Says the New Yorker’s pop music critic:
Watching this video, you will wonder, briefly, if Chris Dane Owens “means it.” This is an ungenerous thought—dismiss it. You may also wonder why “Shine On Me” is modelled on early ABC and Spandau Ballet and padded out with an unnecessary layer of loud guitars. Irrelevant. What you need to know is that Mr. Owens will live forever—until the dragons rule the earth again (or the first time, whatever)—and that you are going to watch this video more times than you can imagine. You may dream of this video, but the dream won’t be as good because it won’t be this video.
As far as the genre… well, genre genre goes, this video from Hellx posted a while ago really takes the cake.
Sasha Frere-Jones once wrote an article about how alternative music has no soul. I thought it was interesting. Hellx thought it was stupid. We discussed. Then we argued. Bitterly. Things were said. Maybe too honestly. But the next day he took me in his arms, and everything was better.
Comments
Wow. That video with the white-haired medieval guy and all the chicks was really stupendously awful. I don't know what it was called or who the guy is - no, don't tell me, I'll really be much happier not knowing - but that the-wind-is-always-blowing-in-my-face-whipping-my-hair-back guy really needs to put on a pissy attitude, wear more leather, and take up cello.
Posted by: Thinman | December 30, 2008 1:50 PM
The the-wind-is-always-blowing-in-my-face-whipping-my-hair-back guy could also put on a pissy attitude, wear more leather, and take up one of the infamous twin blades, banes of the Multiverse.
Posted by: garmr | December 30, 2008 10:06 PM
We just went to a Devotchka show over the weekend, playing with Norfolk and Western. N&
W has kind of an alt-country feel, Devotchka more of a gypsy kind of thing, but they're from Colorado. They opened with Venus in Furs by V.U. (I thought, these guys are kind of ripping of the Velvets, what with the viola and all, and then I realized they were playing a cover. Whoops!)
I liked them both. That kind of country/eastern European soul music fits my modestly depressive winter rain mood. Maybe when the sun comes out I'll want some funk.
Climate has close connections to temperment, I think more and more. Someday, when we're all in the same room, I'll tell you why I think North Dakotans and Arabs have a surprising amount of common ground.
Also, FYI - the really freaky hipsters at that kind of show are the ones that hang out in the back, cuz' they need more personal space to dance in. Whoa.
Posted by: doubleohsoul | December 31, 2008 12:11 AM
While the CDO video is pretty amazing, I gotta say that what puts Muse over the top is the fact that the music is as over the top as the video.
Chicks can't do the genre thing like guys can.
Posted by: hellx | January 7, 2009 6:12 PM