The Wombats “Give Me a Try”
The Wombats new video for “Give Me a Try” covers the modern day issue of dating via the internet. Sites like match.com will make the claim that 25,000 new members join every day. Tinder doesn’t give you numbers like that, but there’s a difference between a site that claims to have more couples marry than meet anywhere else and an app that is mostly used for hooking up. One thing the both share in common is the silly things people do when taking their profile photo. For the guys it can be all about looking as much like a douche as possible. It’s shirtless pics, whether or not you have muscles, or showing off your martial arts skills. There’s even just the guys who think they look cool with a joint in their mouth. And let’s not leave out the fellas who want to show off their cars. For the women, it gets ridiculous when the focus of the pic is how sexy they are, or can be. Here’s the thing, you aren’t going to sum yourself up in one picture. So rather than trying to overcompensate, you should just put your best foot forward. The gent at the end of the video, the one the woman picks for a date, does just that. He shows off his scooter while looking a bit goofy, and that sense of humor seems to be something she’s looking for.
OCnotes “Hum Drum Killas”
OCnotes has a new video for his single “Hum Drum Killas”. The video deals with police shootings. It comes in two parts. In the first part two white men are chasing a black man. He ducks into a back yard where one officer follows. Standing on opposite sides of a swimming pool, the two jump in and draw their weapons. As silly as a shootout under water is, the visuals are interesting. You get to see the trail of the bullet as it courses through the water, and the delayed explosion of the gases as they are released. Bullet casings jump out of the water before falling back into the pool and sinking to the bottom. When the shooting stops there are two dead bodies as both the police officer and the “suspect” float in the water. As the music cuts to a 911 phone call and a woman responds that she made need both police and medical help because someone is screaming outside, the setting changes from day to night. Now what we get is a black man in a white shirt who seems to have been shot once all ready. Yet, the blast of gun fire creates a strobe-like effect as you watch the man fall to the ground and reach out for help simultaneously. In all the chaos something shiny falls from his hand, but you can’t make out what it is. The firing doesn’t stop until the clip is unloaded. In this scenario you never see the officer, only the man shot. And gone is the strangely enchanting image of the path of the bullet as well as the delayed booming of the gases with each shot. Here, in the darkness of night, all you see are the lighting-like blasts of gas as the bullet fires, and the bloody wounds that gather on the white shirt.
Mike Will Made It featuring Riff Raff and Slim Jxmmi “Choppin’ Blades”
Make Will Made It recorded a track with Riff Raff, a.k.a Jodie Highroller, and Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd. The video for “Choppin’ Blades” is my first look at the new and improved Riff Raff. Jodie takes his new buff physique and dons a red suit as he becomes Sharky McStevenson, the top seller at Big Hanks Top Ranked Automobile Emporium. Between Sharky and Big Hank as salesmen it’s amazing that this location makes the sales it does. The building looks like a typical used car lot, but the merchandise is all high end cars. Take the case of Bertha Selsby, who was just looking for a Pontiac, but top dog Sharky sold her a 2014 Mercedes Benz. When you pay attention to how signings go, it’s a mystery how all that money can change hands amidst the chaos. Slim Jxmmi works here as the mechanic, but he doesn’t have a hard job. I’m unsure if he knows how to fix a car, but he’s extremely clean for a mechanic. This works to his advantage, because he spends a lot of time in the bathroom with a girl. This car dealership is like one giant party. And Riff Raff’s role as Sharky is one he was born for.
Neena “Roses”
Neena’s video for “Roses” deals with relationships. What starts out as a couple playing hide and seek in the snowy fields turns into betrayal. The couple make their way towards a home, where the woman grabs an animal pelt playfully, but the man makes her put it back. Once they’re playing the game again, the man runs off into the woods to hide. He finds another woman cold and scared. He backtracks to the house to grab the animal pelt and some food. At this point his girlfriend has spotted him, and follows him to see what is up. When she sees that he has stolen goods for this other woman, and the two smile as he hands her the goods, she runs off with tears in her eyes. Once she makes it to a road, she finds men who seem to be searching for the other woman. She directs them to her. Once she finds her boyfriend, she let’s him know what she has done. Now he feels betrayed, and takes off into the woods to try and help the other woman again. All he finds is blood in the snow. The video ends with the woman standing by a tree on her own. She looks lost, unsure what to do. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, but you should always stop and think if it is best served at all.
Axwell /\ Ingrosso “On My Way”
Axwell /\ Ingrosso’s video for “On My Way” throws you for a loop. It tells the tale of two men bound to fight. One lives in a trailer with his mother. He gets up and goes to work at a factory shoveling coal into a fire. He works for a guy who has some obvious mob connections. The other man lives in an apartment, and has his car key encrusted with diamonds attached on a gold chain he wears around his neck. He makes his money selling drugs and is connected to some shady people himself. The only place these guys meet is at the public gym, which is just a bunch of makeshift equipment in an empty lot. They almost come to blows here, but they’re held back. The two of them are going to face in an underground fight with lots of money being bet on it. Both are told by their respective mob lords that they better win, or something bad is going to happen. I won’t ruin the end for you, but this video isn’t the end of the story. Just keep in mind the girl with the pony tail towards the top of her head. The one that stops dancing when “meatball” rolls up in his car and points at her. When this story continues in the next video, I have a feeling she’ll be playing a part.