This blog will probably be dark for much of Thanksgiving weekend, but before I take some time off, let me leave you with a grab bag of music videos I’ve been enjoying lately.
The Veils – “The Letter”
The Veils singer Finn Andrews gives one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard this year on “The Letter,” so thoroughly channeling the anguish of 1980s Bono that it’s almost a shock seeing the video and realizing he doesn’t have the mullet to match. The music video for the song conjures the bareness of so many late-’80s modern-rock videos, letting the song speak for itself.
Sharon Van Etten – “For You”
Sharon Van Etten’s Because I Was In Love, is one of the year’s most realized debuts, and “For You” is its most hummable moment. Like the rest of the album, this folk tune is as simple as can be, its hopeful lyrics easing the burn of its baleful accompaniment. It’s funny how great songwriters make it look so easy.
Major Lazer ft. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze – “Keep It Goin’ Louder”
Diplo and company give this pretty dance song a very, very ugly video. It’s so garish you can’t take your eyes of it.
Jason Derulo – “Whatcha Say”
Month after month, I’m amazed by how lush and cinematic modern R&B is becoming, and this fast-rising hit by Jason Derulo, built from an Imogen Heap sample twisted for maximum prettiness, sets a new standard. It’s songs like this that have made Top 40 radio a joy all year.
Elvis Costello w/ The Roots – “High Fidelity”
When the late-night TV Gods close a door they open a window, and the sting of seeing Jimmy Fallon take over Conan O’Brien’s desk was lessened by his choice of house band: The Roots, who week after week go above and beyond accompanying Fallon’s musical guests. This recent pairing was particular inspired: The great Elvis Costello, who lets Fallon’s Philly orchestra give one of his most timeless songs a snappy, modern arrangement.
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