Jenny Lewis “She’s Not Me”
Jenny Lewis did get her start in the entertainment world as a child actor. While she did appear in films as she grew, her main field of work is music. Just like her video for “Just One of The Guys” where she had actors join her, her video for “She’s Not Me” features some famous people as well. Fred Armisen, Zosia Mamet, Leo Fitzpatrick, Feist, and Vanessa Bayer all make appearances. The video begins with a shot of Lewis arrested and getting her mug shot. The rest of the video touches on some of her finest work as a child actor. Her stint on “The Golden Girls” as well as her roles in Troop Beverly Hills and The Wizard are referenced. There’s a particular shot of Fred Armisen with a skateboard and the Nintendo Power Glove that was featured in that film. If you guessed that the Glove would become obsolete while Jenny moved on up in the world, you’d be right.
Aston Merrygold “Get Stupid”
I never understood why people went so crazy for Pharrell’s “Happy” last year. It wasn’t a terrible song, but I didn’t find it particularly great or uplifting. You can’t always be happy. Sometimes things will happen that can drive you into a funk. Just like the beginning to Aston Merrygold’s “Get Stupid” video where he gets reprimanded by his boss for dancing, then gets told he’ll be working the weekend shift. That’s the kind of thing that can ruin your weekend. But, just as Aston let’s you know, don’t get down over, get stupid. He’s not telling you to do stupid things, but rather just let loose. He breaks off into dance, turning the entire Mall where this video was shot into a stage. There’s even a neat little nod to Michael Jackson in this routine. Sorry Pharrell, but Aston speaks to me.
Lil Mama “Sausage”
Rap songs used to features artists rapping in their city. They may have touched on themes of violence, drugs, and womanizing, but they didn’t throw it smack dab in your face like many rap videos today. Lil Mama’s video for “Sausage” reminds me of those days. She’s out on the street on the street in what looks like part block party, part parade. The best thing is that there are children dancing as well. There’s nothing adult orientated in the video, though the lyrics may touch on some subject matter that you wouldn’t want your kids to hear. Still, rap music was once a thing to unite people, and the “Sausage” video shows people united. And it doesn’t hurt that the lyrics are fun and energetic.
Petit Biscuit “Alone”
Petit Biscuit’s video for “Alone” starts off with a chat between friends. The tale of a meeting with a woman goes on to reveal that she has not seen hands as beautiful as this artist’s in a long time. That leads to the profound and philosophic thoughts about all the things hands can do. The video then goes on to demonstrate all the things hands create, destroy, the work they do, their ability to throw, punch, lift, and even love. It’s an homage to hands, because life can be rough on them and we don’t always appreciate the things we have.
Prides “Messiah”
Prides’ video for “Messiah” is kind of a message about spreading joy. It starts with a woman who is visibly running late, and she seems a little upset about it. As she comes around a corner she slams into lead singer Stewart Brock. He offers her a hand up, which she initially refuses, but then accepts. When she first touches his hand, she feels a jolt and recoils. Then she accepts his help up. From that moment on she loses control of her body, breaking into dance while she’s walking. At first this troubles her, more so when she finds that touching other people spreads the uncontrollable dancing to them. In the end she accepts it, as they all do, and they begin to dance as one. I like the end where the dancing stops and the woman seems relieved while some of the other dancers behind are are smiling. I do have to say, this woman kills it as a dance.
