Last Batch of Videos for the Year

I am looking forward to the holidays, partially because I will finally be able to finish off this year – a few posts must go up (which have been written), and then we will argue amongst ourselves about our yearly rankings of albums, tracks, videos, and album cover art. But I wanted to put a few more videos before the close of the year.

Though I typically place the videos in alphabetical order according to the title (not band), I made an exception this time, placing Duran Duran’s “Girl Panic” first. Duran Duran, like artists such as David Bowie, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Annie Lennox, Madonna, and Nine Inch Nails, are not just simply musicians or entertainers, but musical institutions in their own right. They have left a legacy blazing behind them, but do not sit on their laurels trying to relive their glory days; instead, they continue to compose music, tour, film videos, and push the envelope in their own way. (Unfortunately, all of these artists are victims of a media world that favors young, cookie-cutter, easily marketable entertainers, and rarely give veterans the credit they deserve.) When I think of Duran Duran’s take on synthpop, tinged with smatterings of post-punk, new wave, classic pop, and a plethora of other styles throughout the years, it is impossible to deny that they were one of the bands that really were in the forefront of music videos, cementing the idea that the image of a band can at once transcend and be interwoven into the musical experience. The sleekness and sexually laden music was mirrored by the videos and the band’s look.

Some times enigmatic (can anyone please explain the chorus of “The Reflex” to me – “The reflex is an only child, who’s waiting by the park; the reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark and watching over lucky clover, isn’t that bizarre?”), sometimes downright confusing (Morrissey once said their videos could have been directed by a “drunken goat”), but one thing that always come to mind is their sense of fashion (that image thing again) and how they have always chosen to present themselves as bigger than life in their videos. That is what really got me about “Girl Panic” – it is essentially the biggest twist in their videography. That larger than life image is deconstructed and then re-imagined in the most bombastic way, while paying homage to their career, fashion, and other icons, who understand a thing or two about fashion. In a nutshell, this is a video that only Duran Duran could have made.

Enjoy the videos!

Duran Duran’s “Girl Panic” from the DuranDuarnVEVO YouTube Channel.



Paul Weller’s “Around The Lake” from the paulwellertv YouTube Channel.



Theme Park’s “Ghosts” from the thmprk YouTube Channel.



Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains’ “Les Plus Beaux” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.



Bombay Bicycle Club’s “Shuffle” from the BombayBicycleClubVEVO Channel.



Viva Stereo’s “We Set Sail” from the vivastereo YouTube Channel.