August 2009: Misfits of Science, Nesian Mystik, Opensouls, P-Money, Pistol Youth, PNC

Bound in streetwear, the boys go to work, murderation, four corners of the globe, and an ordinary life.

Misfits of Science “Funny Money”

The premise behind this video is there’s a bunch of people (including the Misfits of Science) tied up while strange things are going on. But it’s not that simple. Apart from the Misfits, all the other tied-up people are women. Scantily clad women. And it probably goes without saying that the Misfits are not at all scantily clad, instead covered top to toe in streetwear, without an inch of flesh below their necks exposed. The video is really nicely shot, it looks good, but it’s just so tiresome seeing the women treated like exotic sexy props.

Director: Marc Swadel

Nesian Mystik featuring Wise “Sacrifice”

https://youtu.be/wTzqUGl4jR8

“Sacrifice” has a bit of everything thrown in – the traditional Nesian hip hop style, some electric guitar, Fatman Scoop-style hyping, Wise’s Japanese rap, and the electronic style that was infiltrating every corner of pop in the late 2000s. The video puts the Nesian boys and Wise in front of a couple of screens and largely lets them go to work with their hugely charismatic and energetic performances. Animated song lyrics also pop up on screen, but the video doesn’t rely on the effects.

Director: Luke Sharpe

Opensouls “Standing in the Rain”

“Standing in the Rain” casts Opensouls as gruesome killers and murder victims, stark contrast to the sweet classic R&B ballad that provides the soundtrack. Back when the main medium for music videos was television, the general rule was that music videos should be created with a G rating in mind. But when the video is mainly going to be seen on YouTube, the restrictions are much more liberal. That’s not to say it’s particularly graphic – it’s mostly shot like a fashion spread, with artistic tableaux. There’s just one scene where one person is about to beat another with a golf club, that it moves towards violence.

Director: Tim van Dammen

P-Money featuring Vince Harder “Love Alone” – missing

Normally I’d think this video hadn’t been made, but yet there it is in the archive at Nga Taonga. “Love Alone” is a super cool dance track, with even cooler vocals by Vince Harder. Around the same time, P-Money released the non-funded video for “Say Yeah”, featuring David Dallas and Aaradhna.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Pistol Youth “Problematic”

Pistol Youth was a long-distance collaborative project between Bradley from Steriogram and bandmates in New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. The song is nothing remarkable, but the video is surprisingly fun, as it involves the four band members each on his home turf. Brad is rocking out in the Hollywood Hills, Michael adds his guitar from Circular Quay in Sydney, Gavin has taken his drums to the top of Mt Eden, and Anders has brought his bass to the Älvsborg Bridge in Göteborg. Well, why not? And just so it’s not four guys playing alone, they are also joined by cardboard cutouts of the rest of the band. There’s just something very geographically satisfying about it all.

Director: Adam Jones
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

PNC “1/2 Kast”

“1/2 Kast” is PNC’s exploration of his mixed-raced background. The sound has a very simple arrangement, with just a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. The video keeps it just as simple. It’s based around PNC sitting in a cafe, rapping at his table. The video is very careful to not be too boastful – we also see scenes from PNC’s ordinary life – eating breakfast, going to the toilet, and doing his laundry. Just an ordinary mixed-race New Zealander going about his daily business.

Director: Warren Green

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