I struggled to find a common thread between these videos, and there might not be one. A music video maven, a de riguer style, and a forbidden suggestion comprise this week’s Video Rundown.
Björk, “Crystalline”
Michel Gondry pairs up with frequent muse Björk for her “Crystalline” video. A vivid combination of stop motion and traditional animation, the clip is a dance-club version of A Trip the Moon (a film that has influenced music videos before). Gondry translates Björk’s lyrics literally: “crystals grow like plants” and “crystallizing galaxies / spread out like my fingers.” The result is mesmerizing; the song’s drum-and-bass breakdown particularly so.
Little Dragon, “When I Go Out”
“When I Go Out” on Little Dragon’s latest effort (Ritual Union) is sparse and ambient. The video by Italy’s Emanuele Kabu fills in the empty space of the song with a sensory-overloading video. A collage of discrete, 2D images layered to create movement and depth creates a GIF kaleidoscope effect (popularlized by everyone from M.I.A. to the Traphouse crew) that is as hypnotic is the song’s deep house groove.
Pure X, “Easy”
Shoegazers Pure X team up with director Malcolm Elijah for the video for “Easy,” the most upbeat track on their Acéphale debut Pleasure. The clip is built on fleeting glimpses of S&M (the theme of the album’s cover). But like their sound, the leather-gloved hands and stiletto heels are difficult to grasp. Instead of the fuzzy feedback of the music, however, the audience is awash in deep reds or the unnerving bleach of negative film.
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