Song/Music Video of the Day

Drive my Soul by Lights

I Want My MTV Back

There have been millions of articles written about how MTV and VH1 have given up on playing music videos, which isn’t entirely true. If you wake up at the crack of dawn like I did this morning to go to the gym, they show a good chunk of videos for three hours and not all of them are new.  Before I had to leave, they even played Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)!! I was so excited I smiled as I ran up that 8.0 incline (and then promptly suffered a mild case of asthma).

My enthusiasm for this video got me thinking though–not for the memories of the 90s, but rather for the memories of these videos.  I love everything about the videos cranked out by ‘NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears back in the day.  They were just so ridiculous and fun!  There was a formula to it.  There was a story, usually love was involved in some way with someone, and then they’d dance it out.

And boy, was there dancing.  I would watch these videos just for the choreographed parts and I would get chills each time.  As someone with little to no rhythm, it always boggles my mind how you can get 20 plus people to perform the same complicated moves at the same time to the same beat.  I loved it, and clearly, people still love it.  Some of these videos have over 10 million views on youtube and they aired on TV over 10 years ago.  They had to have done something right.

So, music producers/directors.  Please bring back music videos with choreographed dance numbers.  No, not gyrating hussies on shiny cars–those don’t count.  I want something like Britney in “Drive Me Crazy” or ‘NSYNC in “Bye Bye Bye”.

I Like This

New Air music video for “Sing Sang Sung.”

Rad.

Via [Stereogum]

Are there still music video directors? If so, here’s the concept. You’re Welcome.

Meredith: uh oh i smell summer jam.  go riri.  i like to envision, jay-z, rhianna, and kanye as an entourage.  they storm into clubs, swiggin’ on moet.  throwing the bottle over their heads when they’re done.  pushing people off of couches so riri and kanye can dance on them, while jay nods his head to the beat.  they eat shrimp cocktail while strippers dance on poles, and rhianna dances on tables in 4 inch heels singing the chorus to “live your life”.  as they leave the club, they encounter chris brown, ney-o, and i dunno, paris hilton? and a fight breaks out.  jay and kanye smash bottles over chris brown et. al.’s heads.  then they kick down the door and speed off in their stretch limo, this song blasting.  as they speed off into the early morning

Better Late Than Never, Right?

So I know that the band Black Kids is like soooo 2008, but I don’t care.  I’m totally digging their entire album.  It’s upbeat, kind of silly and head-bop-able.  I’m playing Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You on repeat.  I may or may not have being singing it this morning and while singing along counted as I looked in the mirror and jumped up and down.  Don’t lie, you do it too.  

 

Bonus, the video is hella awesome as well as this cover by Kate Nash

A Perfect Storm

What happens when you put guitarist James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, bassist Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick and Taylor Hanson of Hanson in a room together? Surprisingly, The Best Idea Ever. It’s like they took the best parts of their bands and put it together to make an extremely fun mix of power pop, alternative rock and pop punk. The music is upbeat and tap-your-toes worthy, but not screechy, over synthesized and produced pop music. I love it because it looks and sounds like they’re all having fun. Happy music = happy people. Truth nugget.

The first song below is my favorite but the second one is their “hit single” slash the one they’re promoting the most. Also, try not to do the Carlton Dance to the second one. I dare you.

Sometimes, Your Friends Are Cooler than You Are

So you have to lift from their blog.  Such is the case with Katie.  She’s cooler than I am, fact.  A fact most recently evidenced by her recent post of We Have Band’s new music video for “You Came Out” on her blog.

Fun fact via Much Cooler Than I Am, Katie:

Apparently [the video] was shot over 2 days and stop frame animated from 4,816 still images without a single moment of video footage.

Pretty cool, eh?

We Have Band [We Have Band on Vimeo] via [Painfully Haphazzard Notions]

I Should Hate This Song

I can’t tell if I like this new song by Cobra Starship (what?) featuring Leighton Meester, aka Blair from Gossip Girl and that slutty teenager on House for a few episodes two years ago. It’s fun/horrible, which equates to a “hot” summer single. You listen and judge for yourself. In the mean time, I’ll be hating myself while jamming to it on my ipod.

Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship feat Leighton Meester [MTV]

Rad Things

Gawker actually stole my idea, or, okay fine just posted it first.  So, I’m not going to even try, when they did it best.  Here are Michael Jackson’s 10 best videos.

Below, the debut of the infamous Moonwalk

Michael Jackson’s Epic Music Videos [Gawker]

This I Know for Sure

There’s nothing more rewarding, following a day traipsing around the city in Big Girl Work Clothes and feet scrunching ballet flats, sweating under the duress of 80-degree + smoggy weather then to have “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle pop up on your itunes, just as you reach your front door.

 

Oh, wait, I lied.  Something more rewarding than even the above? Realizing your roomates aren’t home, and being able to sit around in your underwear youtubing music videos.  There’s nothing more rewarding than that.