Tag Archives: music video

Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting”

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Tonight MTV premiered the music video painting for Kanye West’s new single “Power.”  Kanye started to hype the one minute forty-three second video/painting hybrid yesterday on his blog and Twitter account.  He constantly made sure to specifiy that the final product would not be a music video but instead a “painting”.  The video begins with a close-up of Kanye’s face with two lines of parallel pillars behind him.  As the track plays, the camera slowly pans outward to reveal scantily-clad women donning horns, canes, and wings.  Almost immediately you realize that this is not a traditional music video but instead a slow moving painting taking place in the clouds among angels and demons.  After only one verse the video draws to its conclusion when the camera starts to sporatically dart around the scene.  Then the mystical creatures disappear, two men fly through the air with swords aimed for Kanye’s head (and another one dangling above him through a halo ring), and the letters P-O-W-E-R filled with images from the video take over the screen.

Artist Marco Brambilla directed the video; he successfully invokes Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel, his source for inspiration, by placing historical characters and creatures in the neoclassical scenery.  Kanye approaced Brambilla after watching his tremendous specticle “Civilization.”  Click here for a brief behind-the-scenes look at the making of the “Power” video.  (NSFW warning: It does contain minor instances of nudity.)

I have one word to describe what Kanye has done here: interesting.  It’s definitely a bold risk for a music video for two obvious reasons.  One, it’s not really a music video, it’s a “painting”; and two, it does not encompass the entire song.  That said, the art direction is spectacular and the featured goddesses are a nice treat.  I also like the way it was filmed; the slow panning, the quick darting shots, and the awesome illusion on the eyes that made it look like Kanye was moving ever-so-slightly towards us all made for a high value viewing.  I am disappointed that “Power” will not be getting a standard music video that it so rightfully deserves.  I’d almost rather purchase an enlarged poster of this living portrait than watch it in video form.  But this is what Kanye wanted, and Kanye gets what Kanye wants.  Unconventional as it may be, the “painting” proves to be stylistically impressive and easy on the eyes.

P.S. – That poster idea got me thinking.  Watch the video in HD, take a screen cap of your favorite part, and now you have an groovy background image for your computer.  You’re welcome. Continue reading Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting” →

Music video: Linkin Park – “The Catalyst”

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After a three year absence Linkin Park is back.  Their fourth studio album A Thousand Suns drops on September 14.  The first single off the album is called “The Catalyst”.  The band decided to take a non-traditional route in promoting the track in collaboration with the upcoming video game Medal of Honor.  The video, directed by Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn, mashes together live and gameplay combat footage; the result is pretty stellar.

[Via EW-MusicMix]

The Guild’s latest music video goes Bollywood! [Update: iTunes DL link]

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I still can’t get “(Do You Wanna Date) My Avatar” out of my head and now there’s this!  At this year’s Comic Con acclaimed web series The Guild unveiled their latest creation, Bollywood-inspired music video.  The lyrics are catchy (again), the production value is top notch, and the art direction is superb (thanks to the enormously talented Greg Aronowitz).  So watcha waiting for?  Jump in and GAME ON!

Update: Great new, Guildies!  “Game On” is now available to purchase for keeps at iTunes.  Since it was placed in the digital store it quickly climbed the charts to become the #1 top-selling pop music video in the US and UK, surpassing the likes of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.  The video currently stands at the #2 spot behind Kenny Chesney for top-selling overall music video.  Help the cause, purchase a copy, and let’s make “Game On” the top-selling music video today!

Discover new music: Mark Russell

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Last week a good friend of mine introduced me to a brand new artist whose voice will likely take the industry by storm.  Mark Russell is a singer-songwriter at heart, but he can easily supplement his powerful voice with piano keys and guitar strings.  Back in college his talent afforded him the opportunity to open for renowned acts like Avril Lavigne, One Republic, Hanson, and Robin Thicke.  Since then Russell decided to enter the biz as a solo artist under Wright Entertainment Group management, and the musical content that has materialized thus far is simply superb.

Embedded above is Russell’s most recent music video.  In it he performs “I Believe”, a song originally produced by alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls in 1995.  One day in the studio he teamed up with another client under his management company and started belting out his own version of the inspiring track.  Russell shares, “In the spirit of sharing charity, I wanted to give away this song in hopes that those of you who have experienced tragedy this year might find some comfort in it, and perhaps the rest of us can be re-inspired to reach out and do something good.”  Download “I Believe” for free here.

What makes Russell stand out is that he sings from the heart, and you can feel his emotions pour out of the lyrics (thanks to his strong voice) and the instruments he plays.  He’s got a very rustic, fresh vibe to his look and sound; artists with qualities like these are always welcome to jumpstart an industry crammed with uniformity.  Russell has the ingredients to become an immensely popular and successful pop-rock musician with his impressive vocal range.  It only takes a few beats in his rendition of “I Believe” to hear it.

Be sure to check out his YouTube page if you like what you hear in this video.  There you’ll find original content plus a notable acoustic cover of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”.  Russell is currently bringing his act to locations around the country.  Keep tabs on his official web site and Facebook page to follow his whereabouts and other updates.  If you’re digging his talent as much as I am right now, spread the word and let’s get Mark Russell to start climbing the charts.

[Thanks for the tip, Matt]

Music video: Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) – “Crossfire”

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Nine years after forming the alt-rock band The Killers, lead vocalist Brandon Flowers has decided to try it solo.  The album is called Flamingo and it’s due out September 14.  The first single “Crossfire” was released on June 21.  One helleva awesome music video was made for it earlier this month and it’s embedded for your viewing pleasure above.  In it Flowers finds himself in many situations where he’s held captive by ninjas.  And every time the sexy Charlize Theron is there to rescue him.  The music video was shot beautifully (thanks to direction from Nash Edgerton) and the combat choreography is really impressive.  And oh yeah, Flowers sounds great.  Something tells me he’ll do just fine ridin’ solo.  Peek after the break for a quick behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video. Continue reading Music video: Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) — “Crossfire” →

Music video: Bethany Cosentino, Rostam Batmanglij & Kid Cudi – “All Summer”

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Converse (yes, the sneaker company) brought together Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast, Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, and rapper Kid Cudi to create a collab track for their “Three Artists, One Song” campaign.  The song was released first (download it here), and a fun music video followed (watch above).  The song matches our current season pretty well, what with its upbeat tempo and catchy verses.  Say, don’t those papercraft heads look mighty familiar?

[Via DatNewCudi]

Mr Hudson’s debut album finally releases stateside

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It’s been a long time coming for British musician Mr Hudson.  Though you’ve probably heard of him from Jay-Z’s recent single “Young Forever”, Hudson has been in the music biz since 2007 when he dropped his first album A Tale of Two Cities.  Back then he was in a band called Mr Hudson & the Library.  Having listened to his debut album and working alongside him at his Glow in the Dark tour, rapper Kanye West fell in love with Hudson’s sound, and so he decided to sign him to his G.O.O.D. music label.  Hudson graciously accepted and started to work on his debut solo album Straight No Chaser, which would be executive produced by Kanye.  The 12-track album includes singles “There Will Be Tears“, “Supernova” (Featuring Kanye West), “White Lies“, “Everything Is Broken” (Featuring Kid Cudi), and “Anyone But Him” (Featuring Kanye West).  It released in the UK way back on October 19, 2009.  After numerous delays, it was finally made available to purchase and download in the U.S. on June 29, 2010.  The UK version contains two additional tracks (“Lift Your Head” & a Calvin Harris remix of “Supernova”).

The best way to describe Mr Hudson’s music is alternative hip hop/electro-pop, if that makes any sense.  Straight No Chaser is a breakup album, so naturally it features heavy bass thumping tracks with softer ones to balance it all out.  Hudson is a fan of auto-tune, and so a number of the tracks include him using it.  Interestingly, he eliminates the use of auto-tune when he’s touring; he finds it to be a fun and useful tool when working in the studio.  Having listened to the album only once all the way through, I am not ready to formally review it yet.  However I can say that Mr Hudson is going to be huge.  He is a gifted artist with a knack for writing and beatmaking.  I’d really like to see him perform live someday.  Just read these choice words from collaberator Kanye West: “I believe Mr Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation.”  Again, that comes from Kanye West!

Be sure to look after the break for some more Hudson content.  You’ll find music videos for “Instant Messenger” and “Central Park”, plus there’s a short trailer that celebrates the U.S. release of the record. Continue reading Mr Hudson’s debut album finally releases stateside →

Music video: Janelle Monáe – “Tightrope” (Remix) (Featuring B.o.B & Lupe Fiasco)

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Here’s the music video for the “Wondamix” verison of Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope”.  The original version features Big Boi; this one’s got B.o.B and Lupe Fiasco.  The remix is available as an iTunes download, as is Monáe’s new studio album The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III).  She’s got this indie-pop/afro-punk/soulful swagga’ to her voice and style, and I like it.  And B.o.B and Lupe make for nice additions to the track.

Music video: Sara Bareilles – “King Of Anything”

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“King of Anything” is the first single off Sara Bareilles’ second studio album.  Kaleidoscope Heart is the followup album to 2008’s Little Voice that featured the break out hit Love Song.  You can pre-order the 14 track album right here.  And “King of Anything” is available to download today, as is the music video.  Sara Bareilles sounds great in this first single, and I have no doubt that Kaleidoscope Heart will please your ears.  It releases September 7.  (Don’t you just love this music video?  The hand clapping and multiple camera shots are fun!)

Music video: Lady Gaga – “Alejandro”

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Gaga’s latest music video (or should I say short film) comes in at just under nine minutes.  It features a number of men with bowl-cuts and a half naked Lady Gaga for nearly the entire video.  Though there’s some story being told here, I really have no clue as to what’s going on.  At one point Gaga goes Madonna donning black slacks and a machine-gun bra.  I find this single to be one of her weaker hits to make it mainstream, and yet I still have the song stuck in my head after watching this.  So, uh, go on and watch it for yourself and see if you can make sense of it all.  Good luck.  Look after the break for a bonus video! Continue reading Music video: Lady Gaga — “Alejandro” →

Music video: Eminem – “Not Afraid”

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Here’s the music video for Eminem’s first single off his next album “Not Afraid.”  In it you see Eminem rap in a basement, push his way through a maze of mirrors, and fly above a destroyed city (with a not so subtle ad for Beats by Dre plastered in the background).  Does Eminem rise from the wreckage that he believes was his last album Relapse with this chart-topping single?  Download the song at iTunes.  Recovery drops June 22.

Single: T.I. – “Got Your Back” (Featuring Keri Hilson) & “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)” [Update]

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Yeah Ya Know

So we all know T.I. is “Back.”  But is he bringing the goods?  With fresh singles “Got Your Back” and “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)” released into the wild, I can answer that question with a resounding yes.  “Got Your Back” features a classic T.I. beat behind a catchy chorus provided by the talented and sexy Keri Hilson.  “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)”, produced by Smash Factory and DJ Toomp, doubles as a promotional track for T.I.’s new feature film Takers which hits theatres August 20.  In it, Tip proves that prison didn’t change him, it made him better.  A medley of heavy drums, synth, guitar riffs, and fast lyrics makes the track an instant hit.  Preview and download the two singles below.  King Uncaged is expected to drop August 17.

Download: “Got Your Back” (Featuring Keri Hilson)”

[audio: T.I. – Got Your Back (Featuring Keri Hilson).mp3]

Download: “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)”

[audio: T.I. – Yeah Ya Know (Takers).mp3]

Update: The “music video” for “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)” is out now.  I put music video in quotes because it’s more like an extended theatrical trailer for T.I.’s new movie Takers, starring Matt Dillion, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez,Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, and Tip himself.  It’s due out in theatres August 20.  Find the video after the break.

[Via Dajaz1; TheSmokingSection] Continue reading Single: T.I. — “Got Your Back” (Featuring Keri Hilson) & “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)” [Update] →