April 2006: Elemeno P, Falter, Fast Crew, Friends From Sweden, Goldenhorse

The perils and/or benefits of pot, horse party,  the act of it getting better, VCR intrigue, and rock.

Elemeno P “One Left Standing”

Elemeno P don’t feature much in this video (which I think was due to bassist Lani being pregnant) but the end result is a surprisingly moving video. It tells the story of four teens who each have their own troubles – there’s the gangly, arty guy who is terrible at schoolyard football, the tomboy-ish skater punk girl who is hassled for being a weirdo, the kids whose father is violent towards him, and the chubby guy who is hassled while he’s enjoying a sticky bun. It’s quite bleak. The four teens are revealed to be the younger versions of Elemeno P, and the video ends by catching up with them – four friends in a successful band, enjoying life. See, it does get better.

Director: Adam Jones
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Falter “Message For You”

The last time we saw Falter, they were a Rockquest-winning teen indie band, playing their instruments as they shot down a hydroslide. “Message For You” sees them more grown up, signed to a major label, and packaged as a slick band. It’s a whirlwind of hair and clothes and bright lights. The video ends with the Smokefree logo – lead singer Simon was one of the spokespeople for the Not Our Future anti-smoking campaign.

Director: Ivan Slavov

Fast Crew “What Happened to Yesterday”

“What Happened to Yesterday” was the first single of Fast Crew’s less successful second and final album. The song is a cautionary tale of perils of wasting your life from smoking too much pot and/or a celebration of living a good life as a pot smoker. The stylish video is set in a cool rooftop slacker pad and the video has a haze, like it’s permanently shrouded in smoke. Kid Deft looks like an executive real estate agent who’s dressed as a rapper for a work party, therefore the reinvention of Dane Rumble the pop star needs to happen soon.

Director: Mark Trethewey
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Friends From Sweden “Made of Love”

https://youtu.be/hOCGkJgg3I8

We last saw one-woman band Friends From Sweden in 2004 with “So Beautiful”. In the “Made of Love” video, creative force Mareea is all over the video, but she spends a lot of the time hiding behind hair, hats and evasive camera angles, like she’s not quite ready to be a rock star frontwoman. The video involves a revenge plot on an unfaithful lover, and is a reminder that as recently as 10 years ago a video cassette was perfectly ordinary technology and not an kitschy antique.

Director: Guy Tichborne
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Goldenhorse “Don’t Wake Me Up”

2006-goldenhorse-dont-wake-me-up

To watch this video, head over to Vimeo.

Goldenhorse have dropped the gloominess of the previous video and are going for something much lighter. Flanked by a giant apple and a life size horse mannequin (black, not golden), Kirsten joins her band and a cast of dozens for a party. The party builds and feels like it’s just at the point of losing control, which might explain why Kristin seems a bit lost amongst the revellers.

Director: Helena Brooks
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

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