The Music Video in 2012
The role of music videos seems to have changed over the past couple decades. Television stations such as MTV, VH1, and BET have slowly pushed away their music video slots and replaced them with game shows, reality TV, and other similar programs. Music videos themselves are still being released on a daily basis, but now it’s mostly through the web using sites like YouTube and Vimeo. So how exactly has this changed things?
Obviously the TV operates quite differently than the web. When turning on a station on your television, you’ve basically decided to absorb and digest whatever content has been preselected. If MTV decides a new artist is worthy of your attention, then they might have slotted said artist’s new music video into their next time block. Much like the radio, you’re given a sampling of an artist they believe you may enjoy.
On the web, however, you have power and control over what you type in or click on. I feel that this dramatically changes what exactly you’re going to end up hearing or seeing, because certain listens simply won’t be attempted. What you yourself have selected to sit through has automatically become more personalized, which I believe has raised our own standards for what will actually impress us. By having our own standards set by whatever we’ve previously seen, combined with the power to stop, pause, or entirely skip a video, our current attention deficit generation has made it more vital than ever to increase the overall quality of music videos. Videos that feel “cookie cutter” are out. We want something that first intrigues us, then continues to be interesting or amusing throughout the entire duration.
So what exactly have videographers been doing to achieve this? With so many artists in this viral age basically being introduced to the world through a stellar music video on YouTube, aspects such as creativity, technique, and strong execution are more imperative than ever. I decided then to briefly discuss a selection of the most striking videos I’ve come across recently. Feel free to comment with other suggestions I may have left out!
M.I.A. - “Bad Girls”
My favorite music video that’s come out recently certainly has to be “Bad Girls” by M.I.A. The sheer amount of regal attitude and swagger here is simply off the charts. Take away any politically-driven message she’s trying to make (which only adds depth once you delve into that area) and we have a stunning feature complete with an army of traditionally dressed Arab men performing perilous car stunts, being led by the chic-dressed outcast pop-star M.I.A. This engaging visual definitely shoots for eye-candy to the max.
M83 - “Midnight City”
The music video for “Midnight City” by M83 brings us into a story surrounded by a hazy mystique. Dark and dramatic slow-motion shots of creepy children moving things with their minds, help draw us inside a world that just seems a bit off-kilter (and surprisingly partners itself well with the 2012 film “Chronicle”). Combined with the audio track, the music video for “Midnight City” creates what feels like a united manifesto we should all be pledging loyalty to.
Sunbeam Rd. - “Lucy”
If you haven’t heard of Sunbeam Rd., they’re a Bay Area based four piece that have no fear of letting their music “fall apart completely exploring the margins of harmonic rock.” Quite fittingly, the music video for their newest single “Lucy” embodies this aesthetic like a tailored glove: geometric seizure-inducing patterns flood the screen, while the band finds themselves disintegrating amid their own spacey visual effects. Throughout the chaos is a negatively spaced feline that offers a solid constant among the variegated landscape of video clips, nudging you towards your own contemplative synopsis of “what it all means.”
Nas - “Nasty”
Nas has been rapping for a long time. While this aspect alone often earns great amounts of respect for a hip-hop artist, it just as often can be equally detrimental to the quality and relevance of the music and videos they continue to create. Nas decided to upset this trend. “Nasty” features some of the best bars we’ve heard from the New York artist in some time, and quite fittingly is accompanied by a Jason Goldwatch directed music video. The opening scenes may be well executed though typical for a rap video, but then Nas does what many hip-hop artists don’t dare; he steps out of the limo he was riding in and back onto the streets of Queensbridge that raised him. Watching the people around him respond to his visit is pretty awesome.
Beach House - “Lazuli”
I love the combination of goofy digital effects and beautiful real footage this video displays. One moment we’re staring at raw street imagery of melancholy humans, and the next we’re rocketing through a radical CGI outer-space realm; this pattern continues throughout the video, intertwining to spawn a phantasmagorical visual journey for us to enjoy.
Lana Del Rey - “Born to Die”
This video just has such enticing hypnotic visuals. Flanked by a pair of tigers in an opulent cathedral, we find Lana perched on a throne wearing a crown of flowers exhibiting an attitude of timid authority. Continuing on we find a complicated romance taking place between the pouty songstress and a mysterious, extremely tattooed man. Setting any attempts at a linear storyline aside, I feel that this piece could stand strong purely through intriguing visuals. The video for “Born to Die” just feels extremely luxurious and grand.