Quicktime

         

I'm ready for a Nilsson feature.

         

Again my friend, your work is in a lane of its own.

         

I'll go against the grain. I didn't like this video. I'll explain it.

It's a current trend for top of the line MV directors to make a short film / hybrid music video that expands their storytelling skills and that is a fine. But a music video to me interprets the song and does not put the short film ambitions front and center. This is an example of it. It leaves the song out for the storytelling a bit. I am not discussing the tech credits because that goes without saying, it's about the song first and foremost and this was bit unsatisfying. Also, Nilsson is a great director but not every video he makes has to be the masterpiece heralded. He's expanding his craft and I am a fan of his work. But this one didn't fit the song I think.

I like the work of Romain Gavras because it illustrates the song but doesn't leave it behind, does that make any sense? I just think it's a trend for MV directors to have loftier ambitions and lose track of the ball: the video.

         

@Victus: AGREED. There is a fine line where increasingly the song becomes a soundtrack. Felt Gravas' last clip suffered from this. While a great vignette in it's own right, it did not wholly satisfy me as a "music video". I didn't feel like that was the case hear, necessarily. Although seems a bit throw away for him in general. Have to admit, I prefer the earlier "trippy" stuff. Feel he has peaked, so far, with "If I Had A Heart". Suspect this is a developmental phase in reaching his vision.

It has been interesting to see Nilsson's style evolve & personally would like to see him do a feature.

         

It's tough criticizing a well done piece of work. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the cinematography pick up on the "digitalness" of the track. I find that slick videos don't match the aesthetic of sound indie acts are making. Might just be me. -j

         

That's it exactly.

         

FRESH.

i think it works as a change of pace for yeasayer from the radical friend videos. kristen bell's performance is surprisingly convincing. we can all agree that there is always room for narrative videos in this little world.

edit:

i'm kind of surprised. i would think this is the place where we celebrate videos that are unconventional. i don't believe in the whole "music videos are fundamentally a marketing tool" line of thought. i think they can be that, and much more.

i guarantee you when people refer to this piece, they'll say "hey, did you see that new yeasayer video?" not, "hey did you see andreas nilsson's new short film?"

         

@hipgnosist - my thoughts exactly, except i cannot remember when exactly gavras ever made a proper music video, only video recordings with the tracks as soundtracks

         

I don't mind that the video is "unconventional" (imagine that- a video for a proggy indie band that feels totally non-sequitur and weird!), it's just that the idea isn't that exciting. Kristen Bell is what most people will remember about this video. If it weren't for her presence, this wouldn't be much to write home about.

I consider it a good thing when antville doesn't just "celebrate" something because it's "unconventional", especially since that term is so relative. I'd argue that this is just as much a genre video as a literal country video or a blingy rap video.

         

this music video is horrible

cheesy, lame actress...Charlie White rip-off monster...hackneyed narrative...

this is a piece of crap and those who like it have crappy taste

nilsson, huff a tailpipe

         

@zabpoint, get a sense of humour, it's meant to be cheesy, just look at the heart wipe for starters. Whilst it's obviously far from Nilsson's best, it's definitely not a piece of crap.

But yeah I agree with majority that it doesn't work in harmony with the track as much as his other stuff. I guess the idea just played off the campy light vocals that the creature lip-sync's at the start and went from there, but then paid no attention to the track. The track was pretty forgettable though.

         

I thought this worked with the track perfectly. Good idea nicely realized. To be honest I like the radical friend / yeasayer videos but it's nice to depart from the totality of the pseudo-artistic, pointless world of radical friend and branch into something truly weird and humorous.

PS 'Basket Case'

         

@Budget: I don't see this video as 'unconventional'. There are obvious film / art references mixed in with Nilsson's own idea. It makes complete sense narratively and fits aesthetically within it's own world.

I find it strange that you label the standard indie video as non sequitur and weird whilst Rap videos are just 'Blingy' and country ones 'literal'. That doesn't really make sense. What are you actually saying here? I know which of those three cliches I'd find more interesting to make? What about you?

I don't even know who Kristen Bell is and couldn't care less about her acting. I don't see why ideas always have to be immediately 'exciting'. This video is just a simple and funny idea that plays out. What's not to appreciate?

         

not a homerun, but still, props to andreas and john moule for making sth different and for getting kristen bell to kiss and hug a pussing and bleeding animal

         

Not a fan of the sodomized butthole face. The last shot is cute tho.

         

As someone who is dealing with a very sick pet, this hit home for me in some ways. That being said, the goofy/ugly plasticity of the creature created too much ironic distance for me, made the video seem more snarky than perhaps its intended. Why not aim for something emotionally true? It could still be a weird creature, but having Kristen Bell kiss a plastic mutant makes this seem more like a melodramatic Troma film than a real attempt at storytelling.

         

Gross. Just...fucking gross. I wasn't even listening to the song, I was too busy keeping down my lunch.

         

is too much irony damaging videos these days? YES!

         

I go with panopticon And the tale about the storyboard inspiration.... The deformed lamb, makes the clip well naff! Sorry!

         

I don't really like this. Even the lighting feels kinda cheap. I think Panopticon has a good point too. The video comes off a bit snarky but also seems to want to touch the viewer. Not saying you can't do both, just that this clip doesn't do both.

         

Behind the scenes still:

         

An interview from last year:

pitchfork.com