Watch This Now: OKGO – “Skyscrapers”
“It ain’t always pretty, but it seemed there was no other way…”
Before we get started, I just got told that this is my 400th post here on Y,WGAV! That’s a pretty cool milestone if you ask me, so thanks to everyone that’s been involved so far! Looking forward to 400 more.
Moving on: You know how a few weeks ago we talked about Needing/Getting, the supposedly final video from OKGO‘s Of the Blue Colour of the Sky record? Yep, turns out we were wrong. They’ve got one last clip for us – the incredible eighth video from this record cycle over the course of 2 years. It’s for one of the slower jams on the record, and they’ve left it in the trusting hands of long time collaborator Trish Sie, who is the sister of lead singer Damian Kulash. She knows exactly how to work with these guys, and the exact kind of eccentricities that they are after in their videos – and although this might be a bit of a stripped-back affair in comparison to previous clips, it’s still a sweet and touching way to go out.
Sie teams up with her dance parter Moti Buchboot for a swell, sensual tango that only moves forward – the twist is that the dancers change the colour of their outfit as soon as they move ff screen. It creates this beautiful spectrum of colour and a dizzying display of what a simple dance routine can do. There’s no dogs, treadmills, cars, jumpsuits or Muppets… it’s just a clever idea with a vintage OKGO twist. NOW we’re done with Of the Blue Colour of the Sky… I think.
Watch This Now: OKGO – “Needing/Getting”
“I’ve been sitting around, wasting my time, wonderin’ what you’ve been doing…”
Can you believe that OKGO‘s third album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, recently turned two years old? It seems like only a couple of years ago when it wasn’t. Those fuckers haven’t been slacking off since its release, mind. Here’s a brief on everything they have done, music video-wise, in promotion of the record:
- Tripped major balls using some dollar-store props and a cheesy computer effect
- Made two videos for the same song – one a marching band, one a Rube Goldberg machine – with both scoring in the top 5 of Y,WGAV!’s top 30 videos of 2010
- Spent an entire day dancing around a park in slow motion
- Turned loaves upon loaves of bread into toast, and then made stop-motion art out of it
- Choreographed some genius dogs and had a big crazy party with them
- Got in turquoise jumpsuits and created a human kaleidoscope with an interactive video
- Hung out with the freaking Muppets!
Yeah, those fuckers have been busy.
It’s time to bring it all to an end, though. You are about to watch the final video from Of the Colour of the Blue Sky. Still, what a way to go out! Here, our heroes have packed into a Chevrolet, stuck a bunch of microphones and wires on top of it and driven around 2 miles of desert outside of LA. The course driven involves hundreds of pianos, guitars and weirdly musical non-instruments. It’s a brilliant excercise in precision – they had to drive at the exact right speed at the exact right angles in order for this video to work. It’s enthralling to watch, too – as if any of their videos aren’t!
It could be argued – quite successfully, too – that OKGO are the ultimate music video devotee band. Can you think of any other acts that always go to this extent for their clips? This level of insanity? This constant pursuit of uniqueness and originality? Yeah, I’m caling OKGO the winners on this one.
Watch This Now: OKGO feat. The Muppets – “Muppet Show Theme Song”
“It’s time to put on make-up, it’s time to dress up right…”
Do not adjust your screens! This has actually happened! That is DEFINITELY Kermit the Frog standing with the guys from OKGO, and it has all come together in celebration of The Green Album, a tribute album to the music of The Muppets and, of course, The Muppet Show. There’s also the small matter of The Muppets movie set for release at the end of the year – and if you’re not excited for that, it’s safe to say that you have no soul. In short, the Muppets are back – and what better way to reintroduce them to a generation of kids who are almost certain to have forgotten them than to pair them with the band that will always get a billion views on YouTube, no matter what they do?
You’re in for some general Muppet madness mixed with some clever references to past OKGO clips and an outstanding editing job bringing it all together seamlessly. There’s explosions, there’s dancing, there’s Statler and Waldorf looking at videos of cats…it’s something special, that’s for sure. I can’t recall the last time I’ve had this much fun watching either of these gangs, so it’s super-sweet that they’ve managed to make it work so well. What more incentive do you need! It’s time to load the video! It’s time to light the lights!
Top 30 Videos of 2010: 10 – 1!
You’ve waited long enough – or not at all, depending on whether you’ve read this blog before or not. Regardless, this has been a really fun countdown and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it. Here are the ten best videos released within the year 2010. We’ll get back to bitching about shitty nineties videos this afternoon. As you were!
10. Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi – Tightrope
The funky was most certainly on section in the Metropolis when Janelle nailed this brilliant, shiny spectacle of a music video. Introducing the world to her bizarre, futuristic universe, Monae made this a video of several important lessons. Firstly, she is an incredible talent when it comes to…well, everything she does. Secondly, Big Boi still knows how to absolutely kill a verse, which he would later prove with his awesome solo record. Most importantly, however, it taught us how to do THE dancemove of 2010 – the motherfucking Tightrope.
Devastatingly cool, it was very easy to get caught up in the pure frenzy of this video – and perhaps the best part of it was that it didn’t get old or become tired after multiple views. You’re still there, dancing your fucking genitals off. Right on, Janelle.
9. Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. feat. Q-Tip and MNDR – Bang Bang Bang
Well, now. Here’s one way to make an impression upon your comeback. For those who had no idea of the imminent return of Mr. Mark Ronson, this was a perfect re-introduction. No horns, no Motown, no Amy Winehouse…this one’s all about sharp suits, Tron-like graphics and a magic watch that can pretty much do anything as presented on a Japanese talk show where the host is speaking French. Confused? Good, that’s exactly what Ronson wants.
Bang Bang Bang is trippy, and maybe just a little freaked-out, when it comes to its music video. Conceptually, it’s killer – a really fun and inventive insight into Ronson’s imagination. Watch out for the awesome breakdancing kids and MNDR just generally being sexy as the particular highlights, but really, there’s plenty to be enjoyed in basically every second of this.
8. Gorillaz feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def – Stylo
The Gorillaz team have never made a video that isn’t awesome. Simple fact of life, that one. What they’ve never tried before, however, is a video on THIS level of awesome. Here’s the skinny: It’s 2D and Murdoc in a car, being chased…by Bruce Willis. That name once again is Bruce. Fucking. Willis.
It’s all craziness to see who outruns who in this thrilling vid, which also saw the premiere of the Gorillaz’ new 3D look…well, for half of them, anyway. Noodle has apparently been turned into an android and Russell is about the size of an average whale upon diving into radioactive waters swimming towards Plastic Beach. What, you think I’m too caught up in the characters of Gorillaz? Maybe I am – but, if anything, that is a complete credit to the work of the people behind the act itself. I’ll always be at least partially obsessed with Gorillaz, and Stylo has done nothing to buck that trend.
7. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Another vivid display of beauty came, typically, from Arcade Fire – perhaps even more typically, in their collaboration with Spike Jonze. Dealing with some of the major themes which are found within the album, this is a twisted, haunting view of the insecurities, frustrations and fear that can come with seemingly innocent suburban life.
It probably won’t be a video that you particularly “get” or have a complete understanding of, but in a way that’s not quite the point of The Suburbs. It’s a video that’s open to interpretation and discussion, and it’s sure to have a lot of different ideas circulating around it. The way I see it, however, is that it’s an extended metaphor – it might seem safe to lock yourself in the suburbs, but when war comes knocking, the first people the suburbanites will turn against is one another. Make of that – and this video – what you will.
6. Brendan Maclean – Practically Wasted
The highest-ranking Australian video of the countdown doesn’t go to the most popular Australian artist, nor one with the biggest budget. Why Brendan Maclean made unquestionably the best Australian music video of 2010 was purely on the basis of his imagination and flair for creative, exciting ideas within the short space of three minutes.
Maclean basically went nuts with his first-ever music video, taking a bizarre split-personality concept and quite literally taking it to the circus. Whips, chains, cages and drumming midgets ahoy! This was the first video that was ever blogged about on Y,WGAV!, and I’m incredibly proud to see how it’s stood the test of time. A remarkable achievement from an artist that can only get better and better from here.
5. Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
The biggest, brightest, boldest and cutest pop video of 2010. Almost blindingly colourful and exuberant, Perry made a huge statement with this video – first and foremost that the bitch was indeed back, but also a statement that showed there was still room for inventiveness within the mainstream pop music video.
Yes, there was plenty of T &A – as you’ll find with so many of her peers’ videos – but there was amazingly still a totaly innocence about it for the most part of this video. This is a magical candy land, there for Katy’s taking, where everything is sugary sweet – except for those jelly baby things that KP off in the first verse. It’s hard not to get lost in the alternate reality, where candy rules and jellybean pimps get buried in the sand up to their heads. Oh, also, I’m not sure if this has been mentioned but SHE SHOOTS WHIPPED CREAM FROM HER TITS. That is all.
4. Hot Chip – I Feel Better
There were some wonderful, clever and hilarious videos that were scattered throughout 2010, as you’ve seen ever so clearly throughout this list. With that being said, I put it to you that there was no video in 2010 that was THIS wonderful, THIS clever and THIS hilarious in addition to being THIS friggin’ weird. Yes, Hot Chip‘s unforgettable lazer-eyed rampage against the manufactured pop treadmill was my easy pick for this year’s biggest “WTF” moment when it dropped around mid-year.
Who the fuck is that guy? Why does he have no hair? How is he levitating? Wait…what the FUCK did he just do to the shirtless guy? Was that Hot Chip in the crowd? Holy SHIT, what the hell is that thing?…you get the idea. This video is a complete mindfuck – savage in its humour and just a little goofy for good measure. You’ll be laughing for days and reeling in the corner from shock for a little bit more.
3. OKGO – This Too Shall Pass
In a double whammy, who else but the clever bastards from OKGO to get two videos for the same song tied in the top five? The marching band version was an ambitious attempt from the band, literally performing the song live in the middle of a forest in the style of a marching band – big drums, uniforms, the lot. Swamp monster jumped up to join them on wind instruments before a whole horn section took over and everyone went crazy. It’s a really fun video, and another risky one-take concept that works beautifully. If they’d just left it at that, we’d have all been happy – but no, there was even better things to come.
We were promised a new video for the studio version of the single, and there was a chance it would pass even their crowning achievement of Here It Goes Again. Now, I’m not one to get ahead of myself, but I honestly believe that they may well have made their best video ever in the form of round two of This Too Shall Pass.
The effort they went to, the cleverness of it and the fact that you could always pick up something new upon each and every view. Circulating around what’s called a Rube Goldberg machine, the camera follows through a variety of fascinating objects that you wouldn’t normally expect in such a contraption. My personal favourites include the puppet version of the band, the sneaky plug for the album (Of the Colour of the Blue Sky) and – perhaps the most symbolic of all – the smashing of several TVs that happen to be playing the Here It Goes Again video. Subliminally bitchy? Who knows? All I can say is that OKGO fucking nailed it. Again.
2. Arcade Fire – The Wilderness Downtown (We Used To Wait)
You may be wondering why there is no embedded video. It’s simple, really – this video depends entirely on you. Yes, you. To participate in this experiment, all you need to do is type in the location of the area in which you grew up. From there, you get lost in this beautiful experiment that has significantly pushed the boundaries of the music video by introducing the factor of interactivity. Literally unlike any other video of 2010. To make your own, visit www.thewildernessdowntown.com
1. Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce – Telephone
Technically, this one shouldn’t even be on the list. In the time since its release, we’ve seen Telephone evolve beyond a music video and into a complete cultural phenomenon – a milestone of pop culture by which all other music videos, genre regardless, will be compared against. Borrowing from Tarantino (literally), classic Hollywood horror, New York modern art, spaghetti westerns and vintage science fiction, Gaga created something peculiar, entrancing and, above all, big.
How big are we talking here? Let’s put it purely in the perspective of its impact – there were evening news reports on the video. The blogosphere lost its collective shit. Within hours, there were Facebook fan pages for everything from quotes (“You’ve been a very, very, very bad girl, Gaga”) to props used (“Lady Gaga’s cigarette sunglasses”) from the Telephone video. From MTV to the LA Times and back, you couldn’t have been on a single pop culture related website for at least a fortnight without major discussion of Telephone going on. Even FOX News got in on the hype, with Culture Campaign leader Sandy Rios describing the video as “poison for the minds of our kids.” Charming.
Now, to validate this frenzy – what is it that makes Telephone so remarkable? Buddy, how long have you got? There is so much going on here – from fierce commentary on sexuality and the damaging ways of the celebrity rumour mill, all the way into popcorn-horror fantasy and bitingly ironic product placement. Gaga, in collaboration with director Jonas Åkerlund, was not intending to reflect any world but her own, any imaginative vision than one of hers. In short, this ten-minute saga is completely insane. With that said, that’s exactly why it worked so well. I mean, the lesbian makeout scenes? Wrapping herself in caution tape? Dancing around with who many agree to be the sexiest woman alive in order to celebrate mass death by poison? Sepearately, none of this should work at all, but when you throw it all together it becomes this beautiful, unforgettable mess.
Any edited version you have seen of this video is nothing short of an insult. Either take it in its unabridged glory or not at all. Whatever your experience or interpretation of Telephone, to deny its importance and its significance is nothing short of dumbfounding. Gaga has been building up to something big with her videos – including Bad Romance, which is officially the most watched music video in online history – but with Telephone, she has undoubtedly cemented her legacy. We’ll be looking back on this one in years to come as a turning point, believe you me.
Yes, We've Got a Video! 