Jhameel “Shadow of a Man”
Jhameel’s song “Shadow of a Man” deals with trying to talk to a loved one who’s in an abusive relationship. I think we’ve all been in that tough situation, whether it’s an abusive relationship or some other calamity in life that sets a beloved one in a trap; it’s tough to get through the message that it doesn’t have to be this way. The most striking aspect of the video for me is the location it was shot in. The background is Salton City, California. This city was abandoned by its inhabitants in the 70’s. Trying to talk to someone who isn’t ready to listen is frustrating and feels like you’re chasing them down an endless hallway. An abandoned city makes total sense. In the end, I don’t know what happens. I just know that the song is a poppy dance combo that makes the subject matter clash like a striped shirt with polka dot pants.
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Everything Everything “Kemosabe”
For Everything Everything’s video for their single “Kemosabe”, I imagine they used a very long extension cord. How else do you set up your band to play in the woods without an acoustic performance. Not only do we find ourselves watching the band, but there are several extreme closeups of a woman, particularly her eye. The right one, I believe. Then we get a talented, shirtless dancer who goes upside down and whips around. I have to say, I don’t really find the song fitting for that style of dance. There’s a quick shot of a flying hatchet, some interspersed closeups of microchips, and then more of the human Whirling Dervish. “Kemosabe” appears on Everything Everything’s album Arc.
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Rush Midnight “Crush”
The video for Rush Midnight’s “Crush” follows the W.A.F.F.L.E. crew breakdancers as they turn the NYC transit system into their own personal dance floor. These boys have the skillz. I’m not sure that it payz the billz, see what I did there? No, in all honesty it’s nice to see talented young men doing something that is both exciting and appealing to the masses. They don’t seem to bank at the end of the day. Seriously, there’s no way that hat can hold more than a few hundred dollars. And to be honest, even that total would surprise me. “Crush” is off of Rush Midnight’s EP +1.
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Ellie Goulding “Figure 8”
There is much to be said about Ellie Goulding’s video for “Figure 8”. In fact, there is so much I can’t exactly get all the words out. The visuals are appealing with some of the stunts, such as watching feathers float up off the floor. My best guess is that this is indeed what it would be like if you fell in love with Ellie Goulding and then dumped her. She’d spend some time alone in bed being depressed. Then she’d put the feathers back onto the bird that she may or may not have defeathered. Relax PETA, that’s a joke. What she’d actually do is drape herself in red fabric and freak out. I don’t know. I guess at some point you’d just sit in the shower in your clothes. I do enjoy the song, I think it’ll be the next hit for Goulding. I also enjoy the video, though this is one of those cases I can’t say exactly why. “Figure 8” is off of Goulding’s new album Halcyon.
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Kodaline “The Answer”
Following the sudden rise from their song “All I Want”, Kodaline release a video for their new single “The Answer”. The video is animated and follows an old inmate in a prison. He has no cellmate. No one calls him. His mother, possibly deceased, won’t come and visit him. He spends his time playing checkers by himself. All this is the result of a fit of rage when he was younger. See, back then he had a girlfriend who decided she wanted another boyfriend. Our protagonist sees this and gets into a fight with the other man. A gun is drawn, a scuffle ensues, and presto. You see an old man with nothing but a cell. “The Answer” appears on Kodaline’s impending 2013 release The High Hopes.
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