Music
videos are all so different. Sometimes, they hold no significance to the song. Other
times, they hold a whole other meaning of their own.It’s not uncommon to find
one with the best of both worlds, but what attracts me the most about the
following clips is that they did exactly that, but also have the ability to
each tell their own story with a bit of an artsy spin; stories of love, lust
and addiction, and the complexities of them all.
Whether
you love or hate the music, there’s no denying that this little list of vids
will be a treat for the eyes, and perhaps bring a tear or two to ‘em. Though
there are hundreds of rad clips in the world that could easily turn this list into
a ‘Top 100’, I’ve decided to choose a specific handful and explore why they made
it on to this list of favourite music
videos.
Carried Away
– Passion Pit (2013)
I
have successfully watched this video so many times, and each time I listen to
the song on my iPod, I visualise the video clip in my head as I listen to it.
It’s awesome, because together, the song and the music video just make so much
sense. It’s a delightful, light-hearted clipthatmanages, to make you smile, and
maybe even laugh, but every now and then reminds you that every shiny
relationship will encounter times of regret –when you say or do something you
don’t always mean to someone you love, and the reaction and consequences that
follow.
But
remember, we’re only human: your words won’t always come out how you had hoped,
and you’re entitled to make mistakes. Carried
Away is a tune that reflects those times, and the music video focuses on a
couple that has their fair share of them, and though you can’t hear the words
being said, you can actually see how
much damage they can do at times. I guess it’s just a matter of picking up the
pieces at the end of all that’s been said and done, and making something better
out of it.
Move On –
Garden City Movement (2014) [EXPLICIT]
I
came across this video via Tumblr. My dashboard was constantly flooded with
these dreamy screencaps and one day, some wonderful soul decided to (finally) link
the source. The video to Move On, focuses
on the story of a young girl and her now broken-heart. It explores the start
and the end of her relationship, not really explaining how it got from A to B.
I guess when some of us go through a break-up, we’re not always thinking about
the in-between of it all, but instead, how good it was at the start and how
shitty we feel when it’s all over.
One
of the best things about this music video is that it really emphasises its use
of colour, using gorgeous shades, contrasting the sombre mood of the clip. It
really touches on how much we can romanticise nostalgia when we’re actually going
through a lot of pain, instead of doing what we should be doing, and moving on.
My Heart Is
a Wheel – Megan Washington (2014)
Megan
Washington is my spirit animal. She literally put everything that I’ve been
feeling lately into this song, and then she put everything I want to make, or
see, in a visual artists style, in this video clip. What a legend!
This
lovely little clip was, in fact, the inspiration for this article. With a
beautiful little colour palate containing pink, red, and white, with a broken
egg here and there, My Heart Is a Wheel
is a good little jam with an exceptionally idyllic video that really will rock
your socks and have you bopping to a tune about one’s experience with being
unfaithful to someone they love. It is an honest song with a wonderful, aesthetically
pleasing clip, and if this list was actually a countdown, it would sure as hell
be number 1.
FjögurPiano – SigurRós(2012) [EXPLICIT]
SigurRós
already hold
the ability to make me completely emotional after 8 minutes of ambient,
dream-pop goodness, but when accompanied with a powerful, confronting clip, I’m
a flipping wreck about 3 minutes in.
I do stress that this is one of the more
intense music videos on the list. Though I’m sure this video has been open to
all kinds of interpretation, with some people not even bothering to find one in
the first place (which, hey, not all of us can be bothered to and that’s A-OK),
Fjögur Piano is an extremely moving, beautiful music video that
explores the tumultuous relationship between a man and a woman. One that’s more
of an abusive cycle that the two are stuck in, only occasionally shedding some
light and hope. It’s definitely worth a look-see on others’ interpretations of
the video, or you’re more than welcome to find your own. Just know that there’s
a bit of nudity, violence, and sexualised abuse in this video.
Robbers –
The 1975 (2013) [EXPLICIT]
Though this song was inspired by the film True Romance (1993), Robbers
has been interpreted in many ways, the same way Fjögur Piano has been. Robbers is essentially a love story: a story about a couple so
intoxicated on their relationship that their actions are blinded by their
unconditional love for one another. On the other hand, it is also a story of
two lovers, so attached to one another that they’re willing to rob any chances
of the other person’s happiness.
The video clip doesn’t follow any chronological order,
but pieces together the story of a couple, in love with love and other drugs,
eventually leading them to rob a store for the money to aid their addiction.
This is my absolute favourite song in the world and the video definitely holds
a significant aspect as to why. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than two people feeling like they’re the centre of the
universe, and that in spite of certain circumstances, they know things will be
okay because they have each other, and let’s face it, Matty Healy is just an
amazing human being, so there’s that.
xx