delphic + andy huang: doubt.

I love the artistic study of the collision between the digital and organic, and the idea of a point where our physical evolution meets mutation and takes a shocking genetic leap forward. I’m drawn to depictions of that intersection where our microchips merge with our bodies, and how we’re forced to consider how the rest of us may react when the first of us transcend the boundary of the human and the mechanical and transform into an unimaginable new hybrid.

The new video for amazing alt-electronic outfit Delphic’s “Doubt” is a stunning physical metaphor for emotional mutation. Their faces and bodies crystalize, galvanize, and alchemize themselves against their emotional trauma and manifest into a physical protection for, and even aggression against, their new emotional world. Like second skins, metallic armours and cellular defenses slowly spread across their bodies.

Reminding me of the amazing genetic mutational imaginings of Lucyandbart, the vid is directed by another artist with experience in visualizing the future.I first discovered Andy Huang over two years ago with his spectacular short film “Doll Face”, a story of robotic narcissism that has to be seen to be believed, which he followed up with his sinister and disturbing “The Gloaming.”

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Via No Zap

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mirrorshade + holy fuck: royal gregory.

I hate to think of my music video tastes as a foregone conclusion, but this vid has the hallmarks of everything I love: retro, colour, pixellation, Cubism, profanity, electro, a hint of Bauhaus, and video game references. I can’t stop myself and nor would I want to.

Directed late in ’09 by London-based shop Mirrorshade for Toronto’s own (Polaris Prize nominees) Holy Fuck’s ’08 track “Royal Gregory.”

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Via Motionographer

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sia + dennis liu: you’ve changed.

Sia is one of those musicians who can pretty much do no wrong when it comes to videos. I loved her Claire Carre directed vid for “Soon We’ll Be Found”, and  though not quite as esoteric as Björk or as fearless as Fever Ray, she’s definitely inside a pack of artists who take the video medium as an opportunity to do quality work that augments and enhances their music instead of merely presenting it.

In her latest Australian single, “You’ve Changed”, Sia took a more light-hearted, pop culture referenced route. Directed by Dennis Liu (who also created the mega-popular Mac video for The Bird & The Bee’s “Again and Again”), this parody of Rock Band has a makeshift, arts and crafts feel that makes the extreme nerdy awkwardness of it’s teenage “players” particularly bang on. Inventive through, it’s totally witty, loaded with winks to gamers, and even manages to be a little heartwarming and optimistic at the end.

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alva noto / carsten nicolai : unitxt u_08-1

I have a mild obsession with Japanese vending machines. I also have a mild obsession with things that light up. Throw in some experimental French electro-ambient, and I’m sold. Easy as that.

This was shot in Tokyo; Japanese vids always looks so sharp. The quality of the light is so austere and tight, like the light can cut. Seriously, the Japanese are putting something in their lightbulbs: extra tungsten or awesomeness or something only they know about. Sound artist Carsten Nicolai directed this vid for Alva Noto‘s “UNITXT u_08-1”, featuring the voice of Anne-James Chaton.

Here’s the thing: Carsten and Alva are the same person. Carsten Nicolai is the man, Alva Noto is his musical persona. Thought they both have their own website. Gotta love Germans…

david o’reilly + u2: i’ll go crazy if i don’t go crazy tonight.

Irish-born, Berlin-based animator and film-maker David O’Reilly is a full out genius. He’s one of my favourite animators; his work is fully next level and it forces your brain to adjust to his sense of scale and dimension. You could fight it and convince yourself that it’s simplistic, or you can work to understand it and then fully realize the scope of his genius. Like the highest forms of art, he relentlessly pushes his medium forward.

For proof check out his brilliant “Please Say Something”, which deservedly was just chosen as one of the 5 finalists for the Cartoon d’Or 2009 competition from the European Assosciation of Animation Film.

This kind of surprised me, but his latest release is a video for U2’s “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.” This is a definite collision of the avante-garde and the mainstream. I’m not really into U2, but, and I’ll admit I’m totally biased here, I think O’Reilly’s animation raises a fairly banal song into something far greater that it would be on its own.

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wild beasts + ruth render: hooting & howling.

I’m into this. I like the whole minor-key funeral elegy vibe at the beginning, and, I’ll admit it, I’m a big sucker for anything that’s nicely shot underwater. I think it’s from the approximately 5000 times I watched “Splash” when I was a little kid.

I’m a big kid now, but I still get that same elemental, transformative water-feelings from the vid for Wild Beasts’ “Hooting & Howling”, directed by Ruth Render.

pride week: sigur rós: viðrar vel til loftárása.

Sigur Rós makes music so beautiful it can convey pain. So exquisitely fine that it can carry the darkest feelings we know and make it understandable to everyone.

I really started obsessing about Sigur Rós about five years ago, and I’ve always loved this song, “viðrar vel til loftárása” (which translates into “Good Weather For Airstrikes”) from their second album, “Ágætis byrjun.” And even though the vid dropped in 2002, now that it’s Pride Week in Toronto it feels like the perfect time to take a second look at it.

There’s a certain kind of dehumanization that goes with homophobia. It makes you feel an incredibly specific sort of loss that’s impossible to describe to anyone that hasn’t felt it. Intellectually it can be understood. Morally it can be related to. Human compassion and decency knows that pain is pain and no human should ever intentionally make another human feel it. But it can only be known by those who have lived it.

I think it’s because the most beautiful human emotion – love – is accosted by the most evil human emotion – hatred. Many people are discriminated against for many reasons, but to have your sense of love attacked so caustically by people that don’t know you is a particular kind of poison. It’s like the purest form of our existence being attacked by our darkest. Being told that not only you, but also your universally common desire to share yourself with someone you love is wrong.

I don’t think anyone who hasn’t personally experienced it can truly know how it feels. But this video, in combination with the soul-stirring music of Sigur Rós, comes as close as I’ve ever seen. During the week when more than a million people will come to Toronto to celebrate everything that joins and unites us, this vid can give everyone insight into, and hopefully motivation to keep fighting against, the fear, bigotry, and ignorance that some people use to try to separate us and destroy the human right to love.

ross ching + death cab for cutie: little bribes.

First and foremost I’m a writer, so I always love it when the power of simple text gets used visually. But I’m also a design geek, so when that text is lovingly mutated and brought alive in gorgeous ways, the whole thing is win win. 

Recent San Diego State film grad Ross Ching took two weeks to create this fan vid for Death Cab For Cutie’s “Little Bribes.” 

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All good things travel around from somewhere, and Ching’s vid seems inspired by (or came from the same place of inspiration as) a vid from one of my fave directors on the planet, Australian Kris Moyes. He created this genius bit of stop motion kick ass for Softlightes’ “Heart Made Of Sound.”

In case you missed it, a few years ago Moyes dreamed up one of my fave videos of all time, again for Softlightes, but for “The Microwave Song.” It’s one of the best things ever, and if you think I wasn’t being serious before about respecting the ways artists can be inspired by others, I have a feeling Moyes’ “The Microwave Song” vid was at least a little bit imagined thanks to this clip.

 

 

sportsday megaphone + o w l s: meet me in the middle.

Some sky-castle playground animated radness, dreamed up by the amazing directorial and animation duo O W L S (a.k.a. George Mellor and Hugh Frost) for Sportsday Megaphone’s single “Meet Me In The Middle.”

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In case you missed it, do yourself a favour and check out O W L S’s stellar 2008 vid for
Wax Stag’s “Short Road.” It’s like a million childhood birthdays exploding inside a supernova made of Lego. Plus… there’s cake!

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Via Motiongrapher

bowerbirds + alan poon: in our talons.

This actually came out in August, and I’m a little ashamed I missed it because I love Bowerbirds. Luckily, it popped up this week on Motionographer. Directed by Alan Poon. A fierce and fearless video for a song aiming to show us just how much devastation we’re thrown upon the Earth and those who can’t defend themselves.

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