing as the most iconic figures in rock, from Elvis's time to present day. They actually do it spot-on, even with impressions and stage mannerisms. As with every genre, I think knowing the roots is important. While the video doesn't talk in detail, it shows who were the most prominent people in their respective eras, music-wise.
The music video has absolutely nothing to do with the song at all, yet it does tell a story. The story about a genre's birth, growth, and evolution. This video is a quick rundown on rock history, shown by the band by dressing as the most iconic figures in rock, from Elvis's time to present day. They actually do it spot-on, even with impressions and stage mannerisms. As with every genre, I think knowing the roots is important. While the video doesn't talk in detail, it shows who were the most prominent people in their respective eras, music-wise.
And the Red Hot Chili Peppers do it in the most entertaining way.
And my pick for the coolest music video is...
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There was a time when rock was loud not just in sound, but in fashion.
And my pick for the coolest music video is...
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lol keep scrolling
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lol keep scrolling
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#1. "Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer" by ONE OK ROCK
One Ok Rock (unlike what you instinctively think, it's pronounced as a Japanese "one o'clock") reigns over the list this time. Let me just start off by saying this song is kicks major ass by itself. Most of their songs kick ass but this one kicks it at a motivational level. Bonus points to the band's vocalist for pronouncing English words clearly with barely any Japanese accent. If you're looking for something "Eye of the Tiger"-ish but with a more modern sound, this is one.
So what about the music video? Well, nothing really, just them. That's it. Just them playing against a white background. And the whole video is in black and white. Setting-wise, you can't get much plainer than that. However, this music video is trying to get the point of the song across. The song is basically about your inner struggles and reminding yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to as long as you have that dream and the will to do it until the end. With that in mind, it seems to me that they act as that motivational voice inside your head and the whiteness of the background is your unpainted dream. You can paint it however you want if you just gave yourself the push.
That said, this video is the best to me not because of what they make us see in the video. It's the best because of the meaning I see in the video they made. It so simple yet at the same time, so powerful.
"You know I gotta be NUMBER ONE!"
And you have reached the end of the list.
What about your list?
I do not claim any of the videos above as my own. Credits go to their respective owners.
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