Animated Music

This blog should be called 'Things I discover on Youtube while procrastinating.' Right now I'm trying to write two articles, but am instead caught in the unrelenting cycle of Gotye, Santigold and Regina Spektor music videos.

Regina is one of those artists I always wish I was more in to, and this is my attempt at doing that. Likewise with Santigold and Gotye.

Obviously we all know each of their greatest hits, but I have been listening to Making Mirrors, Gotye's second album (yes, it includes THE SONG!), and it is really a super great listen. Other music reviewers have drawn parallels between Beck and himself, which are certainly justified, at least in terms of their musical approach but also partly due to some audio similarities. But where Beck is more concerned with deconstructing the pop song in a sort of (whisper it) postmodern way, Gotye's more about making kitsch or interesting sounds than inform the whole song and infuse it with a kinda funk element. Beck kind of takes apart. Gotye sort of infuses. Both approaches are idiosyncratic and, in my view, the best way to approach pop.

Here's a compare and contrast situation:

Less musically interesting, but also artists I am trying to get more into cos I think they got a lil su'in su'in are Santigold (obsearve previous post) and Old Spektorino. She's just got an album out, FYI, and apparently it's super good. And so has Santigolden-delcious. They're all at it! What a perfect time to re-cap some previous work:

I have this ardent hatred for in-yur-face CGI, so am more than happy to link all these videos together through their more basic appearance, stop motion and cut up card sort of aesthetic. Sure, probably a lot of CGI (definitely!) happening in the wings; but it's not all you see, which I appreciate. Actually, all of Gotye's videos have some simple but interesting aesthetic going on, which you might enjoy over at his YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Please feel free to distract yourself for hours at a time over there.

Brothers and sisters, enjoy.

(The next post will be literature based - I swear it!)

terrible angel.

While watching Charlotte Gainsbourg on screen for too long, I believe, will only bring about a sense of melancholia, listening to her after Beck has produced her sound, can only make you happy (Well, maybe not happy. Something close to happiness. You like the song, maybe.).

There is certainly something compelling about her. Particularly in her epically cool video for recent single Terrible Angels, directed by Natalie Canguilhem (who, does all sorts of cool things, including the video below for The Songs That We Sing, as well as a few videos for songs by Uffie, including THIS ONE featuring Pharrell Williams. Which I quite like.).











(yes, I am aware that I already posted this. I'm just not over it yet.)

Shall we just enjoy some Gondry? Watch out for the Mummies!

Despite being forced (I hope and assume) into getting involved with The Green Hornet, Michel Gondry is still an icon of mine. Watching his music videos, shorts and films is like peering though a cardboard peephole into a papier mache mind - where everyone is either dancing in colourful clothing or thinking really, really hard about stuff.

This one's SOOO great! Michel Gondry is an incredible addition to the music video:

And just because I love it so much and the animation and cardboard make me love the simplicity and child-like creativity that artists can still evoke in us jaded adults:

Losing my Religion

This last one is a birthday card. That's my dad, right there.