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5) Ex Cops “Separator”
Directed by Jason Shaltz
This week’s 5 Best Music Videos Of The Week features a handful of videos that are beautifully dark in different ways, and kicking it off is Ex Cops latest video for “Separator”.
The video is presented like a humble night out for the band, it feels like this is a weekly occurrence as the band chill in melancholy fashion not even noticing the dancer. The shots at the bar are beautifully lit and the slight use of slow-mo adds to the dreariness the band seem to be depicting. The night time shots of the BMX bicyclists are both engaging and somewhat unnerving and the outside performance provided by Ex Cops is a nice touch too. This is a moody number, with an overall moody video to match.
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4) Benoit Pioulard “Margin”
Directed by Daniel Algarin
This video consists of a story of a businessman who escapes the the 9 to 5 that is slowly eating him alive. The choice of black-and-white works excellently in depicting the dullness of office life, the sequence of tight close-ups further enhance this. The video is another example of how it really is the simple narratives that work best. The opening feels like a nod to Noir and the video ending in colour is a great touch suggesting the protagonist’s release.
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3) Mazes “Skulking”
Directed by Conan Roberts
Whilst I’m not usually a big fan of performance driven videos, Mazes latest “Skulking” provides a fresh new perspective. The video consists of close-ups of the song broken down – strum by strum, drum hit by drum hit. The black-and-white depicts the rawness that is their sound and adds to the lo-fi garage image Mazes is all about. Repetition works well when the edit is consistently good, which it is here.
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2) Houses “The Beauty Surrounds”
Directed by Dan Monick
Describing their interests in four words: “Sustainable living, being alone”, the video for “The Beauty Surrounds” works perfectly in depicting this. The video is essentially a tale of heartbreak that is set in the desert. The location, and again simple concept provides a lot of leeway for stunning visuals. The story is depressing but beautifully executed, perfect.
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1) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Jubilee Street”
Directed by John Hillcoat
There is a pattern forming here, all of the videos this week feature simple concepts with remarkable visuals but “Jubilee Street” is this week’s winner.
The video was directed by longtime collaborator John Hillcoat, and stars Ray Winstone who has also worked with both Cave and Hillcoat on their 2005 western, The Proposition. Shot in the East End of London, Nick Cave does what he does best and oozing cool, strutting his stuff in this bleak number. The video follows a lonely man (played by Winstone) and his encounter with a prostitute. We also see shots of him reflecting in this chilling video. It’s shot well and has all the seediness of a 1940s noir, acting as the perfect visual supplement to this beautiful track.
Tara Costello