The Votes Are In!
2024 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → Archive Jun 27, 2013
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At LA CANVAS, we have our eyes and ears everywhere. Sometimes we’re better off for it and sometimes, unfortunately, we wish we could hit the rewind button and recoup our time.
Recently, we fell deep through the Youtube abyss to scour through some of our favorite/most creative music videos released this last week. What we discovered, aside from the fact that puppies and baby cheetahs make an amazing, unlikely duo, shark attack videos are morbidly engrossing, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” new vid is, well, kinda rapey, and Miley Cyrus needs to just chill (c’mon Diane Martel! We love you, but real talk, girl, we would never let T.I. anywhere near our hair), there are, in fact, some real gems in the mix.
Peep our fave video releases from this past week:
M.I.A. – “Bring The Noize”
The pink haired provocateur is back with the new release off her upcoming album, Matangi. Bring the Noize (a tribute to Public Enemy’s 1987 classic of the same name) follows M.I.A. to an underground club (or a synth-pop version of Diddy’s White Party) where she and fellow dancers, all clad in white, dance to a ridiculously infectious beat. Love it or hate it, props to a girl who can rock out in all white and come out of it without a single stain.
M.I.A.’s fourth album, Matangi is due out this fall.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Despair”
Who the hell knew the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be the first to film a video atop the Empire State Building? The band filmed on the observation deck from 2 a.m. until just after sunrise, before the public was admitted. The song builds slowly, as does the imagery, beginning in a bummer dive bar to crescendoing atop the iconic building as the sun begins to rise. Itchy trigger fingers should skip to the end of the video, where helicopters capture a spectacular long shot of Karen O and the band prancing along one of the world’s tallest buildings.
Although bands have applied before to shoot atop the Empire State Building before, nobody had met the production requirements. Anthony E Malkin, president of the Empire State’s operators was surprised it took 84 years for the first video to happen: “Credit to [Yeah Yeah Yeahs] for having the gumption to ask.” We second that.
“Despair” is the latest single from Mosquito, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ fourth studio album.
Robyn feat. Snoop Dogg – “U Should Know Better”
While the song may be off of Robyn’s 2010 Body Talk album, the music video was just released last week. To which we say, “What took you so long Robyn? This track is killer.”
The video features a boy Robyn and She-Snoop kicking ass and taking names all over the neighborhood while challenging gender roles at the same time.
Cloud Control – “Dojo Rising”
Shot on location in Bolivia, this bizarre video has us captivated. From sad clowns to demonic children and bullet wounds made of glitter, the video is beautiful from start to finish. Even if we don’t totally get it.
“Dojo Rising” is the latest single from the Australian band Cloud Control off their forthcoming album Dream Cave due out in September.
Hanni el Khatib – “Penny”
We have to admit, we were a little surprised with El Khatib’s newest release. While “Penny” may be more of a pop ditty than we’ve ever heard from the rocker, the video brings the edge right back. In it, orange-suit clad inmates are portrayed crooning to the track, becoming more and more emotive as the song progresses. The Simon Cahn-directed video is a humorous juxtapostion of lyric and imagery.
Be sure to look for the Hanni El Khatib’s Head in the Dirt LP on sale now.
Solange – “Losing You”
Ok, ok, this one isn’t a newbie. but this video and Solange are just so damn charming, we can’t stop watching it.
Directed by famed video director Melina Matsoukas and styled by Ty Hunter, the vid takes us on a super stylish, cinematic journey through the streets of Cape Town with bold prints and gorgeous colors. It is a visual feast, better than the track itself, and will make you hit replay over and over again. We certainly did.
You can purchase the whole album here
