April 2007: Tiki Taane, Tim Guy, Tommy, Tourist, Tyree

Into the sea, welcome to a doll house, America, an off-brand MP3 player, and a nice day for the beach.

Tiki Taane “Tangaroa”

Far removed from the party dub of Salmonella Dub, Tiki Taane goes deep with “Tangaroa”. He’s standing on a beach, connecting with the god of the ocean. After hongiing with an old woman, he transcends into a trancelike state where his connection with tikanga Maori will help him rise above the pressures of modern life (city living, P, lines of cheap speed). The video is beautifully filmed and tells a simple but strong story.

Director: Carey Carter
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Tim Guy “Cater For Lovers”

“Cater For Loves” is a cute love song, and it was Tim Guy’s only funded video. The video stars actor Liesha Ward Knox, whose parents (artist Barbara Ward and musician Chris Knox) were both involved in the production of videos in the ’90s. Leisha and Guy play a creative couple who are making a doll’s house. They end up shrinking down (or does the house expand?) and play house, with Leisha looking like Trudy Campbell from Mad Men. It’s a cute creation, and the bed made from a Beehive box of matches is a nice touch.

Director: James Solomon

Tommy “Call to America”

Tommy is a band fronted by a guy called Tommy. “Call to America” is a protest song, a perfect capsule of the way America was seen in the pre-Obama part of the ’00s. Though for a protest song, the lyrics are sometimes indistinct and difficult to understand. The video was shot in the American desert, with Tommy wandering around with his guitar, occasionally joined by a woman in a floaty white dress. It is on an absolute knife edge between sincere and cheesy.

Director: Geoffrey S. McNeil
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Tourist “Picture Perfect”

Lead singer Peter takes a stroll along Marine Parade in Seatoun. A song called “Picture Perfect” has gone for a rather lovely seaside Wellington location, but as with Wellington, there’s always a sense of menace lingering. The rugged coast looks cold (everyone is wearing long sleeves), and if he wandered a long the coast a bit more, he’d come to the Wahine Memorial Park. So goth.

Director: David Paul
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Tyree “Would You Mind”

“Would You Mind” sounds strongly influenced by Nelly’s 2000 single “Ride Wit Me” – i.e., it’s a surprisingly dated sound for 2007. The video follows Tyree around downtown Auckland, into a pool hall. At the same time his love interest is walking around listening to an mp3 player that looks like an iPod but isn’t. It’s just a very ordinary hip hop video and comes to an abrupt halt when suddenly a preview of Young Sid’s non-funded video for “Hood Like Me” takes over, like a cool dude coming along and ruining his friend’s romantic date.

Director: Andrew Morton
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

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