I often use music videos in my lists and reviews, but I’ve never yet written about the videos themselves. With this list, I’m going to change that. Recently I’ve been sent links to a couple of cool videos that need to be shared so I thought I’d put those together with a few other videos I’ve discovered recently. So, without further ado, let’s see the videos.
Backburner, “Heatwave”
First up is the first video from the title track of Canadian supergroup Backburner’s album, Heatwave (which was also #12 on my list of best albums of 2011). I’ve already mentioned the song as one of my favorites from the album, and this video actually amplifies that. I never quite knew which parts were rapped by which artists. Seeing them in the video makes that much easier to determine. The video itself is all about activities people do during a heatwave: barbecue, drinking, dancing, hanging out. I like the effect of having most of the people in each scene standing still while the rappers perform around them — almost as if they themselves are the heat around the rest of the frozen people.
H.W., “Admiration”
Next up we have an artist I was completely unfamiliar with until he contacted Fandomania. The video is H.W. and Emoh Betta sitting on a couch playing Mortal Kombat (I’m not sure which version since it’s been a really long time since I’ve played it) with occasional clips from the game itself. The video’s OK, but I like the song a lot. The beat and groove are well done, and the lyrics are different from the typical rap braggadocio. Instead of rapping about how great he is, H.W. instead tells us that he’s a bit insecure and not sure if he’s going to be able to make it as a rapper. I hope he does because I’d like to hear more from him.
The Aeronauts, “Steampunk Boba Fett Theme Song”
OK, I’ll admit it — this list is in part just an excuse to put together stuff that wouldn’t otherwise go together. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about this video (except perhaps that I found out about it because the band started following me on Twitter), but the song is great. I mean, it’s about Steampunk Boba Fett. Come on, that’s just cool.
MC Frontalot, “Stoop Sale”
Frontalot’s latest video is for one of my favorite songs on the new album. I like the story of it, especially the ending. It reminds me of any number of short stories with twist endings that I read in high school. The video tells that story by using puppets. So, yeah, puppet MC Frontalot. I think that pretty much says it all.
Dr. Noise, “The Doctor and the Master”
This video features Dr. Noise playing the part of both the Master and the Doctor. I really like how he changes his look for each, clearly reflecting both characters, but adding in his own little touches. Stick around past the ending of the song for some truly astonishing special effects.
the great Luke Ski, “Skeksis Back”
This song was actually a response to a comment on the Nerdist podcast. It’s a parody of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” but it’s (obviously) about The Dark Crystal. Having just rewatched that movie again recently (amazing how well it stands the test of time!), I really loved watching this. Luke Ski brings his typical humor to the track, even managing to include the entire prophecy of the Dark Crystal itself. Nice!
William Shatner, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
For some reason, I’ve never gotten around to mentioning Shatner’s awesome Seeking Major Tom from last year. This should fix that! On the album, he weaves together several songs, many of which actually mention Major Tom, into a narrative about the eponymous character. Shatner puts his signature not-quite-singing-not-quite-talking style on this Queen classic. “Bohemian Rhapsody” fits in to the overall story as a hallucination by the Major while he floats through space. The video must be a reflection of what he actually sees because otherwise I have no explanation for it.
Kirby Krackle, “Booty Do Math”
My love of all things Kirby Krackle is well known. And now they’ve released a video for my favorite song on their new album, Super Powered Love. If you, too, wanna see that booty do math (and trust me, you do!), go check it out.
Harto, “Oh, Internet”
A ’50s style love song to the Internet. That is all you need to know. Go, watch it now.
