8.5.14: The Last VJ’s Top 5 Music Videos of the Week
Top Video: Lowell, “The Bells” Director Norman Wong and Lowell have teamed up to put out arguably the most fun music video of the year. Shot on a football field in one long take, you just can’t help but smile at a video that everyone clearly had so much fun making. Lowell herself skips throughout the action in a dirty school uniform swinging a baseball back, flanked by corpse-faced break dancers. All of the sudden, there are cheerleaders, roller derby girls, a marching band, and more in a parade of lighthearted whimsy that plays like a less creepy version of “Mr. Krinkle”. It’s a pretty silly affair, but one that undeniably entertains.
Favored Nations, “The Setup” It takes a little bit to really understand what is happening in “The Setup”. The video features only one character, a middle aged man in an old, empty, impossibly clean house. Over the course of video he dances, plays cowboys and Indians, and eats dinner. Eventually, you realize that he’s sadly living out all the roles of a traditional nuclear family by himself, right up to pretending to be his own forgotten, wheelchair-bound grandfather in the attic. It’s a bit repetitive sometimes, but the overall vision is powerful and compelling. There’s also a twist ending that will jar you out of your seat, so make sure you go all the way with this one.
