Because music is wonderful, but sometimes you can emphasise or even completely change the meaning of a song by how you present the video. Some videos are really boring and just stick to the basic 'performance in front of dramatic backdrop' thing, but some will be a story, and put into a physical format all the things you see in your head when you listen to the song. So here is my top twenty.
20. Duke Dumont feat A*M*E - Need U (100%)
I did only see this video the other day, and by accident as well, but I find it highly amusing, especially the bit with the surgeons at the end.
19. All Time Low - I Feel Like Dancin'
This is the first All Time Low video I saw, and I think it played a major part in my decision to keep listening to them. It's funny, and at the same time it takes the piss out of some major 'artists' and the whole corporate side of music. (and Alex looks quite good in the video...)
18. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop
There's the whole sculpture thing going on, which makes it quite interesting to look at, and RHCP know how to give a good performance as well.
17. Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At?
I remember seeing this video from a very young age, which at first made it quite easy for me to just accept how bizarre it is. I actually forgot about it until my mum made me come and watch the video with her the other month, when the strangeness of it finally hit me. It is brilliant though, and an awesome song as well.
16. Darwin Deez - You Can't Be My Girl
I just like how creepy Darwin is in this, lurking about in the background. It actually took me a minute or so to notice he was even there, but I love the way they've done it.
15. Leathermouth - Bodysnatchers 4 Ever
I have no idea what's going on in that video, but it's creepy and I like it.
14. Green Day - Jesus Of Suburbia
I can't remember if I listened to Green Day before I saw this - I mean, everyone does really, it's Green Day, they're unavoidable - but it was this video and the song that caught my attention, and I still love watching it because there's all the weird little bits I've already noticed that I love, and then there's so many new things I see in it each time.
13. Pierce The Veil - Bulls In The Bronx
Although it doesn't exactly go with the story behind the song, it's still a pretty awesome video. All four of them manage to look so incredibly bad-ass the whole way through, and are putting at least 5000% of their effort into it - watching Mike in this lights a deep burning fire within me that urges me to take up drumming again.
12. The Cribs - Housewife
It's all creepy and gothy and weird, which is good. The cover art for the single is also kind of weird, which makes me like it more.
11. Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil' Kim, Pink - Lady Marmalade
Because . . . women . . . in lingerie . . . and lace . . . you see my point?
10. Without A Face - TSA Song
It's got Darth Vader in it. It's got Without A Face in leather. It's got awesome dancing and stuff. I don't know what I'm supposed to say that can make you understand this better. Just watch it.
9. Panic! At The Disco - Build God, Then We'll Talk
From one of the most bizarre and brilliant albums I've ever listened to. There's never anything quite like P!ATD, really. This video is one of their weirder ones, which is saying something. It's a whole relationship in mime, but good mime, I promise.
8. Fall Out Boy - Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet
It took me ages to find this video the first time, because it's on a different channel to the others, and actually goes by the name of 'A Weekend At Pete Rose's'. I've read about the whole idea for the video, but it was a while ago and I don't remember the specifics, but that's some obscure reference that baseball fans or something will get - same with the song title. Really quite a macabre video, with an excellent performance from Bendon Urie and Spencer Smith of Panic! At The Disco, it's all very . . . well, I couldn't do it justice in words alone.
7. My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words
Ok, I really pushed it back, this could have been the number two video if I had no self-restraint. But this video means a lot to me. It's as dark as the song, and all broken and twisted and really just sums up the whole Black Parade album for me. I admit that I do sometimes cry while watching this video, and I very rarely cry at films or songs.
6. Bring Me The Horizon - Sleepwalking
I feel like the video really perfectly fits the feeling of the song, that sort of alternating between this mind-shattering numbness and apathy, and then this feeling like you're bleeding and drowning and that you must be noticeably broken, but nobody seems to notice at all. I like the really intense performance surrounded by the completely oblivious onlookers.
5. Muse - Panic Station
Duuddddeeee. I just don't understand it, any of it. It's just like whwaaaaaattttt?!
4. Blink 182 - I Miss You
I just really like the creepy, lonely gothic atmosphere to it, from the soft focus to the spiders and the ethereal figures. Also, apparently, shooting the video took so long that Mark Hoppus had to put superglue on the ends of his fingers because playing the double bass for so long was rubbing the skin off them.
3. All American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret
Cool song, spliced in with many different 'dirty little secrets'. Are they real confessions or ones they made up? I don't know. But I feel like some of them are, at least. It says a lot about the things people think but don't tell anyone, from liking the smell of their own poo, to fearing for your own sanity.
2. Black Cards - End Of Pretend
The song's brilliant, and even though the video's quite random and erratic, I feel like it fits. It's made of loads and loads of GIFs, which all seem to fit together in this in a weird way, from the creepy skeletons to the cat pawing at the feet of the hanged woman. Plus, it's good to see Doctor Who randomly turn up, and I like spotting all the different GIFs I've seen on tumblr.
1. My Chemical Romance - Helena (So Long And Goodnight)
Of course it was going to be this. It was always going to be this. There was never any other option. I knew the moment I decided to make this post that this would be the number one spot. The song itself deals with grief, and the video shows that so well, with the living and the dead dancers, and the red and black colour scheme . . . I just . . . I just fucking love this video.
Showing posts with label muse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muse. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Playing Catch Up: Muse - The 2nd Law
I've been a Muse fan for years. Not necessarily as hardcore as some other bands I like, but I've retained an interest in them and I saw them at Fuji Rock Festival 2010 (just sayin' . . .). They were one of the first rock bands that I actually properly listened to, so I have them to thank for preparing me to enter the world of music that I am in now. However, I have always been a bit wary of the things Matt Bellamy does when you let him compose music - I'm talking about that clarinet solo in I Belong To You (+ Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix) - so I was apprehensive about their latest album, The 2nd Law, when it came out. I heard Madness a few times, and to be honest, it disappointed me, so I neglected to give the album a proper listen.
Time has passed since then, though, and I'm feeling that I should at least give the album one try, especially since Supremacy sounds so badass.
Supremacy
I love how this starts off. You can tell it's building up to something awesome, and the riff makes me nearly wet myself. The vocals get a bit boring, because they're so slow, but Matt's voice is always so powerful, and then that high-pitched bit is jaw-dropping. I like the Western-style bit at the very end.
Madness
This one . . . it's the 'ma-ma-ma' thing that gets to me. This song makes me constantly feel like it's going to kick off into some awesome crazy chorus, and it just doesn't. There's the guitar solo, yes, but I want the whole thing to go faster, not just Matt's guitar. It's more of a stadium one, this. Maybe the effect of the song isn't best felt in a small bedroom.
Panic Station
Bass. Funky bass. This is really quite cool. Wow, I like this one, it sounds kind of eighties. Wow. Wowwww. I am all over this. I have no idea what's going on here, but this is fucking awesome. I believe I have indeed arrived at Panic Station. Matt seems to be having a lot of fun singing this, too. It reminds me of The Cure a bit, vaguely similar to Hot Hot Hot! Duuuudde this is my favourite song on the album, I think.
Prelude
Why is this the fourth track? Oh, what a surprise, it's a piano one. What a bloody surprise. Muse just lives in a piano, don't they? Can we not just give Matt Bellamy an orchestra for his birthday?
Survival
This sounds like the start of a musical. What's going on here? Yeah, it sounds a lot like the start of a musical, the powerful main diva's solo number. Actually kind of reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the West. Oh, the guitar is awesome, yes yes yes. I get the feeling that sometimes his wife wakes up in the middle of the night because he's crept downstairs and just started playing this in the living room, and she has to drag him off to bed with him still shouting "I'M GONNA WIN!". Jesus Christ, he can hit high notes.
Follow Me
This is the one with his son's heartbeat in, isn't it? That beating thing sounds like a heart. His son's going to be so creeped out when he hears this song when he's older. Ooh, I like this. This is promising. Ooh, dubstep, and well-applied dubstep at that. Yes, this is good. I was hoping for guitars, but I think it's better like this. I like this one, but I think it'll grow on me even more, given time.
Animals
Sounds very faintly similar to New Born at the very beginning. It's quite quiet, but it sounds like it's hiding something. So far, this sounds the most similar to their older stuff. It definitely sounds more familiar than the others.
Explorers
Gentle piano stuff, kind of dreamy, like a lullaby. Very chilled out. Is this what he plays for his son at night? It's kind of freaking me out a bit though.
Big Freeze
Oooh, this sounds like the theme to Bugs Life! Ooh, I like this. Very uplifting and cool-sounding. I like the use of backing vocals on this album.
Save Me
This is not Matt singing. What is this? What's going on here? I'm not sure about this one. It's venturing too far into the realm of powdery clouds and unicorns, even for this album. It drags a bit, this one.
Liquid State
Oh, now this sounds good. Dark and badass, and I like dark and badass. Sounds like the older stuff as well. This is a vast improvement on Save Me. Yes, this one's good.
The Second Law: Unsustainable
Aah. This sounds like some crazy evil villain's soundtrack. This is the one with the Earl of Lemongrab (from Adventure Time) version, I think - yes, it's here. Oh god, they've actually put the second law of thermodynamics into this, I thought that this was a joke when I saw it on tumblr. This is the most interesting physics I've ever heard. Wow, that was good.
The Second Law: Isolated System
Piano again. What is this? The isolated system was mentioned in Unsustainable. Oh god, it's like the news is attacking. This is good, but I feel like it's kind of unnecessary after Unsustainable. They could have finished the album there and we wouldn't have lost out on anything major.
It's a better album than I originally thought it would be. Not amazing, as there's a few too many tracks that don't quite cut it, or just seem to be the band resting on their laurels, but then there's a fair few amazing ones in there as well that really stand out. I'm glad I listened to this at last.
Time has passed since then, though, and I'm feeling that I should at least give the album one try, especially since Supremacy sounds so badass.
Supremacy
I love how this starts off. You can tell it's building up to something awesome, and the riff makes me nearly wet myself. The vocals get a bit boring, because they're so slow, but Matt's voice is always so powerful, and then that high-pitched bit is jaw-dropping. I like the Western-style bit at the very end.
Madness
This one . . . it's the 'ma-ma-ma' thing that gets to me. This song makes me constantly feel like it's going to kick off into some awesome crazy chorus, and it just doesn't. There's the guitar solo, yes, but I want the whole thing to go faster, not just Matt's guitar. It's more of a stadium one, this. Maybe the effect of the song isn't best felt in a small bedroom.
Panic Station
Bass. Funky bass. This is really quite cool. Wow, I like this one, it sounds kind of eighties. Wow. Wowwww. I am all over this. I have no idea what's going on here, but this is fucking awesome. I believe I have indeed arrived at Panic Station. Matt seems to be having a lot of fun singing this, too. It reminds me of The Cure a bit, vaguely similar to Hot Hot Hot! Duuuudde this is my favourite song on the album, I think.
Prelude
Why is this the fourth track? Oh, what a surprise, it's a piano one. What a bloody surprise. Muse just lives in a piano, don't they? Can we not just give Matt Bellamy an orchestra for his birthday?
Survival
This sounds like the start of a musical. What's going on here? Yeah, it sounds a lot like the start of a musical, the powerful main diva's solo number. Actually kind of reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the West. Oh, the guitar is awesome, yes yes yes. I get the feeling that sometimes his wife wakes up in the middle of the night because he's crept downstairs and just started playing this in the living room, and she has to drag him off to bed with him still shouting "I'M GONNA WIN!". Jesus Christ, he can hit high notes.
Follow Me
This is the one with his son's heartbeat in, isn't it? That beating thing sounds like a heart. His son's going to be so creeped out when he hears this song when he's older. Ooh, I like this. This is promising. Ooh, dubstep, and well-applied dubstep at that. Yes, this is good. I was hoping for guitars, but I think it's better like this. I like this one, but I think it'll grow on me even more, given time.
Animals
Sounds very faintly similar to New Born at the very beginning. It's quite quiet, but it sounds like it's hiding something. So far, this sounds the most similar to their older stuff. It definitely sounds more familiar than the others.
Explorers
Gentle piano stuff, kind of dreamy, like a lullaby. Very chilled out. Is this what he plays for his son at night? It's kind of freaking me out a bit though.
Big Freeze
Oooh, this sounds like the theme to Bugs Life! Ooh, I like this. Very uplifting and cool-sounding. I like the use of backing vocals on this album.
Save Me
This is not Matt singing. What is this? What's going on here? I'm not sure about this one. It's venturing too far into the realm of powdery clouds and unicorns, even for this album. It drags a bit, this one.
Liquid State
Oh, now this sounds good. Dark and badass, and I like dark and badass. Sounds like the older stuff as well. This is a vast improvement on Save Me. Yes, this one's good.
The Second Law: Unsustainable
Aah. This sounds like some crazy evil villain's soundtrack. This is the one with the Earl of Lemongrab (from Adventure Time) version, I think - yes, it's here. Oh god, they've actually put the second law of thermodynamics into this, I thought that this was a joke when I saw it on tumblr. This is the most interesting physics I've ever heard. Wow, that was good.
The Second Law: Isolated System
Piano again. What is this? The isolated system was mentioned in Unsustainable. Oh god, it's like the news is attacking. This is good, but I feel like it's kind of unnecessary after Unsustainable. They could have finished the album there and we wouldn't have lost out on anything major.
It's a better album than I originally thought it would be. Not amazing, as there's a few too many tracks that don't quite cut it, or just seem to be the band resting on their laurels, but then there's a fair few amazing ones in there as well that really stand out. I'm glad I listened to this at last.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
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