As we move into the warmer months, I can’t help but daydream of all the awesome things I’m going to do this Summer: road trips, festivals, and countless shows. The music I listen to everyday stops being all sappy, and finally starts to reflect that fun. So, this week, I bring you videos of people having fun and playing games. Whether it’s Pup’s lyrics thrown into old school video games, dating games in Danny Brown’s new music video, a weird mop monster playing hide and seek with an old man in Peter Bjorn & John’s music video, or Sampha just playing a game of “make you cry evrytim” while covering Air, everybody is having a blast.
1. Pup – “DVP”
Canadian band Pup always has cool music videos. This time, we get to see their achingly relatable lyrics injected into various old school video games like Super Mario Bros, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, etc. It made me nostalgic for the summers of my childhood when I would escape the heat in the cool darkness of the arcade near my house. To this day I am still undefeated at Street Fighter 2. COME FIGHT ME BITCHES.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVuB1ZASrGw%20
2. Danny Brown – “When it Rain”
Danny Brown’s music video for his newest single “When It Rain” starts off with a completely different kind of game – an old 80’s TV dating game. It then continues to be a hallucinogenic mashup of cartoons, dancing, kids hula hooping, and Danny rapping. This single shows a darker, grimier side to Danny Brown that makes me that much more anxious for his next album to finally come out. I honestly think it’s one of his best tracks to date.
3. Major Lazer – “Light it Up”
Some people say that the age of music videos is over. Several 90’s music videos on MTV had multi-million dollar budgets and we really just don’t see that anymore. However, sometimes the best art is born out of creatively maneuvering around restrictions. I’ve noticed many artists have opted for animation in lieu of costly sets, actors, costumes, etc. Major Lazer’s new music video for “Light it Up” is probably one of the most incredible animations I’ve ever seen. It features male and female figures busting out cool dance moves all while self-destructing and reconstructing themselves into materials like sand, bubbles, leaves, etc. The texture and movement in this video is just mind-blowing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhJ6zz7Ls1Y
4. Peter Bjorn & John – “Breaking Point”
Next up is my favorite Swedish three piece band, Peter Bjorn & John. In their music video for their new single “Breaking Point,” we get to see a handsome older man dressed in a suit wake up in the back of a car. He then finds his way onto a boat where he meets a weird creature that looks like it’s made of lots of mops. Like a little stray dog, the giant mop monster proceeds to follow the man off the boat and starts to play a game of hide and seek with the guy in a forest. The man tries to get rid of the monster, but eventually accepts his fate as the monster’s new master.
5. Sampha – “All I Need” (Air Cover)
I’m in love with Sampha’s voice. If there is a Heaven, I 100% believe all angels just sound just like him. God was just nice enough to send him to Earth to give us a little taste of what Heaven would be like to motivate us to be good. Then he told Sampha, “Cover Air’s ‘All I Need’,” & Sampha was like, “Chill.” And now I’m crying in the office, thinking about how I can be a better person cause I need more of this shit in the afterlife.
6. Preoccupations – “Anxiety”
I like to think that for something to be artfully disturbing, it has to simultaneously freak you out, but also pique your curiosity. This Canadian post-punk band from Alberta does just that in their music video for their song, “Anxiety.” Formerly known as Viet Cong, guitarists Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen are taking their new project in a fresh direction. With the addition of bassist and vocalist Matt Flegel and drummer Mike Wallace, Preoccupations brings the listener a well mixed lo-fi sound with a gothic vibe that’s perfect for any late night adventure. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good bass line and melancholic vocals.
