Vid Break! The Grand Rapids LipDub

This video has been making the rounds ever since famous film critic Roger Ebert hailed it as "the greatest music video ever made." His point is a valid one - the video features what appears to be the entire town of Grand Rapids, MI in a 10-minute, one-take lip dub of Don McLean's "American Pie". The video is in response to Newsweek calling Grand Rapids a "dying city," but it's pretty apparent from this video that the city is filled with people who love and take care of one another. Appropriate, then, that this is the song that's chosen because the song is about death and dying, and the video is easily a call to life and living.

As for the video itself, this is no simple feat. The steadiness of the man behind the handheld camera throughout the entire one-take is impeccable, and it rides and moves with fluidity riding backwards down a street, turning to see a wedding and a concert and eventually landing on a scooter and into a helicopter. It feels like the build-up to something grand (hence Grand Rapids?) and then goes even further by the video's end. It's a fine moment in music for sure, but an even finer one in choreography and direction.

-DJ

Vid Break! tUnE-YaRdS - "Bizness"

Yeah, that is how you spell the artist's name. Experimental band tUnE-YaRdS is the conception of New England's Merrill Gabus, a woman whose vocals teeter along the lines of masculinity, but all that really matters is that her artistry rocks. To be honest, all that it does is add to the mystery that exudes from a band this eclectic and imaginative. In this regard, her latest LP w h o k i l l is a fun, sassy, and involving record that plays off eccentric beats and loops, steering you through a maze or jungle that doesn't necessarily have an opening. It's not a trap to keep you there for eternity, though after listening to this sort of album, that may not be such a bad thing.

"Bizness" is perhaps the most accessible track from the record, but the video is something of a disillusioned wonder. It matches the musical style that one could only imagine listening to the record in full, but the energetic choreography, cute children, face paint, syncopated edits and burst of human bodies in the song's second half lift this video from standard fare to an extraordinary sense of stylistic purpose. This sensation is a bit of an overload of nice, but if it weren't for its wild-child of an artist or the eccentricities built into the nature of tUnE-YaRdS, we'd probably have ourselves another by-the-numbers video.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think of the video. You can test the waters of "Bizness" and the rest of w h o k i l l on 4AD Records or on Amazon and iTunes.

Vid Break! Animal Collective is "Bluish"

Animal Collective have been around for most of the 2000's, but it wasn't until Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2009 that they broke the independent mold and brought about their most accessible album to date. That doesn't necessarily mean that they dropped their experimental tendencies for this one album, especially considering the recent release of the visual nightmare ODDSAC. They've still got it in them to produce intriguing, wonderful sounds amidst a Beach Boys-esque atmosphere. Such is the case with "Bluish," a song that sounds like the title itself and an accompanying video even James Cameron has to be awed with. It's one of the more relaxed songs on the album, yet the video edits intensify with the beats and the dreamy visuals with what appears to be floating belly dancers and jellyfish transport you into a land of wonder. Let this video take you places you didn't think you'd go.

Vid Break! "Teardrop" by Massive Attack

"Teardrop" was an accomplished and accessible single from trip-hoppers Massive Attack before House, M.D. blew it into the weekly repeated consciousness of the entire world. With a slow, punchy beat and lovely vocals from Elizabeth Fraser of the band Cocteau Twins, it's undeniable how effective this track is on the psyche. Moreso is the video that accompanies it, matching a vibe more suited for something in The Matrix. It's that kind of creepy message video that's also intriguing enough that you can't look away. Featuring a talking fetus in a womb, it somehow manages to do the song justice and pulls us into the ambience that Massive Attack create. Perhaps this baby's had it up to here with video's that make too much sense.

Vid Break! Foo Fighters Hit Their Stride With "Rope"

Have you heard of the Foo Fighters? Long story short, ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl and his band have taken what is essentially Alternative Rock and turned it into a global juggernaut. They helped to raise the ferocity that Rock used to emulate back in the day, and they have been continually recognized for their endeavors with several Grammy nominations and wins as well stand-out music videos. "Rope" can easily be considered one of them. The lead single off their latest LP, Wasting Light (which will be reviewed for tomorrow's Crash Thursday) not only grabs your attention sonically but also visually, as the guitar strums flicker the intensity that is "light" (hence the album's title) and as the pounding drums help dictate the editing of several angles. Sure, it's the band playing an awesome song to begin with, but the video also gives me confidence that the Foo Fighters have definitely stepped up their game with this one. Check it out!

-DJ

Vid Break! Fleet Foxes - "Grown Ocean"

Seattle-based folk band Fleet Foxes have revealed a music video for the song "Grown Ocean" from their new sophomore effort, Helplessness Blues, dropping May 3rd. This isn't the first song that the band has released from the new LP (and apparently it's leaked), but upon hearing "Grown Ocean" and viewing the subsequent video that accompanies it, you know that you're going to be in for another stellar rush of excellent guitar work, beautiful vocal harmonies, and sweeping compositions. If Helplessness Blues is anything like their self-titled debut, I'll be keeping this record in my player for days-on-end.

Vid Break! Death Cab's Chris Walla Talks New Album

With Death Cab for Cutie's new single "You Are a Tourist" hitting the radio this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this video of BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe interviewing DCFC guitarist/long-time producer, Chris Walla. Walla discusses the band's decision to use a third-party producer for the first time in their 13-year, 6 (and soon to be 7) album career as well as the minimalist direction they have chosen to take for their upcoming album, Codes and Keys, dropping May 31st.

Walla is eloquent and affable as usual, a reminder of the fact that Death Cab is one of the most intelligent and down-to-Earth indie bands out there today.

P.S. Here is the new single off Codes and Keys:

Death Cab for Cutie - "You Are a Tourist"

-JB