Juicy fruits, Plan 9 from inner space, furry monsters, musical fears, a grave issue and an ethical conundrum.
Brutally Frank “Unceasing”
This video was inspired by on the short film “Musical Chairs” by Hweiling Ow, a dark tale of a woman who finds herself involved in a deadly game of musical chairs. (It was also remade in 2013 with less lols and more gore.) “Unceasing” turns the nonspecific setting of “Musical Chairs” into a mental hospital full of straitjackets, padded cells and thuggish orderlies. The plot of the musical chairs game is frequently interrupted by shots of the lead singer doing pantomime crazy eyes in his padded well. The short film’s twist is allowed to play out as if it’s no big deal and the video ends with more psych ward cliches.
Director: Ivan Slavov
Cyphanetik “Till My Death”
This video uses green screen to place Cyphanetik in the Symonds Street Cemetery. And mostly it’s Cyphanetik rapping with shots of graves and spooky trees in the background. But then there’s one shot that superimposes him on top of a grave and, nah, that’s not cool. I guess the most heartbreaking thing is the idea that this historic graveyard is treated as a cheap, spooky location for music video.
Director: Guy Tichborne
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Daniel Munro “Journal”
“Journal” is a gentle folky tune, which suggests a gently folky music. But things are far too weird for that. Wearing a white suit, Daniel wanders the streets at night and acquires a candle and a clothes peg. He then meets up with some white-furred monsters where he uses the two items to help with some sort of baptism in the sea. It’s just nice to have a video for a gentle folky song that doesn’t involve a guy driving around in the bush.
Director: thedownlowconcept
Dukes “Vampires”
“Vampires” was Dukes’ lone hit single, reaching No.9 in 2010. The “Vampires” video eschews blood for rich red berry fruits, and that’s where the video’s appeal lies. If you enjoy seeing people stuffing boysenberries in their gobs and getting juice and pulp all over their face, then, boy, is this the video for you. It also manages to reference the notorious eyeball-cutting scene from the 1929 film “Un Chien Andalou”, carefully using a tomato instead of a pig’s eye and ensuring that all those first-year film studies classes weren’t wasted.
Director: James Solomon
Ethical “On My Throne”
Here’s the opening line from Ethical’s bio: “In a degenerating world of hip hop driven by sex, guns and bling, one who chooses the name Ethical has a few stereotypes to erase and a great many to live up to.” So his musical video is going to be pretty right-on, yeah? The song is Ethical checking in with his many career achievements (his bio always describes him as “humble”) but the craziest thing is the booty girls. There are lady crotches, so many crotches. Sometimes there are legs at the bottom of these crotches. Other times it is revealed that there is a torso and head above the lady crotches. The video also features Ethical and his entourage hooning around on Segways, hanging out in streets full of McMansions. Either it’s a massive pisstake or Ethical’s ethical guidelines need adjusting.
Director: Joe Lonie
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
False Start “This Is My Life (But You’re The Worst Of Actors)”
Ah, it’s our first super long emo rock song title, inspired by the epic titles of Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco. The video takes inspiration from the classic “bad” movie Plan 9 From Outer Space, and creates a ghoulish 1950s B-grade movie, complete with wobbling pops, UFOs on fishing lines, and a seductive Vampira type. It’s not quite as much fun as Ed Wood’s original, but still amusing.
Director: Anthony Plant