A WWII fever dream, adventures in Sydney and London, a forced commercial song, a failed seduction attempt and a MySpace URL.
48May “Nervous Wreck”
The “Nervous Wreck” video is like a World War II fever dream, a frenzied mix of ghostly swing-time girls, a fighter pilot dwarf, a grungy laboratory and influences from the Davids Lynch and Fincher. Visually, it doesn’t quite work, but the energy of the song and the editing keep it going.
Director: Paul Taylor
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Autozamm “Killer Shoes”
On YouTube, a concerned fan says, “it looks, sounds, and feels like forced commercial song”. Autozamm never had any charting singles, but perhaps “Killer Shoes” was their attempt at going mainstream. It’s a bright pop track and the band deliver an equally enjoyable pop video.
Director: Mikee Carpinter
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Bling “Get Wid It!”
Previously part of the duo Definite & Bling, the rapper with the very 2000s name went solo. The video is a green screen job, putting Bling and his posse in front of fun, cool urban backdrops. The video ends with a banner displaying his Myspace URL (myspace.com/getwidbling) which sadly no longer works.
Brooke Fraser “Shadowfeet”
Brooke Fraser stands in a busy Sydney city street and lip syncs to her song, but then we see a series of other people who are also lip syncing to “Shadowfeet”. It’s a mix of different ages and ethnicities, including four people with facial piercings. Perhaps the tongue-pierced Brooke didn’t want to be only the person with body modifications in the video. The song reached No.13 in the singles chart.
Director: Jonathan Baker, Josh Baker (TWiN)
Bruce Conlon “Two Worlds Colliding”
“Two Worlds Colliding” is set in London and at first glance is yet another one of those “Look at me! I’m in an interesting foreign city that is not New Zealand”. Except there’s more going on here – the video seems to be a tribute to Sliding Doors, with the former Eight frontman playing male versions of the two Gwyneths. One is a laid-back busker, the other is wearing a black suit with a white tie, like a 15-year-old going to a school dance. There is some interaction between the two, and a nice Abbey Road crossing moment. It’s definitely a more interesting way to take in the London sights. The song received an Honourable Mention at the 2008 International Songwriting Competition.
Director: Adam Jones
Chong Nee “Walk My Way”
Much of the video takes place in flashback, down at the local park, with a young Chong Nee trying to woo a girl using his smooth R&B style. She’s not having it though. But the video ends with a twist – current day Chong Nee and his pals see his now adult former crush pushing a pram through the park. Too late, Chong Nee!
Director: Chris Chetland
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision