Music Video(s) of the Week: It's New!

Caring about music videos a lot is like caring about short films edited closely to music a lot. That's what I do. I want to talk about music videos, so this will be the third installment we don't keep up on all the time of this lowly blog of we. Take it.

Director: Michel Gondry. Band: Radiohead. Song: "Knives Out"

Knives Out Music Video

"Knives Out" is the music video that sparked my adoration of music videos in general, and my interest in the art of storytelling through the medium. In just over four minutes the range of emotions the video touches on is just about overwhelming. An entire relationships lifetime flashes by on the television, little mementos from the characters' time together crop up in sweeping pans. "Knives Out" is entirely one shot from start to finish, wide lensed in one room, which probably took painstakingly careful blocking to get everything to go as smoothly as it does. The camera moves in and out, catching sometimes nuanced, sometimes exaggerated that draw forth deep concern for the characters, far deeper than you'd expect for such a brief introduction to them. The sets are amazing. The strange blueish green of the walls, and the juxtaposition of the familiar with the absurd are unsettling, but funny at points, yet Thom Yorke's voice keeps things from getting too light hearted. It's a pretty incredible short, just what I'd hope for when Michel Gondry's visuals are paired with Radiohead's musicianry.

Director: David Slade. Band: Aphex Twin. Song: "Donkey Rhubarb"

Donkey Rhubarb Music Video

One of the cutest, creepiest videos ever. Richard D. James' face lurking just beneath neon-bright bear suits, thrusting vigorously at nothing in particular, and dancing with children in the sun. Bizarre mixes of industrial London and PBS children's programming. This video should be cited as the reason David Slade is too good to be directing part of the Twilight saga. It's spooky, and puzzling, and kind of hilarious. The video runs the gamet of desatured sepia, black-and-white, and blood red filters. Switching between slow motion and fast, coupled with quick edits and strange choices in zooming, rolled together with the rest make "Donkey Rhubarb" a highly highly highly entertaining watch.

Next week I'll introduce you to whatever strikes me at the moment.

- Eric T. Voigt, A&E Is Taking An Intimate Look Into Professional Wrestling