Bob Parker’s mischievous monkey, a social media guru, suburban club culture, a knitted audience, and oodles of doodles.
Elemeno P “SOS”
Like the Black Seeds’ video for “Sometimes Enough”, Elemeno P have also taken inspiration from the burgeoning world of social media and online video. “SOS” involves a website called Elemeno P TV, where fans have uploaded videos of lip syncs to “SOS” – and unlike “Sometimes Enough”, these look like legit fans. The video also features a lot of Scotty the drummer, and seems to suggest that his early adoption of social media has led to him becoming the breakout star of the band.
Ill Semantics featuring Devolo “Fiasco”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfI8FZUtF4
I’m not sure why, but this looks a lot more dated then Ill Semantics’ earlier videos. Maybe it’s because “Fiasco” is so packed full of mid-’00s hip hop cliches – low riders, in-the-club action, booty girls. As a result, it’s the unusual things that stand out, like the random shot of the little kids eating pizza. Dawn Raid’s website notes the video was shot in Point England and at Sapphire Bar in the bleak suburban wasteland that is Highland Park. Btw, despite being uploaded to Dawn Raid’s YouTube channel, this video is currently geoblocked to viewers in New Zealand (and Germany) – everywhere else is fine.
Kimbra “Simply On My Lips”
Kimbra’s plan to take over the world continues with the cheerful “Simply On My Lips”. The video looks to be the first funded video by Joel Kefali, later of Special Problems and many New Zealand Music Awards nominations and wins. The video threatens to be a bit goth, with Kimbra sitting on a chair in an empty room, looking gloomy in high-contract black and white. But things soon spring to life, with quirky animations swimming over the wall behind her, a direct descendent of the crazy Tumblr world Kefali created for Katy Perry’s “This Is How We Do” video.
Director: Joel Kefali
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Minuit “Fake”
If the previous video “The Sum of Us” was Minuit doing a love song, “Fake” is Minuit doing rock. So it’s rock filtered through the askew and electronic world of Minuit. The video has rock video style, but it opens with a disco ball and the audience is revealed to be knitted toy animals who are all having a better time your typical music video fake audience member.
Neil Robinson “The Epic Battle of Jude and his Monkey”
Neil Robinson was a Christchurch band and they won the Rockquest in 2006. Their video stars Bob Parker (and like his appearance in Solaa’s “Seek” video, I think this was shot shortly before he was elected mayor). Bob’s leaving them in charge of an empty house where they’re about to play a gig. He warns the band – don’t open the cupboard. Of course they open it, and discover there’s a mischievous gorilla (i.e., a person in a gorilla suit) who wrecks havoc. Disappointingly, Bob never returns to see the damage caused. Just like Danny Watson’s non-return in Goodnight Nurse’s “Taking Over”, this is a wasted opportunity for some music video drama.
Director: Logan McMillan
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision