June 2009: Inverse Order, J Williams, Katchafire, Kids of 88, Kidz In Space, Kirsten Morrell

Water and electricity, midnight dance-off, going back to Cali, gang fight, pixels and chaos, and bored office workers.

Inverse Order “Quell”

https://youtu.be/eQfT082M9uA

“Quell” was Inverse Order’s second and final funded video before they regrouped and ditched their high school rock band name and became Villainy.  The “Quell” video is dark and moody, with a black studio lit with fluorescent tubes and wetness. There’s a sense of maturity and experience that a lot of bands never manage, but while the video looks great and they deliver a great performance, the song isn’t all that memorable. The “Quell” video was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2010 Juice TV awards.

Director: Someone from Fish & Clips, it seems

J Williams featuring Erakah and Tyree “Your Style”

The video opens with J and his pals sneaking into the Hawkins Theatre in Papakura. They’re there to put on a show to a small but eager of their gal pals. It’s a cool, romantic R&B jam and the duet with Erakah makes it reminiscent of J. Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body”. The video features lots of dancing, as J is joined by a troupe of hip hop dancers. The situation of J Williams and Tyree both professing their love for Erakah is never acknowledged which is a pity – an R&B song dealing with the reality of polyamory would be a bold subject for a New Zealand music video.

Director: Ivan Slavov

Katchafire “Doesn’t Anybody”

The “Doesn’t Anybody” video was shot in Southern California, but in this case the location was the result of the band being in SoCal to play some gigs. The business-like reason for their travel is obvious in the video. Rather than an endless “I”m in Cali!!!” montage, the video starts with the band relaxing by a pool, then moves on to footage of their gigs in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach and Long Beach. That’s right, they’re a gigging reggae band with an international fanbase, doing what they love.

Director: Nik Martinez

Kids of 88 “Just a Little Bit”

Guys, I love this song and I love this video. That’s my baseline, my disclosure. Plus, it has the lyric “let’s get unprofessional” which is amazing. The Kids of 88 feature more in this video than in “My House”, but there’s still the sense that they’re not quite ready to be rock stars. The video distracts us with brawling chicks, long-haired model types (and the hair is flying everywhere), engaging in some slow-mo scrapping in front of a wall of fluorescent tubes. It’s extremely camp. So camp that two men (some sort of match officials?) get right into the spirit and start humping each other. It all works because it’s done with the utmost sincerity. No one is playing for laughs, and it all comes with a killer pop soundtrack. “Just a Little” won Best Music Video at the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards and Best Electronic Music Video at the 2010 Juice TV Awards.

Director: Tim van Dammen

Kidz In Space “Lose My Cool”

Kids in Space continue with their pixelly adventures, taking inspiration from computer games of the 1990s. The video feels a bit messy, mainly as a result of its cheesy computer graphics aesthetic. There’s just so much, in so many different styles that it feels like the video is sinking below the catchy electropop/hip hop track.

Director: Tim van Dammen

Kirsten Morrell “Cherry Coloured Dreams”

Kirsten Morrell has her first solo single, “Cherry Coloured Dreams”. The video casts her as an office girl, joined by five other co-workers/dancers, all sitting at desks with giant CRT monitors. Which is a weird detail, because by 2009, any self-respecting modern office would be using flatscreen monitors. The office is lit with comforting pink lighting and Kirsten and her colleagues deliver some simple dance moves. It feels like there isn’t enough happening in the video, leaving it feeling like an office party, rather than a dream fantasy dance routine.

Director: Ivan Barge

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