I’ve been stumbling across some cool videos lately. So I thought a simple post that shared these cool videos would be… cool. Here’s five examples of what I have found:

EXAMPLE ONE

I was very happy that Bret Easton Ellis tweeted about this little video he had just done a voiceover for, because it’s also by one of my favourite bands. Placebo. Anyone that engages with social media can relate to Brian Molko’s lyrics on ‘Too Many Friends’. Thematically, it ties into much of the subject matter of Ellis’ novels. The concept of “surface relationships”. Tickling the tip of each other’s iceberg. The superficiality of the experiment – and the video’s austere and minimalist setting – echo of Ellis’ work. It’s nice to hear his sardonic and slightly zany delivery.

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EXAMPLE TWO

Sydney’s The Preatures are destined to be quite large. It’s hard to deny that they have a pretty slick and sublime sound. This new single, ‘Manic Baby’, is shimmering disco pop. It’s sexy. It has a slightly unsettling video. I hear echoes of early Jefferson Airplane in some of their material, with a dash of The Duke Spirit, but it’s clear they’re still feeling out their sound and direction. When their debut album drops, you will know about it. You may have even pre-ordered it. I hope the title of ‘Manic Baby’ is a subliminal reference to Manic Street Preatures Preachers. I also hope Isabella Manfredi becomes a style icon. It would just feel right to me. There’s more than a little Deborah Harry influence in this clip/song.

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EXAMPLE THREE

Cormac McCarthy. He’s a guru. He’s written some insanely incredible books. Like The Road. You have to read it. Freakin’ masterpiece. Anyway, I discovered this week that he has written an original screenplay and it has been directed by Ridley Scott. The cast is fuckin’ epic: Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz … and JAVIER BARDEM back as another McCarthy psychopath. The film tells the story of a lawyer (Fassbender) who finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking. I’ve made the mistake of hyping up three big movies in the last few years and being disappointed (Scott’s last effort was one of them), but this does look incredible.

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EXAMPLE FOUR

Twin Lakes are an exciting new act out of Newcastle. Eddie Garven’s band have been gigging hard and are hopefully garnering some attention. This is the video for their song ‘Glacier’. I had the privilege of writing their bio, which you can also find on Meadowlake Street. This music video is undoubtedly a little abstract. There are some striking visuals. It has a nightmarish quality. It’s unquestionably open to interpretation, but its atmosphere no doubt conveys and provokes the range of emotions intended by director and writer Richard Wilson.

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EXAMPLE FIVE

Well, admittedly, this isn’t really a video. It’s more an exercise in audio. It’s Midlake’s new song. I love Midlake. But their singer, Tim Smith, has left the group to pursue a creative project called Harp. Apparently he left on good terms, but there were creative differences in the studio. Something of a stalemate. They kept it a secret too, because Smith actually left Midlake late last year. His new material will be put up at http://www.harpband.com and you can also read a letter from Smith about his departure. Founding guitarist Eric Pulido has stepped into the lead vocal duties for Midlake. You can recognise the texture of his voice from the backing vocals of Midlake’s previous work. This first taste, ‘Antiphon’, sounds darker, more rhythmic and psychedelic. I like it. I hope I like the rest. Check it out.