I’ve said before that a great video can make a great song magical. A whole new level is added by the transformed medium…words and sound come to life in exciting and unexpected ways. The newly released video for Vandaveer’s “Woolgathering” is another wonderful example of this.
What could be better than a giant pearl, a drunken sailor, and the band playing up a tree?! And this definitely scores major points in my book for not having a clown in it like their video for “A Mighty Leviathan Of Old” (that video is great, and as far as clowns go, there have been far worse…but still, ugh). The whole video is shot like a 1920′s era silent film, and fully captures the idea of plunging into the unknown with blind persistence and unfettered hope…and hey, if in the end you get a kiss from Rose, then why not take the plunge?!
I will stand my ground with hand-me-down saber tooth scars…
I’ll circle the wagons, I’ll round up the knights, I will muster a mighty last charge…
You can never be sure if your actions and words will be forgotten or heard after your fires have all burned out.
So the Groove and I recently got a little bit of press from the folks over at Cinema Romantico, a film blog out of Chicago. If you’ve never checked out their site, you should definitely do so…and we just want to send out a hearty thanks! So, in recognition of those of you who dwell in the realm of the cinematic, I thought I would put up some recently released music videos. So settle in, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show.
I’ve written before about Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. As if their music wasn’t great enough, the band has decided to start releasing music videos as well. Everything about the group is epic (for example, the tour with as many as ten members), and why should their videos be any different?! Rather than release a one-off, typical, run of the mill music video, they have embarked upon a feature-length movie musical extravaganza. The movie is being produced in 12 parts, and so far “Desert Song” and “Kisses Over Babylon” have been released. I can’t say I fully understand any of this yet, but hey, it’s only parts 1 and 2! Can’t wait for the next ten!
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 1: “Desert Song”
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 2: “Kisses Over Babylon”
Ok, so I’m aware that both of those are a bit heavy…and frankly, a little odd, so I thought I would lighten it up a bit with the next two videos. The first is the song “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side,” by the San Francisco based, “hammjamm” band Still Flyin’. Don’t ask me what a “hammjamm” band is…Still Flyin’ made up the term…but no matter what it means, it’s a good time, and I think this video proves it. And yes, that’s the band dressed up as Aerosmith. And I have to say, this song fully captures my own idea of Hell…Aerosmith, ugh.
Still Flyin’ – “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side”
It’s hard to know exactly how to lead in to this next video…but here goes: Michael Cera giving a drug induced cosmic hug to Nicholas Thorburn. What more can I say?!
The Islands – “No You Don’t”
Well to finish up, I thought I would move away from officially released music videos and share some some fantastic, fan-filmed performance videos. All of these come from the music site, La Blogotheque, which is easily one of my favorite music blogs. Now I realize that it helps to be able to read French when you visit their site, but you don’t have to know a foreign language to enjoy their Les Concerts A Emporter series. They have dozens of these sessions, and they are all amazing…here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy.
