Things which are awesome (part twelve) - Bigger than the retelling.

[odditycollector]

 
The music video for Modest Mouse's Dashboard is not made of traditional ingredients, like lighting and production values; it is instead made of awesome.

I have no special, behind the scenes knowledge of the filming of music videos, but I imagine it is filled with a variety of existential dilemmas. Like: "Oh, crap, the cameraman is drunk. Do we refilm or pretend the spinning around dizzily and passing out on the floor effect is what we were going for?" Or: "The lead singer is summarily refusing to skip happily through a field filled with dead bunny rabbits. Doesn't she realize that scene is essential to communicate the theme?" Or: "How many strippers *can* we get for $50,000?"

See, most music videos (in my admittedly lacking experience) exist to showcase the *music.* The video part of the equation is just a means to get bodies into HMV. But the minds behind this one said, "But lo! We already *have* a song, such that people like Karen can hear it on the radio if there is in their possession an FM receiver of some description. Let us bestow upon the audience a music *video* for a change. And let it be mind blowingly amazing!"

And verily, it did come to pass.

The Dashboard video is a four minute movie with an unusually fitting soundtrack. It's got plot, it's got character, it's got suspense, it's got action, it's got breathtaking special effects. It's got, I don't know, ruminations on the human condition, why not, and it's gotta be just about hand crafted for genre fans. (Which, isn't that all of us around here?)

I've seen it many, many times by now, and every time I notice something new. (I mean, I didn't properly appreciate the foreshadowing until the second time through.)

 
There's a higher rez copy up here, or click on the youtube thing to watch.

The band also has another cool video for their song Ocean Breathes Salty, which falls short of awesome only because I am not so fond of the background music.

Comments

[count-fenring.livejournal.com]

This series of still images moving rapidly, set to music, is so awesome that even the most powerful profanities must be combined into new portmanteaus in order to contain the wonder I feel at having been tricked by it into seeing motion and sound.

Shitgoddamn, that is a MUSIC VIDEO.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

*G*'s at you.

Future historians will point to this one as the moment people could call music videos "art" without immediately excusing themselves to double over laughing.

[poilass.livejournal.com]

Oh my god. That totally IS made of awesome!

What's the rest of their music like? I keep buying cds based on liking one song and then ... not liking the rest of them.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

It is! Only music video I ever bought for further use!

I've only heard a few of their other songs, but, honestly, I am so far not too fond. (Dashboard blew me away, though, so I'll probably make more of an effort at some point...)

I believe Ocean Breathes Salty (the other music video) is another song from their latest album, and I believe there are others up on youtube. So you can see if you enjoy them? Er.

Let me know if it's worth it!