Fink “Shakespeare”
Whether a comedy or a tragedy, Shakespeare’s works were sure to have drama. Fink’s song “Shakespeare” can be identified as a tragedy. The video for it starts out with a couple walking towards each other on the sidewalk. They embrace each other, but as they let go, the man hands keys over to the woman. This displeases her and she shoves him back. They turn away from each other and walk away. As they walk they begin to twitch and move, eventually breaking into dance. A split screen shows us each. At times they appear to influence the others movements, though they are nowhere near one another. Their dance is very interpretive as they are both going through emotional and mental stress from the ending of their relationship. Eventually, both find themselves at separate destinations. Yet, they mirror each other as they drop to the ground, with knees bent and arms hugging legs, heads down in disappointment. It is now that they each begin to smoke sort of in the way that wet shrubbery will struggle to catch fire but smoke instead. And here, each one is finding difficulty in shining the way a person should. They’re still dealing with so much and it will take time before they return to a normal state. This isn’t a work by Shakespeare. A few Acts won’t resolve this allowing the actors and audience to return to life. This is life.
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”
It’s pretty common knowledge that Ed Sheeran is a talented musician, but who know he was a pretty good dance? His dancing partner in the video for “Thinking Out Loud” is better than him, but he holds his own. What stands out most in this performance is the way they come off looking like a couple. The dancing is pleasing and playful at the same time. It also is a great analogy for what a relationship should be like. The female dancer here could do a terrific performance on her own, yet being out there with Ed allows her to do things she couldn’t on her own. Moves that require Ed to act as a pivot point for her to either be lifted or flipped over show how one person can help another do something. The way Ed works as a frame for his partner is shows how supporting a person can help them get from one thing to the next and take you along with them. I think we’d all like to find someone we can dance with, and end the day holding hands as we lie together, just like this performance.
Army of the Pharaohs “Terrorstorm”
In their latest video for “Terrorstorm” Army of the Pharaohs don their professional wrestling personas to settle a score. The Pharaoh Army is ready to seek revenge on Chikara Crew for attacking Sleezar Millan in a bathroom the week before. As a result, Sleezar is joined by his Pharaoh Army crew in a ten man tag team match. Sleezar, Perfect Pazzie, Crazy Man, Junyard Cause, and Warchild do everything they can to ensure that they will get the upper hand this time. Steroids, training, paying off the referee, using weapons, it all comes into play as the two teams go to battle in the ring. It’s an exciting bout of back and forth action. It looks to end going well for the Pharaoh Army as Perfect Pazzie climbs a ladder to try and finish off the match. Unfortunately for us, the soap opera-like cliffhanger ending of professional wrestling does us in as we have to wait for the finish because this story will be continued.
Son Lux “Easy”
Son Lux’s latest music video is for the single “Easy”. It centers around an elderly woman who is an artist. It goes between her downtime of looking at pictures and visiting the sites of her youth, undoubtedly reliving memories, and her work. Her latest drawings center around a woman in nothing but her underwear and high heels being bound by rope similar to what you might see in a BDSM setting. There is no dominance or sadomasochism going on here. The subject merely is tied up in what may or may not be uncomfortable positions. At times she is hung from a hook, but always she is positioned in unnatural ways. What this creates is a series of lines that shift and move. It’s like having a blank page that is filled with scribbles that are aesthetically pleasing. My favorite scene in this video comes about at 3:42 in. We look through a gap in the contorted models body hanging, and see the artist crouched down with her glasses on working the drawing out on her lap so that she can get a different view. Her face has no judgment in it of good or bad. She is merely looking at what is happening and translating it onto paper with her hands. I think it shows how when we as an audience look at art, we often take what we see to be the whole truth and value of the piece. What we are forgetting is that another human being is trying to show us what they see. It’s like asking you to sit in my seat and understand my thoughts. It’s far from easy.
Gavin DeGraw “Fire”
Gavin DeGraw’s latest song “Fire” deals with the kind of friendship wherein you are surrounded by those who are more like family than just teammates, ready to do bitter to the very end by your side. The video portrays this via the sport of roller derby. It’s a sport where blue and white collar women can come together to bond similarly how men may come together in football. There is a bit of the glam as they will do their makeup, and they have gimmicky names as they don characters that resemble them, but show a side they may not get to display on a daily basis. You get the professional wrestling feel as you watch two teams try to use the maneuvers they choreograph in practice in a live battle that can at times require the skill of taking bumps like a movie stunt woman. All this occurring in high speed on roller skates leaving the women at the center of the attention, but not the way a stripper gets up on stage and becomes a piece of meat. No, part of the allure is the look of these women, but more than that is the gladiator like battles that they have leaving the fans cheering, or jeering depending on whom you’re rooting for, and setting a fire in the eyes of young girls and even older women who find it empowering and dream of one day partaking in it, if only they could find the courage.
