The Best music videos of 2018...I think.

I miss MTV.
Not MTV of today - filled with reality shows. No. I miss the pure MTV music video channel of my youth.
I miss having the time to just sit and watch it too.

You can learn a lot from music videos - cultural trends, fashion, new art directional styles, editing techniques, scene transitions and pure wacky ways of seeing the world. They also have their fingers on the pulse far more than any TV show or newspaper. 

So, with Christmas providing a much needed lull I decided to see what was happening out there in 2018. 

And here are my picks. 

1. Janelle Monae - Make Me feel. 

This is so Prince isn't it? And the style is very iPod. I just love he fashion as well. I would wear those see through embroidered trousers if I had the guts. Apparently this video is about Janelle's bi-sexuality - running from man to woman unable to choose. 



2. John Mayer - New Light

This is so shit it's kinda genius. Apparently John Mayer asked some guy in LA who specialises in making bat mitzvah videos.

It also reminds me of my favourite show "Glow" - there is a great episode where they spent the whole episode showing the recorded TV show complete with tacky scene transitions and bad acting. That's what this is like. 



3. Travis Scott: “SICKO MODE” [ft. Drake]

Directed by Dave Meyers and Travis Scott.

There is so much going on in this video. Really interesting camera techniques and trickery, some neon paint, coloured smoke, singing murals, very jiggly butts (like how does that butt actually move like that?) and Drake sounding super cool. 



4. Drake - Nice for What.

Sorry for another Drake but this guy is on it with his video game. For "Nice for what" Drake gave the camera to 22-year-old director Karena Evans. She shot scenes of powerful women celebrating their worth and doing their thing. The result is a video that's joyful and strong - nice one Drake, nice one Evans. 



5. The Carters: “APESHIT”

Probably the most talked about video of the year. Beyonce and Jay Z in the Louvre and some amazing modern dance. New, pop and cool meets classic high brow art. The meeting is mesmerising and you need not delve into anything deeper than that. But if you do then the message is about blackness, its relationship to Western colonialism and about black capitalism as act of radical subversion. Deep man.



Oh and if you are not viewing this on a public screen you may wanna check out the video for Duck Duck Goose by Cupcakke. She is not shy. 

Singing record covers

Isn't it funny how records have stuck with us, whilst tapes, CDs and mini disk players have all bitten the dust. At the moment it seems that album download services are going that way too. It's of course partly nostalgia that keeps the record popular of course. But that doesn't explain why there are so many young buyers of records. For these people it's more the album artwork and the physicality of the things that make people feel like they are really coming home with something special. Here's a little music video which cleverly plays on album art, personifying it and making it seem like something that really should be treasured. It's for Roy Kafri's Mayokero.

Roy Kafri - Mayokero (Music Video) from Vania Heymann on Vimeo.

Thanks to my colleague David for this one. 

Rock-Star Requests

Everyone knows what to put in a rock star diva's dressing rooms.  Yes, just the blue smarties - or so the joke goes. Henry Hargreaves however proves this is no exaggeration. He has created beautiful still life images in a classical style of the backstage requests of rock stars and divas. Some are rather modest (some gummy bears), some more extravagant, others are a little more telling (condoms and KY jelly).

Take a look

See more at Vice magazine

Britney Spears

Fish and chips, McDonald’s cheeseburgers without the buns, 100 prunes and figs, a framed photo of Princess Diana.

Busta Rhymes

Twenty-four pieces of fried chicken, Rough Rider condoms, Guinness.

Mariah Carey  

Cristal Champagne, bendy straws.

Van Halen 

Herring in sour cream, large tube of KY jelly, M&M's (Warning: absolutely no brown ones).

Thanks to my friend Thomas for this post. You rock man!

The evolution of music

This sung journey through the ages is really clever and also really fun to listen to. The group are called Pentatonix and they from Texas (just thought you might want to know). Anyway enjoy.




Thank you to my friend Lele for this video.

Gig Tribes

Photographer James Mollison's project  The Disciples, is a brilliant study of social groups coming together for concerts. He describes how the project began as such: 

Over three years I photographed fans outside different concerts. I was fascinated by the different tribes of people that attended them, and how people emulated celebrity to form their identity. As I photographed the project I began to see how the concerts became events for people to come together with surrogate 'families', a chance to relive their youth or try and be part of a scene that happened before they were born.

The result are these funny and kinda sweet portraits. 

It kinda makes you think about the people you know and how they fit in. I definitely know some Klaxon type people - I work in advertising. I also know some Oasis types. 

Beyoncé's little sister Solange Knowles - a surprise

I was sceptical about how good Beyoncé's sister's music might be. After all she surely had an easy route to fame  - "Oh your sister is famous, do you sing too? Yes? Here's a record deal." But to be fair I really like this cute little tune "Losing You" and Solange's inept unpolished little dance moves which are the opposite of Beyonce's raunchy style. She's pretty adorable. Her video seems to feature a fair few union jacks in a very non-Uk setting so that's strange. Maybe she has a crush on us. We are pretty hip aren't we.

Check her video out and let me know what you think.



There is an interesting article about her in The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/03/solange-knowles-true-dev-hynes

Ikea is playing with their friends

Love the track on this sweet little advert from Ikea featuring children holding a dinner party with giant toys. It's so nice that it hardly feels like an ad at all. It's more like a cute music video with Ikea as a backdrop - a sign of real confidence.

Notice how all the toys try to be useful, apart from the big doll. She's a selfish bitch.

IKEA - Playin' With My Friends from Blink on Vimeo.

Directed by Dougal Wilson for Mother London.
The catchy track is 'Playin' with Friends' by British group 'Masters in France'.

The best music videos ever?

Today I've decided to look at some of the music videos which NME have in their 100 best videos of all time list. Here are the ones I agree with. Plus I'm gonna also add some of my own. Coz this is my blog innit. Enjoy.

Firstly here's Muse with Knights of Cydonia. It's a massive western and there is a unicorn and some laser guns and a hot chick and basically it's a teenage dream. A hilarious one.


I've loved Metallica ever since I was 17 and I watched my Boyfriend's mates' band The Fire Breathing Penguins play Enter Sandman in our local in Swansea. Here they are with Turn the Page and a sad video about a woman selling her body to raise her daughter. Its beautifully done.


This is a dark one - but we are coming up to Halloween so why not - Monster by Kanye West, Jay Z and Nicky Minaj. It's kinda wrong but I like it. It's the goth in me.


Phew after the living dead we could do with some Catholic church time right? Madonna's Like a Prayer should do the trick. Oh and look she had a black Jesus before Lady Gaga. Madonna is right - she's a little copycat! I've just noticed Madonna dances like my Mum in this video.


Here's another poor sinner - Lady Gaga poor dab is in love with Judas. How could she do that to sexy Jesus? Oooh she loves a bad boy. This video is amazing just for the costumes, let alone the religious symbols. But there are also some awesome dance moves here for you to learn and produce in a club near you.


Talking about dancing there's some wonderful slow mo- dance moves here. This is the Knife with Deep Cuts. It might be the beauty of this female impersonator's calmness but this is mesmerisingly haunting and beautiful. Never heard of these guys before I saw this video.



This one is funny. In Jane's Addiction's Been caught stealing a bunch of interesting characters go shoplifting in a supermarket then everyone, including an acrobatic granny, does a bit of dancing. That's always a winner isn't it - a dancing granny?


Here's a clever one - and one that I remember coming out. REM with Imitation of life. The video is one scene fastforwarded and rewinded over and over so that you can focus, with the help of the camera with everything that is going on at the same time. It's a bit like being God  - making you omnipresent. Imagine if you could do this at real parties.


Ok - I know I've already featured Lady Gaga but her videos are just so good! And this one has Beyonce too so it's like, totally diff! So many good things in this one - nice little story line, great cigarette glasses and some great costumes for both girls.


This one is just so outrageously funny it has to feature. I mean girl look at that body!  LMFAO with Sexy and I Know it.


Finally MIA with Bad Girls which is shot somewhere that looks like Afghanistan or something but it's actually Morocco. It was shot in solidarity with thewomen to drive movement, so it has a political message. GOOOO MIA!

Ok so there are obviously lots of other great music videos out there. I didn't include some like Gangham Style because I have featured them very recently on my blog. Please let me know if you have a video you think is worthy to add to the list. Over and out.

Black Cab Sessions- the most intimate gigs ever.

Today one of the organisers from Black Cab Sessions came to give a talk to my agency. If you haven't already heard of them and checked out their website then the idea is simple. Bands and musicians get in a black cab to give a stripped back extremely intimate gig that is filmed and put online. The organisers of these sessions try to pick interesting people with something new to give - whether they are very famous or unsigned and unknown. It has also meant they have turned down some pretty big names. In this process they have discovered many artists who have been seen on the platform and snapped up by record companies. This happened so often that Black Cab Sessions has now set up their own record company called BCS.

Watch this video to get a little taster:



The idea has also spawned a TV program which saw the 5 guys running Black Cab Sessions travel to New Orleans and New York to find musicians and talk to them about their areas and what makes them musically special.



Take a look at the website. It is full of gems - so far I have enjoyed sessions by I blame Coco, Richard Thompson, Death Cab for Cutie and Bonnie Price Billy. There really is something for everyone. 

He-Man does LMFAO

Oh my god I'm on a stupid music video binge! Gobbl gobble gooble!

Here's another gem. It's everybody's favourite musclebound helmet head He-Man singing LMFAO. And he's right. He is kinda sexy...didn't see that when I was 5. I was all about David Bowie as King Jared in the Labryinth.  David Bowie is still sexier methinks but check out He-Man's 16pack.



Oh and another think - who came up with the name He-Man? Like, seriously! There was also She-Ra wasn't there - now that's a little better - like 'she who roars' or something. But He-Man? "He's a man!" - no shit sherlock. Well, maybe they thought they better be clear as he had longish hair. Yeh maybe that's it. 

The Awesome PSY with Gangham Style.

Do you like needless explosions, funny horsey dance moves and slightly fat korean men? Right!!!! I'm with you! EVERYONE does. So you will, like me, enjoy this song and pop video by PSY (Park Jae-Sang), hailing from the popular K-pop music scene in South Korea.

His "Gangham" video on YouTube is the most viewed K-pop video in history with over 100 million views on YouTube. It has also ranked no.1 on the iTunes Music Video Charts. Take that justin Bieber! PSY is famous in South Korea for his satirical style of music and sense of humor. Apparently he is credited with breaking down the stereotype among K-pop music lovers that male singers have to be good-looking and be able to dance well. Well, personally I love his easy to copy dance moves and might bust them out in a west end club next week. 

Ooh and check out this remix with LMFAO, Dev, Offspring and Bloodhound Gang. 

Album designs take 2

My dad still hasn't got a band name. In fact I think he needs some help. If I had a band I'd name it Death Panda. In fact, I tried to write an ad about a band called Death Panda once. Maybe it was more like death advert as it didn't get bought. 

Annnyyyyywayyyy...Dad's album cover still isn't pinned down. That's partly because the singer, his mate Steve, is sulking because he didn't want to call the album The Happy Shed. Nevertheless, I have been refining and making changes they suggest. Here are some of the more recent designs. 

Creepy Shed has become a bit more friendly. 

Crossed Guitars has gone all chalk board.

And Starburst had to go less happy clappy. 

Let me know if you have a good band name for a group of retired rockers with a blues hue. I will put it to the panel. 

Album designs for Rock Dad

My Dad is a rock dad. I grew up telling him to turn down his music, to stop playing his guitar because it's past midnight, trying to rein in his red wine drinking and listening to his latest blues riffs. Now my rock dad is nearing retirement he is putting a band together and has written an album of songs with his friend Steve. Its pretty good too. There are ones that make me cry - the one about my mother who died has wonderful words, ones with great guitar riffs and lovely ones about our hometown of Swansea. Right now he's writing one with funny rhymes about his dating exploits. My dad is loved by the ladies.

He has put a lot of hard work into his album and he has asked me to make him an album cover. His album is called The Happy Shed - rock dad is still a man and men love their sheds. But the band is yet unnamed. These are my first attempts - they aren't in the right size and format yet - I'm going to work that out when he has chosen a design. Then I'll also design the back and the spines. He might not use them but I thought it would be fun to share.

Friends in cool places

It's always nice in life to ride out a bit on the success of your friends. I like to boast that I have friends in high places, interesting professions and even slightly famous ones - ones who have their own Wikipedia pages. So it is with great pride that I announce to you all that my friend and advertising college housemate Hollie has made her debut as a music video director!  Here is her video for Bright Light Bright Light's "A New Word to Say". 

Well done Hols. It's pretty cool. 

When I asked Hols about the shoot she said "Well... the main thing was the noise! 3,000 balloons and they kept popping every few seconds. It was a massive factory space so it sounded like gunfire every time. 8 hours into the shoot and we still had tiny heart attacks every time one went off. Except for Rod, our artist, who was cool as a cucumber. That's professional pop stars for you...". 

So there you have a lesson from Hollie. If making a video with that many balloons bring earplugs. 

Blondie deconstructed

I've always been a fan of Blondie. Here's a brilliant documentary on the making of Heart of Glass courtesy of Tim from work. It pulls apart the song and shows you how different tracks such as the drum machine and real drums, or Debbie Harry's lower range and upper range were recorded and then put together to give a unique and revolutionary sound. Very clever stuff! Enjoy.

Back to the start - Chipotle and Coldplay by Willie Nelson

This made me feel a little teary. Nostalgia is so strong. For a time when things were simpler and more beautiful. Love this advert.

Helicopter Dick and other genius moments

Working in the office on the day that should have been the summer party did have its perks. The best being our head of Traffic showing me the amazingly funny and celebrity splattered music videos from The Lonely Island. Most of you Americans will be very familiar with these videos since, I am told, they play on Saturday Night Live (correct me if I'm wrong). So this post if for those unlucky enough not to have already seen them...or lucky enough to be viewing them for the first time. Watch out for guest appearances by Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and more.

Here's their official website:

http://www.thelonelyisland.com/

And here's a taster of the gems you will find there:

Preparing for a client meeting and there's nothing for it...

There's only one thing that can save us now....(Cue my Homie Bonnie Tyler)...

Arcade fire film down your street!!!

Check out this amazing new interactive video for Arcade Fire's new song built using html5 - I think it's probably the cleverest online video I've seen ever. Put in your most loved address at the beginning and wait for the surprises to begin.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Phil Collins felt bitterness and anger in the air not joy!!

According to this website I found: http://listverse.com/2010/06/14/top-10-misinterpreted-song-meanings/
Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" which is used and became hugely popular due to the Cadbury's Gorilla spot is actually a bitter song about divorce. Yes it makes you feel good but not really the right message for a glass and a half productions surely! It's not a glass and a half of joy you are hearing, it's actually a glass and a half of bitter gall.

Here's what Listverse says:

"Misconception: Witnessed a preventable death

The dark, accusatory lyrics of this song lent themselves to one of the most well known incorrect meanings. The story says that Phil Collins saw someone drowning once from far away, and that a third person, who was close enough to help, either ignored or refused to help the drowning person. Appalled by this, Collins penned this tune as an anonymous condemnation of the person’s cowardice and/or apathy. Some versions of the story have Collins finding this person at one of his shows and even singing it directly to them. Of course Collins says that story is incorrect, and the lyrics actually arose from the bitterness and anger he felt while going through his divorce."

Here's a video of Collins performing the song - yeh Listverse - looks like you might be right!