Hall of Awesome: The Top 5 Music Videos of 2009

I had a hard time narrowing down my list of favorite music videos for this year to just five. Also, I decided I was sick of dealing with embedding issues with YouTube, so for this list, I turned to my new favorite video provided, Vimeo, for this playlist of clips, which are as follows:

5. Coldplay, "Life in Technicolor II" (dir. Dougal Wilson)
No stranger to the Hall of Awesome, Dougal Wilson returns with a decidedly more lighthearted video featuring an overly elaborate Coldplay puppet show, ending with one of the funnier gags I've seen in music videos this year.

4. Justice + Lenny Kravitz, "Let Love Rule" (dir. Keith Schofield)
I've already waxed poetic about the awesomeness of director Keith Schofield, but I can't stress it enough: the guy knows his shit. Not only did he put out a killer Charlotte Gainsbourg/Beck video a month ago, he made this glorious gem pairing '80s kitsch with end credits meta madness.
(UPDATE: Now available with director commentary!)

3. Bodies of Water, "Under the Pines" (dir. Andy Bruntel)
This video made an appearance in my annual Scary Music Videos list, and it reappears here for two reasons. One, the video hasn't been making a lot of lists considering it came out all the way back in January, and so most people have forgotten about it. Second, every element of this video, from production design to costumes to the aged look of the film contribute to the eerie Grimm fairytale vibe of its story. It's a story that seems utterly ridiculous on paper, but works as an effective visual companion to the propulsive song it's set to.

2. Ramona Falls, "I Say Fever" (dir. Stefan Nadelman)
Oh. My. God. Such a great video. Scary, gorgeous to watch, perfect pairing of song and visuals. So many things I could say about this clip, but it really speaks for itself.

1. U2, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" (dir. David O'Reilly)
First, an explanation. I don't like this song. Musically, it's pretty mediocre, a desperate revival of U2's standard pompous stadium rock. Lyrically, it's abysmal, with Bono stumbling through lines like "Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot" as if he decided to scribble them down at the last minute and not bother asking anyone if they were good or not. Thankfully, animator and Best Short Film of 2009 shoo-in David O'Reilly was brought in to direct a video and it more than makes up for U2's lax songwriting. In fact, it almost works to the video's advantage that the song is so forgettable, because it makes the visuals that much easier to pay attention to.



Honorable Mention:
Bob Dylan, "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" (dir. Nash Edgarton)
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck, "Heaven Can Wait" (dir. Keith Schofield)
Depeche Mode, "Wrong" (dir. Patrick Daughters)
Fever Ray, "If I Had a Heart" (dir. Andreas Nilsson)
Matt & Kim, "Lessons Learned" (dir. Taylor Cohen and Otto Arsenault)
N.A.S.A. feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank and Lovefoxxx, "A Volta" (dir. Logan)
They Might Be Giants, "Meet the Elements" (dir. Feel Good Anyway)
UNKLE, "Heaven" (dir. Spike Jonze and Ty Evans)

Hall of Awesome: Five More Best Music Videos of the Decade

I thought I would kick off this year's Hall of Awesome with my favorite music videos of the decade, but Pitchfork pretty much beat me to it with their Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s, a list so well-conceived and compiled that all I can do is simply present to you five more music videos I thought should have made their list. As usual, all the videos are compiled in a single YouTube playlist, viewable at the bottom of this post.

Supergrass, “Low C” (dir. Garth Jennings/Nick Goldsmith; 2005)
This decade, the documentary music video became a go-to style for bands wanting to stand out from the crowd. Most recently, the genre has been picked up by Massive Attack, whose video for "Paradise Circus" features an elderly woman reminiscing about her days as a porn star, intercut with definitely-NSFW scenes from one of her films. This 2005 effort from Supergrass finds the band reteaming with "Pumping On Your Stereo" directors Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith (a.k.a. Hammer & Tongs) for a nostalgic visit to Weeki Wachee, where a group of women are trying to keep their mermaid-themed tourist attraction from going under. It's a rare chance to see the usually SFX-heavy directors deliver a simple story with a minimum amount of style, but with a lot of heart.

Wintergreen, “Can't Sit Still" (dir. Keith Schofield; 2007)
When television stopped being the preferred delivery method for music videos, bands soon realized that in order to get people watching, they were gonna have to come up with something that fell into one of three categories: bizarre, hilarious, or controversial. And by the end of the decade, no one was doing it better than Keith Schofield. Every video of his falls into one of the three categories, and oftentimes he covers all three in one clip. Case in point is "Can't Sit Still" by Wintergreen, an elaborate little video that he posted on YouTube with the sure-to-score-a-ton-of-hits title "How to Make Meth". While the video didn't go batshit viral, it did ruffle the feathers of some people who were afraid kids would actually try to make the harmless concoctions the band ingests in the clip, and Keith eventually had to admit the thing was satire after YouTube threatened to pull it from their site. As usual, this video has embedding disabled, so click on the link above to watch it. As a consolation prize, I've included in the playlist below Keith and the band's less controversial (but equally informative) video for "When I Wake Up".

Gorillaz, “Clint Eastwood” (dir. Jamie Hewlett/Pete Candeland; 2001)
This decade proved that a band can not only sell an image, the band can become the image. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett long-shot concept of an animated rock band turned out to be a worldwide success. And while the songs are top-notch, they wouldn't be half as good without their accompanying videos, animated by Hewlett and his team at Zombie Flesh Eaters.

The Strokes, “Last Nite” (dir. Roman Coppola; 2001)
I can't really explain what I thought of The Strokes' and their video for "Last Nite" when I first came across it one night on MTV (surprisingly, MTV was still showing videos back in 2001). The video's concept is almost insultingly simple: The Strokes, on a soundstage, performing the song live, under a sheen of '70s gloss provided by director Roman Coppola. The video is fun because of its sheer "fuck it" attitude, as Julian Casablancas throws his mic stand offstage like a javelin, and Fab Moretti's drum mics keep falling down. As a result, the version of "Last Nite" they perform is unique from the version that actually appeared on Is This It.

Aphex Twin, “Rubber Johnny” (dir. Chris Cunningham; 2005)
Technically, this is not a music video for Aphex Twin (although the song is taken from his 2001 record Drukqs). It's a short film by music video extraordinaire Chris Cuningham, one of only two videos he made this decade (not counting his commercial work). It's a disturbing and darkly humorous experiment, where Cunningham himself plays the titular character, who has the ability to morph into increasingly erratic shapes as the music of Aphex Twin pumps out of the speakers. It pretty much encompasses the definition of "WTF?" and is a fitting calling card for one of the least prolific, but certainly most watched, music videos directors of this decade.

Scary Music Videos 4: The Reckoning

It's that time of year again, and this time, I've taken the liberty of compiling all fifteen of my original scary music video picks into one, easy-to-use video playlist. Unfortunately, some of the videos have embedding disabled, so you'll need to visit my playlist page on YouTube for the full list. I've also added three new videos to the mix:

Liars, "Plaster Casts of Everything" (dir. Patrick Daughters)
It's official: Patrick Daughters has made my list of Best Music Video Directors of the 2000s, thanks to his eye-catching videos for Feist, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Grizzly Bear. In this clip, he teams the back-projection used in The White Stripes' "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" with a concept straight out of a David Lynch film. The end result is most unsettling.

Fever Ray, "If I Had a Heart" (dir. Andreas Nilsson)
Karin Dreijer of Scandanavian electronic group The Knife is no stranger to scary music videos, having appeared on last year's list in her collaboration with Röyksopp for the song "What Else is There?" Now, for her solo effort, she hired Andreas Nilsson, who has been behind most of the videos for The Knife, to pull out all the stops on the express train to Creepy Town.

Bodies of Water, "Under the Pines" (dir. Andy Bruntel)
In addition to being an exceptional animator (see: Rilo Kiley's "It's a Hit" and his Roman Coppola collaboration "Red"), Andy Bruntel has made a fair share of kickass music videos for the likes of No Age, The Mountain Goats, and Best Music Video of 2007 nominee Bat for Lashes. In this clip, a hunter is cursed with bad luck after he steals a diamond from inside a dead dog's stomach. What follows is a Grimm fairytale with a twisted sense of humor.

Don't forget to check out the other three entries in the Scary Music Video series.

Hall of Awesome: Top 5 Music Videos of 2008

Just hit play in the YouTube player below and enjoy all of my music video picks for '08, from five to one! Descriptions and critiques are to follow:



5. Mogwai, "Batcat" (dir. Dominic Hailstone)
Mogwai took a decidedly different direction for their lead single off 2008's The Hawk is Howling, even going so far as to hire Chris Cunningham-protégé Dominic Hailstone for the terrifying video. It makes up for Cunningham's video hiatus, and it stands up very well on its own as an unsettling distortion of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

4. Radiohead, "House of Cards" (dir. James Frost)
Eyebrows were raised when Radiohead announced their new video for "House of Cards" was made without a camera, but instead with a series of lasers and motion capture techniques that captured Thom Yorke's face, among other things, making for a cool-looking video for an excellent song. But props must also be given to all the animators and directors who worked on videos for Radiohead's contests, my favorites being "Nude" by James Houston, "Weird Fishes" by Tobian Stretch, and "Reckoner" by Clement Picon.

3. Justice, "Stress" (dir. Romain-Gavras)
Even though '07 was the year Justice released their self-titled debut, '08 was the year for them to deliver on the hype surrounding that release. They had a wildly successful tour, a killer live CD/DVD, and two new videos: the awesome "guess-that-logo" video by So-Me, "DVNO," and "Stress." Heavily influenced by the 1995 French classic La Haine, with its gritty, documentary style camerawork and controversial subject matter, the video follows a nameless group of delinquents (decked in jackets with Justice's cross logo emblazoned on the back) as they cause all methods of mayhem and chaos, from assault to vandalism to carjacking. The directors raise the question "Is this for real?" by including nice touches like having the gang wait for the sound guy before they take off in their stolen car, or in the video's finale, where the gang turns against the cameraman and break bottles over his head.

2. Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" (dir. Chris Milk)
What hasn't been said about this amazing video? Evolves from a somewhat corny breakdown of post-relationship depression to a fascinatingly surreal performance piece as an animated heart with the voice of Cee-Lo Green sings into a piece of broccoli, while the diner's customers and employees (including Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse) look on in shock. I never get tired of that ending either.

1. Björk, "Wanderlust" (dir. Encyclopedia Pictura)
Back when Michael Jackson ruled the airwaves of MTV, the debut of a new music video would often be hailed as an event that was not to be missed. Björk and the geniuses over at Encyclopedia Pictura brought a little bit of that magic back when they announced the debut of a new, eight-minute odyssey set to Volta highlight "Wanderlust." They held a premiere screening, gave away tons of 3D glasses to eager fans, and posted 30-second "sneak previews" of the video on Björk's YouTube page. Luckily for them, the video surpassed the hype, as "Wanderlust" takes the viewer on a journey through a world seemingly made out of animated strings of Play-Doh, as Björk and her herd of buffalo travel down a steady river and do battle with a water god and a clay doppelganger that grows out of Björk's backpack. Yeah, it's pretty fucking weird.

Scary Music Videos Part 3

UPDATE: Use this playlist to view these videos plus twelve others! For this list, click the playlist button on the bottom of the video, then click the right arrow.


Two years ago, I posted five of my favorite creepy music videos and it has consistently been one of my most linked-to articles. So last year I did it again and this year, I've scoured YouTube to find four more for your viewing (dis)pleasure. Enjoy!

Basement Jaxx, "Where's Your Head At" (dir. Traktor)
Superimposing faces onto animals and other people is nothing new here. Chris Cunningham famously took the face of Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) and planted it on creepy little kids as well as supermodels, with equally horrifying results. But Traktor's video for "Where's Your Head At" takes it a step further, revealing a secret plot to kidnap musicians and transfer their brains into monkeys. What purpose this is supposed to serve is never revealed, but it does make for a frightening music video.

Squarepusher, "Come On My Selector" (dir. Chris Cunningham)
Despite his two freaky-ass videos for Aphex Twin (three if you count the experimental short film Rubber Johnny), Chris Cunningham's video for Squarepusher is my personal favorite. And while it certainly isn't his scariest, it is definitely his most fun. So many bizarre things are in this, including a hyperactive Japanese kung fu girl, a talking dog, and a bad case of brainswap. Another oddity about this video is the fact that Cunningham had all the actors speak English, then dubbed over their voices in Japanese and included English subtitles.

Mogwai, "Batcat" (dir. Dominic Hailstone)
The newest video on my list this year comes from instrumental rockers Mogwai, who delivered their uncharacteristically metal single "Batcat" not long ago, and with it, this terrifying video from Dominic Hailstone. Seemingly torn from the pages of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the video concerns a hooded girl fleeing from masked people only to wind up in a cave inhabited by the vicious title character.

Hugh Cornwell, "Another Kind of Love" (dir. Jan Švankmajer)
Who knows what '80s pop singer Hugh Cornwell was thinking when he hired freaky Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer to helm his 1988 music video for "Another Kind of Love." Like one of my earlier picks, the visuals and music don't match at all, which only heightens the disturbing nature of the video. Watch for the part where Cornwell's dismembered head collides with the female mannequin's head and creates a swirling mass of clay with four eyes and an alligator mouth and tell me that a Nine Inch Nails song would've probably suited Švankmajer's creepy vision better.

Feel free to leave links in the comments to some of your own favorite scary music videos, and have a Happy Halloween!

Radiohead: The Best Of (DVD Review)

Capitol Records drove the final nail into the coffin that was Radiohead’s contract today, with the release of a massive selection of greatest hits compilations, including a single-disc edition, a double-disc limited edition, a quadruple-LP edition, and a DVD featuring all of their videos. All of these came with the somewhat unoriginal title Radiohead: The Best Of, a puzzling choice considering so many of their song titles would make wonderful alternatives. What about No Surprises...or Exit Music...or We Suck Young Blood? Anyway, if you’ve already got most of Radiohead’s albums, you’ll probably find the DVD to be the only release this week of any value (though that LP box set looks pretty sweet, too). On it are 21 of their music videos, culled from each of the albums released on Capitol. The only glaring omissions are two videos done for Kid A, most notably Stanley Donwood and Shynola’s animated film for “Motion Picture Soundtrack.”

Unlike the single and double-disc CD sets, the DVD is arranged chronologically, so that viewers can truly see the evolution of the band from angst-ridden alt-rockers to representatives of the dark corners of the avant-garde. Pablo Honey alone is represented by four videos (three more than necessary, but I guess we must be thorough), most of which feature Thom Yorke mugging for the camera while the band plays on behind him. Radiohead’s visual style matured along with their music as they released 1995’s The Bends, and the directors they worked with began to forge dense narratives, as evidenced by the videos for “Just” and “High and Dry” (both the US and UK versions are on here, though the US version is the one worth watching). Jonathan Glazer proved especially good at translating Radiohead’s music into memorable visuals, with his beautiful time-lapse photography for “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” and the sinister car ride of “Karma Police.”

The real treat, however, is all the videos for Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief, most of which have never been released on DVD in the US. Michel Gondry’s astounding one-shot video for “Knives Out” is alone worth the price of admission, considering it was mercilessly removed from Gondry’s Director’s Label DVD at the last minute. Also essential viewing is Shynola’s ethereal computer animated video for “Pyramid Song,” featuring a polygonal character diving into an ocean filled with abandoned buildings and houses. One of the more surprising inclusions on this set is the video for “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors / Like Spinning Plates,” directed by Johnny Hardstaff and featuring two Siamese twin babies whose chests get ripped apart by robotic machinery. The video isn’t as graphic as the description suggests, and the highly detailed machinery is actually quite beautiful to look at. Finally, out of the four videos for Hail to the Thief, the Jan Svankmejer-influenced “There There,” directed by Chris Hopewell, is the definite highlight.

Overall, Radiohead: The Best Of does a good job of showing a band in transition, as their video collection slowly goes from simply starring the band to reinterpreting their increasingly sinister, yet highly innovative music.

Hooray! Another short film complete!

This one's called Ball and, despite its short running time and simple premise, was a bitch to put together. Rotoscoping every single one of those frames literally drove me crazy. I think I frightened a few of my friends when they interrupted me working on this thing in the editing lab. Anyway, here is the finished result:



The song is "It's Okay" by the delightful PWRFL Power, off his self-titled EP, which you can purchase for a whopping $4 at the Catbird Records website.

New Justice Video - "DVNO"

Back in the day, I used to watch a short film called "Flying Logos" on an old VHS tape entitled "Computer Animation Festival Vol. 1". Basically, it was an attempt at creating a story by using footage of a bunch of CGI company logos. It was simple fun (which is generally the case with old-school computer animation) but that's the first thing that came to mind after watching the new video for Justice's "DVNO." So Me, the production firm that designed their hit video for "D.A.N.C.E." returns to the fold to send-up a ton of 1980-90s company logos by replacing the names with lyrics from the song. It's really pretty sleek, and it's an early contender for best music video of '08.

Wild Things Test Footage

Film Ick pointed out this video, which appears to be a leaked scene from the Spike Jonze/Dave Eggers adaptation of the beloved children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It certainly looks legit, although the voice work seems slightly off. Maybe it's a piece of test footage. Either way, it's exciting to see something come out of this highly secretive production other than a couple of stills.

If you're looking for more from the Spike Jonze department, check out his new video for Kanye West. It kind of falls at the end of the spectrum opposite from Where the Wild Things Are, so I'm labelling it NSFW.

UPDATE: According to a few sources, this is most likely test footage shot in LA. Apparently, that's not even the kid who ended up playing Max in the movie.

Kanye West - "Flashing Lights" video

A new music video by Spike Jonze is news. A new music video by Spike Jonze for Kanye West is big news. While I've never been a huge fan of Mr. West, he does keep good company (he's worked with Daft Punk, Chris Martin, producer Jon Brion, director Michel Gondry and animator Bill Plympton) so it's only natural for Jonze to take a break during the production of Where the Wild Things Are to head up a new Kanye vid, though if you're expecting another "Praise You," you will be sadly mistaken. The "Flashing Lights" video is similar to Jonze's more disturbing endeavors like Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Y Control," one of my favorite scary music videos. Watch and decide for yourself.

Rich Aucoin's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Here's a novel idea. Record a cool indie rock EP with the intention of having it sync up with a timeless Christmas special. Singer/songwriter Rich Aucoin achieves this with his EP Personal Publication by having it sync up with Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the results are pretty impressive:

Give it a few minutes for the visuals to show up. The idea is the sync starts up right when track three begins, so there's a couple minutes of black with just music playing.

UPDATE: Apparently, Rich had to pull the video due to copyright, which makes absolutely no sense to me, since the video doesn't have the sound from the TV special, so anyone who watches it isn't getting to watch the actual Grinch Stole Christmas for free.

Hall of Awesome: Best Music Videos of 2007

Oh my God, is it already that time again? I apologize for my lack of posting towards the end of the year. I have been hard at work on not one, but two short films, which will hopefully be shown at various festivals around mid-2008. With that said, I'd like to begin this year's Hall of Awesome by showcasing some of my favorite music videos.

5. The Strokes, "You Only Live Once" (dir. Warren Fu)

Even though The Strokes had already released a video for the lead track off their last LP, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, I guess they felt it could've used a rewrite. So, they invited director Warren Fu to deliver a CGI-laden, 2001: A Space Odyssey referencing mini-movie.

4. Bat for Lashes, "What's a Girl to Do?" (dir. Dougal Wilson)

What is it about guys in animal masks that creep me out? Dougal Wilson turns out a well-choreographed bike ride with English singer/songwriter Natasha Khan that is anything but cute and cuddly.

3. Grizzly Bear, "Knife" (dir. Encyclopedia Pictura)

The boldly experimental production group Encyclopedia Pictura turned out this daring and bizarre little music video, perfectly complementing the daring and bizarre music of Grizzly Bear. I'd make a pun about studying geology "in-depth," but that kind of humor is below me.

2. Feist, "1234" (dir. Patrick Daughters)

This is one of those videos that you watch and it makes you end up with a smile on your face. I was surprised to learn that the whole thing was done in one take with no computer trickery to mask the other performers. There's a really cool making-of where you can see most of the single take from different angles.

1. Mute Math, "Typical" (dir. Israel Anthem)

Yes, I know the backwards thing has been done before, but Mute Math does the backwards thing really well and don't stop with the cool effects. This is also the first time I've really been impressed with the lead singer's lip-syncing to the backwards version of the song. Check the bizarre live version of this video on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

5 More Scary Music Videos

UPDATE: Use this playlist to view these videos plus eleven others! Click the playlist button at the bottom of the video to choose the videos listed on this page.


One of the most frequently linked-to blog posts I ever wrote was one in which I listed my top five favorite scary music videos. Well, I've recently fixed some of the YouTube links that have gone stale and I got to thinkin...it being Halloween and all, why not showcase a few more of these creepy vids?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Y Control" (dir. Spike Jonze)
Spike Jonze is generally well-known for his lighthearted videos for Fatboy Slim, featuring either Christopher Walken flying around a hotel lobby, or Jonze himself breakdancing in front of a movie theater. But did you know he made this creepy little promo for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Deranged children flicking off the camera while a wild-eyed Karen O dances around them is a good way to start, but pretty soon, Jonze has the little kiddies drag a dead dog around a barren room, chop off each others hands, and slice open their stomachs, all done in a decidedly low-budget grindhouse fashion. This is Bizarro Sesame Street! UPDATE: The link broke, so I found a version on YouTube that includes a goofy intro Jonze recorded with one of the kids.

Daft Punk, "Prime Time of Your Life" (dir. Tony Gardner)
You'd think Daft Punk would be the last band to do a unsettling music video, but they've got two! "Technologic" made my list last year and I even picked this one for Most Disturbing Vid in my 2006 Hall of Awesome. The message is that the girl in the video suffers from a poor self-image that makes everyone around her seem skinny (or, in this case, skeletal). But it's really just a pretense for director and effects wizard Tony Gardner to dole out some shocking and graphic imagery. The mechanical droning of the song doesn't make the video any less creepy.

TV on the Radio, "Wolf Like Me" (dir. Jon Watts)
So, my affinity for the videos of Jon Watts are well-documented, but rarely does he get under your skin as effectively as he does here, with this vid for indie darlings TV on the Radio. A combination of factors help make this video work, such as the gritty quality of the film stock, the silent movie title cards, and the rigid stop-motion animation of the werewolves. Watts' website has a higher-quality version of this vid, along with many more that are worth watching.

Röyksopp, "What Else is There" (dir. Martin De Thurah)
Electronic duo Röyksopp's video library is pretty well-rounded. They've got the fun and surprisingly informative "Remind Me," the endangered species escape film in "Poor Leno," and the animated postcards of "Eple," but this one caught me by surprise. We can go ahead and establish that Karin Dreijer of Scandanavian electronic group The Knife is a pretty creepy individual, but even though that's her voice singing, the woman floating around in the video is actually a model named Marianne Schröder. (Dreijer makes an appearance at the end.) It's still a weird-ass vid, with flying houses, dripping milk, smoking trees, and general apocalyptic visions. It's Lynchian symbolism at its darkest.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, "The Owl" (dir. Emmanuel Ho)
Who would've guessed that a two-minute instrumental would make for such an effectively grim music video? Ho's sparse animation style fits the stark visual of a crow tethered to...something, as it tries in futility to reach the light billowing through a window, all while the title character sinisterly watches from afar, its harsh white eyes glaring directly at the camera. Poetic, minimalist, and downright creepy. If you aren't afraid of owls, you just might be after watching this video.

I just might start making this a yearly feature, so if you know any other scary music videos I have yet to mention, send me an e-mail! I leave you with a humorous look at the life of a pumpkin, by Waverly Films, the production group Jon Watts is a part of:

They Might Be Giants, "The Mesopotamians"

Another brilliant animated music video for TMBG, this time for my favorite track from their new album, The Else:

They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians

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Savage Chickens Get Animated

Doug Savage proves his worth in this stop-motion animated video featuring a song by Laura Veirs and everybody's favorite online post-it cartoon chickens!

New Chemical Brothers Video - "The Salmon Dance"

"The Salmon Dance" was one of the most unusual tracks to appear on the Chemical Brothers latest album, We Are The Night, or to appear on any of their albums for that matter. It features underground hip-hop legend Fatlip rapping about the ubiquitous fish and the strange dance it inspires. Also featured is a disembodied voice (known to Fatlip as "Sammy the Salmon") who relays various factoids about salmon throughout the song.

Anyway, in typical Chemical Brothers fashion, the accompanying video features a stoned-out slacker hallucinating a rave-up in his apartment aquarium, complete with a beatboxing blowfish. Here's the vid in Windows Media and RealPlayer formats. Look for the Chemical Brothers in an unusual cameo appearance at the end of the video.

Strokes Unveil New Video for "You Only Live Once"

I had been somewhat unimpressed with the newer videos by the Strokes. For their latest album, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, they opted to leave Roman Coppola, who had directed the videos for their seminal hit "Last Nite," as well as "Hard to Explain" and the Tron-inspired "12:51". Unfortunately, not even the inclusion of David Cross could save the surprisingly bland video for First Impressions single "Juicebox." Follow-up videos for "Heart in a Cage" and "You Only Live Once" were also decidedly uninteresting. Fortunately, the Strokes have bounced back with this new, alternate video for "You Only Live Once," directed by Warren Fu. The video is drenched in 2001: A Space Odyssey references (always a good thing in my book), and it also harkens back to their video for the single "The End Has No End," which was also very 2001-esque. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I got tired of this video automatically starting every time I opened up my blog. You can view the video here.

Lonely, Dear Video - "Saturday Waits"

I thought this video was too clever, and this song was too catchy, not to post. Plus, instead of people in dog costumes, it's dogs in people costumes!

New Free Music from Adult Swim

Despite the fact that all five of Adult Swim's new pilot episodes that aired last week were ten times better than both Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Saul of the Mole Men, only one shall be made into a new show. (Please, let it be Drinky Crow! Please!)

Still, one aspect that Adult Swim always excels on is their generosity, and to prove it, they've just released, for FREE, a new full-length compilation entitled Warm & Scratchy, featuring brand-new tracks by TV on the Radio, The Rapture, Broken Social Scene, Sound Team, Liars, and The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. Plus, there's a really sweet video for "Me-I," the TV on the Radio track, featuring bird costumes, dancing trees, and a knife-wielding sandwich. What could be better than that?

UPDATE: I got rid of the streaming player 'cause I couldn't figure out how to keep it from automatically playing when I opened the blog. Still, you can listen to the whole thing here.


UPDATE 2: Check out some really cool production stills from the making of the TV on the Radio video.

Decemberists' Announce "O Valencia!" Video Winner

It seems like forever since the Decemberists' had started their contest in which fans were asked to make a video for their song "O Valencia!" using the green screen footage the band provided. In fact, the contest slowly faded into obscurity after pseudo-pundit Stephen Colbert accused the group of stealing his "Green Screen Challenge" idea and challenged them to a guitar-off.

Still, a winner has to be announced, and here it is! I must say I was very impressed with the outcome. The director, Kurt Nishimura, didn't do the standard "stick the people in front of a weird background" move. Instead, he created an entirely new storyline with new characters, and simply made the Decemberists' footage part of the TV screens that occupy the video. It's a bold move that ultimately paid off, as the video is suprisingly original and entertaining, almost like the Decemberists made this video themselves.