April 2005 – Page 2 – 5000 Ways to Love You

Evermore “Dreams Call Out To Me”

This video is a lot of like Betchadupa’s video for “My Army of Birds and Gulls”. That is, it’s footage of the band superimposed in an animated dream world with a simple colour palette. I haven’t been able to find out who directed either of the videos, but it’s always possible they came from the same place.

The song starts out with a gentle pace, accompanied by scenes of the Hume bros floating in a golden world of stars, clouds and trees. Lots of trees. All the Evemore videos so far have taken place in magical dream worlds. It makes me really want to see them in a contemporary rock setting.

About three quarters of the way through, the song suddenly goes up an octave and the drama intensifies. This could be a cue for the video to get to get just as forceful, but it continues with the same level of peaceful tree love. This undermines the impact of the song. A gentle falling autumn leaf doesn’t really signal a big rock moment.

Best bit: the giant spider, who at least makes an effort when the band rock out.

Next… well, you’re not getting the bond back.

Donald Reid “Forget Myself”

Donald Reid is the brother of James From The Feelers, and he has a similar gravelly tone to his voice as his bro as well as the same MOR pop sensibility. The bio on Donald’s official website claims that Donald’s high school band Written in Red “were awarded “Best Music Video” at the New Zealand Music Awards” but there’s no record of that in Recorded Music NZ’s archive, nor does Google produce reveal any mentions of any similar award.

Anyway, grown-up Donald’s video begins with a woman watching a DVD of Donald performing the song. The footage is project on the wall of her lounge – for that fully immersive Donald Reid home cinema experience – so most of his performance is shown with the ghostly look of projected footage.

We don’t see much of the woman. The video is mainly Donald performing the song in various settings. A long sequence of medium-close-up shots of Donald Reid singing gets pretty boring.

Despite the fact that the song is being addressed to a “you” and there’s a love interest in the video, the song is really all about the singer, so that’s at least an excuse to put all the attention on him – but it doesn’t mean the video actually has to do that. Unless it is intended that the video viewer takes the place of the woman, essentially becoming Donald’s sweetie. But that’s a bit much to ask of a humble music video viewer.

Best bit: Donald’s mini freak-out moment on the front steps.

Post by Donald Reid & The Hand.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… autumnal shades.

Dei Hamo featuring Chong Nee “This Is My Life”

Dei Hamo teams up with Chong Nee for a declaration of his goals in life. That’s good. It helps to have goals.

Much of the video takes place in front of a CGI background. It’s pretty basic – just yellow pillars and plain red backdrops. It was likely made using the coolest technology at the time, but a decade later it ends up looking really cheap. The better scenes involve real settings, or real props in front of a CGI background .

Dei Hamo shares his wish to buy fancy cars for himself and his dad, and he goes into quite specific technical detail about the car, which takes the video into Top Gear territory. But as Dei Hamo explained to the Herald in 2005, “Kids are always asking me, ‘Where’s your big red truck?’ If I really had that much money I’d be very modest.”

There’s also a scene dedicated to technology. Dei Hamo is shown in playing a Nintendo DS, his “email address” is shown on screen (deihamo@yo.mammas.house.com, lolz). “I’ll get my lawyer to fax you back”, Dei Hamo threatens, knowing the brutal force of ’80s communication technology. Even more fierce – Dei Hamo takes a phone call on his Pocket PC phone with a flip-out keyboard and running Windows Mobile. Embarrassed 4 u, dude.

Much of the song is about how Dei Hamo is so cool because his rhymes are so fresh – and that is true. But musically the song is a bit flat (the chorus is forgettable) and the video involves so much that it ends up feeling quite unfocused.

Best bit: the parody of Eminem in 8 Mile, complete with the sign reading “8km to South Auckland” (Mt Wellington?)

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… the brother of that guy in that band.

Dave Dobbyn “Pour The Wine”

Dave Dobbyn’s music videos are usually quite interesting, but this one is just really forgettable.

Dave is playing the song with his band in an underground bar. The video is shot with desaturated colour, so it’s virtually black and white with mild hints of red. Sometimes the footage is full screen, other times it’s split into two or three boxes on screen. It’s achingly dull.

Five years later, in 2010, Cee Lo Green released the lyric video for his song “Fuck You”. This was the first modern dynamic lyric video and it sparked the now ordinary craft of lyric videos. And it sets a benchmark: is the “Pour the Wine” video more interesting than it would be if it were a lyric video? No. I would rather see the lyrics on screen (or just listen to the song on its own) than go to the effort of watching this boring video. Or maybe the Mint Chicks could come along with their felt-tip pens and scribble over the vid.

DD’s videos don’t have to all be as bold as “Don’t Hold Your Breath”, but he’s such a legendary performer that his videos should capture at least some of that spirit.

Best bit: Dave’s satisfied smile at the end, which is nice.

Director: Tim Groenendaal
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… the importance of having goals.

Breaks Co-Op “Settle Down”

After the top 10 single “Otherside”, the Co-Operative return with “Settle Down”. It’s a bitter kiss-off to a bad friendship, someone who “did my girl a favour”. Oh, one of those situations.

The video is a montage of old American educational films, specifically a medical film and a hunting safety film. The result is footage of two young men going hunting in a wintery landscape, cut with strange, ominous medical diagrams.

The two guys split up, one wearing a bright orange jacket, the other in a more subtle beige. This choice to dress in neutrals proves to be a fatal move. The orange jacket guy mistakes his beige friend for a deer (moose? elk? antelope?) and accidentally shoots him in the arm, then runs away and drives off in his car. Has he gone for medical help or is he just freaking out and leaving the scene of the crime?

A calming doctor appears at the end to remind viewers (via subtitles) that blood is thicker than water. Though, as we saw earlier, snow is thicker than blood. As well as illustrating the lyrical theme of friendship troubles, the video also serves as a reminder of the importance of wearing bright colourful clothing when out hunting. Unless, of course, you do actually intend to shoot your friend.

Best bit: the model of a torso with a flaming heart.

Next… a man in a bar.

Baitercell & Schumacher feat. Flow On Show and Niki Ahu “Gimme”

While previous Baitercell & Schumacher songs have used guest vocals, the videos never seem to feature the singers, instead relying on sci-fi worlds created by computer graphics. Things are very different in the “Gimme” video.

The video is set in reality and stars guest vocalists Niki Ahu and Flow on Show. And who needs a grainy CGI landscape when you have the old abandoned, graffiti-covered stands of Carlaw Park?

The performers are joined by two groups of dudes – one in white, the other in black. Things seem tense, but before it erupts into a Stanley Street version of West Side Story, everyone comes together to unite in dance. Wearing both black and white together (monochrome – so 2013) everyone enjoys some fresh B-boy moves.

The CGI worlds of Baitercell & Schumacher’s earlier videos are fine, but there’s just something that much more captivating about real people, singing and dancing in a music video. Let that be a cautionary tale for any bands thinking of making an animated video.

Best bit: the concrete block that seems to have magical powers.

Other thing: the lyrics name-check Kanye West’s debut single, “Through the Wire”, only a couple of years old.

Director: Sophie Findlay
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… an educational film.

4 Corners “On the Downlow”

After previously appearing as guest vocalists on a couple of P-Money tracks, Hamilton hip hop trio 4 Corners returned with the first of their own videos. “On the Downlow” is an uplifting, soul-sampling number and the video initially emphasises the soul by using a full band. Take that, Kendrick.

But a straight performance video just isn’t enough when 4 Corners have an important announcement to make: they’re from Hamilton, y’all. The band move outside, specifically to Boyes Park in central-ish Hamilton. They rap in front of the scenic fountains, but obviously the fountains were not cool enough, as a basketball hoop has been brought along to make the pretty park look a bit gritty and urban.

Back in the central city, there’a bit of graffiti on a wall next to the polytech, then they’re down to the Ferrybank park to pose by the Bridge Street Bridge, all lit up at night. Finally the whole gang pose in front the entrance to Hamilton Central. It’s a really bold, dramatic shot, though slightly undermined when you know that Hamilton Central is a bland mall, which always seems to be 90% empty shops. But hey, it has a big sign that looks cool in a music video.

This video serves a mini tour around Hamilton and it’s again inspired me to plot the locations on a Google map.

But here’s the thing. This dorky tour of Hamilton is cool and all, but there has to be a point where Hamilton bands move from “Wahey! We’re in Hamilton” and just use the 07 location as an incidental location, not focal point of the video.

Best bit: The killer line, “Sulphur’s in the air like Rotorua and Gomorrah.”

Director: Andrew Sorenson

Next… black, white, monochrome.