Bright Eyes, "Four Winds" [Dir. Patrick Daughters]
or MOV: dbureau1.securesites.net
Absolutely!
Actually streaming from AOL.
Discussion Question: What does it mean when Patrick Daughters becomes the 'go-to' director for today's biggest indie bands? What does that say about indie music in 2007?
That's a strange question SPIT. In the mid/late 90's, Hype was the 'go-to' for hiphop vids. But I don't understand how a 'hot' director translates into something meaningful (or not) in a genre of music...
What are you insinuating Spit?
I think it says that there are no other available music video directors in this genre that are as good as Patrick.
I think that what Spit is getting at is that "Indie" music has become very mainstream circa '07. The translation between "hot " director being used for "hot" indie band is that the artists/labels etc. are obviously trying to give a certain image to their work. Maybe Patrick Daughters will make "XYZ" band exciting to teenage consumers. Of course, I think in this case Bright Eyes is already pretty consumer-friendly. The difference between now and say the early 90's, was that people like Beck were doing videos that looked like they were shot by their friends ("Loser" video, anyone know who did it?) Anyway, my response to this question is that it means that Indie music has crossed-over in a big way. In the wake of Garden State, though, this isn't really groundbreaking news.
brilliant!
When an artist/musical genre is "outside the mainstream" the videos/directors comissioned to sell that music are usually equally "outside." In situations like that, the video options will probably end up being wide ranging and eclectic - with no two bands making the same choice. Now that artists like Shins and bright Eyes are carrying pretty serious sales expectations, the pool of "acceptable" directors shrinks accordingly. When money is on the line, real money, safe choices get made.
Just as Hype/Hunter/Meyers were the only viable directors for a band looking to move units in 97, it seems that, today, all the mopey white guys with echo-y guitars are obligated to check either "Patrick" or "Daughters" on their order form.
or maybe patrick daughters just has cogent little ideas that these people like. this is just such a cogent little idea.
Patrick writes really great treatments and has an amazing reel. I've seen some of the ones he didn't get to make and they're incredible. I'd also say that his Maps video is one of the iconic videos of the past few years and every musician I know, knows it well.
Artists I know who have worked with him just say he has a sympathetic air to him that makes him comfortable to work with. He exudes a sense of art but isn't totally anti-commercial. In a good way. He shoots performance incredibly and in an interesting way. Even for the videos of Patrick's I don't like I have to say no one shoots performance like he does.
I don't think it has anything to do with indie. You also get pigeonholed pretty quickly. I'd love to see a Daughters hip hop video but even Michel can barely get a chance to do that. I'd love to do a hip hop video and I know that I have no chance whatsoever.
cogent&sharp, tho not exactly, erm, maiden...
(word, gsumm&30f.)
Patrick's great. If I was an indie band I would check him off on my shortlist of directors.
Maybe I am mis-reading the comments here but it seems that some folks are mis-interpretting the posts by spit, gsummer and myself. Perhaps it is a Flemish translation issue.
I don't believe that anyone above is suggesting that Paddy is anything less than a top-notch director. Of course he gets work because of his reel and his concepts are on point, he wouldn't direct as much if they were not. I wonder if some of those bothered might have thought comparing him to Hunter or Meyers was an insult.
At one point, comissioning Patrick was a brave, inspired choice - something striking and unusual. Not anymore. Now, with the increased popularity of the kind of music he often directs for, choosing PD is a less "outside the box" decision. Doesn't make him a poor director or his work any less good. His very success has pushed his work into the mainstream.
no flemish here. again: word.
Patrick's greatest strength has always been being able to capture a band's personality within the confines of a performance video. I think that his work usually declines a little whenever he tries to pull off narrative (although '101' and 'Lightning Blue Eyes' are definitely exceptions). As for him getting all the prominent indie acts, it probably has something to do with labels wanting good performance videos when an artist becomes marketable.
As for this video, it's likable but maybe a little unintentionally comic. The audience seems to have a never ending supply of a trash and yet no glass bottles. Also the "twist" gets revealed about quarter of the way into the song and then the video has no where to go from there. I guess it does capture Connor's "personality" though (i.e. his condescension towards middle America).
PD has become the look of choice for indie's upper echelon, and I don't necessarily think that's good or bad for music videos. I do think 'why?' is an interesting question though, because his work says something about what indie bands are looking for in a video, and in turn what indie bands think is a proper visual aesthetic for their music, which could say a lot about the state of indie music in 2007.
i somehow dont think indie bands are always thinking in terms of visual aesthetic when choosing a director. more often than not it's "oh cool he worked with ____ (insert street credible indie artist here)." patrick daughter's work is really solid and diverse, plus he's a good guy. indie bands want something "different." all of patrick's work is unique so they know he's going to deliver on that promise.
mookstar -
It's not just indie bands that say "oh cool he worked with ____ (insert street credible indie artist here)." Hype's entire career is based on that mechanism. Patricio Mija's work is good, but it is certainly NOT different - once every other band in your genre is hiring the same guy and getting a similar look. Maybe indie bands are just as lemming-like as the oft-decried (at least on this site) urban music types. Some white strummer dudes hiring Bernard Gourley - now THAT would be different.
I don't give a fuck who directed it, and I guarantee you anyone who doesn't regularly visit this site does either. It's still a very witty video - perfect answer to all the Bright Eyes haters out there.
does anyone know what anyone else in this thread is talking about before responding? the video is cool, daughters is cool. cool clients want to work with cool directors.
30f, i agree homeslice. im not saying it's exclusive to indie bands. pretty much all artists work with that mentality unfortunately. wish indie bands were truer to their name when it came to videos sometimes. but vs is right, wtf? daughters is great, video is great, nuff said.
i think this video is pretty mediocre.
indeed. what a hype around pd. just another human being. whats so special about this clip? as a band I would have called this "bad pubblicity" - if you take blues brothers in a country club it is much more obvious - but here? espacially with a track which is avarage...
Good video and a great songwriter, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I think the discussion question is somewhat flawed; it can't mean that much because the word "indie" doesn't mean much anymore.
Daughters writes decent treatments but he almost always bungles the execution. He's made a couple of good videos but legions of bad ones (who saw Snow Patrol's "Hands Open"?). Mediocrity prevails. I guess he's the one to get if you're a label with only $75k to spend.
"Only 75k to spend". lol.
No idea if that was the budget, but 75k is not exaclty a ton of money for a director of Patrick's caliber...
Ok quality Mov link
I thought that was tops. Great looking as always with Patrick, and emotionally effecting as with the best of his work. Articulates the anxiety of the performer with flair and authenticity. Great moments in the crowd, eyebrows kid's face says it all.
This is potentially a polarizing video as Conner is a love it/hate it artist, but regardless of taste I think we all can agree that actually being allowed to have booing and heckling with diegetic sound is pretty fucking awesome.
Daughters is weak. "Gold Lion" is good, but, c'mon people! I beg of you!
wtf? I just noticed that someone throws a pair of fuzzy dice at oberst. Where did they get those from?
The economy and restraint makes this stand out as one of Patrick's videos, and I think it's what separates him from the pack. I think Shawn's collabos with Patrick bring out the best in both of them; it's beautiful as was gold lion, turn into, lightning blue eyes, maps etc...
I think hiconcept has a crush on P. Daughty. BTW, he's way overrated.
this video dies for me about halfway through. I dig daughters alot. I like the nat sound action in the video and i think i saw another daughters video with nat sound. But, I think Glazer put a fork in that shit with this richard ashcroft video
Ph.D. thesis by jameSRO.
This discussion question is more loaded than a John Woo pistol. Daughters is one of about a dozen or so hot indie directors that antvillains have a hater hard-on for.
Bottom line, Daughters brings it. Maybe not 3000 percent every day of the week, but neither does Kobe.
Plus he made that Feist "Mushaboom" video. Holy caca do I love that thing.
When did Woody Allen join Bright Eyes? I love Daughters like a Son, his work that is.
