June 2006: Lemuel, Minuit, Nesian Mystik, Opensouls, The Backyard

A game of hide and seek, urban steam punk, a lively house and a Telethon tribute.

Lemuel “Love Again” – missing

This lush R&B love song was produced by Chong-Nee and was included on his 2010 album Chong-Nee and Friends. It’s not a hugely original track, so I can kind of imagine how the video might play out, girl.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Minuit “The Sum Of Us”

Minuit voyage into the uncharted waters of love songs. This video stars a claymation red square who has lost his girlfriend. He looks all over the house but just can’t find her. But a rogue $1 coin sends him off to the fairground where there’s a certain someone waiting for him up the Ferris wheel. It’s a really cute video, but I’m more drawn to the highly detailed decor in the house – there’s even a replica Le Corbusier chaise longue chair.

Nesian Mystik “So Good”

“So Good” has a different sound to the typical Nesian Mystik song. The summery acoustic guitar is gone and in its place is big soul sound. But one thing is the same – the lyrics are still about having a good time with Nesian Mystik. The video puts the group and their DJs in a white studio. The DJs are scratching and mixing with a couple of gramophones, which is sooo urban steam punk. Adding to the party are a selection of dancers and underwear-clad models. The song, clocking in at just over four minutes, feels like it’s about a minute too long, so that final minute really drags – just more of the same.

Opensouls “Turn It Up”

The “Turn It Up” video takes inspiration from the Telethons of the 1980s, this time in aid of “starving artists”. It’s based around the phone banks (complete with five-digit regional phone numbers) and features Telethon stalwarts Bob Parker (not yet mayor of Christchurch), Jon Gadsby and Michele A’Court. Unlike real Telethons, the video is lacking in scores of excited children, middle-aged men doing comedy dances and inappropriate kissing. But there’s still a lot of fun and MC OJ makes a cameo as a camera guy.

Director: Mark Trethewey
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

The Backyard featuring Rodney Fisher “Hold Me Close”

So, this is an unusual situation. “Hold Me” close is in the NZ On Air database as being funded in June 2006, but the video doesn’t seem to have been released until 2012. So either it’s a situation where the funding for an earlier song was swapped for a different one, or The Backyard just took a really long time to make the “Hold Me Close” video. The video is set in a London terrace house and household objects get up to no good (via stop-motion animation) while Rodney is snoozing. Sometimes it feels like stop-motion for the sake of stop-motion, and the strongest parts are those with scenes being projected on the back wall of the house at night.

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