Moving Image!
I’m such a sucker for the lyrical, musical, conceptual and visual basket of love that is a music video.
I love music videos.
Always have, always will.
While I am happy to say they are not a “lost” art, I do wish there were still channels (aside from the random ones if you still pay for cable) that played music videos all day, every day—or at least ones *cough MTV/VH1* that played and talked about them as a regular segment.
While I am a fan of generally any and all videos, I can’t deny the euphoric feeing of watching a video that just clicks. Clicks as in, it feels so whole your heart rate starts to balance and you stop fidgeting in your seat—you watch, and only watch.
You feel.
You can feel happy, sad, confused, excited, relieved, curious, concerned, angry… empathetic even? Most of the time, I can’t put my finger on it, but I think that’s the point of being moved.
So, how’s this going to go?
To proceed, I would recommend being comfortable, preferably in your own space, watching on a device larger than your phone if you can (it’s for the experience ok!), and maybe pop some headphones in if that suits your fancy.
You’re about to embark on a lovely, albeit random, assortment of videos that’ve struck me in some way and have reshaped my aura for a day.
Along with each selected video, I’m going to be writing some thoughts, as well as links to the other creatives who’ve worked together to bring these visions to life; I implore you to do some further digging of your own.
I love analyzing lyrics, reading/watching interviews, observing concepts, and whatever else I can digest to better “understand” the perspective the artist is choosing to share.
Enjoy ~
Are we kidding? I’ve always loved Slowthai’s storytelling ability. The energy between his words, visuals and cadence gets me every time in Yum. This video was one of the first times I could physically feel the pressing nature of anxiety in another fluid context. Crowns & Owls always has a way with translating in a compelling fashion.
Directed by Crowns & Owls
Honorable mention to Nothing Great About Britain’s video (lyrics & production are my bread and butter here).
Caroline - freaking - Polachek.
When I went down a Caroline rabbit-hole at the very beginning of 2023, let me tell you just how MOVED I was by this woman. Everything about her personal artistry feels so unintentionally intentional. The first time I listened to Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, I was teetering between comfort and chaos, nostalgia and nuance—when I started watching Caroline in action, that’s when I felt the sheer magnitude of someone with a voice and a vision.
Welcome To My Island makes me tear up every time I’ve watched it. It’s so wonderfully magnetic with a ‘hey, that’s life!’ undertone.
Directed by Matt Copson & Caroline Polachek
Honorable mention to Sunset (editing/art direction + Sega Bodega cameo) and So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings (her attitude and lightness is just! ugh!).
Yeah. Tyler in this video, in my opinion, is peak everything he’s ever been and has evolved into (in this moment that is) displayed in a such a uniquely unapologetic way. I watched this video at least 8 times through the day it came out, noticing easter egg on easter egg.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with Tyler’s discography and perspective on his craft, I think we can all relate to the idea of chapters of our lives being on display, and what those chapter’s consequences could look like if addressed.
Directed by TYLER OKONMA
Floating.
When this song first came out, I felt a state of stillness, just listening as the production unfolded and the words rose. Between the editing style and conceptual references, I love how this video felt ethereally in reality.
Directed by Tohé Commaret
Honorable mention to Egobaby by Bladee. Lyrics, prod., concept, set design. It all flows.
Do I even need to say anything? LOL.
Doechii’s storytelling with the nostalgic sitcom throwback sound + set, mixed with the then, the now’s and the in-between’s, is just.so.good. I think the screenshot below sums it up.
Directed by Carlos Acosta & James Mackel, CD: BMR.nem
Honorable mention is Doechii’s live performance melody. The assemblage, the creative and art direction, the styling, the choreography, the vision!!!
So fucking good.
This.
Dark and light at the same time… meant to feel empowering and stoic, independent and sexy, but also feels so… soul suckingly sincere in an urgent kind of way. Let me know why I started tearing up? FKA has always had an insane presence, but something about the visual translation paired with the audio here feels like it’s stuck in time.
Directed by Jordan Hemingway
~~~~ ☇ ok. ~~~~
This was hard!! I have so much to share about so many artist’s and their visions, but this is the first—on the current forefront of my mind—round up I am offering to you folks to sit and ponder on.
I hope you enjoyed a dose of inspo/thoughts for the day.
It’s so special to be moved!
✁ something else ✁
Hi. You NEED to listen to FKA Twig’s latest album, EUSEXUA (current fav track above).
I’ve always enjoyed FKA’s artistry, and particularly enjoyed Magdalene, but this album feels so transformative for her, like everything she’s learned has brought her to this culmination of thought and concept.
Headphones in, please!
I’ve been getting back into reading more regularly again over the last few months and woopty doooooo, I’ve of course been enjoying it. I just finished up reading Design As Art by Bruno Munari and am about to wrap up The System of Objects by Jean Baudrillard.
I missed participating in this other form of information and thought experience. May make a lil post about some of my staple reads soon.
ttyl!
Thank you for reading.